text: House of Harlow was founded in 2009, infusing its founder Nicole Richie's Californian roots into a label that's fascinated with the ability to express moods with clothing. Starting out as a jewellery line, House of Harlow 1960 soon expanded into ready-to-wear, but its jewellery remained a focus for the founder. This dedication can be seen in its aura-collar designs, pendant necklaces and reversible designs. The detailing goes even further, with patterned pendants, 60s-inspired medallions and iconic sunburst designs.


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Black Friday is not a day for words, but for action. In that spirit, here is the least wordy edition of New Game Stuff you will ever run across.
Game Mastery has deposited in our laps two new wonderful accessory products. First being the Magic Academy Map Pack. It's maps for the Magic Academy, nothing more to say.
Second is the Warehouse Flipmat. Again, self explanatory.
Also on the quick mention list is the new Small World: Tunnels mini-expansion. This allows you to combine the boards for Small World and Small World Underground. But you will have had to purchase a copy of either game at the store to get it.
Super Dungeon Explore is happy good time fun! Amendment to that last part: especially if you're an avid fan of 8-bit games and dungeon crawling.
Combining the two, Super Dungeon Explore has players selecting a party (like from a video game select screen) then exploring a multi-roomed dungeon collecting treasures and bashing monsters. Coming with some absolutely snazzy looking cartoony miniatures, if you've got two or more players, this game will supply a good time.
Thinking about getting into Warmachine? Well, much in line with the Assault on Black Reach box for Warhammer or the Beginner Box for Pathfinder, the new Two-Player Battle Box has everything you'll need for two folks to get into the game. That "everything" includes a rules primer, dice, ruler, and 17 miniatures between the Khador and Protectorate of Menoth factions, along with their stat cards.
Put your elves, dwarfs, and gnomes to work in the worker placement game known as Belfort. This quaint fantasy burg needs some reconstruction, which luckily each of the previously mentioned creatures are uniquely able to provide. Gnomes can run the city, dwarfs can supply wood, while combinations of these guys can result in other point-earning activities. From Tasty Minstrel Games (makers of Martian Dice), who have been producing some addictive games of late, Belfort could be considered a Carcassonne on crack.
Heading back to the world of Warmachine, the new Hordes: Domination rulebook brings the new freshness. Including new rules and information on warlocks, the Hordes saga, and new Theme Forces. Keep pace with the cool kids and pick up a book!
Speaking of books containing dark, deadly, bleakness, here's the new Deathwatch: First Foundry hardcover. This book contains a lot of nines. Nine Space Marine Loyalist chapters. Nine Traitor Legions as well. There's also four chapters left out of the previous Deathwatch editions. Futuristic pessimism has never looked so good.
Finally, we end on the first expansion for the popular Quarriors! dice/deck building game. Rise of the Demons introduces 20 new dice and the corruption mechanic (think curse cards in Dominion) where players attempt to clog up their opponents dice bags with a bunch of useless corruption dice. It's on now, peoples!

subset: commoncrawl


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PORTSMOUTH — Prescott Park Arts Festival has announced that it plans to revive its acclaimed youth theater academy program as part of its 2013 summer offerings. As a special partnership with Camp CenterStage, this unique opportunity for young, aspiring actors will offer a three-week, full day camp, from July 15 to Aug. 2, culminating in two performances of Seussical, Jr. on the FairPoint Communications Mainstage.
The youth theater academy, Camp ENCORE!, will offer sessions in music, singing, dancing, acting, visual arts and technical theater while rehearsing the fully produced show, Seussical, Jr. The three-week session will also include guest artist teachers, specialized focused workshops and community outreach experiences.
"Each camper will have to opportunity to grow, learn, explore, have fun and perform on the Festival's stage," said Camp Director, Lisa Forsley. The collaboration with Camp CenterStage brings with it a well-developed camp program, and a full staff of professional teachers and artists to lead the summer session.
"We had to place this camp on hiatus five years while we reorganized in order to put the festival on the wonderful path it has enjoyed over these last few years," explained Prescott Park Arts Festival Executive Director, Ben Anderson. "Still, we were inundated with requests to revive the program each year, so we're proud to finally have that opportunity. It is an experience that kids will treasure for their entire lives."
Offered during most of the Festival's 38- year history, the youth academy once reached between 70 and 85 children and was held over the full eight weeks of summer.
"Getting the next generation of creative types involved and developing their talents at a young age is something that the Festival is very proud to offer again to the community," explained Prescott Park Arts Festival Executive Director, Ben Anderson, of his decision to go forward with the camp. The camp is open to aspiring youth performers, artists, and technicians ages 8 to 17. Campers will receive a total of 120 hours of learning, rehearsing and creative fun.
All classes and rehearsals will be held at Prescott Park Arts Festival, providing a beautiful outdoor setting with full artistic and technical support for the final show.
Camp ENCORE! will be held July 15 to August 2 with performances of the final cumulating production of Seussical Jr. The camp will be Monday — Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. with an early drop off program available. More information about Camp ENCORE! can be found on the Festival website, www.prescottpark.org/camp.cfm or by contacting the Festival office at 603-436-


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Soundgarden reunited by accident
Grunge rockers SOUNDGARDEN only decided to reform after their fans mistook a message on Twitter.com for a reunion announcement.
The group's frontman Chris Cornell sparked excitement when he 'Tweeted' early last year (10), "The 12 year break is over and school is back in session. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!"
The post led fans to believe the band was back together, but the musicians now maintain Cornell only intended to announce the resurrection of their fanclub - as they weren't considering a reunion.
Guitarist Kim Thayil reveals they were overwhelmed by the response to the cryptic message and then decided to regroup.
He tells Kerrang! magazine, "I spent a lot of time trying to explain to my friends that we weren't back together then! My mother called and said, 'We've heard the news, why didn't you tell us?'
"We had neglected our legacy and our fans, so we were just starting the fan club up again. Of course, that 'Tweet' generated a lot of interest and my phone was ringing off the hook with people offering us shows.
"We turned most of them down, but thought it would be fun to play that show in Seattle (in April, 2010) and eventually Lollapalooza (in August). It was only around then that there was talk about doing some new material."


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Manage the implementation of a new Community Equipment Service contract:
Oversee the design & build of new premises
State of the art decontamination facilities
Maintenance area
Storage warehouse
Assessment Centre
Retail facility
On-line self assessment capability
DDA compliant meeting facilities
Online catalogue review and amendment
Commissioner and Clinician consultation
Manage the relocation of stock, operational equipment, IT and staff whilst ensuring continual service provision is maintained.
Ensure effective communication and ongoing implementation update between provider and Commissioner.
Facilitate contractual and financial liability discussions between partnership organisations and provider
Organisation of offical service launch to include service Heads and Dignitaries
Ensure publicity is provided to maximise awareness of improved service provision to users, carers, members of the public, Clinical staff and Commissioners


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Braylee Ann Grosse was born Jan. 13 at McPherson Hospital to Bryan and Lindsey Grosse.
She weighed seven pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. She has an older brother, Jace.
Grandparents are Janice and Don Hodson, Marion; Jeff Richmond, Peabody; and Bill Grosse, Peabody.
Great-grandparents are MaryLou Grosse Habrecht, Newton; Doris Pletcher, Topeka; and MaryAnn Wiens, Marion.


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How Sandy Victims Can Vote
New Jersey will allow residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy to vote by email or fax.
Officials announced Saturday that registered voters can vote electronically. A resident must submit a mail-in ballot application by fax or email to the local county clerk.
When the request is received, a ballot will be emailed or faxed back. Ballots must be returned no later than 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno says the effort will help alleviate pressure on polling places Tuesday. New Jersey is using military trucks in place of damaged polling places.
Officials say electronic voting is also an option for emergency workers. The option is already open to New Jersey voters overseas and in the military.
Gov. Chris Christie said Election Day will go on as planned. If
a polling place has no power, votes will be cast on a military
truck "old school with a paper ballot," he said.
"We will have a full, fair and transparent open voting
process," he said.
Christie has said his administration is making sure residents
have opportunities to vote, even if their polling station is
without power or has been washed away.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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Largest Gift in the history of UVa-Wise to support the Health & Wellness Center
Richard and Leslie Gilliam, natives of Southwest Virginia, recently pledged $8.3 million dollars for a new health and wellness center and renovations to Greear Gymnasium to house the Healthy Appalachia Institute at The University of Virginia's College at Wise.
Richard, a native of Wise, is a 1974 graduate of UVa- Wise (formerly Clinch Valley College), and Leslie is from Jonesville, Virginia. Their generous gift, the largest in the history of the school, will provide both a new addition to its fitness center and the renovation of 5,833 square feet of the Fred B. Greear Gymnasium.
The health and wellness center and improvements to Greear Gymnasium will leverage the work of the Healthy Appalachia Institute, helping thousands of students and residents of Southwest Virginia embrace a healthier lifestyle.
"The strong commitment that Richard and Leslie Gilliam have shown to UVa-Wise and Southwest Virginia will have a tremendous impact on the health of our students and the residents of our region," Chancellor David J. Prior said.
The gift to UVa-Wise is one example of how Richard and Leslie Gilliam are supporting projects to improve the quality of life in the coalfield region. Richard was founder and CEO of Cumberland Resources, one of the region's top coal companies, which was purchased by Massey Energy in April 2010. For many years Richard and Leslie have been supporters of Southwest Virginia communities and continue to believe passionately about giving back to the region. The Gilliams agreed to the announcement of this gift in the hope that others who have benefited from natural resource businesses in the region might also consider a gift.
"My wife Leslie and I are delighted to help provide UVa-Wise with new facilities for fitness," Richard Gilliam said. "Our goal is to provide for UVa-Wise in a way that will assist the school in attracting and retaining students and to support and encourage a healthy lifestyle for students."
Construction of the Health and Wellness Center will add 11,000 square feet to the current fitness facility. The center will house a new exercise area, a multipurpose room for yoga, Pilates, dance and other activities, two conference rooms for individual and group health advising and instruction, and locker rooms.
The renovation to portions of Greear Gymnasium will feature a new entry and refurbished restrooms and locker rooms. The project will provide excellent space for group exercise and intramural activities.
"Leslie and I believe that exercise and healthy habits are essential to a quality life," Gilliam said. "We hope that students and others throughout the area will be impacted by the Healthy Appalachia Institute as the organization works to improve the health and well being of families across Southwest Virginia."
The Healthy Appalachia Institute, a partnership between UVa-Wise and the UVa Health System, was created to improve the health, education, environment and prosperity for residents of central Appalachia.


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Peter Johnson
Published: 2018
Format: Hardback
Pages: 192
First Pasture Price: £28.99
Status: Pre-order, expected August 2018
The restoration of the Welsh Highland Railway is one of the greatest heritage railway achievements of the 21st Century, yet its success followed more than one hundred years of failure. Supported by public loans, its first incarnation combined the moribund North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways, some of the abandoned works of the Portmadoc, Beddgelert & South Snowdon Railway and part of the horse-worked Croesor Tramway. Opened in 1923, it was closed in 1937 and the track was lifted in 1941.
Serious talk of revival started in the 1960s but restoration did not start until 1997, with the neighbouring Ffestiniog Railway at the helm, supported by generous donors and benefactors, the Millennium Commission, the Welsh Government and teams of enthusiastic volunteers. Peter Johnson steers a course through the railway's complicated pre-history before describing the events, including a court hearing, three public inquiries and a great deal of controversy, leading to the start of services between Caernarfon and Porthmadog in 2011. A postscript describes post-completion developments. Illustrated.


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Ron Paul thinks it would be a good idea for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to release more of his tax returns.
But unlike Democrats, who expect the Romney returns to be political poison for the Republican nominee-apparent, Paul believes that Romney would benefit from such disclosures.
"Politically, I think that would help him," Paul told POLITICO today. "In the scheme of things politically, you know, it looks like releasing tax returns is what the people want."
Paul's comments only increase the pressure Romney is under to release the documents, magnified by recent comments from Vice President Joe Biden, who told The National Council of La Raza that "Mitt Romney wants you to show your papers, but he won't show us his."
In recent campaigning, President Barack Obama's camp has been working to portray Romney as an out-of-touch, wealthy businessman, including attacks on Romney's tenure at Bain Capital that have become increasingly venomous. Central to the campaign's challenges are questions over Romney's role at the private equity firm, and allegations he was still in charge when Bain Capital outsourced many jobs overseas.
Romney's tax returns have also factored heavily into the Obama campaign's attacks, focusing on the former Massachusetts' governor's choice to release his 2010 returns and an estimate of his 2011 returns. The newest ad out of the president's re-election team blasts Romney's decision not to release his returns, adding that it "makes you wonder if some years he paid any taxes at all. "
Paul told POLITICO that the focus on Romney's returns has become a distraction from his campaign.
"It's a shame. The important issue is [what] the two candidates seem to agree on. They don't really disagree with militarism overseas, they don't disagree with the Federal Reserve system and the bailouts, and they don't disagree on basically whether the role of federal government is wealth redistribution through welfare. So instead, they're talking about tax returns and that to me is so disappointing," Paul told POLITICO. "It's all a charade, I think it's all contrived to not have a debate."
Paul added that he had "no idea" why Romney wouldn't release his returns, and that he hasn't been approached by the Republican candidate's campaign to speak at the Republican National Convention.
"Not that I know of. No, I haven't been invited to do that," Paul told POLITICO.


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Happy Easter beetlers!
So whilst all you good people are out enjoying the glorious weather, I am inside dutifully blogging away for your continued enjoyment. Here is the latest installment from our intrepid HT, who it would appear remains alive, despite close encounters with Elephants and large flying beetles...And, also, it would appear retains that healthy enthusiasm for poo...read on...
"The Winter's Tale it may be – it really does get cold in these mountains. When one thinks of Tanzania, images of large mammals in the warm African Sun come to mind. The mountains could not be more different. I am currently camped at just under 2000m on a stupendous slope for a tent to be erected! If it rains during the daylight hours, the evenings are very cold.
Udzungwa is an incredible area of biodiversity and endemism. And to the Tanzanian authority's great credit, they have protected it very well. There are still vast tracts of primary forest standing with excellent populations of mountain elephants and other endangered species. The Udzungwas have also thrown up some quite extraordinary new species to science in the very recent past – the Kipunji (a new species of monkey), and an elephant shrew to name but two.
Beautiful view over the Udzungwa mountains from Mwanihana peak
I am studying the Mwanihana region of the Udzungwas, an area with many different habitats leading up to the heather-covered granite peak at just over 2100m. The views from up here are amazing; the mountains and its highest peak, Lohomero, in one direction and the plains of the Kilombero and Selous in the other. I'm getting used to ridiculous slopes to clamber up but the final push through the submontane forest to reach this peak is unbelievable. It is quite difficult to portray how steep it really is in a photo!
The noises in the forest at night can be frightening. Having seen the havoc created by elephants on many of the paths in the forest, I would not want to encounter them, or for them to encounter us in the middle of the night! A ranger, armed with a rifle, from the National Parks team is a necessity and will warn me as soon as any danger is imminent. There was one night when the elephants were pretty close to camp – they could be heard ripping plants and trees out of the ground...
...but it was not the elephants that I had the closest run in with. Whilst camping nearer the peak, a buffalo came rather close. We camped on the flattest bit in the area (I say flat, but it is all relative; nothing is flat up there), which happens to be by the path. This path is used not just by humans but animals too – they don't want to work any harder by creating new paths if they can use ones which are already present. Luckily for us, the buffalo was not so sure about something, perhaps the light and fire in camp but probably the smell exuding from the synthetics such as our tent fabric (and from me as well) and left us in peace. But hearing the rustling whilst stuck in a tent is very disconcerting!
It has nearly been a month since arriving in Tanzania and it is reaching a point where I start craving certain foods – mainly cheese and sushi. Conversely, I have now reached a point where finding a cockroach cooked in with your rice for dinner does not bother me; if it was fried as opposed to boiled, I would probably eat it. Irritations still include mosquitoes, drying clothes by the fire on a nightly basis and putting wet clothes on in the morning because a) you did not manage to dry your clothes by the fire or b) because the tarpaulin over the clothes line where your dry clothes are hanging decides to leak heavily. You can never win (NB: it seems one only finds out about holes in tarpaulins when it rains, at which point it is too late...).
A friend of mine commented from the last blog that he had an image of me "sinking African beers waiting for the odd beetle to fall into a cup listening to the cricket commentary." If only collecting beetles was that easy and could be done whilst listening to the cricket...I can but dream! The reality is a lot of hard work, trekking and in the Udzungwas, digging....
Dung baited pitfall traps (See what I mean about the poo!? BG)
Digging for what you may ask? Beetles of course.
The presence of elephants in these mountains means the existence of one of the largest dung beetles in the world. The beetles belonging to the genus Heliocopris are powerful, charismatic (if that can be used as a descriptive term for a dung beetle) bulldozers, that bury deep into the ground underneath the dung pat. It is a real challenge to find them and it involves careful digging up to 3ft underground! And they certainly don't make it easy... they avoid the big roots in the ground so their tunnels go left and right and it is rather too easy to lose the trail. They leave a trail of the elephant dung all the way to the end of the tunnel where they create a chamber and fill it with dung. The photo shows just how big the ball of dung in the chamber is!
Many other species of dung beetle feast on the massive banquet that is elephant dung and those species that bury the dung can be found at different depths in the ground. Some of the smaller dung beetles cheat and follow the giant tunnels of the Heliocopris and are often found a long way underground; there is no possible way that they could have got there on their own accord! Digging for beetles is a time consuming approach and so trapping for these beetles using dung baited pitfall traps makes the job a lot easier. It can be very successful depending on where they are placed and the meteorological conditions that day.
A male Heliocopris hamadryas (sexual dimorphism makes these beetles relatively easy to tell males from females, BG)
I have not found many Cetoniids in the Udzungwas this time. To be honest, there have not been that many insects around and certainly far less than I was expecting. Even the light traps have been rather quiet. I think that it is just too wet for them too! However, from time to time, some pretty impressive sized long horn beetles (Cerambycidae) such as the Tithoes below and click beetles (Elaterididae) have turned up to the light sheet.
Catch of the trip so far: a Cerambycid flew past me and landed on the top of a 5m tree. Having seen it through a pair of binoculars, it had to be caught! Much activity ensued to secure a 3m extension (a tree sapling was all we had to hand) to the butterfly net. It ended up with me on the shoulders of one of the field assistants trying to keep this net straight. One swing of the net later and we had the beetle in the net. A lot of effort for one beetle – but what a beauty it is!
Hilarious! I hope you have filled out a risk assessment for this most unorthodox fieldwork method HT?! Also, note right foreground: an Englishman is never separated from his umbrella in the tropics! BG
Next on the itinerary is Magombera forest, a tiny fragment of good lowland forest with large populations of monkeys, the Kilombero Swamp (guessing that this will be a bad idea in the wet season – mosquitoes will be everywhere?!) and Mahenge Scarp, the last mountain in the Eastern Arc chain."
So folks, you will have to wait until next time to find out the identity of the Cerambycid which was so hard won (yes, I'm attempting to build suspense!) - truth is, I'm off to catch some beetles of my own before the sun goes down on this glorious day...BG


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Adapted from Engs, R.C. Alcohol and Other Drugs: Self Responsibility, Tichenor Publishing Company, Bloomington, IN, 1987. (c) Copyright Ruth C. Engs, Bloomington, IN, 1996, 2012
Home Page | Article List | Questionnaires | Books | Health Hints | Resume | Search this Site
Any activity, substance, object, or behavior that has become the major focus of a person's life to the exclusion of other activities, or that has begun to harm the individual or others physically, mentally, or socially is considered an addictive behavior. A person can become addicted, dependent, or compulsively obsessed with anything. Some researchers imply that there are similarities between physical addiction to various chemicals, such as alcohol and heroin, and psychological dependence to activities such as compulsive gambling, sex, work, running, shopping, or eating disorders. It is thought that these behavior activities may produce beta-endorphins in the brain, which makes the person feel "high." Some experts suggest that if a person continues to engage in the activity to achieve this feeling of well-being and euphoria, he/she may get into an addictive cycle. In so doing, he/she becomes physically addicted to his/her own brain chemicals, thus leading to continuation of the behavior even though it may have negative health or social consequences. Others feel that these are just bad habits.
Most physical addictions to substances such as alcohol, heroin, or barbiturates also have a psychological component. For example, an alcoholic who has not used alcohol for years may still crave a drink. Thus some researchers feel that we need to look at both physical and psychological dependencies upon a variety of substances, activities, and behaviors as an addictive process and as addictive behaviors. They suggest that all of these behaviors have a host of commonalities that make them more similar to than different from each other and that they should not be divided into separate diseases, categories, or problems.
Common Characteristics Among Addictive Behaviors
There are many common characteristics among the various addictive behaviors:
1. The person becomes obsessed (constantly thinks of) the object, activity, or substance.
2. They will seek it out, or engage in the behaivor even though it is causing harm (physical problems, poor work or study performance, problems with friends, family, fellow workers).
3. The person will compulsively engage in the activity, that is, do the activity over and over even if he/she does not want to and find it difficult to stop.
4. Upon cessation of the activity, withdrawal symptoms often occur. These can include irritability, craving, restlessness or depression.
5. The person does not appear to have control as to when, how long, or how much he or she will continue the behavior (loss of control). (They drink 6 beers when they only wanted one, buy 8 pairs of shoes when they only needed a belt, ate the whole box of cookies, etc).
6. He/she often denies problems resulting from his/her engagement in the behavior, even though others can see the negative effects.
7. Person hides the behavior after family or close friends have mentioned their concern. (hides food under beds, alcohol bottles in closets, doesn't show spouse credit card bills, etc).
8. Many individuals with addictive behaviors report a blackout for the time they were engaging in the behavior (don't remember how much or what they bought, how much the lost gambeling, how many miles they ran on a sore foot, what they did at the party when drinking)
9.Depression is common in individuals with addictive behaviors. That is why it is important to make an appointment with a physician to find out what is going on.
10. Individuals with addictive behaviors often have low self esteem, feel anxious if the do not have control over their environment, and come from psychologically or physically abusive families.
What Causes Addictive Behaviors
There is no consensus as to the etiology (cause), prevention, and treatment of addictive disorders. A United States government publication, "Theories on Drug Abuse: Selected Contemporary Perspectives," came up with no less than forty-three theories of chemical addiction and at least fifteen methods of treatment!
As an example of this confusion, many people consider addictive behaviors such as gambling and alcoholism as "diseases," but others consider them to be behaviors learned in response to the complex interplay between heredity and environmental factors. Still others argue for a genetic cause. Some reserchers point out that, unlike most common diseases such as tuberculosis, which has a definite cause (a microbe) and a definite treatment model to which everyone agrees, there is no conclusive cause or definite treatment method to which everyone agrees for most of the addictive behaviors.
This lack of agreement among experts causes problems with prevention and treatment approaches for many addictive behaviors. Professionals debate whether total abstinence or controlled and moderate use of a substance (such as alochol) or activity (such as gambling) is effective. Others debate whether or not a medication is a desirable treatment method. In the area of addiction to food or exercise, of course, few advocate total abstinence as a solution.
Though the theories for the causes of addictive behaviors and their treatment are numerous, various types of therapy can help a person who has an addictive behavior.
If you think you, or a family member, might be addicted to a substance, activity, object, or behavior, please talk to your family physician, clergy person, counselor, or seek out a support group for the problem. Do it today!
Seven theories of addictive behaviors
Compulsive/Addictive Behaviors - Boston University
Downloaded from: http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/addictiveb.html
(c) Copyright, Ruth C. Engs, RN, EdD. Professor, Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, 1987, 2012.
TO ASK QUESTIONS email me by addding: engs to the "at sign" symbol and to indiana.edu This is the fastest way to get hold of me.


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Battle for Meridell
Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11
Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | ENDING
Visit Meridell | WAR ROOM
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Back in the Citadel


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Edmonton Oilers Tickets
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The Edmonton Oilers will look to enter the 2013 NHL season improved from last year where they finished 5th in the Northwest. Although they dominated all season on the power play, top players like Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall failed to break the Oilers' 6-year playoff drought. Eberle proved he was a vital part to the team's offense, leading them in goals, assists, and points (34, 42, 76). Centers Shawn Horcoff and Sam Gagner were solid and will likely improve entering the upcoming season. The Oilers' blue line, featuring Nick Schultz, Ryan Whitney, and Cam Barker, can clearly hit hard but need to work on not letting up so many goals. On that same note, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin showed signs last season that he is clearly past his prime. Fortunately backup goalie Devan Dubnyk established himself as the team's top goaltender during the second half of the season, landing him the starting position over Khabibulin. Dubnyk will most likely be the Oilers' starting goalie entering the upcoming season and with a new 2-year contract that will pay $3.5 million, he should be satisfied with the organization. Although Dubnyk's ability to man the helm is unproven, his performance at the end of last season clearly showed he has talent. The 2013 NHL season will likely see a substantial improvement from the Oilers if Dubnyk is able to handle the starting position and the defense can dominant their opponents, and could very well end the Oilers' 6-year playoff drought. Get your tickets today to any of the Edmonton Oilers games during the 2013 NHL season from you guy at Gold Coast Tickets! The Edmonton Oilers represent the city of Edmonton, Alberta in the NHL and are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The Oilers were one of four teams to join the NHL in 1979 after the WHA disbanded. Since then the Oilers have been highly successful, boasting one of the greatest dynasties in hockey. From the 1983-84 season to the 1989-90 season they won the Stanley Cup 5 times and were led by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, alongside Hall of Famers Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson. The Oilers have yet to win a Stanley Cup since a controversial trade in 1989-90 that sent Gretzky to Los Angeles, but made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2005-06 season, only to be defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers have played their home games at Rexall Place since 1974 and it is currently the third oldest area in the NHL. One of Edmonton's most heated rivalries is shared with the Calgary Flames and the faceoff between the two has been dubbed the "Battle of Alberta" by fans and media. For more information on the Edmonton Oilers and their 2013 NHL season, visit their website at: http://oilers.nhl.com/
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Unfortunately this year I haven't been able to go to Austin Texas to visit SxSW. Luckily Mashable partnered with Topsy to create the Mashable SXSW Trendspotter which allows me to monitor whats trending on twitter and find out what's hot every day.
Over the past 2 days I have discovered a few new startups that are creating some buzz, and decided to try them out and share them with you. Curious to your thoughts on these! Read the rest of this entry »


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Redesign upcoming.January 20, 2003
'Tis the season for re-designs, it seems. Fresh new year, fresh new look. Yours truly is no exception, but sadly it's not as easy as a CSS update for me.
Despite the wonderful promise of a "site-wide redesign done from one single file", those of us who live a dual life in standards-compliant, bleeding edge code as well as high-end pixel editors and the like know that this promise doesn't ring true.
There's far more to a fabulous design than positioning text. An incredibly well-done minimalist approach is something to be admired; I love this style when done right, but have never been able to emulate it myself. I need control of my pixels. I need to put splashes of detail here and there. I need the ability to not conform my design to the rigidity that CSS sometimes enforces.
Sorry, I seem to have wandered there. Point being, here are some (non-clickable) glimpses of Mezzoblue, v3. Daring new colour scheme.
8/22/03 update: ahem.
Let's all consider this post officially retracted. I'll leave it up for historical curiosity; I don't believe in erasing the past.


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Moderators: JohnV, Arron, garym
TwitchyDoc wrote:Well, only 2 people participated so far what I have been told (which makes 3 with me) - please, if you can, join this study, most likely we will not have opportunity like that in the future.
TwitchyDoc wrote:lifewithbfs: If you have at least the report from neurologist saying that your compaint is fasciculations (or that he noted fasciculations), then you are welcome to join. It is kinda strange to do just NVC - maybe you have had major sensory issues? If you have a video on YT, the better.
For the others: As Matt said, we can do better than just 3 of us. Especially important for tongue twitchers who have not any evidence (meaning literature) that this can be benign - this study should mention it. But we need you!
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Common Questions
What's the difference between modular and manufactured home? Manufactured homes are built to a national building code. Modular homes are built to the New York State building code. There are big differences in whether there will be any zoning issues, and manufactured homes can be less expensive to setup.
How long does it take to build a factory built home? From the time an order is placed, in 3-5 months you can move in.
What type of financing is available? There is a wide variety of financing available, from home-only loans up to full construction mortgages. G&I Homes is also a New York State registered mortgage broker, so we can help a customer with financing.
Are the homes built to today's energy efficiency standards? Modern manufactured and modular homes are generally built better than today's energy standards! All our homes can be built to Energy Star standards.
Are the homes customizable? Very much so! Each of our manufacturers offer numerous options and changes, both in the look and layout of the home. Each order is custom built for the customer.


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Android Pie 9.0 update for YU Yunique 2 has recently been released and now its download is available for all users around the world.
Connection Between YU Yunique 2 and Android Pie 9.0
During the last Google I/O (Input/Output) annual developer conference, Google has introduced the final Android 9.0 Pie update and now all YU Yunique 2 users around the world can access and install this upgrade. Before the annual developer conference Google withdrew the first and second preview of Android Pie. The article will cover the new features on the final OS release that you can now install in your YU Yunique 2.
The releasing plan of Android Pie
After the release of Android O, it is known as Android 9.0 (Pie). The timeline for the release of Android O has already published during the last Google I/O, and as scheduled the DP3 release in the middle of June and DP4 in the midst of July. Android users supported with Android One, Nexus and Pixel handsets are now able to use the full version of Android 9.0 after August and the first half of September.
What are the significant changes for YU Yunique 2?
We have not seen much changes in the Material Design of Android Pie. However; there are a lot of changes on the notification segments, which allows having excellent control on the Android. The menu setting appear in a whole new look, and also there are some changes you can see in the YU Yunique 2 UI, especially in the notification shade.
The all new Android Pie 9.0 comes with the much-awaited picture-in-picture features and notification app for unread messages. In addition to this, you can experience advanced Bluetooth capabilities and enhanced audio functions. The YU Yunique 2 Android Pie update comes with a bundle of features, and every type of mobile users can find something suitable to their choice and taste.
Features that looks great with YU Yunique 2 Android Pie 9.0
Here is the list of some excited features that you are going to love after the successful Rom update.
Fluid Experience:
Fluid Experience is the new helping tool announced at the last Google I/O, which is unique productive and multitasking tool designed meet YU Yunique 2 user's daily requirements.
Google comes with TensorFlow Lite a new scaled-down version of Tensor Flow in the I/O. The new tool can meet the demand of low power devices by using LSTM to enhance the user experience. In Android Pie 9.0, you will have a new framework of enhanced neural network features, by keeping some of the artificial intelligence features on the YU Yunique 2, which will reduce the dependability of searching online server for computing actions on texts.
In the Android 9.0 you will have features like Smart Text Selection, Pic-in-Pic, and Notification Dots with extended press activities and Autofill, etc. Let us examine all these new features:
Smart Text Selection:
Smart Text Selection has a bundle of amazing features. It is way part different from the old text highlight features, which are commonly using for copy and paste. After successful YU Yunique 2 Android Pie 9.0 update, you will have additional features on the highlighted text.
Just highlight a number and tap on it, which prompt for dialing that number. Similarly, if you tap on a highlighted address text, it will start searching the address.
Picture-in-Picture is a familiar tool you can find on televisions. The feature will become very common even on your hand device too. The new Android Pie for YU Yunique 2 will allow you to play your favorite YouTube video and by just tapping on the home bottom, the video will pop into a small window and let you search on other program or apps on your device. The pop in the video can slide to any location of the screen, and you can easily opt out from it by sliding the video from the window.
Notification Dots:
In Android Pie, the app icon will appear with a Notification Dot indicating the availability of new tools. It is to denote the active notification. If you make a long press on the app icon, the notification dot will display a list of links, which are ready to take actions. Even though this feature is not available in the Second Developer version, it will have in the final version of Android 9.0.
The feature will allow the user to swiftly log into used YU Yunique 2 apps by remembering the ID and passwords, which can save time and avoid the necessity of typing all the information repeatedly for every frequent usage. The AutoFill feature has to be installed by the developers before you can use it uninterruptedly.
Play Protect:
It is like a virus scanner for Android Pie apps. On the Google Play app window, you can see the latest scan report making secure and vulnerability of each app installed on your device.
Under Vitals, users will have security features, tools for enhanced utilization of the YU Yunique 2 and OS optimization, which eventually save battery life. Wise Limits can regulate long running apps in the background. Wise Limits will work on all apps and regulate the battery consumption by maintaining your device to the optimum level.
The Pixel devices take nearly half the time for booting, which is much less than the previous version due to OS optimization. Similarly, its change of functioning could be seen in the runtime, squeezing garbage collection and finding code location. As a result, the YU Yunique 2 will run faster than before, after installing Android Pie.
Play Console Dashboard:
It is a highly efficient tool, which can go deep into the system and help the developer to fine tune their application contributing to reduce battery drain and enhance the actions of various apps. In simple, it provides analytical information on app device usage. With the device, the developer can watch and understand, how an app runs on the YU Yunique 2 powered by Android 9.0 Pie. It is not a tool to bypass the requirement of testing the app functioning, but it can reduce the time required to find out the faulty actions of an Android device.
It has not appeared as a new feature in Android O, but the feature is one of the reasons for the fast performance than its predecessors.
Bundles of new features:
The Android Pie comes with font supporting features, let the user choose/change the font style and size. People who love to play with the fonts and its presentation, this feature will be a great support.
Wi-Fi Awareness:
Wi-Fi Awareness on Android 9.0 shall check for other Wi-Fi devices and apps within the range and establish the connection without an Internet connection.
Android Run-Time:
You will have an optimized Android Run-Time, which enhances the apps functioning in the YU Yunique 2.
Improved WebView:
In the new Android 9.0 the WebView also has undergone improvement, and as a result, you can have quick web view experience.
Do not disturb:
You can find two toggles on 'do not disturb,' icon. One appears under the volume control slider for enabling DND and the second for creating volume shortcut. It will effectively put on when pressing the volume down repeatedly after the vibration.
Lock screen:
The new lock screen looking something similar to Android Oreo 8.0, but it has new features in the System UI Tuner. It allows you to change the camera and voice assist shortcut anywhere you want to keep it.
You can find some significant changes in Ambient Display. Usually, in Ambient Display, only the clock and some small YU Yunique 2 app icon may show if any notifications are waiting for action. In some app like Hangouts, you can find some detailed information about the notification.
Some omissions and additions:
- No changes on Easter Egg cat catching game
- New File app replaced download app
- Developer Options takes over the Memory section
- In the new version of Android Pie 9.0, you can get frequent updates and rollback options to Android Oreo.
How to install this update?
Downloading this update on your device is a bit tricky procedure and if you are not a pro user, you better seek the help of someone who is expert. There is an easy option via OTA update that will install the android Pie conveniently. But if your device is not supporting the OTA, simply look out for custom Rom for YU Yunique 2 and install it in your device to make the most out of android experience.
YU Yunique 2 Android Pie 9.0 continue the saga of Android Oreo and try to fill up those minor gaps and shortfalls, which is indeed very promising. The innovations further augment the API segment of Android which is evident in the notification and permission management, looks better than Android N.
The new Android 9.0 is not merely regrouping of menu and presenting in a new format. Innovations are also visible in the peripheral segments, like hardware keyboard and Bluetooth audio. As said earlier, we can see many convenient features bundled as adaptive icons, picture-in-picture, and navigation bar changes, app badges, and autofill APIs.
You will find much difference between the Android Oreo and O, but 9.0 is more sophisticated and gives more focus on features that are beneficial for Android users. I am happy with the innovations in the background activities and hope YU Yunique 2 Android Pie update will be the best OS for all users around the world.


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Celebrity Big Brother Season 22 Episode 27 () - Watch Online
Celebrity Big Brother Season 22 Episode 27 () Links
Do not miss the latest episodes of all the hottest TV shows you enjoy watching. They are waiting for you here at Watchseriestv.tv. You can watch the episodes that have been updated the most recently, but you can also go back to some older episodes that you missed or want to see again. There is a grand collection of popular TV shows and all their seasons are included, with all the episodes they contain that are neatly arranged so you can find everything you want to see with a lot of ease.


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Brunei introduces Islamic sharia penalties, including death by stoning for adultery
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei: A controversial new penal code for oil-rich Brunei that will eventually include tough Islamic sharia penalties such as severing of limbs and death by stoning came into effect on Thursday.
Brunei's all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah had said on Wednesday that he would push ahead with the introduction of the new criminal code that has sparked rare domestic criticism of the fabulously wealthy ruler and international condemnation.
The initial phase beginning introduces fines or jail terms for offences including indecent behaviour, failure to attend Friday prayers, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.
There were no known events to mark Thursday's implementation.
A second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery is to start later this year, involving more stringent penalties such as severing of limbs and flogging.
Late next year, punishments such as death by stoning for offences including sodomy and adultery will be introduced.
The sultan – one of the world's wealthiest men – had announced the implementation last year.
He first called for the penal code in the late 1990s and has increasingly voiced plans to strengthen Islam's role in the already conservative, energy-rich Muslim country on Borneo island.
But the plans by the revered father-figure monarch triggered unprecedented criticism earlier this year on Brunei's active social media, though the move appears to enjoy broad support, especially among Muslim ethnic Malays, who make up about 70 per cent of the population.
The UN's human rights office and various international rights and legal activist groups also have condemned the move as out of step with modern society.
Brunei is the first country in east or south-east Asia to introduce a sharia penal code on a national level, joining several mostly Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Attorney-General Hayati Salleh late on Wednesday sought to ease concerns over the code's implementation, stressing that sharia cases will face high burdens of proof before the tough penalties are imposed.
"It is crucial that we, and the international community, understand these distinctions and not focus solely on the punishments but rather, on the evidence-gathering process that is complicated and strict," she said.
The monarch's wealth – estimated three years ago at $US20 billion ($21.6 billion) by Forbes magazine – is legendary with reports of a vast collection of luxury vehicles and huge, gold-bedecked palaces.
The monarchy was deeply embarrassed by a sensational family feud between the sultan and his younger brother Jefri Bolkiah over the latter's alleged embezzlement of $US15 billion ($16.2 billion) during his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s.
Court battles and investigations revealed salacious details of Prince Jefri's un-Islamic jet-set lifestyle, including allegations of a high-priced harem of Western women and a luxury yacht he owned called "Tits".


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STOCKTON - Eight-year-old Noelle Nance gently brushed her hands over the furry cat named Le Le.
STOCKTON - Eight-year-old Noelle Nance gently brushed her hands over the furry cat named Le Le.
"I would name it Fluffy," Noelle said to her chaperone during a field trip to the Animal Protection League of Stockton's rescue facility on Murray Drive.
Nearby, as cats leaped on shelves, laid on pillow beds and dashed through the room, one named Patterson found friendly second-grader Luci Faso to pet her.
"I like this one," the 8-year-old said.
While the field trip was a chance to learn about, and, of course, play with, a crowd of kitties, the children were also there for official business.
Students from Merryhill Elementary School in Stockton on Wednesday donated $1,282 they raised to the no-kill shelter run by the animal rescue group. They raised it one penny at a time.
Before the students could mingle with felines, they gathered in the front office with staff.
"What you're doing for (the league) is just fabulous," Louise Fornos, the center's manager, said to the kids, assuring them their donation will go toward the care of animals and to spay and neuter feral cats.
"And we have lots," Fornos said. "We are full to the ground here."
Fornos presented the students an appreciation plaque.
"I'm going to tell you how awesome you truly are," said Carole Cox, a volunteer at the center.
Cox figured the children collected more than 100,000 pennies. "Do you realize how awesome that is?" she said.
"That's just incredible."
Students raised the money as part of the school's Giving Without Walls project, in which classes compete to raise the most pennies. It also teaches them about social entrepreneurship.
"It teaches them to give back to the community and help those in need," said Sherry Baker, second-grade teacher.
In the past, the school has held a canned cat food and toy drive, but this year, kids learned the organization needs monetary donations.
"They were so excited when they found out how much money they initially raised," she said.
Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez-Moore at (209) 943-8564 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit her blog at recordnet.com/courtsblog.


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Maybe we can start with thinking about Dr. Harris's peaks and valleys. To remind, we may not be able to imagine circumstances that would be the peaks and the valleys but we can at least rate things above or below each other. So with our full capabilities a person imagines the best scenario they can, as well as the worst. Lets say a bird does the same. Clearly our range is much more vast but this suggests that there is a blurred line holding our individual limits of experience. So if scenarios appeared to both the human and the bird, even worse than we both individually imagined, but still falling within our capabilities of mind, then the worst situations for the bird and us would be different but still the most terrible things that could befall us.
What I'm getting to is that the worst possible moments for the bird are synonymous with the worst possible experiences for us (although these situations are very different and much atrocious for us only because we are lucid enough to have the experience), no matter the differences in the ranges between the bird and a human, certain situations are still the worst (or best) for our complexities limits.
How can we designate which conscious beings are more important based upon their range of experience? If it were to evolve later on then it would set the new peaks and valleys with its new insight. This doesn't mean that its previous peaks weren't actually peaks, but that the peaks are evolving harmonious to our complexity and imagination. The moment the being can imagine more its more complicated, and a new limit is set, both more wondrous and horrendous. Right?
The difficulty most of us have is that we think we are just the physical beings. We as human beings are more than just a physical body. I will try to explain it in a simple way:
1. At a basic level we are animals and have physical needs - eat,drink, shelter, etc. We have a choice to select our food/drink. Animals are programmed e.g. a tiger will eat meat while a sheep will eat grass. Animals have a reproduction cycle while we have choice…
2. We have emotions so do other mammals, etc e.g. love, anger.. we have these emotions in a more developed form than the animals. We have seen pets expressing these emotions.
3. The next level is cognition - where we think so do our pets.
4. The next level is meta cognition where we think about thinking about thinking. Animals do not have this ability. This is where the choices and free will comes and plays its role. This is the level where relative values come into play. My definition of justice could be different from others…. same goes for other values.
5. The human interaction plays an important role in the way we develop our thought process which helps to build our character or personality. We are challenged about our values in our daily lives and we think and act.
To be continued
Continuing from my previous post the next stage of our development is the choices we make in our daily life within the constraints placed by the environment or the society in which we live. For example If I am poor, I will be constrained in my choice as compared to a rich man. However, the values will still remain relative whatever I do within these constraints.
6. The next stage is that how use our free will to interact within a society. We experience that we follow our desires and use our intellect to accomplish it. We sometimes evaluate these desires sometimes we do not. Similarly at another time we use our emotions to follow our goals which we select through the use of meta cognition e.g. in our job we plan something and then use our desire to accomplish it. This is where our choices come into play through the use of our relative values. Religious beliefs are are also relative values as each religion's god is different from each other. The definition of this god defines the religion?
7. We have seen so far that our values influence our decision making. There certain values which do not change with time e.g. justice, equality as human beings, dignity as a human child, accountability, ..... This will need some explanation. For example equality as a human being—when a child is born anywhere in the world it is equal to another child whether rich or poor. The additional or relative values of rich/poor, status, colour, race etc do not change the basic fact that the child is born equal to another child. Accepting this as a permanent values changes the whole scenario as it places us equal to any other human being in the world/universe.
8. If we believe and develop conviction in the permanent values then we start operating at a universal level and all the issues of parties, divisions disappear?
"Nor dread nor hope attend
A dying animal;
A man awaits his end
Dreading and hoping all…"
"Nor dread nor hope attend
A dying animal;
A man awaits his end
Dreading and hoping all…"
Care to explain this?
AE's point 4 re a distinction - a morally relevant distinction - between animals and humans is well brought out in WBYeats's poem. Humans often intuitively grasp situations without conscious analysis. The poem ends (with my emphasis added):
"Man knows death to the bone:
Man has CREATED death."
More inclusively, you could say: "Humans have CREATED morality." (Not a view I wholeheartedly endorse.)
How can we designate which conscious beings are more important based upon their range of experience? If it were to evolve later on then it would set the new peaks and valleys with its new insight. This doesn't mean that its previous peaks weren't actually peaks, but that the peaks are evolving harmonious to our complexity and imagination. The moment the being can imagine more its more complicated, and a new limit is set, both more wondrous and horrendous. Right?
Right. But we can still work with the present and for the present. Man ought to be an end in himself rather than an instrument or a Neitzschean bridge (he famously argued "man is a bridge not a goal") to something allegedly superior. That would be to say the ends justify the means. But if we are humanistic the ends are ourselves and what we can become in the plasticity of this life.


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|Birth Date:
|Denville, NJ
2010-11 Saw time in 12 games as a junior ... Combined for 724 minutes of playing time, in which he earned a 7-5 record on the year ... Combined 318 saves ... Held three opponents to just one goal ... Managed a season-high 39 saves in the January 28 meeting with Norwich University ... Won seven straight decisions from November 23 to January 21 ... Finished the year with 30 or more saves on five different occasions.
2009-10 Split time in net as the Beacons starting goaltender, appearing in 13 games while getting the starting nod nine times ... Compiled a 5-6-1 record to go along with a 3.39 goals against average, which ranked ninth in the ECAC East ... Recorded an .833 save percentage, making a career-high 278 saves on the year ... Stopped 20 or more shots on eight occasions, including 30 or more twice ... Earned the win in UMass Boston's 4-3 victory over No. 6 ranked Williams College on Feb. 13, making 11 save in 33 minutes of action ... Made a season-high 35 saves in a 2-1 win over Tufts University on Jan. 9 ... Registered back-to-back wins for the first time in his collegiate career earning a the victory on Jan. 23 in a 5-4 win over New England College and then picking up the "W" on Jan. 30 in a 7-2 win over Saint. Michael's ... Logged a total of 655:15 minutes on the year.
2008-09: Joined the
Beacons for the second semester and started six of seven games ...
Posted a 2-4-0 record to go with a 2.96 goals against average ...
Registered an impressive .920 save percentage ... Stopped 30 or
more shots on five occasions, including a career-high of 40 to
record his first collegiate shutout at Skidmore College on January
30 ... Took nationally-ranked Norwich University to overtime in his
collegiate debut on January 17 in Northfield, VT, while making 24
saves ... Made 38 saves in a 3-2 win over University of
Massachusetts Dartmouth on January 20 for his first career
Personal/High School: Played junior hockey for the Binghamton Junior Senators and was named a two-time Atlantic Junior Hockey League All-Star ... Also played for the Niagara Falls Canucks of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League ... Graduated from Seton Hall Prep in 2005 ... Born April 20, 1987 ... Son of Nancy and Kevin Bendel ... Majoring in economics and would like to work on Wall Street or for the government ... Enjoys cars, computers, electronics and working out.


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Spark Capital, a Boston-based venture capital firm, has raised $450 million for its its fourth and largest fund to date.
The fund is about $100 million larger than Spark's last. General Partner Todd Dagres says that's because Spark has "figured out its sweet spot." It wants to ramp up its efforts and see companies all the way through, from start to finish.
"We thought seed stage startups would have a higher mortality rate, but more actually are graduating from seed rounds to Series A's," Says Dagres. "We like to follow deals all the way through the life cycle from beginning to end."
One-third of Spark's investments will be seed stage; many others will be follow-on investments. Spark invests in about 30 startups per fund. The firm has invested in consumer tech, commerce, cloud and advertising companies such as Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr and Warby Parker.
But the consumer tech sector, where some of Spark's most notable investments have been, has been called a dead space. The aftermath of Facebook's IPO has made some investors weary of social platforms. Dagres thinks there's still money to be made in this sector though. As proof, he pointed to Pinterest's recent $200 million round, which valued it at $2.5 billion.
"Before, people were saying, 'If Facebook is worth $100 billion [pre-IPO], then why can't this company be worth $5 billion? People didn't really know where the top was," says Dagres. "It's not as crazy now. I don't see the bloom off the rose at all."
Since its founding eight years ago, Spark Capital has roughly $1.5 billion under management across its four funds. It has a team of nine people, with a few members based in New York.


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(Reuters) - In the end, all it took was a workout session in the gym followed by conversation over breakfast at San Francisco's Four Seasons hotel for Verizon Communications Inc's Lowell McAdam and Vodafone Group Plc's Vittorio Colao to bridge a $30 billion, 10-year-long gap between their companies and strike the third-biggest corporate deal ever.
The two CEOs, who have known each other for 20 years and are close enough to have had dinner at each other's homes, had been in regular touch at least since the fall of last year about the fate of their Verizon Wireless joint venture, which was formed in 2000 and is now the No. 1 U.S. mobile carrier.
In an interview on Monday, McAdam said that he and Colao determined early on that they did not want to merge Vodafone and Verizon into one global telecom behemoth. The alternative - for Verizon to buy out Vodafone's 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless - was more attractive.
But the question was: at what price?
In April, sources told Reuters that Verizon was opening the gambit with a roughly $100 billion proposal. In late July, McAdam was discussing the matter on the phone with Colao, who was calling in from Australia. Colao suggested they should meet face-to-face and then flew over to San Francisco two days later, as McAdam was there for a business trip.
"We got up early. We were both down at the gym together, we had a brief conversation on the exercise bicycle," McAdam said, adding they continued to talk over breakfast that morning.
"We looked at the final bit of data, and we said, 'Looks like $130 billion is about the right number and let's see if we can put a deal together around that.'"
They named the project, "River." Verizon was referred to as "Hudson," after the Hudson River that flows past Manhattan; Vodafone as "Thames" because of London's River Thames.
On Monday, after spending another month ironing out the final details, the two reached a deal for Verizon to take complete control of Verizon Wireless. Under the terms, Vodafone will get $58.9 billion in cash, $60.2 billion in Verizon stock and an additional $11 billion from smaller transactions.
The move closes a heady expansionist chapter for Vodafone, one of Britain's best-known companies, which has grown rapidly over the last 20 years through a spate of aggressive deals, taking its brand into more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and India. Vodafone will return 71 percent of the net proceeds to shareholders, including all of the stock, in a sign that it does not expect to go on a new acquisition spree.
For Verizon, the deal will provide a massive boost to cash flows at a time when growth is slowing in the U.S. wireless market, where most cellphone users have smartphones, competition is intensifying and carriers are turning to gadgets like tablets to try to grow.
The addition of a massive extra debt load on Verizon's books may, however, tie the company's hands if it wants to make any other acquisitions, including spectrum, at least for a while.
But McAdam said the deal, which also comes at a time when demand for data on mobile devices is growing, would add to Verizon's earnings immediately and essentially pay for itself, thanks to the increased cash flow from Verizon Wireless.
"We're on the verge of another major growth spurt in the U.S. telecommunications market with machine to machine and cloud and video over the top," McAdam said. "They're beginning to buy some broadband assets, like Germany, so they had use for the funds."
The deal could yield close to half a billion dollars in advisory and financing fees for banks. It catapults Guggenheim Partners, a privately owned financial services firm that has been expanding, into the exclusive club of top 10 M&A advisors so far this year. [ID:nL6N0GY399] The deal also marks a remarkable return of Paul Taubman, a former top Morgan Stanley dealmaker whom McAdam personally asked to join his army of deal advisers.
The move is a defining event in the careers of McAdam, 59, and Colao, 51, who rebuilt relations between the companies that had soured after a failed attempt by their predecessors at negotiating the deal in 2004 and subsequent arguments over issues such as how often dividends should be paid from Verizon Wireless to its owners.
Ivan Seidenberg, the former Verizon CEO who retired in 2011, declined to comment on his own efforts to pull together a deal, saying it was McAdam's "day to shine."
"Lowell is a no-nonsense, strong leader (who) leads by example," Seidenberg said in an interview. "He never stops working and learning. If you asked him how many of our stores he has visited, it would amaze you."
McAdam said he benefited from Seidenberg's experience. "He's been very encouraging through the whole process."
Some industry sources said McAdam's relaxed way of dealing with people may have put him in a better position to negotiate with Vodafone than Seidenberg, who they said was very smart, but more combative than McAdam.
"It's a remarkable achievement to be able to do a deal of this magnitude after such a short period at the helm," said Verizon board member Hugh Price, referring to McAdam.
The early days of McAdam's tenure as CEO were seriously marred by a labor dispute that lasted more than a year and involved a contentious two-week strike by more than 40,000 of its workers in August 2011.
But Larry Cohen, head of the Communications Workers of America union, said that while it was a tough year, his frequent conversations with McAdam during that time were not difficult.
"There's nothing I couldn't talk to him about. I'm not saying we'd agree but you wouldn't have to beat about the bush. He doesn't get excited," Cohen said. "He's somebody who definitely seeks to solve problems, not just to create them or accentuate differences."
McAdam, who grew up in the rural New York town of Somerset and is an engineer by training, likes to keep fit. He socializes with some employees during bike rides or a run rather than over dinner or drinks.
But these workouts often turn into business meetings where the employees have to provide answers on business issues while they're both running or cycling. McAdam, who also served for six years in the U.S. Navy, also likes to restore classic cars in his spare time.
McAdam said dealing with the Vodafone CEO was easy: "I like Vittorio."
Colao drew on a stronger and more trusting relationship with McAdam, meeting him over dinner and wine, and sharing a passion for cycling that once saw them ride in a 50 km (30 miles) race together.
But Colao, who cut his teeth as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co, also believes that negotiating major deals is an art whose finest practitioners know how to wield power and resist pressure. He is said to have used these lessons at the negotiating table to do what his predecessors could not.
"He's a very good negotiator of deals because he is very calm," said Michel Combes, Alcatel-Lucent's CEO who worked with Colao as the head of Vodafone's European operations.
As Verizon was contemplating a roughly $100 billion cash and stock offer in April, Colao was biding his time, making it clear he would only sell the 45 percent stake at what he considered to be the right price.
In the ensuing weeks, pressure only increased on Verizon as it realized a window of opportunity may again be closing.
Its stock was falling after reaching a 52-week high at the end of April, in part due to rising interest rates and separate deals by rivals Sprint Corp and T-Mobile US Inc that led to expectations that they would become more aggressive competitors.
Moreover, the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated that it may start tapering its massive bond buying program, leading to a spike in rates. That meant it was getting more expensive for Verizon to raise the huge pile of debt it needed to finance the deal, and the costs could rise a lot further if a deal was delayed.
Bankers from Guggenheim, including former Bear Stearns CEO Alan Schwartz and Andrew Decker, had helped Verizon to put together key terms of the proposal.
McAdam also rounded up the rest of the team that Verizon had turned to in 2004 for the deal. He called on Taubman, who had left his job at Morgan Stanley, for advice as well. He also talked with JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon, Morgan Stanley's James Gorman and others, several times for advice.
JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp and Barclays Plc are also advising Verizon as well as providing a bridge loan to fund the deal. McAdam said he plans to convert the bridge facility quickly to permanent financing, most of it by the time the deal closes, due in the first quarter of next year.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc and UBS AG are advising Vodafone.
In 2004, when Verizon Wireless was much smaller, there was a $25 billion price tag on the stake, McAdam said. He said a range from $75 billion to $130 billion had been discussed in recent years.
"This is a really transformational event for Verizon," he said.
Additional reporting by Kate Holton, Leila Abboud and Nicola Leske, writing by Paritosh Bansal; editing by Martin Howell, G Crosse


text:
Finding a (re)productive way to address a bad situation.
Last fall, federal employees experienced growing anxiety as a government shutdown loomed, and then became a reality on Oct. 1.
Nine months later, it looks like some feds found a (re)productive way to deal with the situation.
Washington news station WNEW reports that there may be something of a baby boomlet in the D.C. area coinciding with the shutdown. At Arlington's Virginia Hospital Center, 100 more babies were born in the last three months than in the same period in 2013. Sibley Hospital in Washington has seen three more births per day than usual this month.
That's not exactly scientific proof that feds were working on making babies while they weren't allowed to work, but it looks like some of them made good use of their free time.
(Image via Nadezda Cruzova/Shutterstock.com)
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