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Well… I, for one, am hardly surprised if this did happen. After all, I saw and vetted the following video as truthful…
Following is an Article from The Hill…
Mark Penn's two firms got $6 million from stimulus for PR campaignBy Alexander Bolton – 12/09/09 12:00 AM ET
Nearly $6 million in stimulus money was paid to two firms run by Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's pollster in 2008.Federal records show that $5.97 million from the $787 billion stimulus helped preserve three jobs at Burson-Marsteller, the global public-relations and communications firm headed by Penn.Burson-Marsteller won the contract to work on a public-relations campaign to advertise the national switch from analog to digital television. Nearly $2.8 million of the contract was issued to Penn's polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, according to federal records.
Federal records also show that a former adviser to President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign received nearly $70,000 from that contract to help alert viewers in difficult-to-reach communities that their televisions would soon no longer receive broadcast signals.
The adviser, Alfredo J. Balsera, who heads a public-affairs firm based in Coral Gables, Fla., helped craft Obama's Hispanic advertising message.
Republicans on Tuesday criticized the federal spending on the advertising project as a waste of taxpayer dollars. They noted that the advertising campaign took place on May 5, only 39 days before the digital television transition was scheduled (June 12)
GOP Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.) held a news conference Tuesday to blast 100 "wasteful" projects funded by the $787 billion economic stimulus package Congress passed earlier this year, concluding that at least $7 billion of the $217 billion spent through November was wasteful and mismanaged
The GOP senators highlighted the direction of the stimulus funds on the same day Obama outlined a new series of proposals for creating jobs that Republicans view as another stimulus measure. The proposals include tax cuts for small businesses, tax incentives for employers to hire new workers and infrastructure spending.
The need for additional measures has raised questions over the efficacy of the stimulus package passed earlier this year.
White House officials have said the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the stimulus helped to create 1.6 million jobs. White House aides also have noted that the national employment report for November showed dramatic improvement compared to early this year.
A White House spokeswoman on Tuesday responded to the GOP report by saying Coburn's previous reports on stimulus spending have been filled with "false or misleading claims."
"In the end, even if there are a few unwise projects, it is only a handful out of the over 50,000 projects that have been approved to date," said Liz Oxhorn, a White House spokeswoman. "The real question here is whether Recovery Act critics will at long last acknowledge that well over 99 percent of the projects are sound, effective and working as promised."
McCain and Coburn did not show any indication that they knew two Democratic political strategists received funding through the grant.A review of federal records by The Hill revealed Penn and Balsera received money from the economic stimulus program.
Additional reading…
Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion:Watch Massachusetts Senate Race and Thanks, Orrin
HOTAiR: Hair-of-the-dog entitlement reform? and Obama at new low in Quinnipiac survey
Dick Morris: MAMMOGRAM DECISION TO KILL 11,500 WOMEN
Heritage Foundation: Taxes Are More Certain Than Death?
Gateway Pundit: Fistgate III: Obama's Safe Schools Czar's "Black Book" For Kids Included Tips on Fisting & Pi$$ing on Your Partner
Sister Toldjah: Conyers to Obama: You won't shut me up
American Power: A Battle Within? Emerging Divisions in the Tea Party Movement
The Anchoress: Is this racist? Unprofessional? Ignorant?
Nice Deb: Rush's Apoplectic Response To Obama's Jobs Speech
Frugal Café: More Bloodshed in Baghdad: At Least 121 Dead, Hundreds Wounded
Talk Wisdom: Dem's Health Care Strategy Written In Federal Prison?
Michelle Malkin: Horror in Knoxville update: Another guilty verdict in Christian-Newsom murders Demcare: The public option plays hide-and-seek
Patterico's Pontifications: My Kingdom for a Poll? and New York Grand Jury Considers 9/11 Indictments
BUUUUURRRRNING HOT:Whitebeard's Prodigal Son
Conservatives For Palin: Sarah Palin: Copenhagen's Political Science
Animal Farm: The Free Market and Darwinism
ArleneArmy's Blog:
Boudica WPI:Obama, the liar in chief!
VotingFemale Speaks!:76% Prefer Free Market Economy, DHS Watch List Must be HUGE! lol
Jason's Western Experience:Public Option "tentatively" dropped by Senate Democrats


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Top state Senate Democrats are being unusually close-mouthed about an internal probe they promised more than two years ago into the corrupt Aqueduct racino deal, whose results they have yet to produce.
In that deal, Dem lawmakers and then-Gov. David Paterson tried to steer the lucrative contract to a single, politically juiced firm, AEG. But the harsh glare of publicity sank the plan, which then-Inspector General Joseph Fisch called a "betrayal" of the public trust, charging that officials "focused on political gain at a cost of millions to New Yorkers."
After Fisch's report, Senate Democratic leader John Sampson announced that the Dems would conduct their own internal probe. But more than two years later, no report has appeared; in fact, no one in top Senate circles will even confirm that an investigation was ever begun.
Actually, that rigid code of silence has been in force from Day One. Back in 2011, for example, Sampson's spokesman declined to identify "the in-house counsel conducting the internal review." And the Dems' special investigative counsel, Matthew Smalls, refused to confirm that he was leading the investigation.
Just as he did again recently when asked about his probe. He and new Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins referred all calls to their spokesman — who refused comment. As for Sampson, he said flatly he would take no questions.
Does anyone really think the Dems will ever produce a tough, thorough report on that deal? Ha!

subset: commoncrawl


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Stressed out mom receives unlikely help during a flight
Traveling is stressful to begin with, and traveling with children can heighten that stress. One woman was not only flying alone with her children, but she was also pregnant. Another passenger was able to provide a little bit of help and brighten her day in the process.
Georgia resident Angela Byrd saw it all happen, and posted about it on the Everything Georgia Facebook page:
Byrd explained that the woman was flying alone and her son was "upset and fussy." A man came up to her and told her he was a father himself and wanted to help her.
"He walked the aisle most of the flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta," the post said, "comforting this woman's son as if he was his own."
RELATED: One time a couple got married on a flight
See Gallery
Byrd was in tears by the end, "because it showed me today that there are still GOOD people out there in a world full of turmoil."
Other people seem to feel the same way, as the post has received thousands of comments praising this anonymous dad.


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Honeypot Vintage Emporium
Welcome to the online vintage collection from Honeypot on Lexington Ave. in Asheville, NC. We have been curating and collecting quality vintage clothing and accessories for 18 years. We are excited to share our special finds with all our friends and visitors. We carefully select items from the 1920's to 1980's for all genders, with an eye for the unconventional, distinctive and rare. Our appreciation of the work we do with textiles is to the point of reverence. We delight in the stylish wonders of the ages and are in awe of the quality and originality that vintage clothing provides. Our work brings new life to otherwise lost items, which reduces impact on the environment, a subject close to our hearts. The beauty of vintage is in the quality design and construction, as well as the stories... the lives lived, the passage of time, the reinvention and re-ignition of our true selves. Whether you're looking for festival, formal, or just unique daily wear, we've got clothing to make you feel famous. Please enjoy our collection!
We love to hear from our customers! Mail us at email@example.com with questions, feedback, requests, or just to say hi!
Visit our Etsy shop for vintage barrettes, fabrics, quilts, knickknacks and more!


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Get your JUNKAHOLIC decals today!
You have seen them all over; now ReMarketable Lifestyles, Inc. is wholesaling JunkaHolic merchandise to antique malls. To become a distributor and help unify the junker community, go to RemarketableLifestyles.com!
1) Look at these events from AntiqueTrail.com Calendar!! Login and add your event today!
Cotton City Antiques 22nd Anniversary Sale, 309 Williams Street, Mobile, AL - August 1-4
Briar Rose Antiques, 205 East College Street, Dickson, TN, Moving Re- Grand Opening - August 10
Scott Market, Atlanta, GA, 2nd weekend of every month - August 8 -11
Big Shanty Antiques Ice Cream Sundays, Kennesaw, GA - August 11, 18, 25
Renninger's Antique Center, Mount Dora, FL - a show every weekend - Fri-Sun
Olde Towne Slidell Fall Antique Fair, October 26-27, invites new vendors. For details go to SlidellAntiques.com. Applications accepted until September 23.


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Signal Dunedin Event - Register Here
Looking to change careers? Want that employability X-Factor?
Robots, Drones, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and more, are all affecting how we live... and work!
Join this free session with Pizza provided to find out what tech roles are growing rapidly, what skills employers are looking for, and how to jump into a career in this dynamic and fast growing industry.
Grab some friends and come along for an interesting session at SIGNAL Dunedin!
Registrations essential: https://signal.ac.nz/events/upcoming-events
Feel free to contact us with any special dietary requirements or questions.
0800 990 024 or
Looking forward to meeting you!
SIGNAL ICT Grad School Crew


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Breaking Dawn
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
-Stephenie Meyer-
I never anticipated the day when I would be disappointed with one of Meyer's novels, but alas, here we are. Once again, the novel is written wonderfully, each heartfelt word depicting the exact story as the author herself imagined. However, I feel as if this particular story was wrongly billed as a Young Adults book. While the overall storyline is fairly harmless (and equally intriguing), there are several underlying themes that aren't appropriate for children who have not yet had The Talk with their parents or guardians. Imagine the embarrassment of having a twelve or thirteen (perhaps, even fourteen) year-old asking what certain lines in the book meant...
Personally, I adored the plot, but I still wouldn't feel comfortable reading specific lines aloud. It is one thing to confront younger children with the inevitable concept of death (just as J.K. Rowling did in Harry Potter), but is quite another to sandwich certain topics into what is one of the most anticipated books for youth in the history of... well, quite frankly, forever.
Forgive me if I went a little overboard with this. I don't typically read "teen girl" books, but suddenly, I have a nagging feeling that innuendos in this book are nothing compared to what else is being pushed towards teens today.
Also, just as another friendly little side note, if you aren't sure what The Talk is, it might be best to set this book aside until you're a couple years older.


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Unbelievably Cool Car Nicknames You Never Thought Of
Giving your car a nickname is not uncommon. Many of us have dabbled in this idea and have chosen interesting names. Car nicknames can be funny, cute, or even wacky! Let your creative juices flow.
Sheetal Mandora
Last Updated: Mar 26, 2018
No, no, no. There's no such thing as cheap and cheerful. It's cheap and nasty & expensive and cheerful.
― Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear
― Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear
Coming up with interesting car nicknames is not that difficult. But if you can't think of anything, just think of names based on the color of your car. Some innovative choices can be, "Silver Bullet", "Blue Lagoon", or "White Lightning". Be creative and take your own time when you are thinking about nicknames. And as far as providing you with a list of nicknames to choose from, the following section will take care of it.
Good Nicknames
Go ahead and give your rides sweet and affectionate nicknames, because they deserves it. Your car is always with you through thick and thin, no matter where you want to go, it will take you without ever complaining (well, except the part when they don't work). Think outside the box, be super creative, and choose from the nicknames mentioned above. Playing with names is really fun. Try different nicknames and let us know which one you choose for your precious car.


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All our tents come with a vast array of lining options. Each lining is hand block printed to the highest detail, and finished with intricate embroidery and appliqué.
The gallery shows a selection of the colours and styles available.
Our most popular design is the Gold Star with Chevron Border. Covered with hundreds of hand printed stars each one with an embroidered mirror in its centre. The Majority of our tents are available in the following colours: Cream, Red, Hot Pink, Orange, Indigo, Turquoise and Mushroom
Gold Mughal Flower with a selection of hand Printed Gold flowers adorning the lining available in orange for the Pergola and Pavilion
Raja Print a traditional Rajasthani Print perfect to create a truly exotic vibe, available for our Maharaja tent in Mushroom
Plain Cream is available across our range for an understated classic look, perfect for either the minimalist modern feel or just as a plain backdrop to compliment an alternative theme.
Wall linings are available in Cream or plum with Gold printed scalloping, tassels and sequins. Orange & Magenta Moroccan Arch with Gold Sequins. Cream Jali print with Silver Sequins. Indigo with Gold Sequins. Open Moroccan Arch Panels and Clear PVC walls also available.


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How he is putting Lifestyle back on track
Some time towards the end of February last year, credit rating agency Crisil had downgraded Lifestyle International, a part of the $3.2-billion Dubai-based Landmark group, a notch.
The closely-held company, which runs 22 Lifestyle departmental stores, 11 Home Centre furniture and household accessory stores and six value format Splash stores, had totted up losses of Rs 46.5 crore (Rs 465 million) in the first nine months of 2008-09, up sharply from Rs 18.9 crore (Rs 189 million) in the whole of 2007-08.
Crisil put down the mounting losses to high rentals and people cost, low productivity and weak debt protection measures.
The prognosis was grim.
The economic slowdown was at its peak, and consumers had started to down-trade heavily.
Retailers like Lifestyle could not expand, and that kept economies of scale from kicking in -- aggregation holds the key in modern retail.
Crisil, little surprise then, predicted more losses in the future.
Cut to the present.
Lifestyle International managing director Kabir Lumba hopes to end the current financial year with a net profit -- lower than the global average of 4-8 per cent but healthier than Indian rivals like Kishore Biyani's Pantaloon Retail, Tata Group's Trent and the Raheja group's Shoppers' Stop.
Profit margins in the business happen to be wafer thin.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: A model flaunts a Lifestyle product. (Inset) Kabir Lumba.
Photographs: Courtesy: Lifestyle website.
How he is putting Lifestyle back on track
In 2009-10, Trent posted a net profit of Rs 1.56 crore (Rs 15.6 million) on a turnover of Rs 1,956.22 crore (Rs 19.56 billion) and Shoppers' Stop reported a net profit of Rs 35.88 crore (Rs 358.8 million) on a turnover of Rs 1,585.29 crore (Rs 15.85 billion).
Pantaloon Retail hasn't come out with its 2009-10 numbers because its financial year ends in June.
In 2008-09, its net profit stood at Rs 10.07 crore (Rs 100.7 million) on a turnover of Rs 7,669.04 crore (Rs 76.69 billion).
The losses mentioned in the Crisil report happened, says Lumba, because the company was in investment mode, ramping up the Home Centre and Splash chains.
"The Lifestyle stores were always cash positive. This year, Home Centre will turn positive too," says he.
The furniture store suffered because of the two-year lull in residential real estate.
As the sector has regained momentum, the demand for furniture too has picked up.
Most of the furniture sold at Home Centre is imported.
In West Asia, the Landmark group sells furniture worth $1 billion every year.
The same supply chain has been leveraged to sell through Home Centre stores in India.
Driving performance
Clearly, Lumba has been helped by the economic recovery.
On his part, Lumba says it's more than that: Key costs have been trimmed, supply chain has been made efficient and revenues have been augmented through some clever planning.
"Had it been just economic recovery, our growth would have been the same as others. Our same-store sale growth was 19 per cent last year," says he.
The industry average, sector experts say, is anywhere between 8 per cent and 10 per cent.
Almost two-thirds of the company's business comes from Lifestyle stores.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: Lifestyle products.
How he is putting Lifestyle back on track
Naturally, much of Lumba's efforts have gone towards driving efficiencies here.
After merchandise, real estate is the highest cost for any retailer.
Under ideal circumstances, it should not exceed 7-8 per cent of the revenue.
Lumba admits that it had climbed to 11 per cent in 2009 for Lifestyle, but says it has now come down to 9 per cent. The ratio improved partly because revenue has grown.
(He hopes to end 2010-11 with sales of over Rs 1,800 crore or Rs 18 billion, up from Rs 1,070 crore or Rs 10.7 billion in 2009-10.)
Two, Lumba says rentals have dropped by as much as 20-25 per cent.
Though most stores were on 12- to 20-year leases, landlords in malls have brought down the rent.
The wellbeing of an anchor store, they have perhaps realised, was important for their own survival.
All the new stores have been taken on revenue-share of 6-7 per cent and not on rent.
This will be the trend in the days to come.
In two years' time, a majority of Lifestyle stores will be on revenue-share with landlords.
Having put the brakes on expansion during the slowdown, Lumba now wants to ramp up fast.
From 22, he wants to raise the count for Lifestyle stores to 40 in two years.
"Lifestyle did not go for rapid expansion when real estate prices were high; it is only now that it has drawn up aggressive plans for new stores," says Technopak Advisers Associate Vice-president Purnendu Kumar.
The next biggest item of expenditure for Lumba is wages -- 5-6 per cent of the revenue. The Lifestyle stores have one attendant for every 400-450 square foot.
This is better than the Indian average of one for every 350 sq ft but way below the global best practice of one for every 700-800 sq ft.
Here, Lumba's hands are tied. One, bigger staff at the store is often taken for better service in India.
So, Lumba cannot prune his workforce overnight.
Two, retail wages are on the rise with most chains expanding rapidly.
He has to factor in that cost. The answer lies in improved productivity.
With 3,000 men and women on its rolls and the projected turnover of Rs 1,800 crore (Rs 18 billion), Lifestyle will likely end 2010-11 with annual revenue per employee of Rs 60 lakhs (Rs 6 million).
This, Lumba claims, represents a gain of 30-40 per cent in productivity in the last two years.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: A model flaunts a Lifestyle saree.
How he is putting Lifestyle back on track
The average for comparable stores, according to analysts, is below Rs 45 lakhs (Rs 4.5 million).
After real estate and wages, the next biggest bill is advertising and marketing -- 2-5 per cent of revenue.
Lumba says this expenditure has been kept in check by opening more stores in the same city; this brings down the need to buy space in the media (print as well as out of home).
Thus, there are five Lifestyle stores in Mumbai, four in Bangalore and four in the National Capital Region (in and around Delhi).
"We know that 75 per cent of the business will always come from the top seven or eight cities," says Lumba.
Interest payments eat up 2-3 per cent of Lifestyle's revenue.
The Landmark group has recently brought in Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) as equity into the company, which has brought down the debt-equity ratio down from two a year ago to one now.
(Though foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail is not allowed, non-resident Indians can invest on a non-repatriation basis.)
By working closely with its 800-odd vendors and going long on fabric (apparels account for almost 50 per cent of Lifestyle sales), Lumba says he has been able to bring lead times down by a month to 30 to 120 days.
This means working capital is locked for lesser time, which helps the company save on interest outgo.
More important, says Lumba, this has cut by half the lost opportunity (the probability that the sore dose not have what the customer is looking for) which had risen to as high as 10-15 per cent.
The right pick
At the same time, Lumba has tried to drive up revenues.
When consumers began to down-trade, Lifestyle brought in some new price points: Kurtas for women at Rs 299, T-shirts for boys at Rs 199 and shirts for men at Rs 699.
"This wasn't significantly lower than the existing price points, but it became a larger hook during the slowdown.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: A Lifestyle store.
How he is putting Lifestyle back on track
"People's mind went to the price more than at other times," says Lumba.
The army of vendors was rationalised by 15 per cent to about 800, and the savings were passed on to customers.
About a third of them have been connected online, which helps in better inventory management.
Brands that were moving slowly were given lesser space, a handful of them were even thrown overboard, and those in demand were displayed more prominently.
All told, Lifestyle stocks 338 brands.
Mobile phones have been more or less removed from all the stores, because the profit margins are very slim.
Space has been sold to concessionaires at prices way above the rent or revenue share; these account for 20 per cent of Lifestyle's turnover now.
The contribution of private labels has been increased from 18-20 per cent two years ago to 25 per cent now.
Profit margins on private labels for a retailer can be as high as 50 per cent, way above the 20-25 per cent offered by other brands.
Pantaloons thus gets 50-60 per cent of its business from private labels, while Westside gets around 70 per cent.
Why is the share of private labels low in Lifestyle?
"As a departmental store, we feel we should have a healthy mix of brands and private labels," says Lumba.
"We don't decide the optimum mix of brands and private labels; we leave that to the customer."
Some experts say that Lifestyle is positioned as a premium store; so it cannot be seen selling too much of private labels.
Result? Lumba claims that revenue is up sharply.
At the end of 2011, Lifestyle will have 1.4 million sq ft of space and Rs 1,800 crore (Rs 18 billion) of revenue.
Click NEXT to read further. . .
Image: A Lifestyle outlet.
How he is putting Lifestyle back on track
In other words, it will record sale of Rs 12,850 per sq ft per annum. Experts reckon this is at least 25 per cent better than rivals.
The average ticket size of purchases at Lifestyle, he claims, has gone up 10-15 per cent in the last two years to Rs 1,800-2,000 now.
As much as 45-50 per cent of the business comes from customers who have opted for the company's loyalty programme.
And conversion of footfalls into purchases has touched a high of 30-35 per cent. The industry average is around 25 per cent.
"The conversion of footfalls has improved significantly since April 2009 because we became more relevant, even though footfalls didn't increase.
"And now we are seeing an increase in footfalls as well. The trigger possibly was the low price points," says Lumba.
And of course, there will be the first profit for the company at the end of the year.
Lumba has spent over 15 years in the retail business. Before that, he worked for a tea auctioneer in Kolkata and a bank.
Putting Lifestyle back on track is one thing; can he take on worthy rivals like Biyani and the Tata group in the long run? That will be his next challenge.
Lifestyle changes
- Drive down rents by 20-25 per cent in the downturn, go slow on expansion
- Go for revenue-share with landlords in new stores
- Open more stores in the same city to cut publicity costs
- Cut lead times in supply chain to unlock working capital
- Pump in Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) in equity capital
- Introduce lower price points to draw customers
- Rationalise vendor base by 15 per cent, connect them online
- Weed out slow-moving brands, give more space to fast-moving brands
- Ramp up private labels to 25 per cent of business
- Bring in concessionaires to set up shop in the stores
Image: Children wearing Lifestyle clothes.


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Theatre Siena
Siena Heights has established a national reputation in theater and offers two degree options in one program: Theater/Speech Communications and Theater/Musical Theater. Also SHU offers the innovative Theatrical Design and Technology major.
The faculty are working professionals in every major area of today's theater market. Theatre Siena has an ambitious production schedule that has students immersed in productions throughout the academic year.
The SHU Theatre Department at Siena Heights University also offers scholarships at one of the best Midwest college theater programs. High school seniors and transfers who plan to major in Theater/Musical Theater can schedule an audition during their campus visit.
With an acclaimed faculty boasting a wealth of practical experience, the program has become one of the most renowned in the region. While courses such as Modern Dance, Shakespeare and Stage Management are good starting points, there's nothing in acting like first-hand experience.
Students have a chance to participate in Theatre Siena productions in both the fall and winter, with the historic Croswell Opera House in town, there are other opportunities to take the stage.
The Haller Stage hosts the on-campus shows, but smaller productions are also hosted in the innovative Stubnitz Lab Theater.


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I grew up at one of those fabled local hills. Mt. Baldy was my place; I started skiing there at the age of three and kept at it until I was a young adult. I loved it. I loved knowing all the lifty's names; I loved knowing every rock on my favourite run, The Vertical. Heck, I even loved skiing Baldy on the most treacherous of foul days, when it was raining or the snow had the consistency of a Thunder Bay ice rink. That hill instilled character in me that made me ski through anything because I was happy to ski at all. And the community that was Baldy would let me know if my head was ever getting too big for my toque.
As I grew up I began to drift away from Baldy. I skied at bigger, more famous hills. They were steeper, and had more snow, and faster chairlifts. On paper those hills seemed a heck of a lot better than ol' Baldy. Yet every time I left my old stomping grounds I noticed things; people snickered if you didn't have the newest gear; valets turned up their noses at my 1999 Chrysler Intrepid. I kept finding that no matter how good the skiing was at the bigger hills, none had the uncompromising inclusiveness of my hometown hill. It seemed to me like the love of sliding down hills on snow, any snow, had been lost at these places.
Last winter, I had a chance to go back to my home hill on a Saturday afternoon. I had been seriously sick with mono for a few months, and was just regaining my skiing legs. All my old shred buddies were there, and a few days earlier we had gotten a dump of dry Northwestern Ontario blower powder. I had forgotten my snow pants, hat and goggles, so I wound up skiing in torn up jeans, a balaclava and bent aviators I had pillaged from the lost and found. That day we lapped The Vertical, leaping off of cliffs I had thought to be godly as a kid, my wet pants crusting up with ice, aviators becoming progressively more bent.
It was the best day I had all year. Sure I wasn't skiing a mountain with one hundred dollar day passes and a huge marketing budget; it didn't matter. I was at my home hill, my friends were there, the atmosphere was right, and life was good.
Downhill skiing started out as a sport for the masses. From the poorest poor to the richest rich, everyone could afford to ski as long as there was snow on the ground. There was something so simple about it – all you needed were two pieces of wood strapped to your feet, two poles in your hands, and however much courage you could muster up to slide down a hill.
Somewhere along the way, things changed. Skiing became buying thousands of dollars of equipment, paying a valet to park your Maserati at the hill, and bragging about your on hill prowess in the bar all night. People began skiing to impress others. Luxury was the focus, not skiing. Yes, somewhere along the line the soul of skiing was lost.
Yet there are holdouts. Across the nation, local Mom and Pop ski hills carry the torch of making the sport accessible to all. At these hills, no one cares if you ski in your old oil stained Polaris snowmobile jacket. Straight skis are still seen regularly, as are one piece suits. It's faster to hike up the hill than take the chairlift, but that's ok, because the chairlift is a good time to have a smoke. The season is short; really only from Christmas until March. The locals are grizzled - most have spent their winters at the hill since they were kids. No one cares if you have the most modern gear – heck they're impressed if you even have gear. The bottom line is everyone is just out having fun, and loves to ski.
The soul of skiing lives at the ends of dirt roads in small towns worldwide.
I hope local ski hills can continue to survive and bring the joy of skiing to people of all walks of life. I dream about skiing all summer and get to live my dream all winter. I loved growing up at Baldy, and I hope skiers get to experience the same joy the world over.


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Site: Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Program: Marker Chapel, Visitor and Observation center,
In the summer of 1922, the name of a group of nine 50-meter tall limestone stacks located off the Australian Coast of Victoria, which up to that point had been known as the Sow and Piglets, was changed to that of the Twelve Apostles. The geological beauty of the place is so intense, that it seems a rather diminutive attempt that its name and identity had to be coerced and sided with spirituality so as to increase tourism traffic. A hijacking of sorts had occurred.
For whatever reasons prompted the decision, the new name-givers seemed to neglect the temporality of the placed they had just christened, and how that ephemerality will eventually vanquish their fragile creation.
Forward in time, the year 2005 witnessed the collapse of one of the Apostles. One of the tallest limestone stacks submitted to erosion from the waves and crumbled to the beach side below. Now only 8 remained. At the current rate of erosion, by the year 3255 there will not be a single original apostle in site. With this fateful prediction, the religiosity that had been pressured into the location will also be eliminated.
*click and wait to load!


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Rrruffing Straight Shears by Evolution Shears
Rrruffing Straight Shears by Evolution Shears
Our Rrruffing Shears are made of 440C Japanese stainless steel which has a Rockwell hardness rating of 59-60. They have a good old fashioned beveled edge designed for durability under the most extreme grooming shop conditions. Combined, that means more grooming and less sharpening!
Manufacturer's Warranty:
- Your Evolution Shears are warranted as being free from defects. In the event that your shears have a manufacturer's defect, we will repair or replace them at no cost to you.
- If you send us your shears under your warranty, and they have been sharpened on a grinder, your warranty will not be honored.
Add To Cart
- Ships within 2 to 3 business days from South Carolina.
- Your credit card will be charged automatically when you click SUBMIT ORDER at checkout. This is determined by our hosting provider, and unfortunately cannot be modified to charge your credit card only during the shipping process.
- Please click on the following link for our detailed Store Policies.


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March Madness & (x3) Beauty Hauls
So I went a little cray during March and made not one, not two, but three Sephora purchases. The stress was high and I did not cope well with it. But hey, all those overtime hours makes these little purchases not hurt my wallet very much. (JK that is a bad way of thinking. And working 3 weekends in a row is not fun.)
Anyways, you read that right. I made three separate Sephora purchases this month and am still quite giddy over my purchases. My first haul was a mixture of some things I had been wanting to try out. I picked up the NARS Lipstick in Afghan Red which is the most beautiful color. Let me tell you, this formula has incredible staying power too. I also saw *ONE* TooFaced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer left hiding behind some foundations and I quickly snagged it up. I've heard so many people rave about this thing, and having dehydrated skin I knew this was something I wanted to try. I'm really into my bases right now so this is pretty much a go-to product on the daily. I also saw Ingrid raving about the Tatcha Polished Rice Enzyme Powder, and saw this mini in the deadly dangerous check-out aisles of Sephora. Of course, I decided to snag it up. One thing I was really looking for was a new foundation brush, and that is the Sephora 55 Pro Airbrush Foundation Brush. Faith of That's Just Fabulous raves about this brush all the time, and I knew I needed it. If you can't tell, I'm pretty smitten with it and even named it my foundation brush I'd repurchase in my Tools of The Trade post. But of course when I went to look for it in store it was sold out...
So, of course, the very next day I went online and ordered it online lol. I have no self control. Story time: Every time I go shopping with and/or mention things I "need" to my boyfriend, he'll be very quick to jump in and say "Want. You WANT it, you don't NEED it." LAWL. But the logic that goes in my head is "I want, therefore I need." Anyways, this brush is one product I don't regret, and if you haven't tried this brush you are missing out.
In addition, can I just say that Sephora has been *KILLING IT* with their BI rewards. I snagged up the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche mini lipstick in Radish which is the most gorgeous color for Spring. I loved it so much I even picked up ANOTHER one, *hint hint giveaway coming soon* I also picked up the Marc Jacobs Gel Liner and the Clinique Foundation Stick (I believe this was FWP). I haven't tried either yet as I'm trying to get through my products, but I'm sure they'll be entering my daily routine soon enough.
I mean just look how gorgeous these lipsticks look. Just LOOK AT EM. Speaking of gorgeous lip colors, be sure to see swatches of these two lipsticks along with some of my Berry Favorite Lipstick picks.
My last, and most recent Sephora purchase, was the 'Give Me Some Nude Lip' set. I first spotted this on Kelsey's blog and was minorly devastated when I came across her post and saw that the kit was already sold out. And for good reason - it's freakin' FAB. Really, for the price of $28 (the price of the NARS Dolce Vita lipstick alone), you get to try all of these lip products. Quick thoughts on this set: the Tarte lippie is a beautiful nude, I finally got to try a NudeStix pencil and see what the fuss was about, and have a mini size of the MJ lipliner in Prim(Rose) which is an all time favorite. My full-size one managed to disappear shortly after my Europe trip and I have been (sadly) without it ever since.
Mini shout-out to Beti from Makeup-Sessions as her blog post gave me the heads up that it was shortly available again online. To which I went on and snagged it right away. I'm telling you - I have a problem.
The next Sephora VIB sale is shortly around the corner, and I'm thinking of doing a quick round-up on some products I have on my list tomorrow or Thursday. My last Sephora VIB haul was pretty epic. Read here if you haven't seen it! I doubt this time will be anywhere near that size (as I was pretty spendy last month), and I really just do not need that many more products. Except maybe for the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche line (Celina, Hao, and Vanessa know all about it - go stalk our mini Twitter chat on that topic lol.) I have been running through most of my skincare products so those are definitely high on my list. Definitely a new moisturizer. And perhaps a little spendy treat with some Tata Harper products may just be in order! What's on your list?


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Today, let's get labconcious about polystyrene, (a.k.a. resin code PS#6) as a resource. It's a wonderful plastic material used every day in cell culture and 96 well plate assays. Its clarity! Its moisture and gas diffusion capabilities! Its rigidity! Need I go on?!
Right now it's important to think about how polystyrene should be recycled. Recycling companies that turn PS#6 into building materials are feeling the pressure from the soft commodities market. The scrap value of all plastics has decreased dramatically over past months. PS#6 has a lower scrap value in general than other plastics, such as Polyethylene Terepphthalate (resin code PET #1). Further, contamination (i.e. paper labels) can turn collected "recyclates" into useless trash. Plastic news has reported that many recycling facilities have recently closed. This means less PS#6 will end up becoming useful again, transformed into a park bench or deck. Chemists have developed a continuous process to turn polystyrenes back into virgin styrene monomers. Unfortunately, this process called "pyroyrolysis" is not economical enough, given its requirement for noble metal catalysts.
There is another feature of polystryene that you might not know about. Polystyrene can be properly incinerated, yielding only water vapor, carbon dioxide byproducts...and heat. Polystyrene actually produces more heat that coal or wood. Thus, a thermal recycling program is environmental responsible and monetarily rewarding. Give yourself credit if research institution already participates in thermal recycling. Tweet "your institution's name #thermocycles" to @labconcious.
Let's appreciate PS#6 as the reusable resource that it is. Too often, polystyrene ends up buried in a landfill or floating in the ocean. Please support polystyrene recycling and thermal recycling efforts.
Thanks for being labconcious!


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News: Results from Ironman Lanzarote and a few 70.3's; A new 70.3 in Sri Lanka, Challenge Championship field; Ironman Brazil and Frenchman is coming up.
This Weeks Discussion: If you were to create an epic training day for Epic Camp what would it involve? Remember you only have a 12 hour window for training. Comment here.
This Weeks Photo: Here's Bevan with one of his Taiwanese team from his latest trip.
High 5: Rob 'The Spine Tingler' Green sent through a High Five on what to do when dealing with an injury.
Statstastic: We look at the men who have won the world title back to back.
Workout of the Week: John talks through a swim from this week.
My First Tri: Mick Simpson sent through his 'My First Tri' story.
This Weeks Websites: Sports Psychology research into beliefs character traits and anxiety and depression.


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|Distribution Name
|KDE Neon
|16.04 14-04-2016
|Release Date
|14th April 2016
|Ubuntu 16.04
|Desktop Environment
|KDE Plasma
|Dolphin File Manager
KDE neon is the intersection of these needs using a stable Ubuntu long-term release as its core, packaging the hottest software fresh from the KDE Community ovens. Compute knowing you have a solid foundation and enjoy the features you experience in the world's most customisable desktop.
You should use KDE neon if you want the latest and greatest from the KDE community but the safety and stability of a Long Term Support release. When you don't want to worry about strange core mechanics and just get things done with the latest features. When you want your computer as your tool, something that belongs to you, that you can trust and that delivers day after day, week after week, year after year. Here it is: now get stuff done. KDE Neon website
|Initial Configuration Menu
|Boot screen (Fail safe)
|SDDM Login Screen
|Loading KDE Plasma Desktop
|KDE Plasma Desktop - First impression
|Application menu
|Dolphin File Manager (Explicitly installed)
|XTerm - Terminal Emulator
|System Settings
|Discover - Software Center
|Software Updates - Update Manager
|Leave Options
|Shutdown Confirmation


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Google, Motorola Deal Closes; Facebook IPO Probe; Tesla Model S On Tap
Topping tech headlines on Tuesday: Google completed its $12.5 billion merger of Motorola Mobility. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has stepped down, and Dennis Woodside, a senior vice president at Google who has been overseeing the merger, will take his place.
In other news, Massachusetts regulators on Tuesday issued a subpoena to Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter for Facebook's initial public offering, in an effort to get answers about reports that some investors and not others were informed of earnings revisions for the company ahead of the IPO. The highly publicized IPO is facing scrutiny from several quarters for possible irregularities that may have occurred before the stock was floated and continued through the first day of trading.For more on Facebook's IPO, see Facebook Is Getting Killed – By Itself
Meanwhile, Tesla Motors said Tuesday that it will start delivering its Model S electric sedan to customers on June 22, ahead of the July delivery date the company previously forecast. The electric car maker expects to deliver 5,000 Model S sedans to customers by the end of the year, the company said. Orders for the vehicle currently exceed 10,000.
Also, Microsoft this week outlined some multi monitor-related improvements it plans to add to Windows 8. To boost multi-monitor support, Microsoft came up with four goals for Windows 8: make the desktop more personalized; improve the efficiency of accessing apps across monitors; improve Start menu access; and allow side-by-side Metro style and desktop apps.
Also making headlines on Tuesday:
- Pre-Order an Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III ... for $800: An Amazon reseller, among others, are now taking pre-orders for Samsung's next-gen Galaxy S device.
- Apple Brochure Pitches 'Spaceship' Campus to Neighbors: Though the Cupertino City Council appears poised to approve whatever plans Apple puts forward for its new "spaceship" campus, Apple has prepared a brochure for its neighbors that outlines what's in store.
- Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley Dies at 96: Polley died of natural causes on Sunday in a Chicago-area hospital.
- 'Halo' Developer Bungie's Next Project: 'Destiny': Bungie, the developers of the Halo series of games, plan to develop a multi-title series of games, known as Destiny, which will be published by Activision.
- iPhone-Powered Guitar, gTar, Rocks Kickstarter: The all-digital gTar promises to make it easy for anyone to learn how to play, regardless of their current musical prowess.
- Amazon Appstore Brings App Test Drives to Phones: Amazon is extending its "Test Drive" service to Android phones, which will allow Amazon Appstore users to try out apps before buying or downloading.
- Sidecar App Lets You Share Data While on the Phone: A San Francisco-based startup called Sidecar is looking to make your phone calls a little smarter.
- After Delay, SpaceX Rocket Launches Successfully: After several false starts, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, which is en route to the International Space Station (ISS).
For more from Angela, follow her on Twitter @amoscaritolo.


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proactive, preventative, pest control
Servicing all of Southern Ontario
Servicing all of Southern Ontario
Whether you own a business in Concord's industrial district, or live in its suburban neighborhood, your building and family could be in danger of invasive pests. The wild forests that surround the city are home to an array of insects, rodents, and invasive wildlife that are constantly looking for a warm place to nest. At Greenleaf Pest Control, we strive to provide industry-leading pest removal services to the Concord area without placing unnecessary harm on the environment or putting your family and pets in contact with harmful chemicals.
Serving as your pest control service in Concord, we constantly seek effective, eco-friendly solutions to treating invasive creatures in your home or business. Through the use of traps, enzymes, organic treatments, and baits, Greenleaf minimizes and often eliminates the need for toxic pesticides during the meat management process.
No matter what pest has invaded your home or business, Greenleaf Pest Control offers safe, effective, and eco-friendly solutions that not only remove the creatures, but provide you the knowledge and assistance to keep them from returning in the future.
No matter what pest has infested your home or business, Greenleaf Pest Control can provide the expert knowledge and assistance you need to remove them safely and efficiently. Our array of eco-friendly services not only treat the pests while minimizing the use of harmful chemicals, but also help prevent them from returning again once the treatment has been completed. Greenleaf Pest Control's extensive list of services in Concord include:
There is no cure-all solution for treating and preventing invasive pests, especially as insects and rodents grow immune to, or comfortable with, highly-used treatment options. That is why we provide an Integrated Pest Management strategy to ensure your pest problem is treated effectively. This system is based on our knowledge of the biological life cycles of pests and fundamental understanding of the ways they interact with their surroundings, allowing our team to provide the most effective treatments solutions for invasive insects, birds, and rodents in the Concord area.
The best way to prevent an infestation is to create an environment unsuitable for pests. At Greenleaf Pest Control, we minimize the use of pesticides by way of our Environmental Pest Management to remove the things that pests need to survive. Through the use of vacuums, traps, and organic products, we can effectively control pests in your home or business while reducing and often completely eliminating the use of traditional pesticides.
Protecting your family from invasive pests is one of the most important things you can do to keep them safe and healthy. However, when you use toxic chemicals to treat your problem, you could be putting your family and pets in danger of serious illness and even death. At Greenleaf Pest Control, ensuring your family and pets stay safe and healthy is just as important to us as treating your home for pests. That is why our residential pest control services strive to eliminate the use of pesticides during the treatment process. Once the pests are removed, our team of specialists will help protect your home from future infestations by setting up physical barriers and providing you the knowledge necessary to keep pests out.
In addition to providing our customers with industry leading residential pest control services, Greenleaf Pest Control's IPM can be used to ensure Concord's array of multi-national and domestic businesses are pest free as well. After conducting a through inspection of your building, our team of specialists will develop a unique treatment plan to provide the most effective pest removal and prevention services possible for your company. Greenleaf Pest Control offers a variety of commercial pest control services, including:
Bed bugs have become a pervasive problem throughout Canada, and with this incredible population growth, no town is safe from an infestation. At Greenleaf Pest Control, we understand that when people find bed bugs in their home or business they want them removed as quickly as possible no matter what methods are used. However, our unique treatment and prevention options can be just as effective as pesticides without the unnecessary harm to the environment.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation, our pest control team will provide an initial canine inspection to determine if and where the bugs are present. Trained canine's are the most reliable way to ascertain whether or not you have a bed bug problem. If their presence is discovered in your home or business, Greenleaf Pest Control will utilize heat treatment in combination with an IPM program to treat the building as environmentally-friendly as possible.
Our specialized bed bug treatment includes:
Concord may be known as an industrial hub, but the mixed forests that surround the area also provide an ideal habitat for wildlife. If you don't take proactive measures to keep them out, your home or business could soon be home to invasive animals in the area. In addition to pest control, Greenleaf Pest Control offers humane wildlife removal services to ensure your property is free of infestation. Through the use of live traps and the implementation of physical barriers, we can treat and prevent invasive wildlife from your home or business without causing harm to the animals in the process. Once the animals have been trapped, we will safely relocate them to a new home where they won't return to your property.
If you have a pest problem in Concord and don't want to use toxic chemicals in their removal, contact Greenleaf Pest Control at (416) 998-9473. Whether you have bed bugs, ants, wasps, cockroaches, or any other invasive pest, our team of specialists can provide industry standard, eco-friendly treatment and prevention options for your home or business.


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1,440 GSF • Winooski, VT
This design addresses the need for affordable, sustainable urban infill housing. This particular project is in Winooski, a small city just outside of Burlington, VT. The lot is small and narrow (33′ x 100′). The new building replaces an existing structure, a single-family home that had deteriorated beyond the point of economically feasible renovation.
This design creates two small one-bedroom units – one in the front and one in the back. Each unit has a full basement and parking for one vehicle. The house is a 5 minute walk from Winooski's downtown where there is shopping, services and nightlife, and a short bike or bus ride to the larger City of Burlington. At 720 Gross Square Feet per unit (including balcony, but not including the basement), it is intended for single persons or couples.
The house will be "super-insulated" with walls approaching R-50 and a roof near R-70. The biggest challenge is finding mechanical and heating systems that are small enough so that they don't overheat the units.
The roof is flat and will have large planted "Green Roof" areas, as well as four photovoltaic solar panel arrays. The overall energy use will be extremely low, but there will probably not be enough site-generated power to achieve a true balance between energy generated and energy used.
The building will be constructed off-site as four separate modules by Huntington Homes, ensuring a high level of quality control. This also keeps costs down as on-site labor is reduced to a matter of days instead of weeks or months.
Digital renderings of the Low Energy Duplex are by Lincoln Brown Illustration


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The Concept:
In 2001, The Republics of Kenya, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania initiated consultations on how to improve the culture for evidence-informed health policy and close the know-do gap.
This was explored through a series of national and regional consultations and workshops with policy makers and researchers from the East African region in which a prospectus was developed describing a novel knowledge translation institutional mechanism that was so-named the Regional East African Community Health (REACH) Policy Initiative. This six-year process of consultation, reflection and analysis also led to the creation of the East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC), the institutional home for the REACH Policy Initiative. REACH was not operational until 2007 and built on the experience of the Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project(TEHIP).
The Legal framework:
The East African Community (EAC) provides the legal framework for establishing the East African Health Research Commission through Article 118, on Health. Items B, E and F of the EAC Treaty. The REACH Policy Initiative is formally established within the EAHRC as per decisions of the 13th EAC Council of Ministers (EAC/CM 13/Decisions 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 and 51 and EAC/CM 13/Directive 20).
As well, the objectives of the REACH Policy Initiative are embedded within the legal protocol of the EAHRC.
The Purpose:
The Regional East African Community Health-Policy Initiative (REACH) is an institutional mechanism or 'knowledge broker' designed to link health researchers with policy-makers and other vital research-users. It connects these constituencies through shared and dynamic platforms that support, stimulate and harmonize evidence-based policy making processes in East Africa.
While the need to bridge the realms of health research, policy and practice has been long recognized, never before had there been such a large-scale, systematic attempt to apply the idea of knowledge brokerage. The REACH-Policy Initiative was the world's first regional attempt at knowledge translation using knowledge brokers. The initiative is an integrated institutional mechanism operating within the newly established East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC), which is a semi-autonomous institution of the East African Community (EAC).
The Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) built on the experience of REACH and was assisted by REACH in its establishment in both Asia and Africa. The two initiatives have worked collaboratively since 2005. Although similar initiatives are emerging in other countries, these initiatives are unique with respect to their focus on supporting governments in low and middle income countries to use research evidence for health policy decisions.
EVIPNET was launched in 2005 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministries of Health in several African, Asian and Latin American countries to promote the use of scientific evidence in health policy formulation. To achieve this, country or regional teams championed by health authorities are organized with key stakeholders, such as policy makers, researchers and representatives from other sectors (e.g. science & technology, education, civil society organizations, patient advocates, topic experts, local networks, etc.). These teams identify and address country priority topics where a perceived need to strengthen the systematic use of research evidence to inform decisions about policies for health has been identified. EVIPNet therefore includes components relevant to research and to development and is expected to help strengthen national health research systems.
A key collaboration between REACH and EVIPNet was the Supporting the Use of Research Evidence (SURE) project at Makerere University College of Health Sciences for strengthening health systems through the use of research evidence for decision making. EVIPNet Africa includes African partners such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zambia and REACH covers the East African Partner States of Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and more recently, South Sudan.
a) Managing fora involving policy makers and researchers
b) Facilitating access to research
c) Commissioning syntheses of research of high policy relevance
d) Packaging research syntheses for high policy impact
e) Communicating and advocating to inform policy and research agendas
f) Strengthening regional capacity for knowledge translation
g) Monitoring and evaluation to assess impact on policy change and trends of key indicators.
The EAHRC has designated National Focal Points within the East African partner states. The Uganda National Health Research Organization (UNHRO) is the National Focal Point for the EAHRC, and hence the Country Office for REACH Uganda. The REACH Country Office Secretariat is supervised by the Director General, UNHRO who is appointed by the Minister of Health and reports to the Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health headquarters.
- Evidence-based policy briefs
- National policy dialogue reports
- Rapid Response Service
- National Clearinghouse for health policy and systems
Available at this link;
Available at this link;
The SURE Guides for Preparing and Using Evidence-Based Policy Briefs;
PDQ Evidence (A Clearing house for Informed Health Policymaking);
Health Systems Evidence (Another clearing house by McMaster University (Canada) one of the partners of the SURE Consortium);


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by Travis Hellstrom
I began writing online in 2005 using blogger.
It was a wonderful experience and made a big impact on my life.
Writing online helped me explore my thoughts and experiences in a way I hadn't before. It also taught me that I enjoyed creating things online and sharing them with people. That is still true today.
Advance Humanity
I named my first blog Advance Humanity because, as I wrote in an article in 2005, it helped "define my principles, my values and in someway it helps define me." It's fun and admittedly a little embarrassing to look back at those articles from 8 years ago and remember where I was when I was writing them.
At the time I was in college trying to wrap my mind around my future. Medical school loomed ahead and a perfectly made path stretched out before me. Even though I was president of the pre-med honors society at the time and had done well enough on the entrance exams to be accepted into medical school, it was a path I chose not to take. I chose Peace Corps and, in some ways Advance Humanity, instead.
I wrote something in that entry that still strikes a chord with me,
"Stephen King used to have a desk in the center of his study so that he could go in and write for hours at a time. The huge problem with that, which he wrote about in his book On Writing, is that he was using life as a support system for writing. It's the other way around, he said. Writing is a support system for life. Life is the goal, the adventure and the journey. Medical school isn't, writing, music, none of that stuff is. I am living to live, to experience life fully in my own way, to grow in my own wisdom, and to learn to love better."
I like that.
I am still growing and I still enjoy writing.
I look forward to sharing that for a long time to come.
Incidentally, Advance Humanity is still growing as well.
I'll write more about that next time.


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knowles street affordable housing
Working in conjunction with Realty Endeavors for Affordable Community Housing, WDADG provided full landscape architecture and drainage design services for this 9-Unit affordable housing development. Located on the historic East Side of Providence, the existing site presented severe topographical challenges.
The Knowles Street units are carefully constructed into the hillside, along with a series of retaining walls between each duplex, to provide a sustainable solution to the severe slopes. New sidewalks and lawn areas were installed along the frontage of each unit. In addition, the terraces created by the retaining walls were planted with evergreen and flowering shrubs to further beautify the Knowles Street corridor. The use of additional retaining walls along the rear of the site allowed WDADG to create private lawn areas for each unit, while preserving several existing, mature trees. Strategically located drywells were utilized to handle storm water runoff from the adjacent hill and rooftops from the new homes.
Location: Westborough, Massachusetts
Client: RIDOT and City of Warwick
Completion Date: 2017
WDA Design Group
Michael Dowhan
Erik Vangsness
Gordon R. Archibald, Inc., Coordinating Consultant
Antonio P. Franco, Lighting Consultant
Landscape Architecture


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Things Not Working Out/
Sometimes things just don't work out. It's hard for me to deal with.
I had one of those weekends where I completed nothing on my to-do list, binge watched a ton of shows, and couldn't get off the sofa due to a headache. Somewhere in there I made these mini strawberry rhubarb galettes, which didn't turn out great, and also made and photographed a cocktail recipe that upon looking at the photos just wasn't good. These are the days when balancing a full-time job, making blog things, staying social with friends and a boyfriend, and also doing chores around the house just seems unbearable. I sit a work all week dreaming about the things I'll make, cleaning I'll do, and brunches I'll eat during the coming weekend. And then Saturday morning hits and nothing can motivate me. I love making content for this blog, but things not working out is just a drag. And if I'm being honest, I'm incredibly hard on myself about it.
So today I'm making a plan to be productive with the small amount of at-home time I have this weekend. Sitting around being bummed out isn't helpful and whenever possible I try to turn that energy into motivation to do better. I try to map out what I can realistically get done, what I need to do after work to be prepared, and how I can prep so I'm better the next time around.
There's been a lot of articles and blog posts written about how the internet creates a space where everything looks perfect. A space where we only share the positive and curated and we therefore are comparing our hustle to someone else's successes. Comparing our day-to-day office job to someone's creative venture. And while I don't fully believe in all that, I also think it's nice to share that sometimes things didn't work out. So that's why I don't have anything exciting for you this week. Hopefully, I can get things back on track for next week. <3


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Prayer and Help Requests
Board Information & Statistics
Prayer and Help Requests
Board Information & Statistics
outdoorsman260: Pretty much a ghost town, Mike. My last pop in was about 6 months ago. Apr 13, 2017 21:07:28 GMT -5
zastrelets1: Good day. I sell a few mangas for ebay. In order to place the goods on your forum, you need to provide a link to you?
Thank you so much!
www.ebay.com/itm/263053256316?va Jul 10, 2017 0:32:10 GMT -5
hpwingshooting: DOVE, DUCK AND PIGEON SHOOTING IN ARGENTINA WITH HUGO PASCUETTIN WINGSHOOTING ADVENTURES!!... Jul 25, 2017 22:37:35 GMT -5
hpwingshooting: www.hugopascuettin.com !!... Jul 25, 2017 22:37:53 GMT -5
heatguy: Hi, can anyone recommend a group that requires heating for their cabins, tents or non permanent structures? I have a heater that will work for them that doesn't use electricity , just diesel. Jul 26, 2017 14:19:29 GMT -5
alexramsey: Hello fellow hunters! Im new here! glad to see you guys Aug 12, 2017 22:48:21 GMT -5
jeniffer123: Really nice post for dog lover and trainer. Oct 11, 2017 12:28:22 GMT -5
rikus: Hi everyone we have a new hunting safari in South Africa please feel free to visit us at www.Savhs.co.za Dec 9, 2017 9:00:11 GMT -5
madbeaver: This is a quiet forum....is anyone out there? Dec 12, 2017 23:26:09 GMT -5
madbeaver: Just found a great podcast with Randy Newberg and the highlander hunting crew, for those of you that don't know how to podcast, the link is on this page: highlanderhunting.wordpress.com/ Jan 10, 2018 23:29:04 GMT -5 *
alberts: Hi, friends! was in Russia on hunting in this year. Used the Agency POWERINHUNT. No problem! I brought home a bear! Tell me, did someone address them? Jun 9, 2018 4:41:01 GMT -5
mrm67: Hi All!! I do a lot of vermin control in the UK. If your interested in having a look here the link www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDyO5D11rPQ Oct 19, 2018 9:44:40 GMT -5
souforce: Hi everyone I'm a beginner of hunting, can you give me some advice about hunting accessories? I plan to buy a riflescope from this website:https://www.souforce-hunting.com/c/riflescopes-0388 Apr 22, 2019 1:49:14 GMT -5
goodobjects: A newbie here. If you guys in need of hunting knives I have 2 up for grabs I would love to get your professional perspectives about hunting and would love sharing mine as well May 6, 2019 8:47:56 GMT -5
gemihur: I have been in tombs that were more raucous than this forum. Sept 10, 2019 16:24:47 GMT -5
gemihur: Seriously folks hunting season is on us. The allow 'urban archery' in my county! Does with bows, I call it. Let's stir up the old hunting excitement. Come On! Sept 10, 2019 16:26:58 GMT -5
gemihur: Anyone planning to take down some whitetails this year? Sept 10, 2019 16:27:48 GMT -5
gemihur: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDyO5D11rPQ Sept 10, 2019 16:28:20 GMT -5
gemihur: just liked to see them bunnies gettin' popped! Sept 10, 2019 16:29:18 GMT -5
rollymelis7: If you are looking for other ways to increase your income, check this out!!
Sept 10, 2019 22:21:55 GMT -5


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Breakfast had been nothing to write home about, but Cara really hadn't expected much out of it. She ate in silence despite Kat's offer to stay in the room with her for entertainment. After much griping, the bubbly young woman decided to take her leave. Cara took the opportunity to stew in the rage brewed within her.
Once she got out of there, she'd start making her way back into town. Maybe one of the nuns was planning to head out—she saw a dusty station wagon just outside her window. They had to get food sometime. . .right? Of course, that probably meant a few more days in the hole. Well, she'd handled worse sleeping arrangements in the past.
Almost as soon as she lowered the fork to her empty plate, there was loud, booming knock at the door, startling Cara half out of her mind. Her face curled up in a frown as she answered the summons. The door quickly opened, revealing a woman that had surely haunted the dreams of Catholic School Girls for generations. The woman's face was severe and full of lines from ages of frowns. Her stormy-grey eyes were narrowed and lips were drawn in a tight line. Indignation flushed her rounded cheeks.
Those monsters were scary, but this lady gives them a run for their money! Cara thought to herself.
"So, you're our ward, are you?" her voice was as severe as her face. It sent chills down Cara's spine. "Miss Kitty has done nothing but prattle on about you since you've woken up."
"How nice of her," Cara said with a smile, though her words were between tightly clenched teeth. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm the Mother Superior," the older woman snapped. "It would do you well to remember that." The woman looked around the room before stepping through the doorway. She took her arms from behind her back, revealing a small stack of clothes. "Here are some leftovers from other wayward children that stumbled upon our home. You're filthy and need a shower."
Cara couldn't stop her mouth gapping at the crazy old woman before her. Reminded her of her mother and all the crap she was running away from. Of course, she wasn't quite ready to admit it to herself just then. She reached out and took the clothing from the old crone less-than-graciously. The woman smirked at her.
"After you have cleaned and dressed, Father Marcus would like to meet with you out in the court yard. One flight down and passed the hallway on the left." She gave Cara a once over, raised a disapproving brown. "The shower is just to the right of the room. Remember, cleanliness is next to Godliness."
Once the old woman left the room, Cara rolled her eyes and mockingly mouthed the words at her departing form. What a raging bitch. Cara had slapped people for saying and for doing less.
But she had to admit she felt pretty cruddy. So, though she didn't want to give in to the old woman, Cara made her way towards the showers.
The shower was unsurprisingly tiny. And, naturally, the shower head was low, so the water only reached as far as her chest. Problems aside, the shower served its purpose. She felt refreshed and a little less out of sorts.
The clothes of the wayward children left much to be desired. Cara, being tall and lanky, already had a hard time finding things that fit appropriately. These pieces would hang off of her like a burlap sack. She found a couple of things that almost fit, but it made her look shapeless, much to her chagrin.
After taking care of herself, she sought out the Preacher Man.
It only took a moment or two to find the court yard nestled between the two large towers of the grounds. Cara cautiously walked on the pathway of sand stone pavers until she reached the heart of the space.
There he was. He looked much too young to be a priest of any sort. His long, thick shaggy brown hair danced about his child-like face thanks to the musty, hot desert breeze. If it weren't for the bushy beard along his angular face, she would have pegged him for a high-schooler. Even sitting on the stone bench, she could tell the man had quite a bit of height to him. And, hell, was he a lanky son-of-a-bitch. All arms and legs, that one. Well, she had to assume the leg part since he wore the full priest get-up.
He didn't notice her at all, of course. His pointy nose was buried in a large and ancient looking book. Cara had to clear her throat loudly to get his attention.
Father Marcus looked up at her with warm hazel eyes that pierced right though her. He brought one surprisingly graceful hand to his face and pushed up his small, round glasses as he focused all his attention to the woman before him.
"Hey, you're Father Marcus, right?" she asked. She felt very exposed. She tried to hide her anxiousness.
He smiled at her thoughtfully. "Good morning. Cara, is it?" His voice was soft, but deep.
"Yeah, that's me."
"Mmm, yes. Miss Kitty has been talking about you nonstop this morning."
Cara tried to fight the urge to roll her eyes at that, but ultimately lost. It didn't surprise her Kitty already made her rounds to everyone. She seriously didn't enjoy being talked about so much.
"Ah," was all the remark she decided to make on the matter.
"She does talk a lot," Father Marcus said apologetically. Cara silently berated herself for not keeping her expressions in check. "I hope your rest was comfortable."
Cara shrugged. "Guess it was better than sleeping on a doorstep."
Father Marcus chuckled quietly. "I suppose that's true."
He stood then, placing the large tome on the bench as he did. She figured he was tall, but with him before her, she had to look up at him. Cara herself already stood at almost six feet. The priest had a good head of height on her. She had to block her eyes with a hand as she stared at him since he stood directly in the sun. The light made a halo around his shaggy head.
Okay, pious. I get the message, she thought to herself.
"You're welcome to stay as long as you need. We don't turn anyone away," he offered. His voice was so smooth and welcoming, she almost felt compelled to agree.
"This place really isn't my speed. I was kind of hoping to get out of here pretty soon."
He brought his fingers to his beard, pinching the end hairs between his thumb and forefinger. "Yes, I could see how it could be off-putting to some."
The priest moved even closer, so much so, she could feel the warmth from him. He blocked the sun then, allowing Cara to drop her arm. She wanted to ask him to back off, but she wasn't sure if that would be rude. Besides, she didn't want him thinking she was a coward. Instead, she wrapped her arms about herself defensively and gave him a very clear "don't mess with me" vibe. Or at least she was trying to.
"Don't let the name of this facility sway your thinking, Ms. Cara. This is the safest place in the area. Just because we're called a 'convent' doesn't mean we follow the traditional meaning of it."
She cocked a brow at him. What exactly was he saying here? Why did it send a shiver up her spine?
"Okay. . .So. . .?" she said while she shrugged impatiently.
"All I'm saying is you're a stranger in a very strange land. We're offering a safe-haven."
He looked oh-so-honest as he spoke. For a moment, she felt her defensive try to dissolve. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad lying low at the convent. But still, why was he pushing this so hard?
"And what's so strange about Braeden?" Her forced her voice to stay even. She wanted to know if he knew about the monsters. Hell, she wanted to know if they were actually real.
No, they were real. I felt them. I smelt them. He must know about it, too.
Father Marcus just stared at her with what she thought was a knowing glimmer in his eyes. He didn't say it, but she could tell he knew. She licked her lips, impatience starting to rumble through her.
"The world is dangerous as a whole, little sister," he said finally. She could tell he was evading the question. Before the she could yell at him, a bell tolled in the nearby tower.
He brought a hand to her shoulder. Something about his touch gave her comfort. It felt warm and secure and it made her sad and elated at the same moment.
"Come, I am about to give a small morning service. I would like for you to join us."
She backed up from his touch. "No, I don't think that's for me, Father."
He moved in again and placed another hand on her shoulder. This time it was like lightning through her. His big hazel eyes looked like liquid she could drown in.
"It's for everyone," he conjoled.
Cara thought for a moment, but eventually his liquid eyes convinced her to come with him. "Yeah, okay."
He grinned at her, stepped aside, and gestured the path to the chapel.


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Welcome to WebmasterWorld Guest from 18.104.22.168
Forum Moderators: open
Can any one tell me that using wordpress technology to create a website has some extra effects on search engines? Does it increase number of visitors to the site? or any thing like that?
Is it true, I have just heard this, I may be wrong but need to be clear for the same.
I'm not so sure that using word press will get you into the engines any better then a well formed seo'd site would.
I would say that how you do the site is what matters, your content, your keywords etc..
Maybe with people posting on your blog and putting in relevant words for you might be a benefit, but learning how to set up your site the right way with content is what matters, and that it is relevant to the site that you wish to produce.
Hope that I have managed to give you a bit of what you are looking for in an answer!


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So, remember how I said it was impossible to get a flower (and cake) consultation on such short notice? To my relief, a fabulous florist was available for our date AND was able to do a consultation over-the-phone! Flowers might possibly be my favorite detail of weddings, or even in life (right up there with glitter, hehe). We touched on so many different things:
Bridal Bouquet
Bridesmaid's Bouguets
Groom's Boutonniere
Groomsmen's Boutonniere's
Flower Girls' Petals + Flower Crowns
Ring Bearer's Boutonniere
Moms' Bouquets
Dads' Boutonnieres
Grandmas' Corsages
Grandpas' Boutonniere's
WOW. That's a lot of flowers, and that's just for wedding party to wear! We also started looking into the flowers for the aisle, including aisle markers at the end of each row and pre-petalling the aisle (in case our little flower girls decide they don't want to throw any petals)! We went over the whole "feel" we want at the ceremony and how our arch will look, etc. We have a lot of space on the lawn so it is important to me that the flowers do not look scarce. I have not narrowed down which flowers I want for the bouguets yet, because I love so many different styles. Here are my favorites...
With so many beautiful bouquets, how will I ever narrow it down? I just die a little for that last one. So not my normal style because it's so colorful and bold... but I am really loving it! Anyways a few other photos of inspiration are for decor...
Honestly, what flower do I NOT like? Can't think of a single one. We are taking our engagement photos tomorrow so I should have a busy, wedding-inspired weekend!


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Emerson Enhances Rosemount 3051 Pressure Products
Aug 14, 2012
Emerson Process Management has introduced several enhancements to its Rosemount 3051 pressure products intended to help users maximize operational control by reducing the total cost of ownership and maintenance work orders.
The units now offer standard reference accuracy of ±0.04% of span down to a 10:1 turndown, which drives total performance in typical operating conditions to ±0.12% of span. The improved performance enables more accurate control, allows the plant's operations to run closer to set levels, and increases product quality and throughput.
A new Power Advisory Diagnostics tool allows users to identify electrical loop issues at the instrument or anywhere in the loop. With a three-step activation and guided troubleshooting, users can use the tool to prevent costly outages and minimize the time spent diagnosing a problem.
In addition, the 3051 features a Local Operator Interface (LOI), adding straightforward menus and internal and external configuration buttons for on-the-spot commissioning. Standardizing on the 3051 with LOI for pressure, DP flow and DP level applications results in simplified, consistent configuration procedures, reducing investment in maintenance tools, training and overall costs of ownership.
For more information, visit www.emersonprocess.com.


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The dropping temperatures of winter provide a reset button for your lawn and landscape.
Prune your trees during winter to promote new growth and production of fruit. Have weeds begun to pop up and take over your lawn? With the Bermuda having gone into dormancy, we can spray your lawn with a non-selective herbicide that will kill out everything undesirable.
For any perennial plants that have gone dormant, cut back the brown tops. If the tops are still green, there is still energy being transferred to the root system from the top growth. Wait until they turn yellow or brown before cutting. Contingent upon the amount of snow you receive, you may need to wait until spring to complete this task.
Water when you can! Even in dormancy, your turf still needs moisture during winter months to help it survive. Take advantage of days that it stays above freezing and give your lawn something to drink.
When watering duties are over for the season, drain the hose and store it inside. This will keep it protected from the elements and help with longevity.


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You update a contact's photo in the on-premises Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). However, the photo isn't updated in Exchange Online.
This problem occurs if you upload a photo by using Outlook Web App (OWA) or by using the Set-UserPhoto cmdlet. These methods update the photo that's stored in the top level of the user's mailbox. This means that the photo that's stored in the AD DS ThumbnailPhoto attribute isn't updated.
In Exchange Online, pictures are stored in two locations, as follows:
If you want the Active Directory attribute to be displayed instead of the photo that was uploaded directly to the mailbox, follow these steps:
- In the ThumbnailPhoto attribute in AD DS
- In the top level of the user's mailbox
If you want the Active Directory attribute to be displayed instead of the photo that was uploaded directly to the mailbox, follow these steps:
- Remove the photos. To do this, run the following cmdlet:
Remove-UserPhoto <userUPN> -ClearMailboxPhotoRecordNote This step removes all photos from the Exchange Online user object. This includes the one that's stored in the mailbox and in the AD DS attribute, ThumbnailPhoto.
Note The -ClearMailboxPhotoRecord switch is required for an Active Directory photo to be used.
- In the on-premises AD DS, clear the ThumbnailPhoto attribute for the user.
- Start AD DS replication to Azure.
- Upload the photo to the on-premises AD DS ThumbnailPhoto attribute. This should trigger a new dirsync operation to send the photo to the Azure account, which will forwardsync the photo to the Exchange Online object. By starting AD DS replication to Azure, you may speed up this process.


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Read the column here.
Thousands of self-employed businessmen, artists, and boutique owners who make or deal in hand-crafted children's toys, clothes, or furniture could be out of work next month. A 2008 federal law, with the salutary-sounding name "Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act," could drive these craftsmen out of business.Big toymakers, who helped write the bill, are ready for the regulations that will go into effect Feb. 10, while smaller toymakers look likely to suffer. It's another example of how Washington, when it regulates an industry, often helps the biggest businesses in that industry while crushing the smaller guys.
Find me on the Web
Friday, January 30, 2009
Washington toy story shows why regulation helps the big guys
Thursday, January 29, 2009
How Stimulating!
Read the article here.
» $75 million for "smoking cessation"
Ironically, because state governments are dependent on tobacco sales for billions in annual revenue, if this federal program worked, it would further deplete state coffers.
» $500 million for space travel
The Senate bill calls for funding to "shorten the gap in time that the nation does not have a U.S. vehicle to access space after the space shuttle is retired in 2010."
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I've joined the Examiner full-time
The Washington Examiner announced today that Timothy P. Carney, who has been writing a weekly op-ed column for the paper, was joining the staff full time to oversee a new K Street page.
Carney will write a lobbying column for the weekly page, which will make its debut in two weeks. He also will continue his Friday op-ed column.
"Most reporters write about how much money lobbyists make and what great access they have," said Stephen G. Smith, editor of The Washington Examiner. "Tim writes about how they affect, and sometimes distort, the legislative process."
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Question Obama Doesn't Want You to Ask
Read the whole thing here.
"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions—who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans," President Barack Obama said in his inaugural address on Tuesday.
For these non-believers, the president had scorn: "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them—that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works."
In practice, we know what this means: Obama wants more federal spending, more federal regulation, more federal mandates, and more federal prohibitions. It means the president—like all presidents—wants more power.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
ENPR: Obama Takes Office With Immense Political Capital
President Barack Obama takes the reins of a nation diminished in prosperity, morale, and reputation. The hope and change he promises have inspired most Americans and nearly all of the news media to rally behind him. His youth and his being the first black President add to his aura. Rarely, if ever, has a President entered office with so much political wind at his back. These high expectations give him immense political capital, but also present high risks.
Heckonomics: The Stimulus
Friday, January 16, 2009
Obama's secret telecom advisor pushing his company's interest
Read my column here.
A telecommunications company has confirmed for this columnist that its vice president for policy—who is also an Obama donor and a former lobbyist—is advising Barack Obama's transition team on telecom policy.
Obama's transition team, which has failed to disclose this executive's involvement, happens to have proposed a significant change in telecom policy that will profit that very company, called Clearwire.
By pushing to delay the long-scheduled transition of television broadcasting from analog signals to digital signals, president-elect Obama is directly aiding Sprint and its partner Clearwire while hurting Verizon.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
ENPR: Teflon Obama; and More Democratic Senate Gains
Friday, January 9, 2009
Bringing Bill Richardson's leadership style to Washington
My Examiner column today explores that question.
Read the whole thing here.
When president-elect Barack Obama introduced his pick for Commerce secretary last month, he praised him, saying, "As governor of New Mexico, Bill showed how government can act as a partner to support our businesses…."
Those words have a different ring to them now that Bill Richardson has withdrawn from consideration amid an investigation into a donor who won a huge state contract.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
ENPR: Burris and Richardson Flaps and Panetta Pick Enliven Washington
Monday, January 5, 2009
Heckonomics: The Bailouts
Friday, January 2, 2009
2008, The Year of the Bailout
Read the whole thing here.
Not too long ago, in fact, at the beginning of 2008, the U.S. had a reputation as a free-market economy in which businesses rose and fell of their own strengths or flaws and to their own profit or loss. But 2008 changed all that. Too be more precise, the administration of President George W. Bush changed all that in 2008.
Americans used to get exorcised any time the federal government considered bailing out private interests. When Chrysler got a $1.5 billion loan in 1979 (about $4.25 billion in today's dollars), there was an outcry. When the Clinton administration bailed out Wall Street bankers in 1994 with a bailout of the Mexican peso, it was scandalous.But as 2008 wound down, we got bailouts so large and in such rapid succession that we never had time to catch our breath.


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Lulu Berlu
Time Out says
Get ready to travel back in time to a land where all your childhood heroes live on, including Astroboy, Goldorak, the Knights of the Zodiac, all the characters of 'Dragon Ball Z', the Gremlins and GI Joe. From cartoons to TV series, they're all here, including plenty you had forgotten existed. 60 years' worth of figurines and toys are gathered in this paradise for collectors and lovers of nostalgia, and aficionados flock here like pilgrims to Lourdes. With aisle upon aisle of toys and souvenirs this shop is sure to delight the younger generations as well as bringing a tear to the eye of older collectors. Prices vary, but go through the roof for certain rare items. A visit to this store may leave you regretting having sold those old toys you had in the attic.
2 rue du Grand Prieuré
|Métro : Oberkampf
|Opening hours:
|Du lundi au samedi, de 11h à 19h30


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This is ideal for the host(s) who have excellent organization, planning skills and time, but looking for guidance to "kick off" the process.
Dinner, birthday or anniversary, its all a party to me! My services in this package include a consultation to address your party planning needs, which may include:
- Venue Ideas
- Theme Brainstorm
- Vendor Recommendations (including suggested menu ideas, rental needs, etc.)
Day-of Coordination
Day-of is ideal for hosts that just need relief leading up to the big event. You've already negotiated contracts, set timelines and budgets, secured venues and rentals but need a conductor, so to speak, to run the show.
All of the above including:
- Complete day-of timeline
- Coordination with contracted vendors for seamless move-in and move-out
- On the ground lead for catering timing, lighting and band (or DJ)
- For wedding, ceremony preparation and aisle cue coordination
Full Event Planner
This full service option allows you to play host and not worry about any details leading up to the event. The only thing you need to worry about is your fabulous ensemble, how you'll greet guests and the toast.
All of the above including:
- Unlimited meetings/communication
- Budget consulting and management
- Overall design and theme
- Vendor negotiating and contract review
- Lead-up timeline (monthly/weekly)


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Brewdog At A Glance
Beer School
When masterminding craft beers that are going to change the face of the beer industry, you need a talented team of brewers and a centre of operations to match.
Head Brewer Stewart Bowman takes us through what creating Brewdog beers is all about.
We. Are. Brewdog.
BrewDog are on a mission to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they are. All they care about is brewing world class craft beer; extraordinary beers that blow people's minds and kick start a revolution.
"When it comes down to it, we are a selfish son of a bitch. We can't help it. We have a terminal addiction to make beers we want to drink. Beer with teeth and balls. Beer we lust for. Crafted beer."
Defining Craft Beer
It's the one subject that everyone in the industry or with an interest in great beer is guaranteed to have an opinion on: just what is craft beer?
In America, the Brewers Association has a definition for craft beer - even though this has its share of vague conditions such as "small, independent and traditional".
Martin and James at Brewdog have authored two blog posts on the subject, each followed with it's fair share of debate from the brewing and beer blogging community...
Defining Craft Beer I (October 2013)


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It is common to feel disconnected from your post-partum body. The rib cage, hips, and pelvis have stretched out to accommodate the pregnancy and birth of the baby. Your internal organs which have shifted around during the pregnancy are still settling back into place. The pregnancy belly has turned to a soft baby bump. At the 6 week post-partum checkup, women are given the green light to exercise, but not the guidance on how to begin again.
When you begin a strengthening program post-partum you really need to be mindful during your exercises. Exercise may not come natural or feel the same as it did pre-pregnancy. The differences you feel in your body are due to the following:
- Weakness and overall deconditioning
- Weight gain from pregnancy
- Increased body fat
- Changes in postural alignment
- Fatigue
- Lack of sensation or numbness around C- section scar
When your muscles are weak it can be difficult to feel them working. You may not be sure you are performing an exercise correctly. Stronger muscles tend to overcompensate for weakness; this is especially true with strengthening the abdominals.
A targeted post-partum program can give you a quicker recovery. This should focus on restoring the core (pelvic floor, deep abdominal muscles, pelvic stabilizers, scapula stabilizers, back muscles). Basically your body starting from the neck running down to the thighs including everything in between. If these muscles are not properly strengthened, your body is at risk for injury.
Having a baby is an all-encompassing transition, and when caring for our little one we tend to neglect our own needs. It is important to understand what is normal to feel post-partum and when you should contact your doctor/midwife. Be aware of these red flags that you may feel as you become more active and get back into exercise.
- Urinary or fecal incontinence
- Pressure/heaviness in the pelvis
- Feeling like something is falling out of the vagina
- Pelvic pain - sharp pain when changing positions, bending, lifting, activities with baby
- Lower back pain
Physical therapy treatment can help with these common post-partum issues. Make sure to speak with your health care provider if you are experiencing any of the above so you can take care of things early on.
Do you have a question? Ask Solange by email or leave a comment below. For more information on post-partum exercise visit our post-partum exercise section.


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Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
Popular with localswebsite
With works dating from pre-Hispanic times through the current day, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes displays some of the world's most eminent fine art pieces. Dutch, Spanish, Belgian, and French masters jostle for position with more contemporary Peruvian, Argentine, and Uruguayan masterpieces. A finely curated museum.


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Since all main software companies are moving towards 64bit it has been quite a pain for us users to get our beloved "old" VST and Audio Units up and running on a 64bit DAW application. It will simply not work whatever you try to do, the DAW ignores your 32bit VST completely. Why is this […]Continue Reading... 1 Comment.
Sorry the music videos have been deleted. You can download though our music now from the iTunes store: iTunes – Music linkContinue Reading... No Comments.
Nexus2 allows you to mark your favourite sound and you may wonder why you can not locate those sounds later on but still browse through the whole sound library. You can mark you sound like this: So simply click on the star rating you would like your sound to have. To find your favourite sound […]Continue Reading... 5 Comments.
Vanguard from reFX is a VSTi for your DAW that reminds many people to the favourite VSTi Sylenth1 from Lennard Digital. The downside of Vanguard is that it is a 32bit only application. So, if your DAW is 64bit only, the VST instrument will not load. There are a couple of solutions out there and […]Continue Reading... 4 Comments.
Nexus2 is as many people say not an instrument per se but a so called Romper. People say it's limited in it's way you can modify sounds and limit's your choice to the expansion packs you have to download at kinda high cost from their website. – The basic package sets you back some 300 […]Continue Reading... 2 Comments.


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Resident Retention Begins on Move-In Day
We've been fortunate in our industry to see the markets begin to improve. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the economy, so resident retention continues to be "Mission Critical" in order to increase or, at least, protect net operating income (NOI) no matter what occurs in our market. SatisFacts' research shows that the average cost of turnover is now approximately $3,900 per move-out. To put it in perspective, even if you were able to re-rent that apartment for $50 more per month, it would take 78 months, or 6.5 years, to recoup that initial loss! The good news is that there are basic strategies to put in place to increase retention dramatically, and often they can be implemented beginning on move-in day!
After reviewing the results from the nearly half million units utilizing various SatisFacts survey programs, the data continues to show that maintenance issues at move in have an immediate impact on a new resident's likelihood to renew. In fact, new residents (those who have moved in within the past 3 months) with an unresolved maintenance issue are one-quarter less likely to renew their lease than longer term residents.
The more compelling data from the SatisFacts Insite™ Move-In Feedback Program shows that unresolved maintenance issues are more common than we would like to believe. Based on 4th quarter 2011 feedback results, when new residents were asked if their appliances and fixtures were working properly at move-in, 20 percent said no. That translates to 1-in-5 new residents having a maintenance issue upon move-in. In addition, of the residents who reported their issues to their leasing office, 53 percent of indicated that those problems have still not been resolved!
Residents begin to think about their renewal decision in those first hours, days, and weeks in their new home. If some of the basics of their home are defective or not functioning, you can bet your bottom dollar they are experiencing "Renter's Remorse."
To ensure your new residents don't encounter any unexpected issues, implement a "Walk Right" final inspection, which requires a maintenance team member to enter the turned apartment and follow the wall to the right, inspecting and testing every outlet, every fixture, every window, every window treatment, every appliance, every door, etc., until he or she ends back at the front door.
Your teams may discover they are correcting the same types of issues time after time for turned apartments, which has the benefit of improving your entire turnover process. While this may add time to the inspection process, the maintenance team will become more efficient and effective at preparing vacated apartments for new residents, and new residents will encounter fewer problems. This reduces the amount of rework the maintenance team will have to return to do in the inevitable service request.
If a problem does slip through the cracks, and the resident lets you know, this issue should be elevated to high importance so that a remarkable recovery can occur. First impressions are lasting, and paying special attention to a resident's first impression of their new home will have a direct impact on their renewal decision in a very positive way!