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Any adventurer worth her salt knows that proper preparation is the key to a successful quest. Did Alethea the Blue set out to defeat the Villainous Slurge without a plan, or a carefully packed adventurer's kit? NO SHE DID NOT. Because Alethea understood the importance of preparation.
That's why this week's Raz Challenge is to BE PREPARED FOR ADVENTURE! Of course, since adventure can take all kinds of forms, preparing for an adventure can ALSO take all kinds of forms. Here are some suggestions.
- Stretch! Your sword-arm won't thank you for neglecting basic warm-up stretches when you're charging into battle! Getting your body ready to MOVE can be a great way to get your blood flowing and get you into adventure-mode. Find a set of stretches that work for your body, and try to work them into your pre-adventure routine.
- If your battle is a non-physical one, you can still stretch your brain! For example, if your task is to slay a calculus test, you'll probably want to stretch your math-muscles by studying and doing practice problems. If your task is to make a scary phone call, "warm up" by making less-scary phone calls to build your confidence. For the purposes of this challenge, "stretching" is whatever will get you prepared to face your task!
- Hydrate! No, seriously. Drink water. It's good for you.
- Stock your adventurer's kit! Take some time to think about what this adventure is going to require of you. Will you be out in the wilderness? Will you be braving the urban jungle? Will you be facing down the terrifying gauntlet of a university campus during finals week? Equip yourself accordingly! Some possible suggestions include:
- Energizing snacks. (KEY.)
- Spare pencils and pens.
- Directions.
- Tissues.
- Enough change for bus fare.
- Painkillers.
- A good book.
- A mini sewing kit. (This item has saved D#2's bacon more times than she would care to admit.)
- Pick appropriate theme music. Many an adventure has been lost or won on the strength of the playlist accompanying it. D#2 frequently rocks this Songza playlist and also the Bastion soundtrack
- Make a plan! Visualize the task ahead of you, and the steps you'll need to take to complete that task. How will you get there? What will you need? Who else will be there? What skills or attributes will you use? Be thorough: doing this will help you figure out if there are any other resources you might be able to call on to help you in your quest.
What do YOU do to prepare for an adventure?


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A lot has been written recently about The Decanter World Wine Award for a Red Bordeaux Varietal over £10 going to a wine from China, namely the He Lan Qing Xue Winery 2009 Jiabeilan Cabernet. Much has been said about whether a wine from China could wine such a prestigious award. I like what wine blogger Wojciech Bońkowski had to say:
"The attitude of many commentators is really surprising. While China admittedly has not shone with the quality of its wines in the past, it's only natural it would break through at some moment, and I'm amazed there is so much resistance to that inevitable fact. Did you know China is now the world's fifth largest producer of wine? It makes more bottles than Argentina, Chile, Australia, Germany or Portugal. Yet no one would make a story of a German wine winning a Trophy."
I agree and have no doubt that the quality of Chinese wine will continue to improve. My congratulations to the He Lan Qing Xue Winery.

subset: commoncrawl


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RSI Indicator
What is RSI indicator?
The most known indicator Relative Strength Index (RSI), developed by J. Welles Wilder, it is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change of price movements of an asset. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. The RSI is considered overbought when it is above 70 and oversold when it is below 30. Signals can be generated with RSI indicator by looking for divergences and failure swings. Trader can also identify the general trend by using RSI indicator..
How RSI indicator works
- RSI indicator is considered overbought when it is above 70 and oversold when it is below 30. We can adjust thes e traditional levels if it is necessary to better fit the security. As an example, if on a certain asset is repeatedly reaching the overbought level of 70 you may want to adjust this level to 80.
Note: During strong trends, the RSI may remain in overbought or oversold for extended periods.
- RSI also often forms chart patterns that may not show on the underlying price chart, such as double tops and bottoms and trend lines. Also, look for support or resistance on the RSI.
- In a bull market or an uptrend , the RSI can remain in between 40 to 90 range with the 40-50 zone can act as support.These ranges will depend on the RSI settings and the strength of the security's or market's underlying trend.
- During a bear market or downtrend, the RSI can stay between the 10 to 60 range with the 50-60 zone can act as resistance. These ranges will depend on the RSI settings and the strength of the security's or market's underlying trend.
- If underlying prices make a new high or low that isn't confirmed by the RSI, this divergence can signal a price reversal. If the RSI makes a lower high and then follows with a downside move below a previous low, a Top Swing Failure has occurred. If the RSI makes a higher low and then follows with an upside move above a previous high, a Bottom Swing Failure has occurred.
The relative strength index is calculated using the following formula:


text:
Ste. Genevieve Herald
Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
Friday, 4 Jul 1884
The colored public school closed Wednesday.
A shooting gallery has been opened on Main street.
Our mail came about one hour after the usual time last Monday.
The river is falling and there is no danger of an overflow this year.
John F. SHEARLOCK shipped 8,000 feet of walnut lumber to St. Louis this week.
L. D. THURMAN is carrying the mail between this place and Ruma, Ill. since last Tuesday.
Mrs. M. VIEH has raised ten canaries this Spring from a siingle pair; who can beat it?
WEHNER's Summer Garden is becoming quite popular as a resort to spend the summer evenings.
Our young friend P.A. MENARD will read the Declaration of Independence at the picnic grounds to-day.
On June 27, Gov. CRITTENDEN appointed H. S. SHAW prosecuting attorney of this county, vice Vallee HAROLD, resigned.
The "heated term" has arrived and with it cucumbers, the doctors' best friends, soon to be followed by watermelons, blackberries and other summer delicacies.
Our friend Kilian GRIESHABER is probably the only man in the country who cut his wheat this season without the help of a single outsider. Three of his sons cut the wheat with cradles, three bound it, three more raked the
stubble; and himself, with a younger son, put up the shocks. Mr. G. is well-satisfied with his harvest.
As far as we were able to ascertain, there were about 50 self-binders sold in this county this season, of which more than half were disposed of here in town.
The Ste. Genevieve Herald to-day is like the young lady who was asked to take another saucer of ice-cream and who sweetly answered: "Thanks, but I am a little crowded already."
Judge J.D. FOX, of Madison county, was not mentioned as a candidate for delegate at large in the Democratic State convention until Tuesday morning, and his friends are satisfied with his 351 votes, although he was not elected.
Joseph OBERLE's horse got balky on Main Str. last Monday evening upset the wagon and ran away. Willie SEXAUER, who was driving a cow to the pasture at the time was nearly run over by the beast and only the quickness with which he let got of the rope and got out of the way, saved him.
Messrs. HOFFMAN & SUCHER, Hy. LUECKE, A.L. DUNKLIN, Chas. BURGERT and other dealers in self-binders have been busy for the last two weeks, putting up and in good running order the respective machines sold by them. As far as we were able to learn, they all gave satisfaction.
In order to be abreast of the times, the WILDER Bros. purchased a handsome flag, and the stars and stripes may be seen to-day waving over their store on Main and Merchant. This shows that they are not only emterprising
business men but also genuine young American patriots.
The teachers of the white Public Schools submitted the following term reports for the scholastic year 1883-4:
1st term 2nd
term 3rd term
No. of students enrolled 33 43
No. days attendance 3339 4344
Average No. each day 19 22
Average No. days attendance
each pupil 153 154


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Lean Startup Conference
April 20, 2010
Make sure to check out the Lean Startup Conference this Friday. The lineup features the Who's Who of the lean startup movement.
The Lean Startup
December 19, 2009
The Lean Startup vision introduces a methodology for building a technology product. In short, a Lean Startup is a low-burn technology venture which combines the Customer Development methodology and an Agile Software Development methodology.
Startups don't fail because the technology doesn't work. They fail because nobody wants what they are trying to build.
Eric Ries
Eric Ries and his blog 'Lessons Learned' offer insights on how to build a Lean Startup. A recent presentation from Eric Ries' on Lean Startups in the Stanford University's Entrepreneurship Corner explains his approach to building a technology product. In his pragmatic view on how to integrate Customer Development with Agile Software Development, he advocates an approach with two teams. The cross-functional problem team continuously validates the problem hypothesis and updates the product concept, while the solution team uses an Agile Software Development methodology to build the product from the product concept.


text: Third Rail Chords by Squeeze #----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------# #This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the # #song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. # #------------------------------------------------------------------------------## From: firstname.lastname@example.com Date: Sun, 16 Jul 1995 19:38:45 -0400 Subject: third_rail.crd Third Rail by Squeeze (from the CD "Some Fantastic Place") transcribed by Gary Snegaroff (firstname.lastname@example.com) (riff - you're on your own here) D As much as I love you A A7 As much as I care D A A7 I just can't pretend that the problem's not there G F We know the boundaries Am >From where we both stand G Dm E7 Our life has been happy without any pain Dm But now I feel sorrow Em as friendship turns stale Dm Our love's still on track but, G C F C F C F without a third rail 2nd Verse: The moon has come up now The sun has gone down A million or more times since you've been around Our life still goes on but it won't be the same As when we're together, love only knows pain With words that are tender Our love will prevail But can our love go on, without a third rail C Dm Am White clouds appear like cotton wool D7 The wind bends trees to bow Fm Bd Fm As we farewell this love of ours Bd like some old sacred cow C Dm As sure as heaven's above us Am D7 and hell is down below Fm Bd Without a third rail to drive us Am D7 we'll have no place to go 3rd Verse: There's a lump in my throat I'm choked as I say Our love has reached twilight, let's call it a day We kiss on the platform The doors slowly close Like theatre curtains pulled after the show We both know it's over And somehow we've failed Love's going in circles without a third rail


text:
The HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Research Program strives to apply rigorous academic methods to understand how and why Design Thinking innovation works and fails.
The Design Thinking Community are current participants and alumni of the program. At regular workshops project teams present findings of their ongoing research.
Multidisciplinary research teams from Stanford University and HPI work on diverse topics concerned with Design Thinking, its process, method, interaction patterns and tools in order to investigate the phenomena of innovation.
All research findings are published in the volume "Understanding Innovation" as well as in various papers and articles.
On September 13th 2017 researchers of HPI and Stanford University come together for the Community Building Workshop on the campus in Potsdam. On the agenda are project presentations, in which results of the current research projects across Design Thinking are shared with the community.
The Community then hosts the research lab at d.confestival, September 14-15.
More Information
> Alle Bilder
Prof. Hasso Plattner
We proudly present the tenth volume of our book series titled "Design Thinking Research. Investigating Design Team Performance". It compiles the latest research results of the HPI Stanford Design Thinking Research Program.
Here you'll find an overview of other publications.
From September 10 to 11, 2019, researchers from HPI and Stanford University met for the 22nd Community Building Workshop.


text:
It's turn to tease us!
Below are her teaser clip and pictures for SNSD's upcoming 6th album titled 'Holiday Night'~
'Holiday Night' will feature two title tracks namely 'All Night' and 'Holiday'. It will be released on August 4th (Digital album) and on the 7th (Physical album).
HyoYeon teases fans for SNSD's 'Holiday Night' Reviewed by Sugar Apple on 11:03 PM Rating:


text:
Regional Aircraft Sales Manager
Cutter TBM Sales
E: email@example.com
Cutter Aviation San Antonio
367 Sandau Road
San Antonio, TX 78216-3620
David Crockett has been a professional in the General and Business Aviation industry for over sixteen years and is an experienced sales and marketing specialist when it comes to high performance owner-flown aircraft like the TBM. Joining Cutter Aviation in 2000 as a Regional Sales Manager for Cutter Aircraft Sales, David represents the Daher TBM aircraft for Cutter TBM Sales, the Authorized Distributor for the TBM in the South Central United States. David covers the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana as his territory for the TBM — and flying the distances between destinations in his vast territory is no problem with the fastest turboprop aircraft on the market as the product he represents!
Prior to joining the Cutter Aviation team, David was the Manager of Aircraft Distribution for Mooney Airplane Company in Kerrville, Texas and was responsible for the Domestic and International dealer network for Mooney. David specializes in aircraft consulting and purchase planning and takes a very personal, one-on-one approach with his valued clients through all the aspects of the acquisition process.
David Crockett is an FAA-Certified Commercial Pilot for both Single and Multi-Engine land aircraft with Instrument Rating. He is also a Certified Flight Instructor with Instrument authorization and has over 5800 hours of total flight experience. David is a graduate of Schreiner University with a Bachelor of Commerce and Accounting. He is an active member of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) as well as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). He and his family live in San Antonio, Texas.


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EastEnders is bringing back Tiffany Butcher, the daughter of iconic couple Bianca and Ricky, for a storyline next year involving Whitney Carter. Maisie Smith, who first played the role when she was just six-years-old, has reprised the part of the teenage character, who was last seen in Walford last year for half-sister Whitney's wedding – but what brings her back?
Fans who have been keeping up with Maisie will know that she is now an established singer, a career she successfully forged all while doing her GCSEs. And the delight of viewers seeing her with brother Morgan for a brief stint last year is leading to this next comeback.
EastEnders bosses are keeping tight-lipped over her return storyline but a spokesperson told us: 'Causing trouble wherever she goes, Tiffany's return to Albert Square will certainly not be quiet and she is set to instantly cause chaos when she lands on Whitney's doorstep. But just why has she returned?'
Why indeed?
Speaking of her return, Maisie enthused: 'It's great to be back on the set of EastEnders. It's been lovely to see some old faces and meet new ones too. I can't wait to show everyone how much Tiffany has changed.'
The actress is already back filming on the show and will make her return early next year.
Maisie previously told Metro.co.uk this year: 'I would love to return to EastEnders! It would be so much fun to have cheeky little Tiffany Butcher running around the Square again! It would be great to do that.'
The announcement of Tiffany's return comes after a number of high profile announcements from returning boss John Yorke who is also bringing back major character Mel Owen as well as Masood Ahmed, who comes with an extended family.
S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt has been cast as Karen Taylor's sister Kandice while Hollywood legend Patrick Bergin is about to make his on-screen debut as Phil Mitchell's former cellmate Aidan Maguire.
Meanwhile, there are some notable departures too as Branning sisters Lauren and Abi are on the way out at Christmas, as is Ben Mitchell.
MORE: EastEnders spoilers: Double exit, huge new Phil story and Willmott-Brown plot reveal
MORE: EastEnders spoilers: Death exit confirmed for Lauren Branning as Max is forced to kill her?
The Soaps Newsletter
Includes exclusive content, spoilers and interviews before they're seen on the site. Find out more »


text:
Microvascular injury in reperfused infarcted myocardium: noninvasive assessment with contrast-enhanced echoplanar magnetic resonance imaging
Author + information
- Received February 4, 1998
- Revision received May 11, 1998
- Accepted May 20, 1998
- Published online September 1, 1998.
Author Information
- Jens Bremerich, MDa,
- Michael F Wendland, PhDa,
- Håkan Arheden, MD, PhDa,
- Rolf Wyttenbach, MDa,
- Dong W Gao, MDa,
- John P Huberty, BSa,
- Michael W Dae, MDa,
- Charles B Higgins, MD, FACCa,* (Charles.Higgins{at}radiology.ucsf.edu) and
- Maythem Saeed, DVM, PhDa
- ↵*Address for correspondence: Dr. Charles B. Higgins, Department of Radiology, MRI-Section, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, L308, San Francisco, California 94143-0628
Objectives. The purpose of this study was to measure the accumulation of labeled albumin and to visualize its distribution pattern in reperfused infarcted myocardium as a function of time between onset of reperfusion and administration of the tracer.
Background. Myocardial microvascular injury leads to leakage of albumin from the intravascular space. Quantitative measurements of GdDTPA-albumin with inversion recovery echoplanar imaging (IR-EPI) may allow noninvasive monitoring of microvascular injury.
Methods. After 1 h of coronary artery occlusion, 56 rats were injected with GdDTPA-albumin or 123I-GdDTPA-albumin either immediately before reperfusion or ½, 1 or 24 h after reperfusion. GdDTPA-albumin in blood, normal myocardium and reperfused infarction was dynamically measured with IR-EPI during 1 h postinjection (PI). Autoradiograms were obtained at 15 min PI. Accumulation of labeled albumin in myocardium was expressed as the ratio of myocardial to blood content.
Results. In normal myocardium, the ratio of changes of relaxation rate-ratio (ΔR1-ratio) was 0.12 ± 0.01 and did not change over 1 h. In reperfused infarction, however, the ΔR1-ratio increased after administration. Animals given GdDTPA-albumin before reperfusion exhibited fastest accumulation (ΔR1-ratio 15 min PI: 0.56 ± 0.03) and essentially homogeneous distribution. The accumulation was slower when administered at ½, 1 and 24 h after reperfusion (ΔR1-ratios 15 min PI: 0.39 ± 0.03; 0.31 ± 0.04; 0.16 ± 0.01; p < 0.001 compared to administration before reperfusion). Moreover, the tracer accumulated predominantly in the periphery of the injury zone.
Conclusions. Amount and distribution pattern of labeled albumin in reperfused infarction are modulated by duration of reperfusion. The accumulation of GdDTPA-albumin can be quantified by IR-EPI. Thus, IR-EPI may be useful to noninvasively monitor myocardial microvascular injury in reperfused infarction.
Myocardial ischemia causes injury to myocytes and to the vasculature which supports myocardial perfusion. It is known that myocyte necrosis precedes damage to the microvasculature, as defined on histology (1). However, injury to the microvasculature as defined by leakage of plasma macromolecules can be observed even after mild ischemic insult (2,3). Moreover, this elevated permeability or microvascular injury seems to progress during reperfusion (4). A noninvasive method to monitor microvascular injury may be useful in evaluating myocardial injury.
Microvascular integrity has been studied in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using macromolecular gadolinium chelates like GdDTPA-albumin or GdDTPA-polylysine (5–7). Macromolecules such as GdDTPA-albumin are retained in the vasculature in normal myocardium, but leak into the interstitium in reperfused infarction; this causes a relatively increased quantity of GdDTPA-albumin within the injured region (6). On conventional T1-weighted MR images, the signal intensity in the abnormal region is increased (5,8,9), but since increased signal intensity on conventional MRI is not proportional to changes of GdDTPA-albumin concentration, quantification is complicated (10). However, a proportional relationship exists between changes in longitudinal relaxivity (ΔR1) and changes of GdDTPA-albumin concentration in the injury zone. Thus, direct ΔR1 measurements with inversion recovery echoplanar imaging (IR-EPI) may provide quantification of GdDTPA-albumin accumulation in reperfused infarcted myocardium (11,12).
The distribution pattern of GdDTPA-albumin in reperfused infarcted myocardium is not always uniform (5–7). An increased tracer accumulation or hyperenhancement of the periphery of the infarct zone and a hypoenhancement of the infarct core have been demonstrated (3,5,6). This pattern of differential enhancement was more pronounced when the duration of ischemia increased (7). However, the direct effect of duration of reperfusion on the amount of GdDTPA-albumin in reperfused infarction is unclear. The accumulation of GdDTPA-albumin as a function of delay time between onset of reperfusion and tracer administration has not been studied.
Therefore, the specific aims of this study were to 1) validate the use of IR-EPI and ΔR1 assessment for quantitative evaluation of microvascular dysfunction by comparison with a radionuclide based approach as the gold standard and 2) define the time course of pathophysiologic changes in myocardial microvasculature and regional blood volume early after reperfusion.
GdDTPA-albumin, a blood pool MRI contrast agent, was prepared by the method of Ogan et al. (13), in which the chelate DTPA was covalently linked to human serum albumin residues. This preparation yields GdDTPA-albumin with a molecular weight of approximately 92 kDa and T1, T2 relaxivities of 13.7, 18.4 mM−1s−1, respectively. This agent has been well characterized as an intravascular blood pool agent for MR imaging, with a plasma half-life of approximately 90 min (8). In normal myocardium this material is confined to the intravascular volume.
123I-GdDTPA-albumin was prepared by adding 123iodine (Cyclotron, Vancouver, Canada) to GdDTPA-albumin taken from the same stock solution as was used for contrast-enhanced MRI animals. The labeled product was purified by placing it over an AG-1X8 anion exchange column.
Animal preparation
Care and maintenance of experimental animals were in strict accordance with the National Institutes of Health guidelines. The experimental protocol received prior approval from the Committee on Animal Research at this Institution. Female Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 56; 240 to 310 g; Simonsen Labs Inc., Gilroy, CA) were divided into four groups (n = 14 per group) for preparation of myocardial infarction with varied reflow duration (Fig. 1). Animals were prepared as described previously (6). Briefly, animals were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (50 mg/kg; IP). Catheters were placed in a jugular vein for administration of contrast agent or radiotracer and in a carotid artery for measurement of blood pressure (Gould Transducer, Gould Inc., Cleveland, OH) and withdrawal of blood. The chest was opened and the anterior branch of the left coronary artery was occluded for 1 h followed by reperfusion. This rat model of 1 h ischemia followed by reperfusion is known to produce substantial myocardial infarction and microvascular injury (6,14). GdDTPA-albumin (n = 8) or radiotracer (n = 6) was administered 3 min before reperfusion, at ½ h, or 1 h after reperfusion for groups 1 to 3, respectively. Animals in group 4 were anesthetized with short-acting anesthesia (8 mg/100 g xylazine and 0.2 mg/100 g ketamine; IP). Surgical preparation and coronary occlusion duration were identical to groups 1 to 3. Reperfusion was maintained for 24 h. A total of 87 rats were prepared in the present study. Thirty-one rats died after occlusion (15)or reperfusion (13), but before administration of the contrast agent. No subjects were lost during the measurements. All completed experiments were included in the analysis.
MRI experiments
Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted on a Bruker Omega CSI 2 Tesla system (Bruker Instruments Inc., Fremont, CA) as previously described (16). Each animal was placed supine in a home-built bird cage resonator; the electrocardiogram signal was obtained from two subcutaneous copper needles. The field of view contained a phantom with known T1.
IR-EPI was conducted in the transverse plane to repeatedly measure T1 of left ventricular chamber blood, normally perfused myocardium and reperfused infarction. EPI sequence parameters were: matrix 64 × 64 points; field of view 50 × 50 mm; slice thickness 2 mm; acquisition time = 32.7 ms; echo time (TE) = 10 ms; pulse delay repetition time minus inversion time (TR-T1) > 4 × T1 (fully relaxed).
In each rat, 10 sets of 20 images each with different TI were acquired before and at 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29, 39, 49 and 59 min after administration of GdDTPA-albumin (0.03 mmol Gd/kg). These image sets were used to measure regional T1 values and calculate ΔR1 as described previously (16). At the conclusion of T1 measurements, a conventional T1-weighted spin-echo image (TR ∼ 300 ms; TE = 25 ms; raw data matrix 256 × 128 zero filled to 256 × 256) was acquired at the same midventricular level.
After MR measurements, hearts were excised, rinsed, sliced at the midventricular level and stained by soaking in a 2% solution of triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) at 37°C for 8 min to define the infarction. This staining procedure provides brick-red coloration of normal myocardium, whereas infarcted myocardium is unstained (14).
Radioisotope experiments
Six rats per group were examined for distribution of 123I-GdDTPA-albumin (500 μCi). The tracer was allowed to circulate for 15 min since MRI data demonstrated maximal differences of ΔR1-ratios among groups at that time. A sample of blood (0.5 ml) was then withdrawn from the carotid artery for radioactivity measurements. The coronary artery was reoccluded and phthalocyanine blue dye (particle size of 7.4 ± 3.2 μm) was administered intravenously to define the area at risk (17). The heart was excised and sliced at the midventricular level. Samples from both the unstained area at risk and the blue-stained, normally perfused myocardium were taken from the apical portion of the transsected heart. Samples were weighed and radioactivity counted in a gamma-counter was measured (Searle-Analytic Inc., Tampa, Florida). The basal portion of the transsected heart was placed in embedding medium (Tissue-Tek, Sakura Finetechnical Co. LTD, Tokyo), immediately frozen in dry ice and sectioned (20 μm). Sections were placed on a photostimulable storage phosphor imaging plate (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA) to obtain digital autoradiograms. These were evaluated using software (ImageQuant, Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA) to determine the distribution of radioactivity in these slices.
MRI data analysis
The inversion time with nil signal (TInull) was determined for normally perfused myocardium, reperfused infarcted myocardium, ventricular blood and phantom using an image analysis program (NIH-image). T1 values and ΔR1-ratios were calculated as described previously (16): (1)(2)
ΔR1-ratios were plotted vs. time. Regional blood volume was estimated by fitting the ΔR1-ratios of reperfused infarcted and of normal myocardium and by extrapolating the fitted curves to the time of GdDTPA-albumin injection. Myocardial blood volumes of the infarcted regions were expressed as a percentage of normal myocardium.
Radioisotope data analysis
The radioactivity ratio of normally perfused myocardium was calculated as: (3)
The injury zone was defined by a count density of ≥2 SD higher than the mean of normally perfused myocardium. The radioactivity ratio of injured myocardium was calculated as: (4)
The same slices were scanned with a flatbed scanner (Epson, Seiko Epson Corp., Japan); data were processed on a Macintosh computer with image analysis software (NIH-image). The area at risk defined as unstained tissue was measured and expressed as a percentage of the total cross-sectional area of the left ventricular slice.
Statistical analysis
All values are expressed as mean ± SEM. Comparisons among groups at 15 min after contrast administration were made with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). If the analysis showed an overall p < 0.05 value, Scheffé's test was implemented as post hoc test. For single comparisons a paired Student's ttest was used. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant.
Hemodynamic data
Administration of 123I-GdDTPA-albumin caused no significant changes in heart rate (309 ± 12 vs. 298 ± 12 beats/min) or in systolic (112 ± 6; 120 ± 5 mm Hg), diastolic (87 ± 5; 92 ± 5 mm Hg) or mean (98 ± 6; 105 ± 5 mm Hg) blood pressures. Heart rate and blood pressure did not differ among the groups.
MRI data
Precontrast T1 of infarction (1.13 ± 0.03 s) was longer than that of normal myocardium (0.92 ± 0.02 s) (p < 0.05; Student's paired ttest). After GdDTPA-albumin administration, T1 of blood, reperfused infarction and normal myocardium decreased by ninefold, twofold to fourfold and twofold, respectively. However, regional variation of T1 shortening occurred, which reflects regional variations of GdDTPA-albumin content. Representative IR-EPI images obtained at identical anatomical level but with different TI settings demonstrate regional differences in GdDTPA-albumin content (Fig. 2). The shortest TInullwas found in the blood pool, indicating greatest concentration of GdDTPA-albumin. The TInullof reperfused infarction decreased steadily with time after injection of GdDTPA-albumin, reflecting accumulation of the tracer.
The accumulation of GdDTPA-albumin in reperfused infarction was fastest when administered immediately before reperfusion (ΔR1-ratio at 15 min PI: 0.56 ± 0.03). The accumulation was slower when administered at ½, 1 and 24 h after reperfusion (ΔR1-ratios at 15 min PI: 0.39 ± 0.03; 0.31 ± 0.04; 0.16 ± 0.01; p < 0.001 compared to administration immediately before reperfusion; one-way ANOVA with post hoc Scheffé's test).
The ΔR1-ratio of normal myocardium (0.12 ± 0.01) did not differ among the experimental groups and did not change significantly during the observation period of 1 h after GdDTPA-albumin administration. Reperfused infarction, however, was characterized by increasing ΔR1 ratios after GdDTPA-albumin administration (Fig. 3), reflecting accumulation of the tracer in the injury zone. Accumulation was maximal when GdDTPA-albumin was injected immediately before reperfusion. The accumulation declined as the time of tracer injection was delayed during the reperfusion period (Fig. 3).
Radioisotope data
The radioactivity ratios in normal and injured myocardium, as measured after 123I-GdDTPA-albumin administration, were similar to the ΔR1-ratios of IR-EPI (Fig. 4). Both MR contrast media and radiotracer accumulated in injured myocardium, but accumulation declined with increasing delay between onset of reperfusion and injection of the tracers (Fig. 4). The distribution of 123I-GdDTPA-albumin in the injury zone was essentially uniform when administered before reperfusion (Fig. 5, A). However, in hearts subjected to delayed tracer administration, 123I-GdDTPA-albumin was distributed in a heterogeneous fashion in the injury zone (Fig. 5, B to D). As the delay increased, less 123I-GdDTPA-albumin was seen in the core of infarction (Fig. 5, D).
Regional blood volume
At onset of reperfusion the apparent blood volume of infarcted myocardium was substantially increased (280% ± 14% of normally perfused myocardium), consistent with hyperemia (Fig. 6). The regional blood volume progressively declined during reperfusion. At ½ h and 1 h there was no significant difference in blood volume between normal and postischemic myocardium (105% ± 11% and 106% ± 16%, respectively). At 24 h after reperfusion the regional blood volume was 69% ± 5% of that of normal myocardium.
The ΔR1 ratio of normal myocardium was 0.12 ± 0.01 and did not change significantly during 1 h of observation, which is consistent with a myocardial blood volume of approximately 12 ml/100 g (15,18). This value is similar to previously reported results as measured with various methods (19,20).
Postmortem findings
The area at risk defined by phthalocyanine blue was 47.1% ± 1.5% of the left ventricular surface area and did not differ significantly among the groups. In MR experiments, the shape and location of infarction on T1-weighted spin echo images was similar to the TTC negative region (Fig. 7). The current model of 1 h of ischemia followed by reperfusion produces substantial myocardial infarction evident as TTC negative area, which is in agreement with previous work (7). All animals subjected to 24-h reperfusion exhibited substantial hemorrhage (Fig. 7). Intramyocardial hemorrhage was less frequent when reflow was 2 h or less.
The major findings of the current study are 1) accumulation of GdDTPA-albumin as an indicator of ischemic microvascular injury can be quantified by IR-EPI; 2) MR and radioisotope measurements agree; 3) accumulation of GdDTPA-albumin in reperfused infarcted myocardium decreases with duration of reperfusion; 4) distribution of macromolecules in the injury zone is essentially uniform early after reperfusion, but later during reperfusion, GdDTPA-albumin accumulates predominately at the border of the injury zone; 5) reperfusion causes progressive decline of blood volume in reperfused infarction.
Regional blood volume
Substantial elevation of the blood volume in infarction at onset of reperfusion suggests a hyperemic reaction, which subsided 30 min after reperfusion. Similar findings have been described by other investigators (21,22). During reperfusion the blood volume in the infarct declined progressively. At 24 h after reperfusion the blood volume in the infarct was less than that of normal myocardium, which is consistent with occurrence of the "no reflow" phenomenon as described by Kloner et al. (23,24). The progressive decline of the blood volume in reperfused infarction suggests a progression of the no reflow phenomenon during reperfusion. This finding is consistent with results from Ambrosio et al. (22), who monitored serial changes in regional blood flow in dogs subjected to prolonged reperfusion using radioactive microspheres. These investigators observed progression of the no reflow phenomenon during reperfusion; progressive impairment of flow in postischemic myocardium was associated with capillary plugging (22). Recent contrast-enhanced MR studies confirmed the presence of microvascular obstruction in acutely reperfused infarction in patients (25).
Role of edema, lymphatic clearance and capillary permeability
Edema associated with elevated tissue pressure evolves in reperfused infarction (26). Elevated tissue pressure may result in compression force on the vasculature, ensuing declining blood volume and aggravating circulation disturbances (27). Edema is promoted by extravasation of macromolecules into the extravascular space and by degradation of the extracellular matrix (28). An elevated tissue pressure can impede the accumulation of macromolecules because transport of large molecules is predominantly driven by motion of bulk fluid (convection), which is governed by pressure gradients (29). Thus, in postischemic myocardium, GdDTPA-albumin would encounter a low transcapillary pressure gradient, and extravasation driven by convective forces would be reduced. Lymphatic clearance in postischemic myocardium is elevated, evidenced as increased flow and protein content of lymphatic fluid in dogs by 53% and 67%, respectively (30). This initial elevation, however, is followed by a gradual decline in lymphatic clearance as reperfusion evolves (31). The route for extravasation of albumin into the extravascular space is likely interendothelial gaps which increase during hypoxia (32)and reoxygenation (4)or reperfusion (33,34).
Regional distribution of labeled albumin
On autoradiography, an essentially uniform distribution of 123I-GdDTPA-albumin was seen only when the tracer was administered before reperfusion. When administered after reperfusion, there was less labeled albumin in the core of the injury zone than in the periphery. This pattern was more pronounced when the administration of the tracer was delayed after reperfusion. These findings are in agreement with a previous study where hearts were subjected to 1 h of occlusion and 1 h of reperfusion before biotin-labeled GdDTPA-albumin was administered (6). These investigators compared histologic analysis and T1-weighted spin echo images and found dispersion of biotin-GdDTPA-albumin throughout the interstitium and the myocytes; however, less tracer was detectable with either method in the infarct core as opposed to the rim (6). Other investigators studied the effect of various duration of ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion before administration of GdDTPA-albumin (7). They described a similar pattern on T1-weighted spin echo MR images ex vivo with a bright border zone and a less enhanced central core which increased in size with increasing (30 to 75 min) duration of ischemia (7).
In vivo assessment of microvascular injury
In distinction to previous research, the current study employed IR-EPI to measure the accumulation of GdDTPA-albumin in ischemically injured myocardium. Since IR-EPI allows quantitative measurements, it may be used to assess the potential of various new therapeutic agents designed to protect the myocardial vasculature during ischemia and reperfusion. The current study, however, is the first to demonstrate noninvasively in a quantitative fashion that the accumulation of macromolecules in postischemic myocardium declines when the administration is delayed up to 24 h after reperfusion.
Postinfarct alterations of microvascular integrity have recently been shown by Wu et al. (25)in patients using GdDTPA-enhanced MRI. These investigators performed serial measurements after contrast injection and demonstrated that microvascular obstruction, defined as hypoenhancement at 1 to 2 min and hyperenhancement at 5 to 10 min after injection, is predictive of poorer outcome. Other imaging modalities like positron emission tomography (35)and contrast echocardiography (36,37)have been used to assess microvascular injury in reperfused infarction. Myocardial-contrast echocardiography (36)has correlated the presence of contrast defects with poor functional recovery despite restored flow in the infarct-related artery. Unlike MRI, however, this method currently requires intracoronary injection of microbubbles, necessitating cardiac catheterization.
The blood volume estimates in the current study were based on the assumption that GdDTPA-albumin is present only in the intravascular compartment at the moment of injection. Therefore, extrapolation of ΔR1 ratio data back to the moment of injection was assumed to reflect the blood volume. However, severe vascular damage in the injury zone may allow substantial extravasation of GdDTPA-albumin immediately during first pass. Thus, overestimation of the true blood volume may occur.
☆ This study was supported by NIH Grant #T32HL070570-05, and #R01HL52569-01, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. J. Bremerich and Dr. R. Wyttenbach were supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, Bern, Switzerland. Dr. H. Arheden was supported by the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden.
↵1 All editorial decisions for this article, including selection of referees, were made by a Guest Editor. This policy applies to all articles with authors from the University of California San Francisco.
- Abbreviations
- analysis of variance
- inversion recovery echoplanar imaging
- magnetic resonance imaging
- R1 and T1
- longitudinal relaxation rate and time
- inversion time
- TInull
- inversion time with nil signal arising from tissue
- TR and TE
- repetition and echo times
- triphenyltetrazolium chloride
- Received February 4, 1998.
- Revision received May 11, 1998.
- Accepted May 20, 1998.
- American College of Cardiology
- ↵
- Kloner R.A.,
- Rude R.E.,
- Carlson N.,
- Maroko P.R.,
- DeBoer L.W.,
- Braunwald E.
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- Dauber I.M.,
- VanBenthuysen K.M.,
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- et al.
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- McDonagh P.F.,
- Roberts D.J.
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- Schwitter J.,
- Saeed M.,
- Wendland M.F.,
- et al.
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- Wolfe C.L.,
- Moseley M.E.,
- Wikstrom M.G.,
- et al.
- ↵Tweedle MF, Wedeking P, Telser J, et al. Dependence of MR signal intensity on Gd tissue concentration over a broad dose range. Magn Reson Med 1991;22:191–4; discussion 195–6.
- ↵
- ↵
- Ogan M.D.,
- Schmiedl U.,
- Moseley M.E.,
- Grodd W.,
- Paajanen H.,
- Brasch R.C.
- ↵
- ↵
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- Fluck D.S.,
- Etherington P.J.,
- O'Hare D.,
- Winlove C.P.,
- Sheridan D.J.
- ↵
- Salisbury P.F.,
- Cross C.E.,
- Rieben P.A.
- Judd R.M.,
- Levy B.I.
- ↵
- Crystal G.J.,
- Downey H.F.,
- Bashour F.A.
- ↵
- Ambrosio G.,
- Weisman H.F.,
- Mannisi J.A.,
- Becker L.C.
- ↵
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- Wu K.C.,
- Zerhouni E.A.,
- Judd R.M.,
- et al.
- ↵
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- Granger H.J.,
- Glen A.L.,
- Barnes G.E.,
- Lewis R.E.
- ↵
- Feola M.,
- Glick G.
- ↵
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- Nayler W.G.,
- Elz J.S.
- ↵
- Jeremy R.W.,
- Links J.M.,
- Becker L.C.
- ↵
- Ito H.,
- Tomooka T.,
- Sakai N.,
- et al.


text: Instagram Photo MOOD. #TrapParis watch the full video in my bio! Comments Body * More information about text formats Text format Medium MediumImages with a data-picture-mapping attribute will be responsive, with a file size appropriate for the browser width. Post Image Add a new file Files must be less than 96 KB.Allowed file types: gif jpg jpeg. Leave this field blank


text: Alongside growing my printed textiles and homeware business, I have also been doing a heap of teaching! I love the opportunity to share my passion for textiles in print design and each year I run workshops for adults and children. To see what I offer throughout the year, I have set up a Smitten Design Workshops Facebook page. If you, or anyone you know is interested in a textile printing workshop, then follow me here. I have some exciting things planned for 2016 including boutique workshops in print design, stenciling, block printing and screen-printing.


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Customwalks: Guided walking and biking tours in Italy, France, Greece, Croatia, Turkey and Spain
Since 1990 we've been exploring Europe on foot and by bike, taking the time to discover the people and places that make our tours special.
We create extraordinary moments that become your unforgettable memories. We also take the hassle out of travel, so you can take a break, relax, and truly enjoy.
Visit our biking tours at www.MondoBikeTours.comView all Biking tours


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The construct validity of session RPE during an intensive camp in young male Karate athletes
MetadataShow full item record
Background: the aim of this study was to assess the validity of the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) method and two objective HR-based methods for quantifying karate's training load (TL) in young Karatekas. Methods: eleven athletes (age 12.50±1.84 years) participated in this study. The training period/camp was performed on 5 consecutive days with two training session (s) per-day (d). Construct validity of RPE method in young Karate athletes, was studied by correlation analysis between RPE session's training load and both Edwards and Banister's training impulse score' method. Results: significant relationship was found between inter-day (n-11 × d-5 × s-2 = 110) sessions RPE and Edwards (r values from 0.84 to 0.92 p < 0.001) and Banister's (r values from 0.84 to 0.97 p < 0.001), respectively Conclusion: this study showed that session-RPE can be considered a valid method for quantifying karate's training load in young karate athletes.
- Sport Sciences [76 items ]


text: While you may not have heard of binge eating disorder, chances are you know someone who suffers from it. An estimated 4 million Americans have the disorder and that only accounts for reported cases. It's believed more people suffer from binge eating disorder than anorexia and bulimia combined – making it the most common eating disorder in the United States. Until 2013, binge eating wasn't recognized as a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), but its recent inclusion is good news. Not only does it help patients receive a diagnosis, but many insurance companies will not cover treatment for mental disorders not listed in the DSM.


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Our client is one of the world's leading brands with a global presence. An opportunity has now arisen for an individual with extensive compliance experience to join their highly regarded team in Gothenburg, Sweden, as the
Head of Compliance & Ethics EMEA
Reporting directly into the Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, you will be responsible for the further development and implementation of the Compliance and Ethics programs in the EMEA region. The Compliance & Ethics programs include the areas of corruption, anti-competitive behaviour, data protection and export control matters as well as other Code of Conduct related matters. You will be the first point of contact in the EMEA region to provide the business with regulatory expertise in the Compliance & Ethics fields and you will be proactively managing Compliance & Ethics risks. Operating at a very high level of visibility you will conduct monitoring and control activities relevant to the business. Furthermore you will also be responsible for regional Compliance & Ethics trainings and awareness.
You will be an outstanding lawyer with at least eight years of experience gained in internationally operating companies. You will have solid compliance experience which will also include a comprehensive knowledge in Data Protection and Anti-Corruption, including related laws and regulations. You will have the ability to lead major and complex projects of global nature and to drive change. You will be a strong self-starter with very good business acumen and leadership qualities. In addition you will be an excellent communicator and team player.
This outstanding opportunity will suit individuals who seek to thrive in a challenging and high-energy environment and that relish the chance to shape important areas for the business.
To apply for this position, please send your application to Miriam Küpper at Taylor Root: email@example.com or +49 211 24791110
The SR Group (Germany) GmbH is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
The SR Group in Germany receives Great Place to Work® 2018 quality seal
The SR Group in Germany is one of the winners of Great Place to Work® competition "Best employers in NRW".


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Health Fitness Revolution founder Samir Becic was recently chosen as a Top Fitness Expert in the World Ever-Lived by RANKER.com
His Response: "Thank you for this award. I am truly honored and very blessed to receive it."
"List of famous personal trainers, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top personal trainers in the world? This includes the most prominent personal trainers, living and dead, both in America and World. This list of fitness trainers is in alphabetical order and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic personal trainers were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned fitness experts.
From reputable, prominent, and well-known personal trainers – these are some of the best professionals in the personal trainer field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous personal trainers ever?" and "What are the names of famous personal trainers?" then you're in the right place!"- RANKER.com
The List:


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Matt: Father, Gamer, Biker, Geek, Jack of all trades because I am too cheap to hire people.
Looking to implement a new line of business applications or replace an old server? With our approach to IT project delivery, we help prevent scope creep and keep budgets in line with budgeted project costs.
Call us today at (574) 975-0767 or email email@example.com. Stay social, Follow us!


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Charge for Services
• Chiropractic: Dr. Lori Mace DC
Specializing in Graston soft tissue technique, electric muscle stimulation, personal injury, worker's compensation, car accident, prenatal & postnatal care
$90 Introductory Special : New patient Initial Consultation, Exam, Chiropractic Manipulative Treatment and Supportive Therapies for time of service (TOS) paying clients (not billing insurance) – 40% off follow-up visits for TOS patients.
Insurance Accepted - Click Here for Contracted Insurance
• Massage Therapy: Sarananda Davis, LMT #7612 & Star O'Ryan, LMT #21347
Swedish, Deep Tissue, Pre-Natal/Post-Natal, Sports/Athletic, and Medical Massage:
$40 – ½ hour (30 min) massage
$75 – 1 hour (60 min) massage
$100 – 1½ hour (90 min) massage
Package Deal: 5 1-hour massages for $280 (buy 4, get 1 free!)
• Raindrop Therapy
Swedish massage using therapeutic-grade essential oils on the spine to aid pain relief, detoxification, and relaxation as well as boost the immune system. - $80 – 1 hour
• Feldenkrais Method: Deborah Skell, Feldenkrais Practitioner
The Feldenkrais Method is a way to increase comfort, ease and potential in your daily life. It's an opportunity to find more efficient ways of moving whether you are recovering from surgery, experiencing chronic pain., or improving your performance as an athlete or musician.
• CranioSacral Therapy: Cindy Bloom, CranioSacral Therapist, LMT #8181
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a full body approach to wellness. It originates from Osteopathy and shares several precepts. The conditions that are benefited by CST include migraines, headaches, chronic neck or back pain, chronic joint pain, IBS, TMJ dysfunction, Colic in infants or latching problems and fibromyalgia related conditions. It's helpful with anxiety or stress conditions as well.
$80 per session
• Far Infrared Sauna: Dry infrared heat, deep detoxification, relaxation of mind & body
$20 Regular 50 min. Sessions
$10 Half-Hour Sessions
• Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils: Information, education, and sales of therapeutic-grade essential oils, products, and supplements. All of the oils used by our chiropractor and massage therapist are 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils and are available for purchase here at SpringWell Health Center.
For information about how to purchase these oils at wholesale prices - 24% off retail - or to place an order, speak to the front desk, or call us today!


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Blue & White and Brown & White Planters, $18-20/set
I don't think there is anything as classic and lovely as transferware. Popularized in 18th century England, it seems to never go out of style and look great and fresh every season. These planters are so versatile... my collection keeps growing. I am constantly finding new uses and have them sprinkled everywhere all over our house!
This collection of Blue & White (or Brown & White also available) Ceramic Transferware Planters comes in a set of 3 (for the smaller) or 2 (for the larger), of all the same sizes and pattern. I am a fan of symmetry, as you all know, and I love these lined up together. They look great on a kitchen counter, down the middle of a table or lined up on a mantle. You can plant bulbs as I have, or use them to hold herbs or fresh florals.
I plan to use these planted with Muscari this weekend, along with the Bliss Blue Napkins + Linen Runner for the table and Navajo Cream Candles.
I've taken a couple of Daffodils (bulb and all!) from our yard and brought them indoors. Just one cut daffodil isn't very impactful in a vase, but planted with the bulb it is elegant and chic. I'll plant the bulb back outside when it is finished.
After much demand, the Reclaimed Wood Medallion Planters are here! Many of you have noticed these in photos of my home and insisted that I carry them. I love them - they've proved so versatile for every season.
*Special Order : These planters will be available to ship 2 weeks after order is placed. If order is placed with initial offering on 3/22, they should ship out at the beginning of April.
Please note, these Planters come as a Set of 1 Large & 1 Small, together. Unfortunately, these planters are not sold individually or as pairs of the same size. They come packaged, one inside the other, which makes them the most efficient to ship. I have two sets - I use the small two on the front steps and the large two on my back porch.
Set includes :
1 x Small = 14"W x 14"D x 18.5"T (2 small pictured on my front steps)
1 x Large = 18"W x 18"D x 20"T (pictured with large mum)
They are made of reclaimed wood with a Medallion trim accent on each side. The quality of these pieces is very impressive. Mine have been outside since August and have faired well unprotected from the weather. They do have a "weathered" finish, so they will age and patina even more the longer they are exposed to the elements. You should expect irregularities with the planters - it is part of their charm!
All of the new products are found in the House & Home Collection in my store - shop House & Home, here >


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A Brilliant New Star on Sydney Harbour
The Star Sydney has announced a series of significant development plans that will continue to position the harbourside integrated resort as a leading events and entertainment destination for local, domestic and international guests.The investments, to a total of up to $1 billion, further highlight The Star's commitment to helping build Sydney's international reputation as one of the top cities in the world to visit.
The Star Sydney already has capital works programs worth more than $500 million underway. Work in progress includes the refurbishment of Astral Tower and Residences, set for completion later in 2016, offering contemporary opulence with high end suites, a lavish lobby lounge, state-of-the-art club lounge, new meeting rooms and a comprehensive business centre.
Additional plans in the pipeline for The Star include a new tower of around 200m to feature approximately 360 hotel rooms and apartments and a connected ribbon development. The ribbon development will feature numerous signature food and beverage offerings, as well as additional meeting spaces to support The Star's world-class Event Centre.
Greg Hawkins, Managing Director of The Star Sydney, explained that investment is key to ensuring the longevity of Sydney's thriving tourism industry.
"Continued strong growth in international travel has resulted in new records for Australian tourism; welcoming over 6.6 million international visitors in 2014/15, an increase of 7% on the previous period. For Sydney to remain at the forefront of this tourism boom, more accommodation, facilities and event spaces are required.
"Plans are well underway to build a new hotel tower and ribbon development that would enliven the Pyrmont precinct and boost our property's accommodation offering beyond 1000 rooms. We are also in discussions with The Ritz-Carlton in relation to the branding of the hotel tower and are excited about the prospect of bringing the Ritz-Carlton Hotel brand back to Sydney.
"The expansion plans will meet the growing demands of the business and leisure market, ensuring Sydney's reputation for quality and luxury. This growth in Australia's offering, in addition to strong international interest has the potential to boost overnight visitor expenditure in Australia to up to $140 billion annually by 2020," concluded Mr Hawkins.
The Star's Pyrmont Street entrance will be transformed to offer an entirely new arrival experience with bespoke features including custom lighting, a reflection pool and a Star sculpture. Crystal lights and signature golden features will ensure a glamorous arrival experience through the Porte Cochère where doormen and valet services welcome guests. A grand, new look hotel reception will feature show-stopping design features including black and white marble floors and bespoke chandeliers.
The recently completed upgrade of The Darling hotel's Spa included the addition of a mosaic aromatherapy heated steam room with salt water Jacuzzi and a state-of-the-art fitness facility with one of Australia's first Kinesis walls.
Other projects recently completed include an underground carpark upgrade with new wayfinding technology, a parking guidance system and increased directional and digital signage; new international gaming areas and VIP suites; new level five event plenary space within the Event Centre; and the refurbished Harvest Buffet restaurant.
To reflect the property's transformation, The Star Sydney recently adopted a new look multi-dimensional logo and playfully sophisticated visual identity. The rebrand is part of The Star Entertainment Group's move to consolidate its properties into a single brand identity that will build continued brand equity.


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KidB. Patreon
This month I launched a Patreon page and thus began an exciting, new, altruistic experiment! First tho': What is Patreon (pronounced "pay-tree-on")? It's similar to Kickstarter but instead of funding just one project within a finite amount of time, Patreon helps fund ongoing projects over an infinite amount of time. In effect, if you enjoy the work I do, then you can become a patron of it and your support will help me produce more comics. I'll continue to write, draw, and pay for all the ins and outs of comic creation as I've been doing for the last 10 years, but with Patreon you can help out a little bit too – think of it as a monthly tip-jar.
The biggest ongoing project is the colorization of the books. I have an assistant who has been helping me "flat" the pages – flatting is the first stage in coloring, he fills in all the shapes with random colors, after which I re-color the pages to be on-model. This also gives me an opportunity to clean up the artwork or tweak some of the dialogue. These pages are then released online – most notably on GoComics (there are plans to eventually print color editions, but that's down the road). Here's an example of the flats and then my final colors afterward…
Coloring the books is a big job and it can get expensive; the nice thing about Patreon is with your help I can defray some of those costs.
There are a variety of pledge levels to choose from and every little bit helps. Pledge levels are:
- $ .50 a month
- $1 a month
- $3 a month
- $5 a month
- $10 a month
So for less than cup of coffee a month, you could help make good comics! And like public radio, each pledge level grants a reward as well as access to the Kid Beowulf Patreon Blog where I'll upload new artwork and process pages which only patrons will get to see.
The best part is, if you become my patron you'll instantly get that warm glow inside that only comes from being an altruistic person supporting the arts and you'll look and feel just like this dude:
So go and rock out at the Kid Beowulf Patreon Page!


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-Posted by +Jo
It's hard to explain what I like to shoot.
I like to shoot it all. But that's a problem I seem to have – I like everything.
Maybe I should figure out what I am best at and hone the skill set for it even farther.
Tough I wouldn't be here if I had taken that advice years ago. Old habits die hard I suppose.
During my internship I mentioned SCAD at lot. More than I really wanted to… but you have to realize how much that school defined, sculpted, and changed me. I tried very hard to never say anything positive or negative about the place. People have an array of opinions about people who go to art school. I think they are all valid and merit contemplation. At this point, all I can say is: I did it. I survived. {barely}
When I went to SCAD I�consciously�chose to�pursue�a double major and double minor. Why? That's not really the point… in the end I did it in the time frame I gave myself. What my rambling is trying to get at is: I didn't want to limit myself. I loved so much I didn't want to�dwell in one little corner of the art world. I wanted to be a sponge and expose myself to as much as I possibly could. And SCAD has so many options. I was a kid in a candy store. A multi-billion dollar, fifteen layered, eat-so-much-you-pop kind of candy store.
People didn't get it. And I was fine with that. People told me I couldn't do it. I would give them 'dead face' and keep moving forward. {If you don't know what 'dead face' is… annoy me and you will probably experience it.} People told me I was too scattered. I would shrug my shoulders and keep myself open to new possibilities. SCAD was a strange experience but it�truly�helped me as an artist. I'm not here to say art school is a good thing or a bad thing. It is simply a choice. I didn't study photography at SCAD but everything I did study feeds straight into how I shoot. Everything I continue to study helps hone my eyes and keeps me moving forward.
So, to some people it may seem that I don't have a specific concentration with what I shoot but in my mind I'm�concentrating�on photography and exploring all the possibilities it can give me. That in itself is a big change for me.


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Why Midwest Governors' Seats Matter for GOP
Midwestern governors were both a bulwark of political strength and a fount of policy innovation for Republicans in the 1990s. WSJ's Jerry Seib explains that history could repeat itself starting in November.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
I ... this is Jerry Sithe in Washington ... there's no shortage of really interesting political stories this year ... for those stories is a real back to the Future side to look at my latest Capital Journal column ... the story is simply this Republicans have recently been shot of taking back from the Democrats ... Governor seats in five big states in the upper Midwest the industrial Midwest of the great Lakes ... Wisconsin Ohio Illinois Iowa ... and Michigan ... if they do that ... Republicans will re created the kind of coalition of Midwest Republican governor so so successful for the party in the nineteen nineties ... and thats an interesting story to keep an eye on a slackening much attention this is not happening in Washington is not happening California ... but isn't happening in the Midwest it's worth watching ... the reason is the state's reported Republicans in the nineteen nineties was that ... those governors ... innovative energetic young governors for the most part ... both hell director for the Republican Party in turn it into a found of policy ideas ... the Republicans are really provided the policy ideas that defined conservatism in the nineteen nineties ... Ankai provided the fuel for new Gingrich and the revolutionaries who took control of the house in nineteen ninety four ... those governors did such things as creator welfare reform program ... that was copied nationally they wrote crime bills that were copied nationally ... they balance budgets and cut ... taxes you'd expect Republicans would that be also increase spending on education ... and they did some things are renovated I will govern Terry brands that for example cupola schools in the state wired ... for access to fibre optic cable ... so the word ... antigovernment in spending since been on anti government entirely they were practical Ravin ideological ... now there's some hope when on the Republican right that that might view happening again if they can win all the states and by the way win back control Osem state legislative chambers ... they may be the re creating a situation which policy ideas flow from the heartland to Washington ... rather than the other way around ... the Republicans are Bernice and ... resources to the table to make this happen ... there's a leadership a committee that's run by Ed Gillespie the former national chairman Republican Party this to every eighteen million dollars to the table this year to help finance ... Republicans running at the state level ... a lot of those dollars are going to go to help these candidates in the upper Midwest ... so well this lot of attention focused on sexy ... center races in places like California a lot of attention paid to policy debates in Washington ... I think is wise to keep an eye on these races in the industrial Midwest ... they may have a lot to say about where the Republican Party goes ... after twenty ten ... this is Jerry Sithe in Washington ...


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SOLIDWORKS enables you to animate your design in order to explain its function and assembly, as well as how it fits with related products. Showing a video is an extremely powerful way to communicate across languages and between technical and nontechnical people.
SOLIDWORKS animation tools include:
- Fast, easy animation creation—software developed for the designer/engineer, and does not require an animator
- Timeline-based animation creation
- Exploded view animation to help explain assembly/disassembly
- SOLIDWORKS motion controls to rotate, slide, and move components as needed
- Video output, frame rate, and other controls
- Save video for viewing by others


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A sugar powder coated shortbread inspired from Greece. There are many variations, this take on the Greek favourite certainly won't disappoint. It's heavy dusting of icing sugar to form distinctive mountain peaks, a nutty, buttery texture also lightly laced with Brandy or ouzo is certainly an occasion biscuit.
You can make them crescent-shaped, triangle, square or ball shaped. In this case cookie cutters are used to make hearts, daisies and moon shapes. This is not traditional but this blog is certainly not about strictly keeping tradition but rather adding your own touch to a recipe and making it your own. These shortbreads are also brushed after they've been cooked with cognac or brandy. If you don't like this a little orange juice this will do the trick. The icing will stick better to the biscuit as well.
Dry roast your raw almonds, in the oven. It's best to do this at a low to moderate temperature. After they are cooled, crush with a mortar and pestle. If you use a blender they will be blended to dust which is not really what you want in this case. The shortbread is buttery and falls apart in your mouth exactly as a shortbread should be.
A light flavoured olive oil is recommended. A robust deeply coloured olive oil is not appropriate. Crisco is a good alternative.
The egg , egg yolk, alcohol and lemon juice help to stop the shortbread from being too crumbly. The right quantity of oil , egg and juice mixture and butter balance each other out for the correct texture.
Makes: 50 biscuits depending on size of cookie
1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light olive oil
2 egg yolks- room temp
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice ( don't omit juice is responsible for the texture )
4 cups plain flour sifted twice
1/4 cup of a cup ouzo or brandy
1/4 cup ouzo, brandy or equal parts vanilla essence and ouzo for basting afterwards with a brush before icing
1 cup chopped dry roasted almonds
2-6 tbspn water room temp
1/4 cup icing to dust
Before you start it should be noted the consistency of the butter is imperative to your end result.
The butter needs to be at room temperature. It should keep it's form and be soft to very soft when touched. If it's winter and your room is cold place the butter somewhere warm. If it's summer and the room is hot leave it in a Shady call a spot to cool for the morning.
1. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add the olive oil while your beating the mix.
3. Add the eggs and beat for a minute.
3. Sift the remainder of your dry ingredients together.
4. Add the rest of your ingredients and stir through with a spoon.
4. At this stage use your hands and form a large ball. If the dough crumbles, gradually add a little bit of water it needs to be one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, then add a little dusting of plain flour – 1 of tablespoon at a time. Mix with hands, try to form a large ball of dough. If it holds it's shape without being tight it is the right consistency.
5. Dust your dry surface with flour lightly. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough thickly. Use cookie cutters. You can make crescent shaped cookies with your hands in this case you don't need the rolling pin it just grab a tablespoon and a half at a time roll with your hands a ball and then shape a crescent.
6. Bake in 170 degrees Celsius oven for 20-22 minutes or until your cookie has formed a light Golden Glow on the top and the base of the cookie has a nice golden colour as well. The base is a good indicator to the readiness.
7.Remove from oven and allowed to cool for 5 minutes.
8. Brush on the additional alcohol.
9. Dust with icing sugar.
My biscuits are only dusted on top. This gives them a dimensional effect and are much more interesting.
9. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea seal in an airtight container. Store in a cool dry place as they will absorb moisture. These cookies are perfect as they do keep well if stored properly.


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Foundation and First Steps
Foundation and First Steps (age up to 8)
Pupils at The Avenue School who are in Key Stage 1 or Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) follow the Early Years Outcomes. This essentially means that all learning is delivered through the following strands:-
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Understanding of the World
Creative Development
The curriculum is structured into a rolling programme of topics, through which the above themes are delivered.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development form the core of the curriculum. Specialist spaces including the Soft Play, the Sensory Room and the Splash Pool are used regularly to support the development of these areas. Pupils have daily opportunities to take part in child-led play; more structured learning is introduced when each individual pupil is developmentally ready for this. Pupils participate in specialist Literacy programs, including the ReadWriteInc and Handwriting Without Tears, where this is relevant and accessible for them.
Throughout the Early Years curriculum all pupils are considered as individuals and where appropriate, individual learning activities are planned that reflect pupil's abilities and specialist needs. Some pupils benefit from learning within the EYFS Framework even between the ages 8 and 11. These pupils attend an Early Year Plus class.


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Sorry in advance. I saw some really old post talking about this but not any recent one and I wonder If the situation has changed.
Is there any way of using a video console to speed up the rendering of scenes designed in 3DMax, Maya or similar.
If not ( which I assume ) is there any technical reason Microsoft, for instance, do not design their systems in a way to allow them to connect with PC in order to boost their graphics power.
For a neophyte like me with no much idea seems like a win-win situation, for Microsoft and PC users at least. Especially if we think they are already in the market some external graphics card boxes.
Again apologies for the comment if the answer is too obvious.


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Saturday, 7 p.m., Canadian Tire Centre. TV: CBC. Radio: TSN 1200-AM, Unique 94,5.
The Big Matchup
Anders Nilsson versus Garret Sparks: In the latest Battle of Ontario twist, neither of the goaltenders has yet to play in a head-to-head Toronto versus Ottawa matchup.
Nilsson is drawing the start on the strength of his 35-save shutout over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday. As awful as the Senators have been this season, Nilsson has run hot and cold, with an overall respectable record of 9-9-0, with a 2.90 goals-against average and .915 save percentage since arriving from the Vancouver Canucks.
Sparks is expected to get the start to give a breather to Frederik Andersen, who played in Friday's home game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Technically, Sparks has lost six of his past seven decisions, but he was unfairly nailed with the loss in a 5-4 defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this week. Sparks, who came on in relief of Andersen, stopped 24 of 25 shots, but under the goofy rules of the NHL, he picked up the defeat because he allowed the fifth Blackhawks goal, which, at the time, gave Chicago a 5-0 lead.
Five Keys To The Game
Looking for hope: It's but one game, but Ottawa boy Max Veronneau looked quite comfortable in stepping directly from the grounds at Princeton into the Senators' lineup Thursday. Is it too much to ask for a repeat performance?
Energy levels: Compared to the Senators' makeshift late-season lineup, the Maple Leafs should have more than enough firepower to outscore Ottawa. But after playing Philadelphia at home Friday, Toronto may not have the same late-game stamina as the Senators.
Asking for relief: Frederik Andersen has been the Maple Leafs' backbone all season long, but he needs a break or two down the stretch. Saturday represents the ideal opportunity for Garret Sparks to see some work against a Senators squad that has scored only two goals in each of its past four games.
Fandemonium: It's the oddest scene, really, seeing the seats at Canadian Tire Centre filled primarily with fans wearing the Maple Leafs' colours. As the old saying goes, the Senators will be aiming to score first to take the crowd out of it.
Special teams: On paper, the Maple Leafs' potent power play should overpower the Senators' penalty killing units. But ever so quietly, the Senators have been outstanding shorthanded of late, killing off all 23 opportunities in the past eight games and going 32-for-33 in the past dozen contests.
Special Teams
Senators PP: 19.8 (15th), PK 79.7 (21st)
Maple Leafs PP: 22.9 (7th), PK 80.3 (18th)
Senators' lines
Brady Tkachuk-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Max Veronneau
Mikkel Boedker-Oscar Lindberg-Brian Gibbons
Rudolfs Balcers-Chris Tierney-Magnus Paajarvi
Zack Smith-Colin White-Bobby Ryan
Christian Wolanin-Cody Ceci
Dylan DeMelo-Christian Jaros
Ben Harpur-Mark Borowiecki
Anders Nilsson
Craig Anderson
Maple Leafs' lines
Patrick Marleau-John Tavares-Mitch Marner
Andreas Johnsson-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
Trevor Moore-Nazem Kadri-Connor Brown
Tyler Ennis-Frederik Gauthier-Nic Petan
Morgan Rielly-Ron Hainsey
Jake Muzzin-Nikita Zaitsev
Martin Marincin-Igor Ozhiganov
Garret Sparks
Frederik Andersen
Ottawa: Thomas Chabot
Toronto: Jake Gardiner, Travis Dermott, Kasperi Kapanen, Zach Hyman
How much is too much? No apologies coming from Wolanin after celebrating in rare Sens win
Warrenspiece: Of rivalries here and across the pond, Veronneau takes on next challenge, Chabot not done yet and Nilsson returns
GARRIOCH GAME REPORT: Sens, Nilsson blank Blues with the two new kids in the lineup


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A Walking School Bus conjures up some interesting notions. It is a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. If that sounds simple, it is, and that's part of the beauty of the walking school bus. It can be as informal as two families taking turns walking their children to school to as structured as a route with meeting points, a timetable and a regular rotation schedule of adult leaders.
Why talk about this now? Wednesday, May 6, is Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Day, also known as, Walk Bike to School Day. All of the Melrose schools, including the middle and elementary schools, will again participate in this, not only, state, but international event.
Driving kids to school is not unique to America, although the US is higher than other industrialized countries. The first Safe Routes to School programs were in Denmark and then later in England. In both countries, safety training, safety improvements along walking and bicycling routes, and community involvement have significantly increased the number of children walking and bicycling to school, while reducing the number of accidents related to travel to school. The first pilot program in Massachusetts was in Arlington in 2001. It began due to grave concerns associated with traffic congestion, declining youth fitness, deteriorating air quality, and the diminishing personal contact within neighborhoods.
Why go through so much effort to walk to school? Teachers and principals would like children to walk to school so that they arrive alert and ready to learn. School officials also would like to reduce the congestion and safety risks posed by hundreds of parents dropping off their children at schools each day. And public health officials want to reverse some alarming trends such as childhood obesity and children not meeting minimum fitness standards. Walking and bicycling to and from school are ways to put daily exercise back into your children's lives.
Melrose's street pattern predates the 1950s. The streets were laid out for neighborhood based elementary schools and are not able to accommodate large numbers of traffic. Sargent Goc, head of the Melrose Police Traffic Division said, "The biggest hazard [at the schools] is the large volume of traffic."
Habits are formed early: Ask your children – do you want to walk or bike to school instead of being driven? Surveys of grades K-5 found that half the children who are driven to school would rather walk or bicycle. But by middle school, children have already established habits.
Children need to learn to walk and bike safely and responsibly. If they are not taught these skills, they are at risk whenever they walk or bike, all through their childhoods.
So start a Walking School Bus, if you don't already have one! If you live more than a mile away from the school, try a variation of the walking school bus — the bicycle train, in which adults supervise children riding their bike to school.


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Unboxing – Revell Dromida RC 1/18th Series
We recently received the entire line-up of the new Dromida vehicles from Revell. The new Dromida line consists of three 4wd 18th scale electric machines- the MT4.18 Monster Truck, SC4.18 Short Course Truck, and the BX4.18 Buggy. These are aimed right at the basher market, are based off the same platform, and come with an affordable price point. Take a look at all the galleries to see what it looks like to crack the boxes open, and what each of the vehicles look like from nose to tail.
Our reviews for the Dromida line-up are coming soon, until then hit up This Link for more information over on the Dromida website.
Click Here to view more unboxings on BigSquidRC.
Click the "Read More" button to see six more unboxing galleries of the new Dromida line-up.


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Bryan "Bomber" Wells was not your typical cricketer. An off-spin bowler for Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire in the 1950s and 1960s, he was an overweight, undertrained eccentric who played the game for fun. When it was cold, he bowled with a run up of two steps; when it hot, he only took one.
Playing once at Worcester, Wells was so keen to get through an over quickly, he bowled all six balls while the cathedral clock struck twelve. And his running between the wickets – he only had one shot as a batsman, and that was a mighty slog – used to drive his teammates to distraction.
"Can't you say anything?" his fellow batsman Sam Cook shouted, finding himself stranded between the wickets. "Goodbye," Wells replied.
Such anecdotes come thick and fast in The Promise of Endless Summer, an entertaining and exquisite collection of cricket lives from The Daily Telegraph. Here you will find John Major on his schoolboy hero Denis Compton ("Denis personified the romance of cricket," the former Prime Minister writes), and Mark Nicholas on the fast West Indian bowler Malcolm Marshall.
Of his former team-mate, captain and friend, Nicholas says: "If there was an element of ruthlessness about Marshall's bowling, there was not a hint of anything but warmth and generosity in his personality."
Some books demand to be read in one sitting. This one is best dipped into, preferably while sitting in a deep deck chair on a Sunday summer afternoon, enjoying "the long shadows on county grounds and warm beer" that Major captured so evocatively in his famous 1993 speech on Britishness.
The Promise of Endless Summer is deftly edited by Martin Smith, who was assistant sports editor at the Telegraph for many years. He has chosen 85 pieces, linked by theme rather than ordered chronologically.
His choice is not comprehensive – don't expect to read about WG Grace or JB Hobbs – but what you do get is some of the best writing in British journalism on the most interesting and enigmatic cricketers. If there is one criticism, an index would have been useful, as at times you want to cross refer between the lives and writers.
Many of the selected obituaries were written in the era of Hugh Massingberd, who was appointed obituaries editor in the 1980s by the Telegraph's then editor, Max Hastings. (Up until then, there had been no separate obituary page.)
Under Massingberd's brilliant and revolutionary stewardship, the new page ran some of the paper's finest writing, full of "colourful anecdote, mordant wit and trenchant judgments", as Smith says in his foreword to the book.
Other pieces are appreciations of cricketers, some by former players who went on to work in the media. All except one are kind about their subjects. Only Simon Hughes, writing after the death of a West Indian fast bowler, is candid enough to relate the full horror of facing him. "Sylvester Clarke was the fastest, nastiest bowler who ever lived."
Hughes very nearly didn't live after he was hit on the temple by one of Clarke's vicious bouncers, his life spared by the Perspex side panel of his helmet. When Clarke was reprimanded for intimidation, he replied: "What d'you think this is, a ladies' game?" He promptly bowled another bouncer.
The book's poetic title comes from a beautifully sketched portrait of Colin Cowdrey by Michael Henderson, a section of which opens the book and sets the tone for the delights that follow.
"For those of a certain age, Cowdrey's cover drive, recollected through the haze of an August afternoon, was more than a thing of beauty. It was, and it remains, a stroke to unlock the memory; a memory, intangible yet always present, of the game as it was and as it can be, like some promise of endless summer."
All we need now is a season of decent weather.
Promise of Endless Summer, edited by Martin Smith
235pp, Aurum Press. To order a copy for £14.99 plus £1.35 p&p, call Telegraph Books 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk


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How can I protect these girls from FGM?
A mother told me that family members are putting pressure on her to send her two young girls abroad for female genital mutilation (FGM) in the summer. How should I respond?
Dr Wendy Kuriyan: Examine to check FGM hasn't already taken place
Ask to examine the girls so that you can record that they have not, so far, been subject to FGM. If they are over 18 or deemed Gillick competent, this means asking the girls themselves. If they are younger you need their mother's permission. If you believe FGM has already taken place, then, under the Serious Crime Act 2015, passed in March this year, you must report it to the police.
Try to understand the mother's motivation for giving you this information. Does she appear to be in favour of what is happening or is she asking for help to stop it? If the latter, then bear in mind that she could be at risk herself if she prevents FGM being carried out on her daughters. Make sure she is aware FGM is illegal in the UK and that it is also illegal to take a British national or permanent resident abroad for FGM.
FGM is abuse and a criminal offence, and if a child is at immediate risk you must report it to social services and the police. The police are likely to respond by taking out a protective order preventing the girls from travelling abroad.
Consider the other support the mother and daughters might need. If this is available, refer them to local counselling services. You could also direct them to the NSPCC's FGM resources and helpline.
From October it will be mandatory for GPs to record in a patient's notes if FGM has taken place and inform the Department of Health. It's a good idea to start keeping your own logs of these patients now to cut back on double-counting and to prepare for the legal change.
Dr Wendy Kuriyan is a GP and NHS Bedfordshire CCG's designated doctor for safeguarding children
Comfort Momoh: Set up a meeting between the family and social services
Encourage the woman to tell you more, such as who she lives with and who the pressure is coming from. It would also be useful to find out if FGM has been done to her, but just ask about this, rather than examining her.
You need to give the mother advice and information that is sensitive to her culture and beliefs, but also to make it clear that FGM is illegal. You must record and report FGM cases to the DH.
Be sensitive to the intimate nature of the subject, make no assumptions, ask straightforward questions about her background and try to understand her feelings in terms of language barriers and the clash between cultures.
Explain clearly that FGM is illegal and that the law can be used to help her protect her daughters from FGM.
Inform social services and set up a meeting between the GP, the family and social services. Involve the woman in planning this. This should first ensure that parents and daughters have access to information about the harmful aspects of FGM and the law in the UK.
An interpreter and, if possible, a community advocate trained in all aspects of FGM, should be present in all interviews with the family; use a female interpreter who is not a relative.
Make every attempt to work with parents on a voluntary basis. It is the duty of the investigating team to look at how parental co-operation can be achieved, including the use of community organisations/ leaders to facilitate the work.
The aim should be to prevent the child from undergoing FGM rather than to remove her from her family.
Comfort Momoh is a member of the FGM national clinical group and a midwife at Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London
Dr Rachel Birch: Inform the police and social services
FGM is regarded as a serious form of child abuse with significant mental and physical consequences. As a GP you have both legal and professional obligations to protect these children, and further mandatory reporting requirements were added to the Serious Crime Act.
Preparations for a prolonged holiday abroad is a key indicator that a child may be at risk of FGM. Inform social services and, if you feel there is an immediate risk 0f a child being taken abroad, the police. This obligation overrides any duty of confidentiality.
Explain this to the mother and advise her of the steps you are required to take and the potential consequences. These include contacting social services, which may apply for one of the following orders: a prohibitive steps order; a wardship order (which prevents one parent taking a child abroad without express consent from the other); or an emergency protection order (providing the power to remove the child or keep her in a safe place for a specified duration).
Where possible, seek the mother's consent for the disclosure, unless you believe alerting her may put the children at further risk. If you are unsure, contact the local child safeguarding lead and your defence organisation.
Dr Rachel Birch is a GP and medicolegal adviser at the Medical Protection Society
Readers' comments (4)
Apologies if a bit basic but:
Where does the advice to examine young girls for fgm sit with guidance that we are supposed to refer patients of other suspected sexual abuse to a paediatric specialist for examination?
And also, as there are different levels of fgm and variations in normal anatomy, is it always clinically obvious that it has taken place?
Many thanks
gp registrar
https://www.fgmelearning.co.uk is a Home Office developed eLearning module that I completed earlier in the year and address both of your problems - has a good explanation of examination findings and the different types of FGM, and also explains the criminality of taking a child abroad for FGM, and how to respond to this appropriately as a healthcare professional.
Well worth a look.
Thanx for that-already done it.
The learning module, like so many others, seems to have been written by the PC brigade who don't wish to offend the sensibilities of ethnic minorities, but completely failing to discuss the real underlying problem of religious beliefs-how men relate to women etc.
Not much new to learn- except that there have been only 2 successful prosecutions in the last year .
Not a very impressive record, is it. Unfortunately,
I still don't think we could stop this from happening abroad.


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Family Business Association of Southern Africa
Family Business Association of Southern Africa
Business Address: FABASA, PO BOX 6365, Welgemoed 7538
Business Email: Click here to send a message
Website: http://www.fabasa.co.za/
About Us
The Family Business Association of Southern Africa (FABASA) is a non-profit organisation that has been established to act as the official mouthpiece of family-owned business in Southern Africa as well as to promote the overall interests of this economic sector.
First of its kind on African soil, FABASA plays a crucial role in educating and streamlining the needs of this significant contributor to economies on the sub-continent taking into consideraton that some 80% of all businesses in South Africa belong to families.
Sponsor and founding member of FABASA, Old Mutual believes that the organisation fills a much-needed void in empowering family-owned business.
Amongst other issues, FABASA's mandate includes assisting family-owned business with corporate governance and best practices, as well as guidance with succession planning, the importance of which cannot be over estimated, given that a staggering 70% of all first generation family-owned businesses fail in their efforts to hand over to the second generation.
From a holistic perspective, FABASA offers practical solutions to family businesses, while also highlighting effective strategies to manage their businesses towards profitability and prosperity.
Members have ongoing access to the latest research and best practices to deal with challenges, with training programmes such as workshops and conferences forming the backbone of FABASA's empowerment drive. In addition, all of its members receive regular electronic newsletters with the latest advice and international trends affecting this sector.
Through membership to FABASA, family businesses also have access to a wealth of information and research offered by two international family business organisations, namely the Family Firm Institute (FFI) and Family Business Network (FBN).


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Freedom of the Press
You are here
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Gambia, The
Freedom of the Press 2010
Gambia, The
2010 Scores
Press Status
Not Free
Press Freedom Score (0 = best, 100 = worst)
Legal Environment(0 = best, 30 = worst)
Political Environment(0 = best, 40 = worst)
Economic Environment(0 = best, 30 = worst)
- The press continued to operate under enormous strains in 2009 due to legal and extralegal intimidation of journalists and media outlets, as well as complete impunity for past abuses.
- Article 34 of the constitution provides for freedoms of the press and of expression, but the government does not respect these rights in practice. Constitutional protections are undermined by other legislation, primarily the Newspaper Amendment Act and a criminal code amendment, both passed in 2004. The latter established the publication of false information as an offense carrying stiff penalties, and mandated harsh punishments for sedition and libel. These provisions have given the authorities great discretion in silencing dissent.
- A revised 2005 Press Law guarantees the right of citizens to obtain information and prohibits censorship. However, there are broad restrictions on any content that is "contrary to the principles of Islam or offensive to other religions and sects."
- Media outlets are occasionally fined or warned for broadcasting "un-Islamic material," resulting in self-censorship and the arrest of journalists.
- The authorities have yet to solve the 2004 assassination of journalist and press freedom activist Deyda Hydara, managing editor of the Point newspaper and a correspondent for both Reporters Without Borders and Agence France-Presse. Investigations into the Hydara case have stalled since early 2005 following a leaked "confidential intelligence report" that smeared Hydara. The whereabouts of another journalist, "Chief" Ebrima Manneh, have remained unknown since he was arrested in 2006 for publishing a report that was critical of President Yahya Jammeh in the privately owned Daily Observer newspaper.
- In 2008, the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Nigeria ordered the Gambian government to release Manneh, but officials denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. In April 2009, the Gambian attorney general and justice minister formally rejected the decision of the ECOWAS court, asserting that Manneh was not in government custody.
- In February 2009, Pap Saine, editor of the Point, was arrested and indicted for allegedly publishing false information in a January article about a diplomatic reshuffle at the Gambian embassy in Washington, DC. Saine was arrested again in March for allegedly falsifying citizenship documents, though all charges against him were subsequently dropped.
- Seven journalists were arrested in June for republishing a statement by the Gambia Press Union (GPU) that had criticized Jammeh's comments during a televised interview about the Hydara case. One of the seven was released for lack of evidence in July, and in August the remaining six were convicted of sedition and sentenced to two-year prison terms and fines of approximately US$10,000 each. The journalists—Pap Saine and Ebrima Sawaneh of the Point; Sam Sarr of the Foroyaa newspaper; and Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, Emil Touray, and Pa Modou Faal of the GPU—were then released and pardoned by the president in September.
- Also in September, Jammeh threatened "troublemakers," including those who cooperate with human rights organizations, with death if they tried to "destabilize" the country.
- Several journalists went into hiding during the year out of fear of government retaliation. A number of others remained in exile.
- The government owns the Gambia Daily newspaper, a national radio station, and the only national television station. Political news coverage at these outlets generally toes the official line.
- The Gambia has eight private newspapers and nine private radio stations. While many are subject to official pressure, the private media continued to criticize the government and cover opposition viewpoints in 2009. However, most businesses avoid advertising with them for fear of government reprisals. A premium television network operates as a satellite station.
- Foreign news was rebroadcast on several local radio stations. The government did not interfere with access to foreign cable or satellite television news broadcasts, which were generally available to most citizens.
- About 7.6 percent of the population was able to access the internet in 2009. Since its launch in 2006, Freedom Newspaper, an online news site that is often critical of the government, has periodically been blocked by the authorities.


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Welcome to visit the home page from Guangzhou Bonroy printing co., Ltd.
With more than 20 years' experience in the packaging & printing industry, we are a professional paper products manufacturer in Guangzhou.
From the video, you can see our office and factory with a lot of advanced machine and paper products we have already made.
Do you like them?Any comment or inquiry, please feel free to contact us!


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10 Tips for Building a Stadium in L.A.
Ideas include linking it with nearby transit stops, giving ticket holders free rides on transit, and creating new parks.
"4) Make a park for South Park by converting nearby surface parking lots into park space and public plazas.
For all of LA Live's activity and buzz, it has the persistent problem of feeling totally cut off from the neighborhood it inhabits. And the entertainment complex is surrounded by a block-wide moat of parking that crushes any hope for civic vitality. Converting some of the adjacent parking into public open space would humanize LA Live's environs, provide a place to picnic for tailgaters who didn't drive to the game, and create a permanent public benefit for local residents."


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Friendships are forming and your children are starting to be more vocal about what they want to do and when.
Lead by Emily, our dedicated 2-3 team work in small groups to make sure that children in this age group have a good mix of adult lead and self initiated activities.
A wide mix of role play equipment, crafts and set group times help to widen and develop your child's imagination and education. Our 2-3 space is a hive of activity and energy!


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Posted on April 22, 2013 at 9:22 0 Comments 0 Likes
Seeing the 4 x OJ vinyl albums hanging on the wall at my local Record Shop this weekend, I wondered if anyone knows what Zeke Manyika is up to these days?
Apart from one or two guest appearances on dance stuff he seems ungoogleable.
Have very fond memories of a wonderful solo gig he did in 1985.
Fingers crossed he is doing well whatever he is doing!
Hello Dear, I will like to get acquainted with You, I have something Special to share with You, Contact me via email email@example.com
Miss Stacy


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Saturday, November 1, 2008
One last Halloween photo!
Posted by CartersMom at 8:15 PM
1 comments:
- Amy Barrett said...
Too cute! I'm glad I'm not the only parent with 2 Halloween costumes for my child! Where are the pirate costume pics?
- November 1, 2008 at 9:09 PM
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