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By David McFadden (CP) – 4 days ago
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Joan McCarthy's voice rises in anger as she describes a police and military raid: Officers searching for a fugitive gang boss grabbed her nephew and son-in-law and hustled them upstairs.
Once they disappeared from view, there was a crackle of gunfire, she says, and moments later, police dragged her son-in-law's body down the stairs, wrapped loosely in a sheet taken from her own bed. Her nephew's bloody body was carried down next, she and other slum dwellers allege.
Not a trace of either man has turned up in morgues or lockups since the May raid, they say.
"We had some bad men here, but these police are more cold-blooded than the illegal gunmen. Too cold-blooded!" the 63-year-old McCarthy said with a voice raw with emotion inside her bullet-scarred apartment in Tivoli Gardens, the former stronghold of alleged drug baron Christopher "Dudus" Coke.
Coke was captured and sent off to face charges in the United States after days of street battles that killed 73 civilians and three security officers. The government anti-gang crackdown that followed is the toughest in the island's history. Soldiers with M-16s and rotating machine-guns patrol the streets. Major crimes, especially murders, are trending downward.
But efforts to pacify the slums — a source of the violence that has damaged Jamaica's reputation and economy — are being undermined by anger. Probes into 37 alleged police killings during the raids are stalled, investigators say, and government promises of social programs to soften the blow of the heavy-handed policies have so far been unmet.
Those who live in the slums known as "garrisons" remain deeply distrustful of the police and authorities, and critics worry that the recent downward trend in crime will be fleeting.
"Not much has changed in the daily lives of the average citizen of Tivoli as the seeds of the original problem are still there," said David Silvera, of rights group Jamaicans for Justice. "The criminal elements are merely laying low and regrouping."
Even Jamaicans in normally quiet rural hamlets complain of heavy-handed tactics. On Nov. 9, scores of people in a farming town in St. James parish mounted roadblocks and marched with signs reading "No more police" because masked officers allegedly killed two young men unjustifiably.
Coke was a powerful figure in Prime Minister Bruce Golding's own parliamentary district and the premier resisted U.S. requests to extradite him for nine months. Finally growing domestic political pressure threatened Golding's career and he ordered police and troops into action. Coke now faces U.S. drug and gunrunning charges in New York.
Since the sustained assault on gangs that began with Coke's capture, police statistics show that the number of murders committed in a single month has dipped below 80 for the first time in eight years, with 77 recorded across the island in September. The overall murder toll of 1,065 through the first nine months of the year was down by 135 from last year. And there have been fewer reported shootings, rapes, and robberies.
"Operations to stop criminal gangs have been every day, literally. We've used standard police procedures, but our enforcement has been very energetic and has not let up," said Assistant Police Commissioner Les Green.
Green said authorities must focus on taking down gangsters who battled brazenly and violently for control of the drug and extortion trade in the garrisons, feeding one of the world's highest murder rates. The island of 2.8 million people had about 1,660 homicides in 2009.
Many citizens are relieved by the drop in crime.
"It is early days yet but we are encouraged by the trends and the commitment being displayed by the government," said Joseph Matalon, head of the island's most influential business group, the Private Sector Organization.
Jamaica is finally dealing with "a very important part of what has been dogging us over the years," said Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who has seen the island's reputation for crime erode an industry crucial to the local economy.
Golding says the government realizes force alone won't solve problems in the garrisons. He has promised new social programs.
"It must be a helpful — not hostile — state," he said shortly after the raids to capture Coke.
But few new resources have made it to the slums. Even after a successful debt swap earlier this year, debt payments still take a big chunk of government expenditures.
Information Minister Daryl Vaz said plans to upgrade ghetto housing and improve garbage-strewn markets where thousands of the poor eke out a living "will take a little longer."
The government has tried to ease the shock of the raids by offering counselling to traumatized youngsters and it has compensated some West Kingston residents whose homes were badly damaged in the assault on Coke's stronghold.
Yet there is little progress at answering the complaints that police themselves broke the law.
"There's an extraordinary amount of work to be done before this sorry business can be over," said Public Defender Earl Witter, whose office is investigating complaints of 37 extrajudicial killings during the May crackdown.
A dearth of ballistics experts and forensic science equipment has created lengthy backlogs. The island has just one functioning comparison microscope to examine bullet fragments that can tie crimes to a specific gun.
Witter said ballistics evidence is crucial because many of the security forces wore masks during the operation, so there is not much chance to identify rogue officers by sight.
Security officials in Kingston say they don't know anything about the disappearances of McCarthy's two relatives and another 16-year-old boy and are investigating each allegation of brutality.
Allan Bernard, chairman of the Youth Crime Watch of Jamaica, said the government's gang crackdown has displayed the state's might, but will not solve chronic problems in gang-steeped slums, where "dons" like Coke long provided services and imposed discipline — order without law.
"These leadership structures will rejuvenate and reinvent themselves," Bernard said.
Some impoverished Jamaicans are skeptical of a political class with a long history of forging alliances of convenience with gangsters.
"What Tivoli needs is opportunities for the average person to have a job and thus have an alternative to a life of crime," said rights activist Silvera. "To date, neither the government, private enterprise or civil society has been able to fill that void."
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, the Jamaican who United States prosecutors have labelled an international drug lord, returns to a New York court today for a pretrial hearing.
Coke, who is facing charges of drug- and gunrunning, will appear in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York where it is expected that the judge, Robert Patterson, will set a date for his trial.
It is expected that the trial will begin in the first quarter of next year.
Yesterday, his attorney, Steve Zissou, told The Gleaner that Coke remains in solitary confinement, where he has been held since he was extradited to the US.
Zissou said Coke remains "very strong" despite being in custody since June when he first appeared in a US court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Zissou, who is now involved in the defence of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the man charged with the 1988 bombings of two US embassies in Africa, told The Gleaner that he was somewhat satisfied with the disclosures he had received from the prosecution.
Coke, the former leader of the Jamaica Labour Party-controlled enclave of Tivoli Gardens, is charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine, and conspiracy to traffic in firearms illegally.
If convicted on the narcotics charges, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to US$4 million.
If convicted on the firearms-trafficking charges, Coke faces a maximum five-year prison sentence.
Coke was extradited to the US after an almost yearlong wrangle between Jamaican and American authorities over the legality of wiretap evidence to be used against him.
After the protracted dispute, the Jamaica Government finally signed the extradition request leading to a bloody gun battle as members of the security forces moved into west Kingston to arrest Coke.
He escaped that dragnet but was held one month later, reportedly heading to the US Embassy to turn himself in to American authorities.
The reputed drug kingpin waived his right to challenge his extradition request and was taken out of the country days after he was held.
1You are my God and protector.
Please answer my prayer.
I was in terrible distress,
but you set me free.
Now have pity and listen
as I pray.
2How long will you people
refuse to respect me? [a] You love foolish things,
and you run after
what is worthless. [b] 3The LORD has chosen
everyone who is faithful
to be his very own, [c] and he answers my prayers.
4But each of you
had better tremble
and turn from your sins.
Silently search your heart
as you lie in bed.
5Offer the proper sacrifices
and trust the LORD.
6There are some who ask,
"Who will be good to us?"
Let your kindness, LORD,
shine brightly on us.
7You brought me more happiness
than a rich harvest
of grain and grapes.
8I can lie down
and sleep soundly
because you, LORD,
will keep me safe.
****RULES**** 1. Debates and rebuttals are allowed but disrespectful curse-outs will prompt immediate BAN 2. Children are never to be discussed in a negative way 3. Personal information eg. workplace, status, home address are never to be posted in comments. 4. All are welcome but please exercise discretion when posting your comments , do not say anything about someone you wouldnt like to be said about you. 5. Do not deliberately LIE on someone here or send in any information based on your own personal vendetta. 6. If your picture was taken from a prio site eg. fimiyaad etc and posted on JMG, you cannot request its removal. 7. If you dont like this forum, please do not whine and wear us out, do yourself the favor of closing the screen- Thanks! . To send in a story send your email to :- [email protected]


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Dress | Shoes
hey guys! just sharing some of my favorite pics from my first EVER senior session! we drove down to Papago Park and it was the most beautiful time to go, the weather was so nice and the sun was shining! i had the most amazing time with this gorgeous model.
xoxo, mya

subset: commoncrawl


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While commoner couples might create their own signature cocktail for their guests to enjoy at their wedding reception, royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle already have a new line of beer created in their honor. Harry & Meghan's Windsor Knot is a new ale dreamt up by Windsor & Eton Brewery, which is situated conveniently close to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the location of the upcoming royal nuptials.
"It gives a nice story about Harry & Meghan's backgrounds," Willie Calvert, who co-owns the brewery behind the new beer, told People. "We're using some nice, fruity hops from Yamika in Washington State and some English hops, which are more subtly flavored. English hops tend to be more of a grassy, textured flavor—a bit more like hay—whereas New World hops have more sunlight and are more strongly flavored."
The festive drink will be sold in London and Windsor pubs by the end of the month, where those excited about the royal wedding will be able to toast to the bride and groom with a bottle inspired by their international love. The beer's label highlights both the Union Jack, the national flag of the U.K., for Prince Harry and the United States's flag for American TV star Markle, with both flags coming together in a Windsor knot—because everyone loves wordplay.
And the beer's nod to the big day goes beyond its decorative touches. Though beer might not be the first drink you think of when you think of weddings, this batch has been brewed with a more traditional wedding beverage: champagne. Or, at least, champagne yeast, as the brewery's Instagram explains.
While there's no guarantee the pair will share their namesake ale to celebrate their wedding, Calvert will be sending some samples as an early wedding present, just like the company did back in 2011 for the last big royal wedding.


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All You Should Find Out About Airport Taxis
Men and women who journey to and from your airport ordinarily make use on the airport taxi service. Taxis give a cheap and cost-effective indicates of transportation for travellers. There are many forms of airport taxi services starting from regular hatch back again cars to stretch limousines.
1 benefit of working with taxis is that they are conveniently out there. As soon as can find plenty of taxis in the airport parking lot. And negotiating on rate is just not a problem possibly. With countless taxis about, the drivers make certain they quotation a reasonable rate towards the buyer to ensure that the client will not glance for other taxi cabs.
You'll find lots of diverse types of services that happen to be presented by airport taxis. As many of us know they supply airport decide on and fall services. Apart from that some taxi cabs services also give the facilities of parcel and luggage shipping and delivery. Numerous companies also run particular automobiles just for the purpose of freight transportation. Furthermore some specialized companies also make outside of town deliveries at fairly affordable prices.
Airport taxi services ensure they just take fantastic care of their consumers. Most companies give particular training classes to their motorists for making certain they deal effectively with their clients. These training classes are frequently held every year and motorists purchaser working expertise will often be tested through these workshops.
Taxi service providers just take the difficulty of corporate social obligation incredibly critically, specifically how other service sectors do. Several taxi service providers give unique service for special/handicapped citizens. Taxi chauffeurs often continue to keep a wheelchair in their trunks to select and fall handicapped folks.
The sort of airport taxi one particular requires depends upon several variables like the amount of travellers, baggage requirement etcetera. In which the amount of passengers are around 4, you can seek the services of either luxurious town car sedans or govt Grand Marquis and Crown Victorias. Luxurious Lincoln town car sedans come with functions like tinted windows, top quality sound system, luxury leather-based interior and vehicle climate management.
One more question that arises is ways to retain the services of an airport transport service. The moment can simply just go online and search for taxi suppliers. Besides that taxis also can constantly be located at selected taxi stops throughout the metropolis. If you are looking for taxis online, then at the time you're finished comparing charges provided by various service suppliers, you are able to glimpse for other characteristics like particular savings, new advertising, seasonal day tour options and evening premiums.
Recommended Reading - Larnaca Airport Transfers
Recommended Reading - Larnaca Airport Transfers


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Pacaya is an active volcano just outside Antigua. While it's last major eruption was in 1965, tourism did not flourish until 2006 when a rivers of lava started forming on its slope. It's a must-do activity in Antigua and everyone raves about it.
Guatemala food and travel including where to travel in Guatemala, what to eat in Guatemala and great Guatemalan food recipes.
Only the lonely
Day 38: San Cristobal, Mexico Tupac stood me up the next morning, which is likely for the best as I wasn't murdered but alone again. I was running out of things to do in San Cristobal. After taking a horse ride up the mountain to >
Why you should go on one of the Tikal tours
I had no intention on doing one of those Tikal tours but I was pleasantly surprised when my guide was from Survivor Guatemala.


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Tatiana Dolubekova is a foundator of brend Felta
Tatiana Dolubekova is a designer whose style stands out from the broad stream due to its peculiar compound of eclecticism and modern trends. The beginning of a creative way in 1988, the first collection and passion for embroidery has given rise to own vision of fashion design and accessories. Models differ brevity, feminine and colorful stylized décor. In addition to embroidery, painting fabric and leather, designer successfully develops design and interior decoration of both business premises and apartments.
The range of services offered by the designer is more than wide:
development of models of clothing and accessories;
hand-painted fabrics and leather;
hand embroidery in different techniques;
Interior decor of pillows
painted thematic paintings and collages;
walls painted.
The focus on ethnic Slavic motives turns clothes and household items into inspiring, elating and fresh breath of joy in the everyday hustle and bustle. A careful approach to each client brings pleasure in the creative process.


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N Acetyl L Cysteine (NAC) is a modified form of cysteine which has been attached to an acetyl group. NAC has been shown to increase levels of the antioxidant glutathione which can be used to help reduce cell damage, speed recovery from injury and aid lean growth. By reducing cell damage, NAC has been linked with slowing the ageing process.
N Acetyl L Cysteine is particularly popular amongst those who perform high intensity and endurance based sports due to the fact that it can help reduce muscle damage and promote a healthy immune system.
Further to NAC's ability as an antioxidant, it is also widely used by those looking to maintain or build lean mass. It has been shown to help reduce fatigue during exercise.
As a dietary supplement we recommend consuming 500mg, 1 to 3 times daily.
Add 1 MP mini scoop (500mg) to your preferred amount of water or fruit juice and consume immediately.
1 x level MP Plastic Scoop (mini) weighs 500mg (0.5g)
This product is 100% N Acetyl L Cysteine with nothing added or taken away.
100% N Acetyl L Cysteine.
Please check the stock availability notice on your item when placing your order. This item is: In stock.
You will receive an email to confirm when your item has been sent.
You can also check the status of your order and individual items by accessing My Account details and following the prompts.
Please allow 10 working days from dispatch of your order before notifying us of any late deliveries.
It may be advisable to check with your neighbours to see if a parcel has been left with them, check any outhouses you might have where it may be left if it cannot fit through your letterbox and contact your local sorting office to see if the item has been returned to the depot as undelivered and awaiting collection.
Please see our returns policy.
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- January 6, 2016Published:
- English, German, JapaneseLanguages:
- IT professionalsAudiences:
- SharePoint Server 2013Technology:
- MCP, MCSECredit toward certification:
Recertification for MCSE: SharePoint
This exam has been retired
For currently available options, please see the Microsoft Certification exam list.
Skills measured
This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below. View video tutorials about the variety of question types on Microsoft exams.
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- Design a SharePoint topology
- Design an information architecture
- Design inter-site navigational taxonomy; design site columns and content types; design keywords, synonyms, best bets, and managed properties; plan information management policies; plan managed site structures; plan term sets
- Design a logical architecture
- Plan application pools; plan web applications; plan for software boundaries; plan content databases; plan host-header site collections; plan zones and alternate access mapping
- Plan SharePoint Online (Office 365) deployment
- Evaluate service offerings; plan service applications; plan hybrid search scenarios; plan site collections; plan customizations and solutions; plan security for SharePoint Online; plan for SharePoint Online admin roles; plan networking services for SharePoint Online
- Design an information architecture
- Plan security
- Plan and configure authentication
- Plan and configure Windows claims authentication; plan and configure identity federation; configure claims providers; configure OAuth authentication; plan and configure for anonymous authentication; configure connections to ACS
- Plan and configure platform security
- Plan and configure security isolation; plan and configure services lockdown; plan and configure general firewall security; plan and configure antivirus settings; plan and configure certificate management
- Plan and configure farm-level security
- Plan rights management; plan and configure delegated farm administration; plan and configure delegated service application administration; plan and configure managed accounts; plan and configure blocked file types; plan and configure web part security
- Plan and configure authentication
- Install and configure SharePoint farms
- Create and configure enterprise search
- Plan and configure search topology; plan and configure result sources; plan and configure crawl schedules; plan and configure crawl rules; plan and configure crawl performance
- Create and configure Managed Metadata Service application (MMS)
- Configure managed service application proxy settings; configure content type hub settings; configure sharing term sets; plan and configure content type propagation schedule; configure custom properties; configure term store permission
- Create and configure User Profile Service application (UPA)
- Configure UPA application; setup My Sites and My Site hosts; configure social permissions; plan and configure sync connections; configure profile properties; configure audiences
- Create and configure enterprise search
- Create and configure web applications and site collections
- Provision and configure web applications
- Create managed paths; configure HTTP throttling; configure List throttling; configure Alternate Access Mappings (AAM); configure authentication provider; configure SharePoint Designer settings
- Manage search
- Manage result sources; manage query rules; manage display templates; manage Search Engine Optimization (SEO) settings; manage result types; manage search schema
- Manage taxonomy
- Manage site collection term set access; manage term set navigation; manage topic catalog pages; configure custom properties; configure search refinement; configure list refinement
- Provision and configure web applications
- Maintain core SharePoint environment
- Troubleshoot SharePoint environment
- Establish baseline performance; perform client-side tracing; perform server-side tracing; analyze usage data; enable developer dashboard; analyze diagnostic logs
- Troubleshoot SharePoint environment
- Plan business continuity management
- Plan for SQL high availability and disaster recovery
- Plan for SQL Server clustering; plan for SQL Server Always-On; plan for SQL Server Log Shipping; plan for SQL Server mirroring; plan for storage redundancy; plan for login replication
- Plan for SQL high availability and disaster recovery
- Plan SharePoint environment
- Plan and configure search workload
- Plan and configure search result relevancy; plan and configure index freshness; plan and configure result sources; plan and configure end-user experience; plan and configure search schema; analyze search analytics reports; plan and configure result throttling
- Plan ECM workload
- Plan and configure E-Discovery; plan and configure document routing; configure co-authoring; plan and configure record disposition and retention; plan large document repositories; plan and configure software boundaries
- Plan and configure search workload
- Upgrade and migrate SharePoint environment
- Upgrade site collection
- Perform health check; analyze and resolve health check results; plan and configure available site collection modes; plan and configure site collection upgrade availability; plan and configure EVAL mode; plan and configure site collection upgrade throttling
- Upgrade site collection
- Create and configure service applications
- Create and configure App Management
- Create and configure App Store; create and configure subscriptions; configure marketplace connections; configure DNS entries; configure wildcard certificates
- Configure service application federation
- Plan services to federate; perform certificate exchange; manage trusts; manage service application permissions; publish service applications; consume service applications
- Create and configure App Management
- Manage SharePoint solutions, BI, and systems integration
- Plan and configure BI infrastructure
- Plan and configure performance point; plan and configure reporting services; plan and configure PowerPivot; plan and configure Excel Services; plan and configure Power View; plan and configure BI security
- Plan and configure BI infrastructure
More information about exams
- Preparing for an exam
We recommend that you review this exam preparation guide in its entirety and familiarize yourself with the resources on this website before you schedule your exam. See the Microsoft Certification exam overview for information about registration, videos of typical exam question formats, and other preparation resources. For information on exam policies and scoring, see the Microsoft Certification exam policies and FAQs.
- Note
This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format. To help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the specified training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all topics listed in the "Skills measured" section.


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The Vernonia School District will celebrate receiving LEED Platinum and Three Green Globes certifications at a ceremony on Saturday, May 9 at 10:30 AM.
The Vernonia School is the first K-12 school building in the United States to receive the coveted LEED Platinum certification.
The LEED green building rating system, developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability in the United States and in a number of other countries around the world. It is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being.
The LEED rating system offers four certification levels for new construction – Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum in five green design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.
Green Globes is nationally recognized green rating assessment and certification program.
Local elected officials and other dignitaries will be in attendance.


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Speaking and Listening
Erik Palmer was our guest speaker for the October 1 K-12 Literacy Summit. If you didn't get a chance to be with us that day, the important work Erik is doing seems to be everywhere now!
His PVLEGS framework for speaking and listening can be seen here, but is also explained in this recent ASCD article, "Now Presenting."
Erik's framework is based upon his years on a debate team, working on the stock exchange, and over 20 years in the classroom. You'll find the framework easy to implement into something you and your students are already doing in the classroom- speaking and listening!
Erik's framework is based upon his years on a debate team, working on the stock exchange, and over 20 years in the classroom. You'll find the framework easy to implement into something you and your students are already doing in the classroom- speaking and listening!
Encourage parents to write with their children. By creating and telling a story, children learn to organize their thoughts and use written language to communicate with readers in a variety of ways. Writing stories also helps children better read, and understand, stories written by other people.
But as much fun as it can be, writing a story can also seem like a challenge to a child (or an adult!). By familiarizing a child with how authors create stories and what the different parts of a story are, introducing visual or written prompts that inspire him or her to think of story ideas, and encouraging him or her to plan before starting to write, you'll help the child make a complete and imaginative story.
Upcoming Professional Development
Socially and Culturally Relevant Literacy
Dr. Ernest Morrell of Teacher's College of Columbia University
January 21, 2015
Finding effective ways to teach today's student population is perhaps the greatest challenge facing literacy educators in the United States. As classrooms become increasingly diverse, educators struggle to find curricula and pedagogical strategies that are inclusive and affirmative yet facilitate the development of academic and critical literacies. Much of the multicultural education literature has limited conceptions of culture as a racial or ethnic identity. Teachers have little help on creating learning communities in multiethnic classrooms (Mc,Carthy, 1998).
Join Dr. Morrell to learn about new approaches for critical reading of popular culture to help all students deconstruct dominant narratives in the teaching of literacy.
Writing Collaborative
Helping teachers and students understand writing in the content areas in order to make explicit the processes and strategies needed to improve student writing, including:
-What we do when we write-Practice of successful writers
-Helping students measure metacognition
-Four sure things teachers can do to improve student writing
All trainings are three days in length:
- Winter 2015- February 25, 26, and March 12
Reading Apprenticeship
1. Learn about the RA framework and
instructional practices that support students'
reading improvement.
practices in RA.
that support content-area reading, writing,
and thinking.
'metacognitive' conversation at the heart of RA.
Training- Winter 2015: February 3, 4 and 24. REGISTER HERE
Writing in the World Language Classroom: Where there are words, there is magic!
February 10, 2015
8:30-3:30 at WISD
Writing in another language involves much more than translating and completing homework assignments from the text. Writing is a powerful skill through which students express themselves in the new language. This workshop addresses the national and state standards for written communication, compares those standards with common core expectations for writing, and explores a variety of real-world writing tasks and strategies at the word, phrase, sentence and paragraph level across a range of proficiency levels.
Anne Grundstrom Nerenz, Ph.D.
Editor, Foreign Language Annals
Director, K-12 World Language Teacher Certification
Eastern Michigan University
Register HERE for FREE
Editor, Foreign Language Annals
Director, K-12 World Language Teacher Certification
Eastern Michigan University
Register HERE for FREE


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Link to scores and statistics
Head Coach: Jeff Cole
Assistant Coach: Mike Weverka
Boys JV Basketball Schedule 2019-20
Here is the bracket for the boys MNAC basketball games.
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On Sale through November 25th you can order jackets, pull overs, pants, etc.Click here to get new Bobcat gear!We are also selling Bobcat Discount Cards, check with your local Bobcat basketball boys! Read More...
The Maxwell Holiday Tournament Bracket has been announced. On Monday, South Loup girls will play at 3:00 p.m. with the boys to follow at 4:30 p.m. Read More...
The South Loup Bobcats will have Parents' Night on Friday, February 12th, 2016. This parents night will begin at approximately 5 p.m. and run between the JV games and the beginning of the girls varsity game. This will be Parents' Night for all basketball players and cheerleaders. The South Loup High School basketball teams will host Eustis-Farnam at Callaway. The Girls JV will play 2 quarters beginning at 3:30, the Boys JV will play 3 quarters at approximately 4:15. Read More...


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Report: Syria missiles kill hundreds of civilians
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian military is firing ballistic missiles into populated areas where it is battling rebels, killing hundreds of civilians in recent months, Human Rights Watch said in a report Monday.
The U.S.-based group said it has investigated nine apparent missile attacks that killed at least 215 people, half of them children, between February and July. The most recent attack HRW investigated occurred in the northern province of Aleppo on July 26, killing at least 33 civilians including 17 children.
HRW activists visited the sites of seven of the nine attacks and found no apparent military targets nearby, the group said. Ole Solvang, a senior researcher with HRW, said it's impossible to distinguish between civilians and fighters when firing missiles with wide-ranging destructive effects into densely populated areas.
"Even if there are fighters in the area, you cannot accurately target them and the impact in some of these cases has been devastating to local civilians," Solvang said in a statement.
The HRW called on President Bashar Assad to stop indiscriminate attacks.
Government officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The military has repeatedly denied it is targeting civilians during the 2-year conflict, saying its troops are fighting "terrorists" hiding in civilian areas.
More than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict started in March 2011 as largely peaceful protests against Assad's rule. It turned into an armed uprising after opposition supporters took up arms to fight a brutal government crackdown on dissent.
The Assad government claims it is not facing a popular revolt, but a conspiracy by Gulf Arab states and the West seeking to destroy Syria by supplying Islamic extremists with weapons and funds.
In his last public appearance late Sunday, Assad called on the Syrians to unite behind the army's efforts to "defend their homeland."
"There is no solution with terrorism but to strike with an iron fist," Assad was quoted as saying by state news agency SANA. "With this kind of battles that aim at the destruction of the cultural identity and the Syrian national fabric, we either win together as Syrians or lose together."
Assad spoke while taking part in an iftar, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Today I wanted to talk about the darker side of booking travel for free. Many of you told me how you were inspired by my post about booking a honeymoon to Mauritius for free. I have been looking forward to this trip for months and I'm a bit inspired myself by being able to pull it off using miles.
Now that the date is approaching, I needed to modify my reservation to be better aligned with my travel needs. My first post I talked about booking flights to Paris (CDG) and Mauritius (MRU) for 120,000 miles each.
What I may not have mentioned was that the flight to Paris was out of Washington Dulles (IAD) airport and I still needed to get to that airport from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP). In order to make sure every segment of the flight was on the same itinerary in case of delay, I wanted to book everything together. I figured that this flight would be the easy part, but boy was I wrong.
After booking my initial reservation for 120k miles (the lowest number of miles you can book a business class ticket to Africa through Skymiles), I tried immediately to add a seemingly simple domestic flight from MSP to IAD on the same itinerary.
When I called Delta, they told me that adding this leg to my ticket would make the cost 180,000 total miles – a 50% increase to my original ticket (about a $1,200 cash value if you value miles at $.02) in order to add a $300 flight to my itinerary. I was told that this was necessary, because my entire trip would need to be billed as a medium level award instead of being a low level award at 120k miles.
You see, everything comes back to Delta's award chart. Delta makes free tickets available in high/medium/low availability. Arguably, only the low availability is a good value (unless you are in urgent need of travel). You can also only really get low availability on their Skyteam partner airlines.
What Delta doesn't tell you in their chart is that if any segment on an award ticket is medium or high availability, then every segment is charged at that level. In my case, the international flight was all low level, but a regional jet ride to Washington DC added a big premium to the itinerary.
Fortunately, I had been reading about this quite a bit on travel blogs, and I was prepared to hold my ground until I got a good deal (I wish I knew this in 2010 when I booked a flight to Chile in COACH for 110,000 miles). Basically, I decided not to let Delta Screw me with their horrible computer systems.
I called back after 2 months to see if the price was lower and I had no luck – still would have added 60k miles to my fare.
After 4 months, the same result – no addition to itinerary without paying much more.
Today I called and I got the same response – but this time I was prepared. I went to Delta to find out the price of a coach award ticket from MSP – IAD and then returning back. It was 32,500 miles, which I learned meant it was a low level award on the first flight, and a medium level on the way back.
I waited on the phone for 45 minutes with a Delta operator to go over this, and I was told that might flight cost would now be 152,500 miles, because I added a medium availability segment. One segment of a flight adds 32,500 miles to the entire ticket.
There are extortionists with more tact than Delta.
Befuddled, I asked them if I could only book the low level segment (MSP – IAD to start the trip) and remain at 120,000 miles. I booked the flight I could and was content with ending it there.
Naturally, curiosity took over and I asked if there were flights on the next day from IAD – MSP. Miraculously, there were flights at low level redemptions and I was able to secure our space on them.
With a little creativity I was able to add two domestic legs to the honeymoon itinerary. But why did it have to be so difficult?
The truth is that Delta is broken. They overcharge their customers every day and hope that nobody is educated enough to notice. And most people aren't – myself included. I used to burn miles like they were going out of style, not realizing that it was the domestic segments getting me into trouble.
International travel on Skyteam Partner Airlines is the only good way to redeem Delta Skymiles, because they are all low level availability. Domestic travel using miles on Delta is often a ripoff.
Would you rather pay 50k miles on Delta for a COACH flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco or travel to Europe/Asia/Australia for 100k/120k/150k miles in FIRST CLASS?
The answer should be obvious by now.
Delta is trying to Screw You. Don't let them


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BAD Jokes about food.
So I in particular enjoy the odd joke about cheese or pasta;
and they have to be EXTREMELY bad.
Like for instance;
1) Q. What did the cheese say to itself in the mirror?
2) Q. I tried to get into my house the other day....but i couldn't. Wanna know why?!
A. Because I had GNOCCHI.
And my newest addition,
3) Q. I couldn't afford any pasta today.
A. Now I haven't got a penne.
I camembert this any longer.
My girlfriend left me because she thinks I'm obsessed with pasta.
Now I'm feeling canneloni.moousee this'd this
Why did the tomato blush?
Because he saw the salad dressing.
Q. What cheese belongs to me and not you?
A. Nacho cheese!
© My Dad, 2004
What did Bruce Forsyth say in the fromagerie?
Nice to brie you, to brie you nice.meths this'd this
Why are cooks cruel?
Because they beat eggs and whip cream.
Why did the cheese get bigger?
Because it gruyerefappable this'd this
My girlfriend bet I couldn't make a car out of spaghetti.
You should have seen her face when I drove pasta.
This deserves more praise.
Well done you.cheeseandbaconturnov this'd this
someone drowned in a bowl of cereal today
pulled in by a strong currant.gamecat this'd this
(i didnt mean that to be over two replies.)
what's the most dangerous food in the world?
Shark infested Custard
My friend organises all their spices alphabetically
How do you find the time? I ask
Well, they reply, its between the taragon and the turmeric.
- meths this'd this
How do you approach a dangerous cheese?
What kind of cheese makes a lady ready for sex?
- berksy this'd this
What's the fastest cake in The World?
What's the 2nd fastest cake in The World?
(To done only on Christmas day)
*drop a little bit of veg on the floor*
Hey look! Peas on earth!drop_b this'd this
Did you hear about who ate so much pasta he went mental?
He was a tortelooni!
went to a french restaurant the other night
and the croutons i got with my soup started said 'wow that soup smells really delicious!'
they were complimentary to the meal.
Jamaica cake?
No I bought it from TEsco
- colon_closed_bracket this'd this
what's the difference between jizzing on an apple and jizzing on a bab-{ABANDON REPLY}
When someone asks, of a pizzeria "Do they deliver?"
Saying "No, they just do pizza!!!" lols
I would wish my mate Greame good luck in tonight's pastry contest
He doesn't need it though, he's a choux-in to win!


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Have you ever sat by the campfire like a true Wild West Indian and baked skewered bread? No? Well, it's high time you do! At the Land of the Wild West Indians, you're hot on Winnetou's heels. Experience the unique feeling of being a real "Baltic Sea" Indian.


text:
Leandre Waldo, Director of Media Relations
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: (802) 923-6195
BURLINGTON, VT (July 1, 2014) -- Donald J. Laackman officially begins his tenure today as the eighth president of Champlain College, succeeding David F. Finney, who retired June 30 after nine years.
Laackman was appointed president-elect in December 2013 by the Champlain College Board of Trustees and has been working with the transition team meeting faculty, staff and students throughout the spring.
In a brief, informal ceremony in the President's office, (pictured at left) outgoing President Finney handed over the keys to the College to Laackman on June 30, officially marking the start of the new leadership era.
"The Champlain community - the board, faculty, staff and students - have been so welcoming during the transition. I send special thanks to Dave Finney and the president's cabinet for their help over the past six months. I am excited to lead Champlain College into the next phase of its development toward the goal of becoming the finest small, professionally and globally focused college in the United States," he added.
Described as an exceptional leader in workforce development and education, Laackman's background encompasses higher education, economic development, information technology, strategy development, operations and large-scale organizational transformation. His background in the business, higher education and non-profit sectors uniquely positions him to strengthen the competitive advantage Champlain College has established through its innovative model of higher learning that blends career-focused education with interdisciplinary liberal study to give students the skills to adapt to a rapidly evolving world.
Laackman comes to Champlain College from Harold Washington College, in Chicago, where he served as president since 2011. During his tenure at Harold Washington College, Laackman played a key role in the "Reinvention" initiative of Chicago City Colleges, creating strategies and programs for diverse student populations while eliminating barriers to employment and addressing inequality in higher education. In 2012, he launched the Business, Professional Services and Entrepreneurship "College to Careers" offering, a Mayoral initiative providing students access to real-world experience through teacher-practitioners and internships, and getting more students and graduates into meaningful jobs.
Prior to his presidency at Harold Washington, Laackman managed Workforce and Education programs for Civic Consulting Alliance, a non-profit partnership dedicated to reshaping how Chicago operates through building pro-bono teams of business experts, government leaders and staff that develop strategies for making Chicago more livable, affordable and globally competitive.
As a principal at Civic Consulting Alliance from 2008 to 2010, Laackman led several workforce system change initiatives, including the creation of the Chicago Workforce Investment Council, designed to increase Chicago's return on investment to taxpayers for over $360 million spent on workforce programs. Additionally, he headed up the development of a strategy for improving Career and Technical Education for 25,000 Chicago Public School high school students.
From 1984 to 2007, Laackman worked at Accenture, one of the world's leading consulting, technology and outsourcing firms. Over his 23-year career with the company, he led strategy, sales, planning, change and information technology solution initiatives, while providing client management and professional development and business-unit management.
Laackman received his B.A. degree in Economics, Politics, Rhetoric and Law from the University of Chicago in 1984. He obtained his Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago in 2009.
He is married to Allyson Laackman, vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. They have two children, Donald and Emily.
Founded in 1878, Champlain College is a small, not-for-profit, private college in Burlington, Vermont, with additional campuses in Montreal, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain offers a traditional undergraduate experience from its beautiful campus overlooking Lake Champlain and over 90 residential undergraduate and online undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates. Champlain's distinctive career-driven approach to higher education embodies the notion that true learning occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain College is included in the Princeton Review's The Best 384 Colleges: 2019 Edition. For the fourth year in a row, Champlain was named a "Most Innovative School" in the North by U.S. News & World Report's 2019 "America's Best Colleges," and a "Best Value School" and is ranked in the top 100 "Regional Universities of the North" and in the top 25 for "Best Undergraduate Teaching." Champlain is also featured in the Fiske Guide to Colleges for 2019 as one of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada and Great Britain and is a 2019 College of Distinction. For more information, visit champlain.edu.


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Kane Co. sheriff, chairman address skyrocketing foreclosures, evictions in address
Sheriff, chairman address foreclosures, evictions
The legalities of Kane County residents losing their homes through the foreclosure process has quintupled the work for the civil division of the sheriff's office in recent years, said Sheriff Pat Perez in a county update speech Thursday. And, County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen said that's a big reason why the county board must do all it can to hold the line on a flat budget.
Perez and Lauzen made a joint appearance before the St. Charles and Geneva chambers of commerce. The pair have become allies during Lauzen's short tenure, stemming from mutual ties in Aurora. Lauzen attended Marmion Academy with Perez's brother. And Perez was the first football coach for Lauzen's son, Elliot. Now the pair are working together to address the foreclosure onslaught in the county.
In 2005, the sheriff's office handled 847 foreclosure sales. By 2012, that number skyrocketed to 5,000. Soon, Perez will add a new staff member to keep pace with the number of sales. He expects his office will handle about 120 sales a week by the end of the year.
"It's sad," Perez said. "We hate to see it."
The sales are the easy part of the foreclosure process. Perez's office also handles all the evictions, a task that was once a rare occurrence for a sheriff's deputy.
"Now we do them five days a week, at least four a day, and we're two weeks behind," Perez said. "We can't keep up."
Perez said evictions are the toughest part of his job.
"I've worked murder cases, domestic battery ... but to have to stand there watching someone taken out of their home and have their property put on the curb, it's a heartbreaker," Perez said. "Every deputy says a little prayer on their way to an eviction, 'Please, let these people already be gone when I get there.' "
Lauzen said in his speech that the very least the county board can do during times when thousands of people are losing their homes is not make it any tougher to pay the bills. That begins with keeping the county's budget flat as long as it takes, Lauzen said.
"The first thing we need to do is demonstrate our respect that these are hard time," Lauzen said. "We have to take some of the pressure off. To me, that's nonnegotiable."
Lauzen also said he believes the sheriff's call for the construction of a new shooting range is also nonnegotiable. Both Perez and Lauzen have backed the range as necessary to meet training mandates for deputies and avoid litigation related to shooting incidents. The county board has not yet agreed to build the range. The board's finance committee, however, recently recommended paying $67,000 for architectural drawings to determine the next step. In the meantime, Perez is in the process of negotiating a contract for his deputies to use the St. Charles Police Department's shooting range.


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Hi everyone! I'm so excited to show you the new Couture de Minnie Collection by OPI!
Chic from Ears to Tail
This pop of bubblegum pink is totally fabulous!
Chic from Ears to Tail is a bubblegum pink creme with a very subtle shimmer. The formula was was smooth, but it a bit on the thin side. I really love this particular shade of pink. It is so sweet and feminine.
Shown is three coats of Chic from Ears to Tail.
A Definite Moust-Have
This fantastic fuchsia is at the top of my shopping list.
A Definite Moust-Have is a bright fuchsia creme with a strong coral undertone and a subtle shimmer. The formula was very rich and easy to apply. I am absolutely crazy about this one. It is such a perfect summer shade.
Shown is two coats of A Definite Moust-Have.
Innie Minnie Mightie Bow
Catch this crimson by the toe!
Innie Minnie Mightie Bow is a deep cherry red creme with a subtle shimmer. The formula was smooth and easy to apply. This is probably my favorite kind of red. It's such a classic color, and the shimmer really makes it pop.
Shown is two coats of Innie Minnie Mightie Bow.
Magazine Cover Mouse
The headline-making strawberry has sparkling texture.
Magazine Cover Mouse is a cherry red texture coat with a gold shimmer. The formula was easy to apply. The more I try the textured finish polishes, the more I like them!
Shown is two coats of Magazine Cover Mouse.
Minnie Style
This white and red glitter is the height of fashion.
Minnie Style is a clear coat with white and red hexes. The glitter applied very easily. The red glitters here really flash much more of a fuchsia tone than red. I would have been really happy to see a different shade of glitter with the white though. The red glitters seem to get lost when layered over any other color in this collection. It kind of limits you.
Shown is one coat of Minnie Style over Chic from Ears to Tail.
Overall I'm really pleased with this entire collection! I hope you enjoyed seeing it!
Happy Painting!
*These products were provided for the purpose of an honest review*


text:
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- home
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Paul Henaghan, Vice President, Data Center Solutions, Asia Pacific and Japan, was at the Las Vegas Dell Technologies World 2018 and was kind enough to allow DSA a quick interview with him. He started off with EMC running Southeast Asia, and then he ran South Asia and Korea for DellEMC.
We asked if he thought the data center was a 'thing' anymore with the proliferation of software defined technologies everywhere. His answer – "Yes, it is and it's going to remain for a little while in"
"This whole cloud-modern-mobile-customer engagement-application world that we develop in, in a company, is only as powerful as its back-end systems. And the back-end systems need to exist in the modern data center."
It is critical to keep the data center up-to-date so that the highly agile and mobile front-end is able to operate seamlessly.
"It could be anything from an IoT device through to the very latest payment system that resides in your mobile phone. Dare I say it, even moving things like crypto-currency et cetera. So, the definition of the data center has definitely changed, but the concept of being able to manage your data, is absolutely still valid and there's still a long tail of the more traditional, well established infrastructure, on-premise in your own data center, which manages all your legacy applications but yet on par with modernisation."
Moving to a time where data will be the defining criteria for how well businesses survive, Paul, who doesn't shy away from giving interesting examples to how technology applies to real life, shared this- "We live in a world today, where is we take an orchestra as an example, if you were looking after drums and someone else was looking after violins and someone else was looking after trumpets. What my job is to put (the creation) together and make music from it."
He goes on to describe that the modern data center will consist of all the parts of the data center, and a conductor with a modern visual software-defined front end, to bring it all together. In the back ground will be all the capabilities, resources and environments of a multitude of variants, where the conductor therefore will create the outcome that the business needs.
We wondered then do Dell Data Center solutions need to be built on Dell product and technologies. As we see more software-defined technologies appear, where the hardware is abstract, do people care where the back-end products actually come in. Paul's comments give a clear indication of the approach Dell is taking.
"You can absolutely not take an approach that says it's got to be end-to-end Dell. That's just naïve. The other side of it though, about hardware, where people don't care, but they don't care until something breaks. And then when it breaks, suddenly the conversation is very different."
"By 2030, I don't think we'll be talking about what the actual underline hardware is. But there's still going to be an absolute need, for quality, high performing (hardware)."
The announcement of Dell Powermax software and the core hardware of NVMe, gives the business the competitive advantage that offers a complete loop end-to-end.
"We firmly believe, that infrastructure in its true definition is going to be software defined, but underlining that software is going to be really strong, good quality, leading-edge, hardware that this all runs on. Now, does it have to be Dell produced products? No it doesn't. There are some very good investments that organisations have made, that we need to support. VMware is a good example. We are a strategically aligned business unit that VMware has some very important, critical relationships that are important to VMware that are more important to our customers that we need to protect."
The division Paul handles has a lot of assessment tools that allow them to analyse and predict the customers environment based on a number of variables. Where those variables are driven by utilisation of their infrastructure, their future requirements and where they see technology heading.
"In conducting those assessments, we have the resources that allow us to evaluate their entire environment. Be that legacy EMC, legacy Dell, alternative products. When we move forward with an architect solution, we are not abdicating that it's a rip-and-replace. What we do is leverage off what is existing, and we modernise it. When we move to modernisation, yes its Dell technology solutions."


text:
The conviction this week of former Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia for plundering the small working-class city of Bell to enrich herself — along with former City Manager Robert Rizzo's plea to 69 similar charges in October — closes one of the final chapters in the long-running graft-and-corruption scandal. The two masterminds now face sentences of up to 12 years in prison.
Spaccia was found guilty of 11 felony counts Monday, including misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and concealing public documents. During the 4 1/2-week trial, prosecutors and witnesses detailed how she and Rizzo managed to siphon more and more money from public coffers.
Spaccia, for example, was paid for a full 18 months when she wasn't working; she didn't use a single sick day or vacation day. Rizzo and Spaccia also awarded themselves 33 hours of vacation time every two weeks. They buried their total compensation in various reports and documents, making it extremely difficult for anyone to figure out how much they were earning. By the end of his time in Bell, Rizzo earned $1.18 million a year in salary, vacation and sick leave payouts. Spaccia earned $564,000 annually.
2013 ENDINGS: Columnist Patt Morrison on what she won't miss
It's satisfying to see Rizzo and Spaccia pay for their greed and their disregard for the common good. But justice isn't enough. Bell fell prey to these thieves because government stopped answering to the public, and because an apathetic public failed to question the government. As Rizzo and Spaccia go off to prison, it's important to ask: Have we learned the lessons of Bell? And have we made the changes necessary to prevent another such scandal?
There was a flurry of legislation passed after The Times exposed the corruption in Bell. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jerry Brown signed off on more than a dozen changes to state law. Among other things, they created an agency within the state auditor's office to scrutinize cities, counties or special districts at high risk of waste, fraud or abuse; enacted restrictions on automatic raises for managers; required CalPERS, the state retirement system, to monitor for excessive salary increases; and required employees to repay paid leave or settlements if convicted of a crime related to his or her job.
State Controller John Chiang ordered cities, counties and special districts to regularly report payroll data, and his office created a government compensation database that has gotten near 7 million hits since 2010. And the city of Bell has begun airing council meetings live on its website, as well as posting financial data, vendor contracts and other public documents online.
YEAR IN REVIEW: 10 groundbreaking women we lost in 2013
Will these reforms prevent the next Bell? Maybe not. A corrupt official intent on stealing public funds can often find a way to do it. But the laws passed in recent years will help by allowing more eyes on public money. Still, the most valuable lesson to be learned is that democracy requires citizens to be involved and to ask questions. There will always be venality and theft, but gadflies, whistle-blowers and a watchful citizenry are still the best backstop on corruption.


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Determining the right DBMS and OS for a data warehouse
As you might expect, the main players in the data warehouse space are Oracle, IBM and TeraData. Each have their strengths and their challenges. From a checklist perspective; we recommend you take the following into consideration:
- Is the pricing by named user, concurrent user, by server, are site licenses offered, enterprise licenses.
- What is considered the DBMS ceiling with regard to database size? Is the DBMS really designed for OLTP performance (high transaction volumes against small numbers of rows during inserts, updates, deletes, reads) or data warehouse performance (high data volumes for bulk inserts, bulk reads). What utilities are available for bulk loading, options for loading data components separate from index components. What are the indexing schemes supported?
- If your data warehouse is starting out small and you anticipate it growing with control over a period of years, you might want to consider starting out with an NT solution running something like Oracle that can migrate to UNIX with very little changes to the schemas, structures and functionality. If you are a predominantly IBM shop, the UDB product suite provides that same level of platform portability all the way up to the big iron.
- What tools does the DBA have to monitor and tune? Cold spots, hot spots, index performance, optimization, capacity utilization, growth, security, access, roles, synonyms, etc.
- Does the DBMS come with an extended feature set targeted for data warehouse functionality? How proprietary is that extended set?
- Is your organization into very complex regression analysis, multi-dimensional analysis, statistical modeling or is it more of a medium level of complexity? You'll need to consider some of the multi-dimensional DBMS such as Redbrick or taking advantage of the "virtual" features offered by some of the BI tool vendors, such as Business Object's Universe for your data mart implementations.
Check list of things to consider when determining the appropriate OS and hardware platform. The following 6 steps can be applied in general when working with any server/disk configuration. The list helps weed through some of the manufacturers. Usually what is currently installed sets the standard for what will be acceptable in the future. But this shouldn't be assumed. Challenge your enterprise based on facts. These six steps will help support your case.
1. Create a list of server and disk manufacturers that are acceptable to your company's "stated" architecture and/or purchasing policies. At BAG, we encourage our clients to at least consider HP and SUN on the UNIX side and Dell or HP on the NT side. For UNIX storage consider EMC in addition to your selected server manufactures disk solutions. For NT you can consider some of Dell's network storage devices.
Dig Deeper on Oracle data warehousing
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When trying to design a data warehouse, we often try to model the database on the operational data model. Are there any guidelines in trying to ... Continue Reading
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Xonix is a video game in the style of Qix by Ilan Raab and Dani Katz.
Xonix was popular at the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre, where Dmitry Pavlovsky, one of the original developers of the video game Tetris, was a computer engineer, and was the direct inspiration for Antix.
There are no reviews for this game


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
It's too early to panic. Patience required ...see how we are after the next two games.
Have you watched the last 4 league games.
Only one of them league games was without the Koeman monkey on our backs.Have a cup of tea and cheer up ....nobody gets relagated till May .
We look just as bad on Sunday if not worse, Unsworth is way out of his depth,how many teams when they sack there manager DONT get a reaction not many we are one.
Coincidenctally he said peel will exchange with Everton for the ground next week
He's normally spot on isn't he
I went to my first game in 1964 and Ive not missed too many since 1980 but Id seriously think about packing it in if Allardyce was appointed manager.Id rather have Mike Walker back
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Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Bikaner - Jodhpur - Narlai - Udaipur - Mumbai
11 Nights - 12 Days
Begin your tour.
Arrive into Delhi.Welcome to Vardhman's 'Palaces Forts Tour '! On arrival in Delhi, you will be met and transferred by Vardhman's representative to your hotel. Later proceed on a city tour of Delhi.
Combined city tour of New Delhi & Old Delhi ,Visit Qutab Minar, Humayun's tomb, Lakshminarayan Temple, a modern Hindu Temple, Parliament House, Government Secretarial Building and Connaught place, the shopping centre of New Delhi.Visit Red Fort, built in 1648 by Mughal Emperor Shahjehan, Jama Masjid, one of the largest Mosque of India, Raj Ghat and Shanti Vana, the cremation sites of Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Also drive past Chandni Chowk, shopping centre of Old Delhi.
Overnight at hotel.
This morning after breakfast drive to the "Romantic city of Taj Mahal" – Agra!.City tour of Agra.
Visit Taj Mahal (Closed on every Friday) & Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula.Afternoon, we ride to the massive Agra Fort. The elegant buildings inside reflect an interesting synthesis of Hindu and Central Asian architectural styles. The maze of the courtyards, mosques & private chambers of the fort echo the story of the Mughal Empire. The Moti Masjid & other magnificent buildings reflect the skill of the ancient Indian architectsLater you will visit a marble gallery – the flagship store in Agra which offers an excellant range of white marble, fashionable wear & exotic wooden articles, truly a one stop shop!
Today you drive to the former capital city of Emperor Akbar Your exciting day begins with a tour, starting with a visit to Fatehpur Sikri. Then continue onward to Jaipur. Arrive Jaipur in the evening and check into your hotel.
This morning after breakfast proceed on a city tour.This morning you will experience the wonders of this magicial pink city, as you proceed on a tour of Amber fort. Later visit the Jagmandir or the Hall of victory glitterning with mirrors, Maharaja's City Palace and the Observatory. Drive past Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Winds and through the rose pink residential and business areas of Jaipur. Shopping in the evening
Overnight: Hotel
Morning free at your disposal. In time transfer to Railway Station to board Intercity Express train to Bikaner – once a major trading post between Africa, West Asia and the Far East. Arrive Bikaner and transfer to hotel
Overnight: Hotel.
Visit Bikaner,Bikaner is named after its founder Rao Bikaji in 1488. Long before this, the city was a trade center on the caravan routes from Africa and West Asia. Bikaner's dominant features are rippling sands and abundant sunshine. The city stands on an elevation, enclosed by a 7 kms. wall, which can be entered from 5 gates. Bikaner City is bolstered by imposing walls and has a 16th century fort housing old palaces, temples and mosque. Founded by Raja Rai Singh, the fort is distinguished by its long range of 37 pavilions, a line of balconies and aerial windows of varying designs. Also visit Lallgarh Palace, the museum, Bhanda Sagar Jain and Deshnoke Rat temple.
Morning drive to Jodhpur – Gateway to the Thar desert. Arrive Jodhpur and check in at hotel. Afternoon proceed for the sightseeing of Jodhpur including The Mehrangarh Fort situated at an altitude of about 125 metres is spread over an area of 5 sq. km and has seven gates. The Jaswant Thada is a white marble memorial built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant II in 1899. The Umaid Bhawan is a majestic building that presently functions as a hotel and museum. The Mandore Gardens, situated about 8 km from Jodhpur, has cenotaphs of the Jodhpur rulers. The Government Museum and Zoo are located in the pleasant Umaid Gardens
This morning after breakfast at hotel drive to Narlai. Arrive Narlai and check – in at hotel.
Afternoon free to explore the typical Rajasthani village surrounding the fortress or climb the 350 ft high granite rock which is dotted with caves and temples and which offers spectacular views.
Morning drive to Udaipur. Arrive Udiapur and check in at the hotel. Afternoon free to take a walking tour on your own through the narrow lanes and back streets of Udaipur upto the Washing Ghats at the lake Pichola. Visit one of the fine downtown restaurants for an optional dinner.
Proceed on a City tour of Udaipur, Boat Cruise (at your own cost) on Lake Pichola Visit the City Palace, Jagdish Temple, drive around Fatehsagar Lake, Sahelion ki Bari (Queen resort for her friends) and Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir (Folk Art Museum) Boat curise on Lake Pichola 4km long and 3km broad, surrounded by splendid hills, Palaces, temples bathing ghats and embankments ,Afternoon free for independent activities.
In time transfer to airport to board flight for Mumbai. Arrive Mumbai and transfer to hotel.
Afternoon proceed for the sightseeing of Mumbai which includes visit to Gateway of India, this massive historical monument makes a must visit during your Mumbai sightseeing. The Mani Bhawan or the Gandhi memorial was once used to be the residence of Mahatma Gandhi in Mumbai. Also known as Queen's Neckless, Marine Drive. Juhu is a 5-km-long beach. Also visit Hanging Garden and the Kamla Nehru Garden and the Chowpatty gives you the view of one of the most happening beaches of Mumbai.
Overnight: hotel
In time transfer to International airport to board the flight for your onward journey to back home with sweet and unforgettable memories of "Palaces Forts Tour " escorted by Vardhman Vacations.
3* Hotel 4* Hotel 5* Hotel
© Copyright 2016 by Vardhman Vacations


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INTRODUCTIONBefore you can use Four Square with your students, they have to learn how the framework works. With my students, I've used a gradual release model through writer's workshop to demonstrate the format in action before having my kids use it themselves. There are really great powerpoint presentations that other teachers have shared on the web. THIS LINK is to one I've used often to introduce how four square works. I love the simple examples for writing just a paragraph and the more elaborate examples for writing informational essays. THIS PRESENTATION shows an essay example for various writing formats including:
- descriptive
- informational
- persuasive
- and narrative
GETTING STARTEDThe first step I take when I'm using four square is to build background on the assigned topic. Students are much more able to write freely if they have a word bank, a list of ideas or related topics, and a model to imitate. One of the biggest complaints from kids who struggle with writing is the dreaded "I don't know what to write about!" I would argue that we hear this more if/when students haven't had adequate "think" time. Simple things that can alleviate writing stress are examples to follow and a word bank of related words to support spelling.
With this example, I use the book, Brave Irene by William Steig as the mentor text. It is very descriptive, and William Steig's carefully mapped out plot helps students get a sense of story structure first before beginning their own stories.
When I'm ready to begin writing, I use this organizer to build ideas. Each student comes up with four examples of times when they had to be brave. The four examples here are getting shots, going through a car accident, riding a rollercoaster, or going through a bad storm. Other topics could include seeing a snake, going in a dark room, riding a bike the first time, flying, or being the new kid.
Once topic ideas are chosen, then I have my kids think of related words. This helps the kids think of ideas as well as words they may want to include.
Once students are ready with ideas, then it's time to dig out the four square maps. When your students are new to Four Square, it takes close monitoring to insure that they have a complete plan before they move to drafting. If your students are like mine, they'll try shortcuts. Once the routine is established though, they will see how much it helps them.
For students in first and second, the teacher may use the plan for outlining just one paragraph versus a full story with more detail. The example to the left is a primary example (in my words). When modeling, I'd suggest projecting the four square form or printing the form as a poster.
When you're ready to get your kids started, you might give your kids a list of connecting words as a support. I've created THIS LIST to share with you. I organized it to follow the four square plan, and even kids in upper elementary may find it helpful. Additionally, little ones may need the boxes numbered to help them organize their thinking.
When you're ready to get your kids started, you might give your kids a list of connecting words as a support. I've created THIS LIST to share with you. I organized it to follow the four square plan, and even kids in upper elementary may find it helpful. Additionally, little ones may need the boxes numbered to help them organize their thinking.
In upper elementary, we move from writing paragraphs to writing papers. Instead of each block being used for a sentence, we look at each block as a paragraph. We want students to continue using connecting words, but we want more variety in the word choice. We also want elaboration on each event or paragraph topic. As students in upper elementary make use of the Four Square plan, it's important to use bulleted lists versus full sentences.
Another key point to share with your students is that a complete plan leads to better writing. I do not let my students move to the drafting stage until I've seen a complete writing plan. As they work on them, I float and confer with the kids to help them talk out their ideas. If writing blocks happen, talking it out makes a huge difference. To see how I used Four Square with Brave Irene for upper elementary, check out the Facebook Live below:
Brave Irene really is a must have mentor text. It's important for teachers to help students make the reading-writing connection, and using great literature as exemplars helps you do this. With mentor texts like this one, I begin by using it to teach comprehension skills such as characterization, plot development, and author's craft. As we work on comprehension skills, kids notice things like word choice and organization.
In addition to Brave Irene, you might pull in other books where the main character shows bravery or courage. Some of my favorites with this theme include Wilma Unlimited, Bully, Henry's Freedom Box, Scaredy Squirrel, Sheila Rae, The Brave, Thunder Cake, The Story of Ruby Bridges, Amazing Grace, and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. You might share some of these and have your students come up with challenges or situations where courage is needed.
If you like the organization of this unit, you might check out this wonderful book by Lester Laminack. Last spring, our literacy coaching team did a book study on it, and I loved how Laminack tied reading and writing together for better instruction. Because writing takes time to develop, it seems we short change it. What we fail to realize is that looking at texts from a writer's lens helps us deepen reading comprehension.


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What happened
Shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA), an Israeli-based developer of branded and generic drugs, imploded in August and lost 51% of its market cap, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. While a perfect storm of issues influenced Teva's terrible month, most of the blame can be pointed at the company's second-quarter earnings release.
So what
For the quarter, Teva wound up reporting $5.69 billion in sales, which was notably higher than $5.04 billion reported in the year-ago period. However, the growth in sales came predominantly from its acquisition of Actavis, making it the largest producer of generic drugs in the world. In terms of adjusted profit, Teva's $1.02 in EPS fell short of Wall Street's expectations, and it was a sizable tumble from the $1.25 in adjusted EPS reported in Q2 2016. Further, the company lowered its full-year sales forecast by more than $1 billion at the midpoint, and it slashed its full-year EPS forecast to a range of $4.30 to $4.50, from a range of $4.90 to $5.30.
There was a lot to digest in Teva's Q2 report, but the primary issue is that generic drugs are under intense competitive pressure, which is weighing on the margins and pricing power of generic drugmakers. It's unlikely that pricing power will stabilize for generic-drug companies for at least the next couple of quarters, meaning the company could continue to see margin and price erosion from its largest operating segment.
Another big issue for Teva is that blockbuster multiple sclerosis injection Copaxone is set to face generic competition very soon. Copaxone provides Teva with a very healthy profit margin, and sale erosion to generic competitors is going to sting its top- and bottom-line results.
And then there's its debt situation. Teva ended the latest quarter with more than $35 billion in debt, mainly as a result of the debt incurred from the Actavis acquisition. Management admitted that this debt is restricting the company's ability to be financially flexible and successful, so it's looking to jettison some of its non-core assets, including its women's health division and European oncology and pain segments.
Lastly, Teva announced that it would be slashing its dividend by 75% to $0.085 per quarter. As one of the top income stocks in the industry, this didn't sit well with investors.
Needless to say, Wall Street piled on the downgrades, money managers fled from the stock, and investors joined in the exodus.
Now what
Without mincing words, Teva has a long road ahead. The company will need to prove to investors that it can successfully chip away at its $35 billion in debt. If the company can stand by its word to divest non-core assets and use free cash flow to eliminate $5 billion in debt by the end of the year, it'll probably go a long way toward restoring shareholder trust.
However, Teva is also going to need to see stabilization in generic-drug prices before it has any shot of heading higher. In this instance, I do believe the numbers are on Teva's side. Generic-drug makers typically rely on growing demand and higher volume to push sales and profits higher, and between 2015 and 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the elderly population in the U.S. is set to nearly double from 48 million to 88 million. Elderly folks are far more likely to take prescription medicines than younger adults, creating an ever-growing patient pool for Teva.
A third issue it'll need to resolve is hiring a well-respected CEO after losing both its CEO and CFO following a bribery scandal this past December. Essentially, the company needs a clean slate, but that's going to take time.
In the meantime, Teva's shares are valued at just four times its forward earnings, which is exceptionally inexpensive and signifies the long road that lies ahead. As a shareholder, I do believe the company is positioned to succeed in the long term, but I admit this is one heck of a speed bump in the road in the interim.


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The evidence is accumulating that keeping strong is a vital part of a successful ageing strategy. The press-up or push-up is one way to achieve this, and it fits into the concept of 'primal' exercise.
Primal exercises are activities or tasks that allow us to replicate what other primates find easy to do. Some examples; pushing themselves up from the floor, coming to their feet after lying on their back, pulling themselves up a tree, picking up their young, and so on.
All of these tasks they find easy, perhaps even to an old and infirm primate. Yet most humans (at least in the affluent world) have lost the ability to do any of them by their early 40's, a time when they should still be in their prime.
Pull-ups are also an excellent example of primal exercise. Our human forefathers, at least before they left the forests to becomes plains hunters, would be able to shimmy up a tree no problem. But even among regular gym goers, how many can do even one? The benefits, if they can re-acquire that ability, are profound;
- an increase in the middle and upper thoracic (shoulder blade area) spinal extensor power
- better integration with the TPC (thoraco-pelvic-cylinder) and the various hip flexors below
- more powerful shoulders and an increase in shoulder stability and mobility
Indeed, pull-ups are probably the best way to develop improvements in erector spinae power in the mid and upper thoracic spine. More traditional exercises find this tricky to do. It's true that good dead-lifts can develop increases in the bulk and power of the lumbar erector spinae, but they don't target the mid and upper back. Pulling the arms towards you in the horizontal plane (for example, a seated row) often targets muscles like the latissimus dorsi rather than the erector spinae. And the overhead pull-down is just not the same as a pull-up, in the same way that a bench press is not the same as a press-up.
There's just something special about combating the force of gravity using our whole body in an integrated way.
The thoracic spine extensors are all about providing extensor and rotator power to the spinal segments and giving a stable platform for the shoulder system and low back. The arching and twisting nature of pull-ups, especially if the pull-ups can be biased to one side, increase this power.
But how to achieve this if we can't even do one? The answer lies in one of the few gym machines that adds real value – the assisted pull-up.
The approach using this machine would be to use a lot of assistance from the weights stack and get your body used to the exercise. Immobile shoulders, a weak core and a stiff mid back need plenty of time to adapt.
Now you can see why
- varying your hand grip (facing forward, back, cross grip etc.)
- using different hand positions on the apparatus (wide, narrow, staggered height each side)
- lifting one of your legs as you do the exercise
- standing on the platform and not kneeling on it
is all so useful – because it helps recreate the real word effort of climbing up a tree. Don't be static and treat your body beneath the arms as a dead weight. This would severely reduce the benefit of the exercise.
Aim to make gradual slow progress over many months. Don't focus on reducing the assistance as a sign of progress – instead, mark your progress on the number of reps you can perform without any fatigue. Aim for 20 per workout. Each group of 20 should be split into 4's based on the alternating hand/grip positions noted above. Only when 20 in total is too easy should you take off a little weight from the stack.
Note that the ability of your low thoracic and upper lumbar spine to extend (bend backwards) has a big effect on the 'ease' of doing the pull-up. Enough extension in this part of the spine as you do the pull-up allows a more optimal distribution of mass for the arm muscles to lift against. Conversely, a stiff spine in this area (like mine) – and stiff spines do not extend well – makes it all a bit harder.
You can see good extension of this part of the spine in this video.
What you might notice as a spin-off benefit from this approach is a surprising improvement in your ability to do press-ups.
What are the risks? Little from the exercise itself, unless you over-challenge yourself by not using enough assistance. It's clambering on and off the machine that is the riskiest part of the program – careful!


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From Community Organizing to Teaching: A Segal Fellow Shares her Story of Activism and Service
For the #1of1million celebration in October, AmeriCorps Alums is recognizing alums with unique stories to share. This week, we are catching-up with one of the recipients of the AmeriCorps Alums Eli Segal Leadership Award, Tanika Lynch. Tanika is currently serving as an Urban Teacher in Baltimore, MD.
Congratulations on winning the Alums Segal Education Leadership Award! Out of all your leadership experiences, what was your proudest moment?
I organized in college around private prisons. We were called Columbia Prison Divest (with 10 core organizers and dozens of other contributors) and our goal was to compel the university to divest their stock to the companies that we knew of, and to educate our campus community about mass incarceration. In the beginning when we were goal-setting, we went around and decided what we wanted to see for the campaign by the end of the year. Several other seniors and I said that we wanted to see Columbia actually divest. It was a rough goal, and we weren't sure it was actually going to happen, but we wanted to see that happen before we left the university.
Right around graduation, I saw the article come out that Columbia had actually divested their stock! We were surprised it happened, especially that quickly! That moment was so powerful. We realized the activism that we were doing actually had an impact! A few months later, I read that the Department of Justice decided to stop using private prisons. It was amazing to know that organizing on my campus could have had an impact in this larger movement.
I understood then that the work I do does have an impact . A lot of times we don't get to actually see it.
However, the means of getting there mattered more to me than anything else. Making sure that the students within our university knew what we were fighting for, and why, was more important to me than getting the university to actually divest.
Please tell us more about your AmeriCorps service. Why did you choose to serve? How has service experience changed your worldview?
I joined Playworks without knowing it was an AmeriCorps organization. Because of my experience with Prison Divest in college, I realized I can't do work if I'm not working with the people who I'm impacting in the long run. I knew I wanted to work in education (or education policy one day) but I can't do that if I've never worked in a school or with children. Playworks was that on-the-ground opportunity to learn about how schools worked before I started teaching. The work that I was already doing just happened to align to perfectly with the goals of AmeriCorps.
I've learned that it is so important to integrate yourself into the community that you're planning on serving! A lot of people who are doing service work in general probably come from privileged backgrounds (maybe well-educated, upper-class, or White). As an outsider, people don't respect you and won't listen to you. You also can't do effective work because you won't know the needs of the community, especially if you're not trying to become a part of that community. I have learned different ways of integrating, both formally and informally, whether it's showing up to every event, so that people know you care, or organizing school events.
It's important to be able to just play. Play is a productive thing, even though many people don't see it that way. That time is productive and a great way to stay engaged! On the playground, children learn how to socialize, solve conflicts, and how to be leaders, but kids don't know that it's happening. Given the right environment, it will happen naturally!
What are some of your professional and personal goals? How will being a Segal Education Fellow help you achieve those goals? What are you looking forward to the most?
My professional goals are murky and I accept that. I know that I want to do some kind of organizing, but if it doesn't have a larger impact, it's not doing what it's supposed to do. However, I don't want to be in a political office, nor do I want to be behind a desk all day. I think Segal will help me figure out how to merge my interest in education, the justice system, and community organizing into a position that is right for me. I am looking forward to the Segal retreat because there is a session particularly about how to take your broad interests and make the more concrete. I'm also looking forward to learning how to have a successful mentorship!
AmeriCorps Alums has launched a Race & Equity initiative, in partnership with the Annie E. Casie Foundation, in order to reduce racial disparities where we work and serve. What does equity and inclusion mean to you? Why are these strategies important in National Service?
I really appreciate that you use "equity" and not "equality." Equity means everyone gets what they need.
Equity also requires activism, because in the natural state of things, everyone doesn't get what they need, while those who don't need often get more. It requires activism, movement, and intentional thinking about what needs to be changed.
It's important for National Service because a lot of seemingly altruistic privileged people are doing service and sometimes it's more self-serving for them. It helps the people who are trying to help, more than the communities they are trying to serve. You get that "feel-good" feeling that makes you happy that you did the work, but did you actually make an impact? Was your goal to serve someone or was it just to do something good to say that you did it? That mindset comes from people who don't come from the community itself. I think this new initiative to reduce racial disparities is so important because you don't have to work as hard to become a part of the community if you are from the community.
November 10, 2016 2:19 am
This is a wonderful interview. Thank you for sharing, and the important work that you're doing Tanika.


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Hi friends!
This week I'll be reviewing Givenchy's new mascara.
The official name is Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara and it will retail for $29.
Full disclosure! I received this product complimentary thanks to Influenster!
If you've never heard of Influenster – GURL you are missing out!
It's a program where all you have to do is sign up, connect your social media and they will send you products to try for free.
So far, I've received products from Becca Cosmetics (review here) and Maybelline.
If you want to join, you can here!
I got this box in the mail today and I was so excited that I went ahead and tried it out!
Here's what it all looked like..
Givenchy calls this a "revolutionary" mascara.
That's because this wand bends like this "for added length".
With that said, I was kind of disappointed in this mascara.
I REALLY wanted to like it!
When I went to apply, I felt like hardly any product was coming off. After several applications, I still wasn't pleased with the look.
I personally felt like the brush didn't grab onto my lashes.
Also, I'm more of a volume girl rather than a length lash one.
The formula felt pretty dry to me too.
I love the packaging though. I think it is so luxurious and fits the brand so well.
I am so disappointed that I didn't like this mascara!
What do you think of the wand? Would you give it a try?
Be sure to check out my last post!


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Superstar Guy Martin to light up the Tandragee 100 Road Races
The Guy Martin roadshow is set to roll into town for the Around A Pound Tandragee 100 Road Races this weekend, with the television celebrity set to debut one of Honda Racing's all-new SP2 Superstock machines.
Martin, from Lincolnshire, has become a national treasure since his secondment to full time TV work after being discovered in the road racing paddock a number of years ago by the broadcasting lovelies.
But to his credit, his passion for anything two-wheels has never diminished, and while he has made the conscious decision to dilute his racing involvement to a mere 'bucket list', which more often than not involves a lucrative financial broadcasting deal, both the Tandragee and Cookstown 100 events are set to benefit from his return to action.
Martin has just returned from Japan, where he was testing the Mugen battery-powered TT Zero machine, alongside new Honda team-mate John McGuinness, that may well give him his best ever chance of a coveted Isle of Man TT victory in June.
It's not something the purists will ever regard as a 'proper' Isle of Man TT victory, but that's a story for another day; for now, it's all about Tandragee's little County Armagh circuit, a 200bhp 1000cc SP2 Honda and the most enigmatic racer to grace the motorcycling paddocks since Barry Sheene.
Honorary Secretary at the North Armagh Motorcycle Club, Anne Forsythe, said that the club is delighted to welcome Martin to the Tandragee 100.
"We already had a bit of international flavour on the entry list this weekend, which is great, but who wouldn't want Guy Martin on their race grid," she explained.
"We've had great press coverage since we announced his confirmed entry last month, and I know of people who are coming along just to rub shoulders with him and they've never been to a road race in their lives," Anne added.
Martin will compete in both the Open and Around A Pound Tandragee 100 feature races aboard one of Honda's all-new SP2 Honda Fireblade Superstock machines. This will be Martin's first time competing at the County Armagh venue since he last raced in the colours of Uel Duncan Racing and Robinson Concrete back in 2005.
Saturday's eight race programme concludes with the Around A Pound Tandragee 100 Senior Open Race, which boasts prize money of over £2000. The winner of the feature race will collect £1000.
Michael Dunlop will be conspicuous by his absence at Tandragee and with William Dunlop only set to ride 600cc machinery, it will be left to Cookstown B.E Racing's Derek Sheils to give Martin his sternest test in the Open class.
Roads close tomorrow for practice from 3pm through to 9pm. On Race Day, Saturday, roads will close at 10am.
Belfast Telegraph