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Days Gone Review scores may be misleading gamers
The New Sony exclusive has been out for a few weeks and the Days Gone review scores are…underwhelming. Is this the full story though?
So I've been playing Days Gone now since launch. I've also been keeping an eye on what the interwebz have been saying about the Sony exclusive title. At face value it seems very bleak for Bend Studio. Almost as if the game is bad and potentially causing gamers to walk away based on its mediocre review scores. I feel that's not the whole story and there's more to it than what the streets are saying. Keep in mind, I haven't completed the game yet and this serves as a preview of sorts. This is my personal opinion on the Days Gone Review scores debacle.
Straight off the race line, I'm going to say Days Gone is a pretty good game. After spending a significant amount of time with the title, I've gotten to experience its many-layered intricacies. From its stunning visual presentation, its rather interesting if somewhat predictable story to its fun gameplay loop. It's all got the trimmings to make it a pretty damn good title. So what gives with the reviewers giving it the third degree? Is this some sort of Revenge against the Sony Machine? I don't really think so honestly. There are a few things with the game that may have counted against it during the review process.
First and most obvious is the various technical issues the game experienced before launch. Since the majority of the reviewers on the web get their game super early. It sometimes ships to them with a fair bit of bugs that might give the poor folks trying out the game a really tough time. As I've gotten my hands on the game at launch, all of these bugs were ironed out by then. With a number of updates being dropped very regularly. At the time of writing, we're at Version 1.08. The experience now is super smooth with no real issues to speak of. It's feeling like a polished product right now so no complaints from me there. One thing that is annoying though is the voice acting at times. Deacon would be busy with stealth traversal and yet the acting sounds like he's screaming. That pulls you a bit out of the game making you think, Stop making so much damn noise. Honestly, I think it's more a technical mismatch as this isn't always the case. Perhaps the lines were recorded multiple times with multiple tones and the wrong recording gets played at times. This is just speculation on my part. As I said, this isn't always the case.
Another major complaint is that the game is a generic zombie game. This cannot be further from the truth. What sets this game apart is that the "zombies" or Freakers as they're called, are actually living people. The story goes into detail and it actually adds up. Even the character, Deacon, has been called boring and unlikable, generic. But the more time you spend with the character the more his motivations are exposed. Giving him depth and even relatable to some extent. He goes through hell to help out his best friend, Boozer and is constantly getting into trouble for helping others out. I like the character and I like where the story is going right now. It's a bit predictable at times but it's miles ahead of the barely there Story presented in State of Decay 2.
What really stands out in the game is its actual gameplay loop. The mechanics are very well tuned and fit the world that they've created. The Freakers don't take much to put down in terms of firepower (they're malnutrition-infected-humans after all), but they're fast. Really fast and can overrun you quickly if you're not careful. Stealth sometimes is your best friend. It's a very harsh world and it's all about survival, scavenging bits and bobs to fashion equipment and weapons. It's all really great fun. And you're not going to get far without your trusty bike. Especially when you have the signature horde right on your tale in the beautifully detailed open world. These guys are on you in the hundreds on screen and form part of the intense survival action that I love so much.
Add to that the above mentioned gorgeous visuals and you have the basis of a potentially great game. It's not perfect by all means but it's far better than what is currently being publicised by the media. I'm having a really great time with the game and can't wait to finish it so I can put my own review to paper. So take what you've read with a pinch of cynical salt. But that's just my two cents anyway.


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Yes. It's that time of the year again.
Metro Vancouver's 2019 annual lawn watering regulations came into effect recently. In case we get a long, hot and dry summer, these restrictions will ensure that our drinking water supply will be adequate to see us through this period.
We are currently in Stage One of Metro's Drinking Water Conservation Plan, which will remain in effect until October 15. Residents across the Lower Mainland will be able to water their lawns two mornings per week, while trees, flowers and shrubs can be watered any day from 4am to 9am only with the use of a sprinkler.
Malcolm Brodie, who is the current Chair of Metro Vancouver's Water Committee stated in a press release that "Lawn watering regulations have resulted in significant reductions in peak summer water demand and we encourage people to continue respecting these seasonal regulations, especially as we experience hotter and drier summers."
Survey data collected last month from the Capilano Seymour and Coquitlam watersheds revealed that snowpack levels are slightly low for this time of the year. But reservoir levels are still expected to reach 100 per cent by early summer.
"Long range climate projections show that our region can expect more than double the number of summer days above 25 degrees in the future.," Brodie stated. According to the Metro Vancouver website, the region's demand for water remains relatively stable, despite an increase in population.
If you are looking to purchase a home in this highly buyer's market, we have a number of excellent properties available on our website. Call us on 604 913 1000 or contact us by email.


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Regional Reviews: Boston
Regional Reviews by Sarah Chantal Parro
Top Girls
The play focuses on Marlene, a strong-headed, acerbic, and incredibly ambitious young woman who has just been promoted at the London employment agency where she works, but it's revealed later on that her professional success has required personal sacrifice. In the first act, Marlene throws a dinner party to celebrate her promotion, and Churchill's surrealist tendencies come through as Marlene's guests arrive: each one is an historical or fictional woman from a different background and time period, and they have all suffered to achieve some goal. There's Pope Joan, played by Gillian Mackay-Smith, who has lived her life as a man in order to pursue an education and, ultimately, the papacy, although her story ends tragically when her deception is revealed. Mackay-Smith has previously appeared in productions from Fresh Ink Theatre Company and The Footlight Club. She skillfully captures both the passionate high-mindedness and unexpected humor of Pope Joan. Also among Marlene's guests is Isabella Bird, an outspoken and somewhat brash Victorian-era explorer (inspired by an historical figure) who talks of her world travels. Caroline Price rises to the occasion and plays Isabella with vivacity and a fantastic Scottish accent. Price is an artistic associate with Boston Actors Theater, and she previously received a 2013 IRNE Best Actress nomination for her performance in Paper City Phoenix.
The entire first act begins to feel like a bizarre dream as the women, each speaking in a different accent, continually talk over each other or break off into separate conversations. It is at times impossible to follow all of the dialogue. The chaos is controlled, however; the actresses (impressively) never miss a cue and their accents are strong, a testament to dialect coach Crystal Lisbon. While the entire act takes place in a single restaurant setting, director Liz Fenstermaker's blocking keeps the performers active and the lighting provides focus and transition when needed, at times dimming to spotlight a single character and then brightening again to illuminate the entire stage. These elements, combined with Churchill's continual oscillation between dialogue and monologue, provide a sense of flow and movement.
The second and third acts follow a somewhat more conventional format as Marlene interacts with female coworkers, her estranged sister Joyce (played by Janelle Mills), and her childish and sometimes manic teenage niece Angie (played by Catherine Buxton).
Courtland Jones is a fantastic Marlene. Her bold, red hair and low, clear voice lend themselves well to Marlene's powerful persona: Picture a cross between Joan from "Mad Men" and Amy Pond from "Doctor Who." Of course, it's Jones' talent that brings Marlene to life; she is an M.F.A. graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design and has previously performed with The Longwood Players (Rock and Roll) and Apollinaire Theatre Company (Caucasian Chalk Circle). For Top Girls, Jones has mined the depths of Marlene and found a way to portray her strengthspassion, ambition, and a will to surviveand weaknessesher suppression of her emotions and her inability (or lack of desire) to maintain a healthy family life. Jones plays Marlene with great spirit and finesse, and it's truly enjoyable to watch her work onstage.
Mills, a founding member of Exquisite Corps Theatre Company and who has performed with many area theatres, including Vaquero Playground, Lyric Stage, and Stoneham Theatre, truly excels as Marlene's deeply troubled sister Joyce. Mills brings out the humanity and complexity of her character, a woman simultaneously motivated by a sense of duty and bitter about where that duty has gotten her. Buxton, a Sociology and Drama graduate of Vassar College, masterfully plays Angie, oscillating with skill between her character's two extremes: childish tantrums and timidity and physically violent outbursts.
Caryl Churchill's Top Girls runs through April 27, 2014, at the Boston Center for the Arts Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116. Tickets are $18 purchased in advance or $23 on the day of the show. For tickets and performance details visit badhabitproductions.org.- Sarah Chantal Parro


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June 2018 Volume 52 Number 6
What do architectural sheet metal contractors do when a project comes along, and they have the craftspersons, but they need to immediately increase specific skills levels to install certain types of metal wall paneling? Where do SMACNA architectural sheet metal contractors turn?
They call-in the Strike Force training instructors of the International Training Institute (ITI).
"Today's wall and roofing assemblies are much more sophisticated and complex, and are typically designed as a system, not just individual components," said the ITI's Daniel McCallum, who leads the Strike Force training program. With 30 years of experience in architectural sheet metal work and business ownership experience, McCallum says he "understands systems and what our members need for training."
"Strike Force training can be used to deliver tailored training for various types of architectural wall/roof systems," he said. "The objective of this type of tailored training is to increase the individual's knowledge base of a skilled worker and develop new skill sets and new techniques for existing skills so workers are more knowledgeable, effective, and efficient on the project."
Strike Force training includes metal composite material (MCM) systems, metal roofing, insulated material metal wall panel (MWP) systems, single skin MWP systems and more. Strike Force training is also available in a wide range of sheet metal applications, Page noted. ITI works with a number of manufacturers of such systems as part of its training resources.
"ITI announces its training schedule every November, but projects come up when local unions might not have training in place and no time to wait for a scheduled offering," said IT administrator James Page. "It's no different from when you have a wildfire and send in the hotshots. Strike Force training teams offer immediate mobilization versus something planned months in advance—we take it to another level."
For Strike Force training, ITI identified 11 styles of architectural work from the training materials for its 480-hour, four-year program, and pulled out topics that were specific to various manufacturers. The training materials includes drawings and mock-ups.
The Strike Force program serves immediate needs by showing contractors how to apply what they already know and use new tools or techniques. Training only takes three to four days.
"We can train a crew to put a system together in 10 to 20 hours," McCallum said. "We leave them with training, drawings, models, and an instructor."
Strike Force Training adds another resource to about 150 Joint Apprentice Training Center (JATC) schools and SMART training centers in the U.S. and Canada. The Strike Force program has "12 Strike Force instructors who travel to provide this specialty training."
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Issue Archive
May 30 - June 1, 2020
2020 June Council of Chapter Representatives
Charleston, SC
September 26 - 29, 2020
SMACNA 77th Annual Convention
Colorado Springs, CO
October 17 - 19, 2020
Planning Your Exit and Business Valuation Program
San Diego, CA
December 5 - 8, 2020
2020 December Council of Chapter Representatives
Scottsdale, AZ
January 31 - February 3, 2021
2021 Chapter Executive Institute
Maui, HI
June 5 - 8, 2021
2021 June Council of Chapter Representatives
Newport, RI
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solar plexus chakra,
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Solar Plexus Chakra ~ Manipura ~ Pillar Candle
SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA (Manipura)
Zodiac signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
The 6th Ray of "Devotion" governs this chakra. This chakra symbol connects us with the energy to "act" and is the seat of self-esteem and expressing our personal power. Our relationship to the world around us, and our beliefs about our place within it come from this the third of the seven chakras.
Self-honoring starts here. A healthy third chakra honors emotions, warmth, intellectual understanding, and self-confidence. A keen awareness of your personal power comes from this chakra. It is at this chakra that balance becomes possible through harmony between the upper three and lower three chakras.
Blocks in this chakra symbol cause fear of rejection, over sensitivity to criticism, the need to exert power over others, hot temper, demanding and blaming, judgmental attitudes, feelings of lack of recognition, aloofness, fear of something new, low energy, confusion over which direction to go, and low self-esteem. It is here we learn of self-empowerment, integrity and self-respect.
Health Issues: diabetes, hypoglycemia, gallstones, nervousness, low energy, muscle cramps, stomach problems, lumbar spine, liver disorders.
Is passive-aggressive manipulation of others something you do to get your way?
Do you feel like a victim?
Do you compensate from low self-esteem and shame based feelings by being overly responsible?
Can you follow your heart to break through blocks and fears?
Are you afraid of change?
What causes you to lose your power and why?
Do you maintain your integrity by following through on what you say?
Do you respect yourself and others too?
Transcendence of the unloving imprints of this chakra:
"Balance between intuition and intellect."


text: Fe'Zahn "Tremaine" Edmunds, aka "Maine the Train", was born May 2, 1998. As a junior at Virginia Tech, Tremaine decided it was time to take his talent to the national stage. This has proven to be a worthy decision, as he was invited to the 2018 NFL draft held in Dallas, TX. He is excited about partnering with his brothers, and having the opportunity to present himself as a positive role model for the young people in his community. As a Virginia Tech Hokie, Tremaine was named an All-American Linebacker, All-Conference Linebacker, was a recipient of the Douglas McArthur award, and a Finalist for the Linebacker Butkus Award. Tremaine is an example of how hard work pays off. He believes "iron sharpens iron," and takes seriously the need to prepare today for the challenges of tomorrow. While he is, in fact, the youngest, Tremaine understands the importance of setting high goals and never quitting until they have been reached!


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Full Service Dog Boarding
Hipster Hounds play hard during the day, so at night they need a place to renew mind, body and spirit. At The Hipster Hound, our private dog boarding kennels are quiet and comfortable, to ensure your Hipster Hound settles in for a cozy night's sleep.
What You Can Expect
Our Hipster Hounds start the morning with a potty break and play time, followed up with breakfast in a private suite. After breakfast, they move to their individual play groups where they spend the rest of the day playing with their friends. While you're away, you can be sure they're having just as much fun (or more!) than you are. At the end of the day, dinner is served to our guests in their private kennel. Hipster Hounds are always fed separately.
Fur guests enjoy all-day free play daycare and at night, they get tucked in, to individual dog boarding kennels for a sound, safe sleep. Our overnight guests have a full range of boarding options. Whether they stay in our standard dog boarding kennels or in one of our private family suites (details below), each pup has his or her own space for sleep and rest. We want The Hipster Hound to be your dog's home away from home. If your hound has a favorite bed or stuffed toy that helps them sleep, we encourage you to bring it to make their stay more comfortable.
To help ensure your pup's continued comfort and health, we clean and sanitize daily. Most importantly, your dog is monitored with cameras that are linked to security services at night. Our pet boarding facilities are always immaculate. We will give your Hipster Hound any needed medications at no additional charge. We don't believe you should have to pay extra to keep your dog healthy.
If we feel a dog needs to be in a private play yard or one is requested by the owner, there will be a $10 per day upcharge for daycare and boarding.
To help make your pet's stay more comfortable and feel more like home, we ask parents to bring their pup's personal bedding, food, treats and toys (no raw hides or balls, please). We'll take care of the rest, including food bowls. Our own house food recipe is available for $1.50 per meal.
Daycare is included in every dog boarding stay. On the last day of boarding there is a grace period until 11:30 a.m. on day of pick-up. After that, an additional daycare charge applies, NOT another night of boarding. Have multiple fur babies to board? Additional pups can be boarded in the same kennel or suite and receive a multi-pet family discount.
Want a clean pup at pick-up? We can schedule a go-home bath and/or nails so your pup is fresh and clean when it's time to leave.
To ensure we have enough space for our overnight guests, we require reservations.
Boarding Rates
Rates include doggy daycare and night charge.
|1-6 nights
|$41 per night
|7-20 nights
|$39 per night
|21+ nights
|$37 per night
Sibling rates
|1-6 nights
|$39 per night
|7-20 nights
|$37 per night
|21+ nights
|$35 per night
- Boarding dogs have to be picked-up by 11:30 a.m. Pick-up after 11:30 a.m. will be charged for a full day of daycare.
- No half day boarding prices
- Day Care packages CANNOT be used for boarding.
- Bath during daycare or boarding visit: $15
- Nail trim: $10
- $10 per day for private play yard
All in the Family
We try to keep families boarding with us together in the same family suites. This allows housemates the comfort of sleeping together just like at home. However, during extra busy boarding times, such as holidays, we can't guarantee every family will be in a suite.
Individual Hipster Hounds may stay in the larger private, family suites for an additional $15 per night, when available.
Boarding Extras
FroDog Frozen Yogurt-4oz
$3 Choose from Bark on the Beach/BoBerry/Pupkin
Frozen Primal Goat's Milk
|$3 for a 4oz cup
Frozen Peanut Butter Kongs
$5 Small or $7 Large
One on One Ball Time
$10 for 15 minutes of individual ball time with one of our team members
One on one Cuddle Time
$10 for 15 minutes of individual play or cuddle time with one of our team members
Face-time with your dog
$7 for a 5 minute Face-time session
Say Cheese Photo Sessions
$3/day Pictures/videos of your dogs playing will be sent to you on requested days
|Grooming Add-Ons
Blow Out $10, Dry Shampoo $3, Bath $15, Brush Out $5, Dry Shampoo with brush out $8, Brush Teeth $5
The Hipster Hound reserves the right to charge a portion of the boarding stay at time of booking. During extremely busy times (holidays, spring breaks, etc) The Hipster Hound will charge half of the boarding stay at time of booking. For non-holiday boarding, if cancellation occurs in writing two weeks prior to boarding start date a full refund will be given. If cancellation occurs one week prior then half of the paid amount will be refunded. If cancellation occurs three or less days or you "no show" then no refund will be given. For holiday boarding, cancellations must be made two weeks or more to get any refund. Less than two weeks for holiday boarding, The Hipster Hound reserves the right to keep the full deposit. All cancellations must be emailed in at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Child abuse and neglect in infancy can have a significant impact on the development of a child and, what is more, child abuse and neglect in infancy can influence the further life of a child. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the infancy is the starting point in the development of a child in all domains, including biological, cognitive, and psychological development.
Read More: CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
The essay written by Rebecca N. Bertalan
The essay written by Rebecca N. Bertalan conveys the idea of the author clearly concerning the use and effectiveness of survey. Nevertheless, the essay lacks real life examples, which can help readers to understand better the significance of surveys and their practical application in the research.
Read More: The essay written by Rebecca N. Bertalan
Personal statement
First of all I would like to start by saying that my name is Fadal Ali. I am from Qatar. I am twenty four years old and I am married.
I was sponsored by the Petroleum Company (Qatar Petroleum QP) to chemical engineering in Australia. In 2003 I went to Australia and did an English course and the foundation year.
Read More: Personal statement
Christology – Study Paper
Christology is one of the mainstream branches in theology which studies the nature and person of Jesus Christ . Basically, this branch of theology is very important because Jesus Christ is the key figure in the history of Christianity and his life, deeds, nature and person are extremely important for Christians worldwide.
Read More: Christology – Study Paper
Causes for Teen Pregnancies
Teenage pregnancy is a condition of pregnancy of an underage teenage girl (usually aged thirteen-nineteen years). The notion of respect to pregnant women who are not adults in the medical and legal sense differ in the world. The causes for teen pregnancies in the modern world are the in-take of drugs, the lack of sexual education, taking alcohol, sexual abuse and the lack of parents' attention, as stated in The Psychological Effects of Teenage Women During Pregnancy.
Read More: Causes for Teen Pregnancies
Prewriting for Essay
Previous experience. During my nursery, kindergarten, and primary school I took part in virtually all the social events and had a good mutual understanding with my peers. The dominant majority of tasks I was assigned to perform I fulfilled with excellent results and was always properly appreciated by my educators. I was active in my neighborhood as well and was always on good terms with my peers there too.
Read More: Prewriting for Essay
Solar power available for all to be alternative energy
The practical use of solar energy has received a sizeable spread in many countries thanks to its positive quality - renewability, nearly universal, with a full environmental cleanliness. Solar energy is a component of alternative energy, based on the direct use of sunlight to generate energy in any form. Solar power uses a renewable source of energy and it is environmentally friendly, that is not generating hazardous waste.
Read More: Solar power available for all to be alternative energy
A survey is "the collection of data from a given population for the purpose of analysis of a particular issue" (Salant & Dilman, 1994). The data received as a result of the survey may be used for various purposes: for marketing issues, for research purposes, for production and improvement purposes etc. Data for survey may be collected from the whole population (e.g. employees of a company) or from a population sample (e.g. randomly selected people in the street). The latter is called sample survey.
Read More: Surveys
Business essay
The importance of statistics for business purposes can hardly be overestimated. First of all, the statistical measurements are used to present data in standardized and meaningful format (Cowan, 1998). Secondly, statistical data may be used to study the state of affairs in a certain area, forecast future results and improve existing tendencies in business. In human resource management, statistical values may give the clues to employees' performance, motivation and indicate the fulfillment of organization's goals and mission.
Read More: Business essay
Is global warming a real problem?
Global warming is a gradual increase in the mean annual temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. In addition to raising the ocean level increase in global temperature, it will also lead to changes in the quantity and distribution of rainfall. The result may be of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, hurricanes and other fall harvest crops, and also many can species disappear. Global warming should, in all likelihood, increase the frequency and magnitude of these phenomena.
Read More: Is global warming a real problem?


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January 16, 2020 · 0 Comments
IT WAS PROBABLY no coincidence that last Monday (Jan. 13) we received an emailed news release from group known as We Need a Law calling for all the candidates to succeed Andrew Scheer as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to declare whether they are "pro-life" or "pro-choice."
After all, Monday was the opening day of the 2020 CPC leadership race, when the Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) also set the rules governing the election, including candidate requirements and fees.
"With this announcement, the Conservative Party's leadership race is officially ready to open, and it's a process designed to test the organizational abilities of our next leader," said Dan Nowlan, Co-Chair of LEOC. "It's not only your ability to fundraise, but more importantly your ability to inspire Canadians to join our party, and to do so under tight time lines similar to the pressures of an election."
As you might suspect, the We Need a Law release authors want Canada to have legislation limiting pregnant women's right to have an abortion.
As matters stand, Canada is one of the few countries in the world which lack such legislation, and the issue is being raised at a time when many U.S. states have passed legislation which bans abortions if there is any sign of a fetus's heartbeat, and some expect the Republican-dominated U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision which declared abortion bans illegal.
In last October's federal election, the leaders of Canada's two major parties happened to both be Roman Catholics, but Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Mr. Scheer clearly had opposing views on this highly controversial subject, Mr. Trudeau's stated view being that all Liberal candidates should respect the right of women to choose to end a pregnancy. While he and Mr. Scheer appeared to agree that Parliament need not return to the issue, Mr. Scheer had been on record as personally anti-abortion.
And while most observers saw the Conservatives' lack of a serious commitment to deal with climate change as the real reason the party failed to win as many seats as the Liberals, some critics of Mr. Scheer have suggested that his failure to come out as "pro choice" was just as important.
In the press release, We Need a Law said Canadians "are watching with a keen eye as candidates for leader of the Conservative Party declare their intentions. This includes pro-life Canadians who want to know what a future leader is willing to do about Canada's complete lack of abortion restrictions.
"Generally, it is assumed that this means pro-life individuals and organizations are scrutinizing each leadership hopeful for whether they are 'pro-life' or 'pro-choice', but some in the pro-life movement see it differently.
It quotes Mike Schouten, Director of We Need a Law, as saying Pro-life Conservatives "should be less concerned about whether a future leader thinks like them and more concerned about whether he or she realizes that pro-life conservatives make up an integral part of the party's base."
Noting that the pro-life movement was instrumental in Mr. Scheer's successful leadership bid, and has the potential to play a large part in the upcoming race, the release said a successful candidate "needs support from the pro-life movement. Pulling out tired lines like 'not re-opening the debate' or claiming that abortion is a 'settled issue' in Canada could be detrimental to a leadership campaign."
Would it be? We wonder.
As matters stand, we suspect that while few Canadians are "pro-abortion", ever fewer would like to see a return to criminalization of the procedure.
However, the issue continues to be clouded by several factors that could and should be dealt with by legislation.
One is a dearth of information on the extent to which lack of any laws has led to an increase in the number of abortions, given the countering effect of medicines that effectively terminate a pregnancy.
Another is the uneven access to both abortions and anti-pregnancy meds, with some provinces having few hospitals or doctors willing to perform abortions or prescribe the medications.
Perhaps in the circumstances what we really need is more active promotion of child-bearing, rather than restriction of women's choices.
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Posts Tagged 'gamification'
Reasons for Playing Chess
Chess is a rewarding but maddening game. You can build up an overwhelming position for the first 40 moves and then make a simple tactical error that lets your opponent back into the game or, in extreme and highly embarrassing cases, even win on the next move.
Interviewer: So, tell me…does throwing away a win hurt?
Curt: Yes. Yes it does.
You see golfers going crazy over their rounds, alternating between self-loathing over the short putts they missed and self-praise for the 150-yard shot that ended up a foot from the hole. I played golf occasionally for a few years and can testify to that effect. Some of my friends play 18 holes just so they can feel the satisfaction of hitting one good shot.
Some days they have to play 36 holes.
A golfer having a bad day still gets in some physical exercise. What about chess players? As with many endeavors, it depends on why you're playing in the first place. You always get to exercise your brain and look over the consequences of your moves, which keeps you sharp and might fight off the effects of aging, but what else?
If you're playing with someone who's about your own strength, you get the benefit of an equal competition and, very likely, enough wins to keep things interesting. Playing someone stronger than you helps you learn and winning every so often helps keep you going. Playing a weaker player lets you win more often and teach the game, even if only indirectly.
What's often overlooked is that chess can be a social game. If you play blitz chess, where players have to make all of their moves within three or five minutes, you can get in a lot of games and try many different types of positions. Playing a longer game lets you think more deeply, and playing without a clock lets you approach the game more casually.
You can also take time to analyze your game with your opponent. Serious players often try to identify the move where the winner got an advantage and what the loser missed. When done with a spirit of exploration and sharing, post-game analysis can be fun and helpful.
Chess as metaphor
Games have long played a part in literature, representing a competition between humans or supernatural beings. Chess features prominently in many stories. The game's intellectual nature lends itself to such depictions, with the idea being that if you can beat someone else at chess, you are the better man.
Other games, both real and invented, serve similar roles. For me, the best example is the game Azad from Iain M. Banks' book The Player of Games. The game of Azad is a vast undertaking, with high-level matches often taking a month to play. There are several boards, a combination of team and individual play, and so many pieces as to nearly defy description.
In the story, the game was developed as a metaphor for the structure and values of the Empire of Azad. It was part pastime and part civil service exam. The Azadian home world held a tournament every so often, with the winner crowned emperor. The better you did in the tournament, the higher your position in the government.
The premise of the story is that another civilization, the Culture, sends its best game player to compete in the tournament. Banks was known for a political bent to his stories; The Player of Games is no exception. On its surface a simple diplomatic exchange, our player's participation and continued success brings the conflict between the two civilizations and their values into sharper relief.
It's telling that the Culture's hero only starts to play at a high level when he takes on aspects of the Empire's philosophy in his own play. Banks manages that conflict magnificently.
Chess is an abstract game with arbitrary but well-balanced rules that allow for a wide range of successful strategies and tactics. Though it doesn't approach the (admittedly fictional) resolution of a game like Azad, it has long played a role as a metaphor for accomplishment and brilliance. As such, it provides a terrific instructional base.
Chess as a game (among many)
Chess is often called "the queen of games", at least in Western culture. The game's austere appearance, when combined with its tactical and strategic depth, provides an air of challenge and mystery.
In many ways, chess is the prototypical Western game. Strategies and tactics are direct, with little progress to be made unless you directly confront your opponent. Chess is also a perfect information game, meaning there is no element of chance. You might not know your opponent's next move, but there's nothing hiding it from you. If you didn't see what was coming, you can only blame yourself.
Although chess has increased in popularity in Asia, the traditional strategy game of Japan, China, and South Korea is go. Unlike chess, where the goal is to create a position where your opponent's king is under attack and cannot move to a safe square, go players place their stones in an attempt to surround territory on the board. Chess boards are 8 x 8, with 64 squares, and the pieces stand on the squares. In go, the board has 19 x 19 lines, with 361 intersections, and players may place a stone on any unoccupied intersection (with a few exceptions).
The complexity of go far outstrips that of chess, at least in terms of the computation required to analyze and evaluate a position. Computers have conquered humans at chess…their calculating speed and positional evaluation let them beat even the strongest carbon-based players regularly. The most advanced go programs can only beat top professionals if they are given a substantial head start. That said, the gap is closing.
I said that chess is the prototypical Western game, but it's mostly thought of as a European (and even more specifically, Russian) game. In America, the game of choice is poker. Poker is a gambling game, with a significant element of chance involved. You can do everything right but still lose if your opponent decides to fight the odds and draws the cards they need. Ironically, the better you play, the more of these "bad beat" stories you'll have to tell. If you're always in the lead, the luck of the draw means you will get chased down on occasion.
I hope I don't sound bitter. But I am.
Do the Russians play chess, the Chinese play go, and the Americans play poker? If you look at our cultures and practices, you'll see there's a fair amount of truth to that statement. How well that metaphor translates to actionable intelligence is debatable, but it's an interesting way to start a conversation.
Chess and Motivation
To paraphrase the Great Oz, "I'm a good man, but a very bad chess player." I can beat almost any non-serious player in a casual game, but I'm in the lower half of those of us who pay to play on the Internet Chess Server.
And yet, even though I lose a lot more than I'd like to, I enjoy the game immensely. In some sense, I like the idea of being a chess player…there's a certain nerdy caché to the game that fits my personality. I also enjoy my occasional successes (I wouldn't call them brilliancies) where I've seen just a bit farther or evaluated a position more accurately than my opponent.
My rating, the number that indicates my relative strength as compared to my fellow competitors, swings up and down within a range that runs from kind of impressive to "maybe I should go back to Candyland." Sometimes I feel strong, like I'm concentrating well and see the outcomes of move sequences, while at other times I make the first move I see and hope I get lucky. I'm not sure why my concentration varies so much, but it's an interesting phenomenon.
So why, if I'm not a very good serious (or even semi-serious) player, do I keep playing? What are the psychic benefits I get from banging my head against 32 pieces and 64 squares? Sure, the game's fun in and of itself, but what specifically keeps me coming back?
I'll address these questions in more detail in my forthcoming series of posts, but I'll start out with a note on what my motivation is not. A friend once said, when I was furious at myself for a series of embarrassing losses, "It would be a shame for you to give up the game after you've put so much into it."
She was right in a way, but her statement is an example of the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy says that the investment (of money, or time, or whatever) you've made in an endeavor should affect future decisions. In fact, if you have no way of reclaiming the money or time you've invested in something, those "expenses" should in no way affect your future decisions. All you should care about is whether future investments are worth the cost.
I keep playing, so I obviously must think it's worth my effort to continue. Chess is a rich game, after all, one that rewards its players for their efforts beyond rating points or games won. I look forward to examining it more closely.
The National Coin Flip Lottery
On January 23, 2014, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a paper citing income inequality as a threat to economic security in developed and developing countries. In part, they found that:
- Income inequality has increased in both advanced and developing economies in recent decades.
- There is growing evidence that high income inequality can be detrimental to achieving macroeconomic stability and growth.
- Fiscal policy is the primary tool for governments to affect income distribution.
Unfortunately, the IMF declined to offer a solution, stating that "[t]his paper does not advocate any particular redistributive goal or policy instrument for fiscal redistribution."
That's where I come in.
Gettin' Rich Ain't Easy
Warren Buffett once remarked that if a person won $1 million flipping coins, he could sell a book entitled How to Make One Million Dollars Flipping Coins. His point is that some investors, regardless of how unskilled they are, will get lucky every now and then. We should not attribute everyone's gains to great skill.
That said, there is a general pattern we can follow. People get rich by combining two abilities: making money and keeping money. The problem is that when you keep money it doesn't flow through the system. Trickle-down economics in an age of hyper efficiency doesn't work as well as it might. What we need is a low-impact system for wealth redistribution.
In the interest of creating up to 334 new millionaires every day, I propose a National Coin Flip Lottery. All 350 million Americans, regardless of age or income, must contribute one dollar per day to the lottery. We all need car insurance if we want to drive and we all need health insurance if we want to live, so this slight imposition is little more than an annoyance. If you have a Social Security number, you have to pony up.
Every morning at 5 AM Eastern time, a computer divides the database of American citizens into two groups: Heads and Tails. A representative flips a coin, probably a virtual coin because quarters come up heads slightly more often than tails, and eliminates the losers. The computer then randomly re-divides the population into halves and continues until we have 334 winners. That's correct: after just 20 flips we will have 334 lucky millionaires.
The system collects $350 million every day, but the excess can fund lottery operations, reduce the national debt, and support a special lottery held every February 29. Let's say we hold back $1 million of the $16 million excess from each drawing. There are 1,460 days between leap days, so we could give away enough money to create 1,460 new millionaires on that day alone.
Supporting the Public Interest
Just think about the positive social impact that creating 334 new millionaires every day could have on society. Yes, the less socially responsible winners would just blow their newfound riches and hope to win again, but quite a few of the lucky individuals will redistribute the wealth among their family and community. That level of liquidity would free up small-scale investments, provide competitive pressure for traditional lending institutions, and relieve poverty for a small percentage of the population every day.
It would be cruel for citizens to win 19 straight coin tosses and lose when they are on the cusp of being a millionaire. Therefore, I propose that individuals may enter a preference to split their prize at the $32,768 level or higher. If two individuals who are willing to split meet at a given level, they both automatically get the prize.
Given the raging expansion of gambling across the United States, with the quaint exceptions of Hawaii and Utah, this modest proposal fits comfortably into the American zeitgeist. Next February 29, join me in celebrating our new national holiday: Millionaires Day!
Review of The Humor Code
Title: The Humor Code
Authors: Peter McGraw and Joel Warner
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copyright: 2014
Length: 256
Price: $26.00
Rating: 93%
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book through the NetGalley service.
The Humor Code, written by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner, traces the pair's global journey to investigate McGraw's "Benign Violation" theory of humor. McGraw is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and the founder of the Humor Research Lab (HuRL). Warner is a professional journalist. Neither he nor McGraw had any significant performance experience, but they did have a taste for adventure that took them to some complex and potentially dangerous locales, such as remote Tanzania, Palestine, and Los Angeles. Neither author shied away from jumping into an unheated Peruvian military cargo plane with a load of clowns.
No, really—a planeload of clowns. More on that later.
Not Off to a Promising Start
When we first meet our heroes the Professor, sporting his signature sweater vest, is about to do a few minutes at a stand-up open mic night. The bad news is that the crowd is known to be tough and they're expecting anatomy jokes. You probably won't be surprised that the guy with the Ph. D. bombed in that environment. This expected and very forgivable failure is brought into sharper relief when you realize that the goal of the exercise is to help prepare McGraw for an appearance at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
Comedy is hard. Social interactions with comedians are exceptionally hard. A few pages after the introduction, the authors related how they took the wrong approach to their backstage meeting with Louis C. K. The comedian probably expected academic or thoughtful questions, but McGraw went straight for the anatomy joke, which probably conjured up bad fan interactions and led to an early exit. They were better than most amateurs in that they seemed to understand they'd crossed a line and it was time to leave, but what they didn't get at that point in the narrative was the vulnerability required to step on stage and do Louis C. K.'s material. You have to be in the proper emotional place to get there as a performer; two guys interviewing a hungry comedian before a show and going all awkward fanboy will kill the mood immediately.
Theory of the Benign Violation
The given circumstances of the book are the authors' attempts to investigate McGraw's theory of the Benign Violation. I first learned about the theory from McGraw's guest lecture for Dan Ariely's online course A Beginner's Guide to Irrational Behavior, presented through Coursera. The basic idea is that humor requires a certain level of discomfort. In this construct, a statement or concept can be:
Benign, which means minimal or no discomfort;
Violation, which maximizes discomfort by challenging deep convictions or evoking disgust;
Benign Violation, which involves enough discomfort to throw the listener off balance, but not enough to disgust or challenge deeply held beliefs.
McGraw argues that, once the listener is uncentered but not overly offended, the comedian can use exaggeration or another technique to twist the reality and generate laughter. It's an eminently reasonable take on comedy in the English-speaking world, but the question is how well it would hold up internationally. Part of the answer could come from determining why people laugh in the first place.
Why Do We Laugh?
Nobody knows.
The Journey
To start, the authors sampled dishes from the U.S. comedy scene, including stand-up performances and an improvisational comedy workshop with an Upright Citizens Brigade teacher in L.A. I've been a professional improviser since 1993 (and, like McGraw, failed horribly at stand-up) and agree with the authors that stand-up and improv are two different worlds. Stand-up comedians go on stage by themselves and (mostly) deliver prepared material, but improvisers usually perform as part of a group, don't have to carry the load themselves, and ego-involve the audience by using their suggestions.
As the authors note, improv classes often attract serial workshoppers who might have no hope of performing due to job or family demands or a debilitating lack of funny, but who enjoy the social experience:
Our UCB class lasts for hours, but the time flies. Improv is play, and it's a lot of fun. Afterward, at a nearby coffee shop, the students seem ready to do it all again. "I love using another person to succeed or fail on stage," one of them tells us. "It's freeing," says another. "It's like therapy-light," raves a third.
It's not at all uncommon for participants in an improv workshop to go out for drinks afterward. I've certainly benefitted from the social aspects of improv and hope to do so for many more years.
From Boulder, L.A., and New York they went on to destinations including Japan, Scandinavia, Tanzania, and Peru. That last destination cast McGraw and Warner as clowns on a team led by Hunter "Patch" Adams (made famous by the movie starring Robin Williams). The team's mission is to bring relief to a village in the Peruvian Amazon. McGraw started as a clown but transitioned to the role of civilian guide and overseer, as befitting his experience as an impartial observer of humor. Warner, the journalist, dug into his role as a clown…he is told and personally discovers that, when you put on the nose, you have permission to "go insane" in the sense that you become someone else.
That sentiment, of losing oneself in your clown character, echoes the thoughts of Keith Johnstone. Johnstone founded the Loose Moose Theatre in Calgary and invented Theatre Sports (the inspiration for ComedySportz, the organization I've performed with since 1996). In his classic book Impro, he described mask work as an opportunity to lose yourself in another entity. The pull can be so strong that everyone must agree to take their masks off when directed to do so. It's a powerful technique and should not be attempted by beginners.
The Book as a Book
I enjoyed the progressive narrative, which chronicled the authors' experiences and worked McGraw's theories into the story's flow. This approach stands in contrast to other recent participatory journalism titles I've reviewed, which alternate between the author's experiences and history or theory. For example, Tower of Babel alternates between chapters about extreme language learners of the present day and the history of an Italian priest who was famous for his linguistic skills. Similarly, Moonwalking with Einstein alternates between the author's preparation for and participation in the U.S. national memory competition and the history and practice of memorization. There's nothing wrong with either framework, but I personally enjoyed a break from the strict alternating chapter approach.
I also appreciated the authors' journey as human beings. Their work as part of the clown mission to the Amazon village came at the end of the arc that started in the developed world, continued through developing Africa, and ended in a subsistence-level community. Though they never explicitly stated that they understood at a visceral level where they'd gone wrong with Louis C. K., I bet they knew.
At the end of The Humor Code, McGraw goes on stage in Montreal and doesn't bomb. I'll leave the specifics of his solution as a surprise for when you read the book, but as a nerd who does comedy I appreciated how he solved the problem of presenting at a comedy festival without being an experienced comedian. Highly recommended.
Curtis Frye is the editor of Technology and Society Book Reviews. He is the author of more than 30 books, including Improspectives, his look at applying the principles of improv comedy to business and life. His list includes more than 20 books for Microsoft Press and O'Reilly Media; he has also created more than 20 online training courses for lynda.com. In addition to his writing, Curt is a keynote speaker and entertainer. You can find more information about him at www.curtisfrye.com and follow him as @curtisfrye on Twitter.
Review: Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating
In addition to blogging here, writing books, and creating online training courses, I'm also the editor and lead reviewer for Technology and Society Book Reviews. Here's my most recent review.
Title: Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating
Author: Paul Oyer
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Copyright: 2014
Length: 256
Price: $25.00
Rating: 89%
I purchased this book for personal use.
Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating, written by Paul Oyer and published by Harvard Business Review Press, takes a friendly approach to teaching basic economic concepts. The book covers topics including search, signalling, selection, and network externalities, in an approachable and personal manner. Oyer tells the tale through his own experiences in online dating. As someone who met his wife through online dating, I found myself rooting for the balding economist trying to find love while going through an unhurried divorce.
Light-Hearted, but not Lightweight
Paul Oyer is a professor of economics at the Stanford graduate school of business, so he is used to explaining economics to graduate students. It's not a simple undertaking to translate that knowledge into terms that can be understood by the general reader. Yes, I understand that anyone who would purchase a book published by Harvard Business Review Press is probably not your average reader, but the book's title and in the author's writing style make it clear that this is not a weighty academic tome. If you want one of those, see if you can find a copy of The Economics of Electronic Commerce by Choi, Stahl, and Whinston, which I reviewed on this site in 1998.
Online dating is an interesting process. You go to a site such as Match.com or OkCupid, fill out a profile or answer questions, and let the computer code running in the background show you who it thinks you might be compatible with. It's a combination of many economic activities: advertising, search, signaling, and network effects among many others. And, just as economics is often called the "dismal science", online dating can take on an air of despair when you've been at it for a while but haven't found anyone to spend time with.
Of course, some of this frustration can be self-inflicted. On page 12, the author cites an online dating profile published by a graduate student in China:
Never married; master's degree or more; not from Wuhan; no rural ID card; no only children; no smokers; no alcoholics; no gamblers; taller than 172 cm; more than a year of dating before marriage; sporty; parents are still together; annual salary over 50,000 yuan; between 26 and 32 years of age; willing to guarantee eating for dinners at home per week; at least two ex-girlfriends, but no more than four; no Virgos; no Capricorns.
I hate to say it, but I think the guy she's looking for is already married.
Economics and the Online World
I'd imagine that most of my readers will be familiar with at least some of the economic concepts that Oyer discusses in this book. That said, even though I have spent quite a bit of time with the popular literature discussing the economics of online commerce, I learned a few things from reading his book and was reminded of quite a few more concepts that I hadn't encountered for a while. I also like that the author summarizes the economic concepts that he discussed in each chapter with a series of takeaways at the end. He lists a key insight from economics, a valuable or important empirical finding by economists, how dating compares to the concept discussed in the chapter, and a bit of humorous dating advice that puts a button on the chapter. In the chapter on signaling, for example, he gives this dating advice: "If you want to prove you are rich, burn a big pile of money on the first date."
I enjoyed the author's take on economics through the lens of online dating. He writes in a familiar, personal style, and ties the economic concepts he wants to explain into his personal narrative seamlessly. I'm just guessing, but I bet his first draft was pretty good. His editor, Tim Sullivan, certainly helped bring the manuscript together into an enjoyable, coherent whole.
I recommend Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating to anyone who is interested in contemporary economics, either as a casual reader just digging into the subject or as a more experienced hand who would enjoy a good-natured review.
Curtis Frye is the editor of Technology and Society Book Reviews. He is the author of more than 30 books, including Improspectives, his look at applying the principles of improv comedy to business and life. His list includes more than 20 books for Microsoft Press and O'Reilly Media; he has also created over twenty online training courses for lynda.com. In addition to his writing, Curt is a keynote speaker and entertainer. You can find more information about him at www.curtisfrye.com.


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The vines in Elaine's arbor have been growing at a fantastic rate. They've wound themselves entirely around the crib railing -- as I hoped they would -- but, then they took off, creeping along the ceiling and floor. In fact, they're threatening to take over and decorate the entire house. I can think of worse things than a house completely clothed in grape vines, but it's still kind of surreal.
Anyway, I figure I must have picked out some kind of unusual variety of grape, since grapes don't usually act like this. I've been trying to do some research into what kind of plants usually behave in this surreal fashion, and I happened upon this great book: A Field Guide to Surreal Botany. It hasn't helped me figure out what's going on with this grape vine at all, but there are some other fascinating plants in there that I might want to check out and add to my green menagerie.
The Thuringian Shade-tree and Time Cactus are two of my favorites, but I think they'd both be a little dangerous with a young 'un around. The Kitty Willow and Avian Trumpetflower, however, would make beautiful and highly entertaining additions to anyone's garden.
And those are just a few of the amazing plants I learned about from this great book!
Friday, August 15, 2008
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Many people across the country are experiencing a labor shortage. Unemployment in many cities is at an all-time low. There is pressure in new competition as more and more facilities are constructed, and rising wage pressures. When it comes to positions in warehouses and distribution centers, there are some additional challenges that we all face in getting employees for both hours and management positions. However, one thing to consider is that many companies have policies that may be contributing to their shortages of employees.
Are These Companies Creating Or Exacerbating Their Own Labor Challenges?
Companies need to evaluate traditional HR and hiring practices that have served companies well for decades. The new reality of today's employees makes some of those policies outdated. When it comes to hourly employees, we hear more and more that schedule flexibility is high on an employee priority list.
Does your company offer part-time work, either by having just a few days of work per week or even a partial shift to accommodate something like school schedules?
This scheduling certainly increases the complexity of scheduling to ensure the crews have the right number of people to complete the work, but many times is a way to increase flexibility to open the door for more candidates.
Employee Engagement Programs
The other area to consider is increasing any employee engagement programs you have in place.
- Are you providing regular feedback of performance to not only your facility leadership but also the hourly employees?
- Do they understand how they fit in the overall picture of the company goals and how they have an impact on performance?
- Is there incentive pay that aligns expectations and accomplishments with what the company finds necessary?
- What feedback mechanisms do you have? What continuous education or learning can you provide your employees to invest in them and their skills?
Hold Managers Responsible For Retention In Their Departments
That enforces the engagement process, and also helps them shape an effective employee orientation program and onboarding process. Instead of having employees just hit the floor and get to work, leaders are more engaged with these employees and can understand and provide feedback on why turnover exists in the first place.
Evaluate Your Hiring Process
Finally, companies need to evaluate hiring requirements and update appropriately. Some require high school or advanced degrees for supervisor candidates, while many seasoned warehouse managers have learned on the job. Another social change is the legalized use of marijuana. Companies need to evaluate their drug screening process to determine the best policy matched with any risks or safety issues for them. Finally, extensive background checks can sometimes limit the opportunities for those who have genuinely made mistakes in the past but are ready to contribute to society.


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By combining digital focus, tech expertise, and banking experience we enable our partners to offer various digital financial services to their end-consumer. Our Banking Platform is built in a modular way allowing partners to easily integrate through APIs and access a range of solutions, including BKYC, Digital Banking, Cards, Payments, and Lending. We also partner with trusted third parties to offer additional services e.g. FX, KYC.
solarisBank was founded in March 2016 in Berlin receiving full EU Banking License within 9 months of operating. We are now active in 7+ EU countries via passporting of the banking license and reaching over 2 million end-customers via 50+ partners. Following two successful funding rounds, solarisBank received approx. 95m EUR of funding from strategic investors such as Arvato, BBVA, Lakestar, Visa, SBI Group, ABN AMRO and FinLeap.
The Team
Our international team of 290+ colleagues combines digital focus, tech expertise, and banking experience. Whether you're a full-stack developer, banker or astronaut, if you're ready to change banking, reach out to us. We love what we do and love our team.
Tech together with Product is the agile heartbeat of the company. As engineers, we collaborate end-2-end within the company to build great products for our partners and their end customers. It is our pride to build state of the art, elegant, straightforward software and it is our professional ambition to deliver value in high quality as early as possible in a sustainable way.
solarisBank is divided in 5 business units, each of them responsible for one slice of the overall product offering. Each unit is a cross-functional team of people, from tech and product to risk and sales. Each unit contains two or more product development teams. Around the units exist functional teams that help solarisBank accelerate as a people organisation. As an Engineering Manager you'll sit at the intersection of units and functional leadership by leading one or two product development teams (depending on your seniority) with full management responsibilities.
Depending on your level of experience, your responsibilities and scope of role will change. We don't care much about fancy titles, but rather about real professional development and impact, as laid out in our learning framework. Let's figure out together how you can best bring in your expertise and contribute to our team.
As an Engineering Manager:
- You manage one or two teams of software engineers who build the products and frameworks that make our entire platform
- You own and drive overarching, impactful topics in tech and beyond to success
- You own the entire product engineering process and and ensure industry-leading engineering practices and methodologies
- You ensure on-time delivery of the product roadmap with an end-to-end view
- You are the interface between strategy and delivery. You will be working with the leadership team and translate directives to your teams as actionable tasks and deliverables.
- You grow your engineers in their craft and as people. You ensure your teams stay happy, healthy and productive
- You attract, excite and retain a team of best-in-class engineers
Who you are
- You have multiple years experience in leading cross-functional and multicultural teams
- You have a seasoned background in software engineering, agile coaching background is a plus
- Ideally you have profound experience with AWS
- You have the strong ability to prioritize for achievability, deliver on deadlines and drive closures
- You have strong organizational and communication skills in written and verbal English
- You are a mentor and role model. You lead your teams by example
- You prefer to prove your ideas by trying them out and measuring their impact
- You recognize failure as an essential component of any learning process
- You have a deep understanding of agile workflows and lean principles
- You are a proactive peer and help the growth of your team
- You are a curious, constant learner and share your learnings with others
Awesome extras
- You are active in the technical community (organizing, speaking, mentoring etc.)
- You have failed spectacularly (in business or life), stood by it and have grown because of it
What we value
- Collaboration: we put ideas before ego and leverage the expertise of our peers
- Dedication: we go the extra mile to perfect our craft
- Impact: we're a young company and you can shape our destiny from day one
- Transparency: we share our knowledge and communicate genuinely with each other
- Responsibility: we own what we do and actively seize opportunities to improve
- Flexibility: we're open-minded and see change as a chance
Our Organization:
- We are a tech company with a banking license and we change banking forever. We combine the best from the digital world with our unique tech-enabled platform banking approach.
- Take a deep breath – and get ready to grow at the speed of light: We're a young company and you can shape our destiny from day one.
- You'll join a team of experts from tech, entrepreneurship and banking. It's an exclusive combination you'll find in few places other than solarisBank.
- We're growing rapidly – and you will grow with us. We have a true hands-on mentality which creates lots of opportunities for individual growth.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary
- Learning budget for conferences, books and everything you need to grow
- Clear learning framework to support your career goals
- Flexible hours
- Possibility to work from home
You shouldn't be able to match all of this, unicorns are for fairy tales. Let's get in touch, we will support you in your growth!
At solarisBank, we are committed to nurture an inclusive environment, where all Solarians feel valued, respected and supported. We are dedicated to build a diverse workforce that reflects the diversity of our communicates. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of color, race, religion, sex, origin, disability, marital status, citizenship, or gender identity. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
To all recruitment agencies: solarisBank does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, solarisBanks' employees or any other venture in our ecosystem. solarisBank is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.
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2018 Global Security Report
Download the 2018 Trustwave Global Security Report and read it to discover:
- The top methods used to compromise corporate networks, point-of-sale-systems and e-commerce sites.
- The most common industries and geographies under attack, and the type of data being targeted.
- An actual email conversation between a "CEO Fraud" attacker and his victim.
- The median number of days between intrusion and detection for both internally detected incidents and externally detected incidents.
- How one botnet carried the weight for spam-delivered malware.
- The most frequent vulnerabilities across databases, networks, applications and other platforms.
- Details on the evolution of exploit kits and other threats, including ransomware and cryptocurrency mining.
- The most common techniques malware used to avoid detection.
- Plus, much more!


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Regular price
ADIOSEMAC is a cooperative business owned collectively by the 30 farmer families it represents. They buy beans from each of the families, process them in centralized fermentation and drying facilities, then sell the beans to Cacao Verapaz who export them to Uncommon Cacao who sell them to us. These beans are huge—nearly double the size of a typical cocoa bean—and as a result, they are more difficult to dry and ferment. The quality has constantly improved year upon year, and we are delighted to be working with every partner across the supply chain to bring you this bar.
A few things make this region especially important to us. We were one of the first craft chocolate makers to start using beans from Guatemala in the last decade or so, and we are excited that this region is now on the map of speciality cacao. Elman is this bar's the flavor profile owner, who makes chocolate in our SF Valencia Street factory. He is proud to develop a bar from his home country from a region very near the birthplace of his father. Read more about Elman and this origin on our blog.
The flavors in the bar are many, but for us, the most prominent include espresso, chocolate mousse, and toasted sesame.
Two ounces (56g)
Learn more about our cocoa beans and sugar - the region, the farms, and the producers.
All of our single-origin bars are made with just cocoa beans and sugar; no added cocoa butter, lecithin, or vanilla. Our chocolate is free of soy, dairy, eggs, and gluten, and it is made in a factory that does not process nuts.


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Spectating at the Formula 1 Grand Prix requires about two hours of walking each day; thus, a hearty breakfast is a requirement. At l'hotel Gouverneur, we have pork three ways with a mozzarella-cheese omelette.
Lunch at Circuit Gilles Villenueve is a creamy, tasty Mi-Careme from L'Isle-aux-Grues, an island in the St. Lawrence River downriver from Montreal. Mi-Careme has that distinctive taste of a cheese made with non-pasteurized cow's milk.
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Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age releases today exclusively on PS4. To celebrate the game's launch, Square Enix has released the game's launch trailer, which you can see below.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age features the unique and innovative gambit system, now updated and joined by the brand-new Zodiac Job System, which overhauls the original License Board system and gives players the ability to develop two of 12 jobs for each character. These updates, alongside the newly implemented speed mode, auto-save functionality, and shortened loading times, will allow players to experience a grand adventure that spans the world of Ivalice in an entirely fresh and improved way.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is available for $49.99. You can also pick up the game's Collector's Edition, available exclusively on the Square Enix Online Store, for $199.99. It comes with an exclusive Judge Magisters Mini Bust Set (Exclusive to Collector's Edition. Will not be sold separately.), exclusive steelbook, selection of soundtrack music, Art Card set, and original in-game soundtrack music option DLC, in addition to the base game.


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An #introduction!
I'm Gazimoff pretty much everywhere on the Internet, and have been playing MMOs and online games for nearly two decades now. I've written, youtubed and streamed too. Yes, I'm old.
I've tried most of the big names - WoW (since Vanilla), SWTOR, GW2, ESO, Tabula Rasa, LOTRO, DDO, AION, B&S, WildStar, AoC, RIFT, and more besides.
I'm currently spending most of my time in FFXIV, pushing my way to 70 in readiness for the Shadowbringers expansion. It's a huge amount of fun!
@gazimoff You aren't old! <3
@Namaslay I dunno, I'll be 40 this year!
@gazimoff So will my husband. :)
Hey hey! Sorry I missed this earlier - it's been a day.
It's a long time since I played LOTRO, so I'd have to check where I am, but I had fun with my time in it. Will check tomorrow!
MMO-focused Mastodon instance for those who love MMORPGs and online games. Dive in and help shape the chaos!


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Cameron County is pleased to announce the opening of the new All-Inclusive Playground and Park Improvements at La Esperanza Community Park-Cameron Park located at 2 100 Gregory A venue, in Brownsville, Texas. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for the 19th of April at 9:30 a.m.
In the normal course of replacing aging playground equipment, County Commissioner Alex Dominguez and Parks Director Joe E. Vega saw the need to improve the facilities for kids of all abilities. The new all-inclusive playground facility is universally designed to create a myriad of play opportunities for special needs children. The playground will provide maximum American Disability Act (ADA) accessibility and is constructed with shaded structures. This playground is the first in both the County Park System and in Brownsville. The new facility also include improvements to the existing restrooms and a new ADA Family Restroom.
The all-inclusive playground was made possible through a grant in the amount of $500,000 from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation (VBLF). The improvements to the Family ADA Restrooms were made possible through in kind donations for construction services and materials from Noble Texas Builders, Ethos Engineering, Cantu 's Plumbing Inc., Golden Concrete, Pete's Electric, and RGV Alliance. A monetary donation of $30,000 from Rodeo Dental supported improvements of the playground and restrooms. Additionally, upon request by the Park Department members and Commissioner Dominguez and his staff, the four individual Lions Clubs of Brownsville agreed to graciously donate $5,000 each for a total of$20,000 toward the development of this project and the Brownsville Independent School District Centennial Foundation donated a (12 'x 12 ') shade structure for the benefit of playground guests.
Cameron County Commissioner Pet. 2 Alex Dominguez stated, "all too often special needs children and their families are left out of the simple joys in life. This playground will provide a fun family space where all kids can play. We worked hard for this project, and hopefully, it will play an important role in helping to create an initiative for the implementation of more projects like this in the future. Thank you, Legacy Foundation and all donors for making this project a reality."
Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino stated, "the All-Inclusive Playground will allow kids, both able bodied and special needs to partake and explore the fun, educational and inclusive opportunities that this playground will offer. We hope our families will enjoy this play environment for years to come."
"The All Inclusive Playground concept is certainly a much needed program to reach more children, or people in general, for a better quality of life. The Legacy Foundation is proud to be a partner in this project" said Randy Baker, Executive Director of the Legacy Foundation.
Cameron County Parks Director Joe E. Vega stated, "This new development will allow children the opportunity to enjoy a playful experience and connect with peers of different backgrounds and abilities. This project is a great example of a public, private and non-profit partnership. Thank you to all partners for helping us improve the quality of life for all the children of Cameron County."
The playground contractor on this project is Experplay, Inc.
The ADA Family Restrooms contractor on this project is Noble Texas Builders


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See you again on Thursday, weigh in day. http://youtu.be/-xbdFurkG2E
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Day 15 (reposted)
2 comments:
Hi Joy! It says your video is private so :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 22, 2015 at 7:21 AM
I'm so happy & very proud of you 17 days today as a non smoker , I'm sure it will help when you do your races in the spring. Lifestyle changes .... I'm inspired by the new Dr. Phil book (honestly , I didn't think I would be)He mentions eating for nutrition and learning to use a different options instead of food to celebrate birthdays , Xmas etc. so I'm looking into some alternatives. Any suggestions?? .....I like both the video and the writing ..... so your choice. Hugs Mom QReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Tag Archives: kids
Christmas Games and more!
Hello everyone! Christmas is coming soon, so here we have some links for you to keep practicing your English Vocabulary having some fun! And most important, Christmasy related!
Remember to have an excellent day with your family, friends and more; As well I would recommend you to turn off your phone or put it away during the celebrations this will help you to enjoy this amazing and grateful moment with everyone. ☺
Before you continue browsing or checking the following links we would like to know What would you like as Christmas Present? ☺
What do you like the most about Christmas?
If you can get three wishes, what would they be?
Are you traveling or not? Where?
Please leave a comment, we would like to know about this!
Christmas decorations Memory game
German links for kids
- http://www.lingonetz.de/Johoho-Piraten-auf-dem-Meer
- http://www.lingonetz.de/Wir-feiern-Karneval
- http://www.lingonetz.de/ebook/#18
- http://www.lingonetz.de/Das-Eichh%C3%B6rnchen
- http://www.kindernetz.de/morgenoli/-/id=70290/zsnvs3/index.html
- http://www.kindernetz.de/tom/-/id=40242/17kd2c2/index.html
- http://www.kindernetz.de/tigerentenclub/spiel/spiele/erbsenpusten/-/id=269292/nid=269292/did=250870/pv=plain/69k3ch/index.html
- https://www.clixmix.de/
Reading is fun: "The Little Fish"
The Little Fish
Read about the adventure of the little fish, who learns a lesson to obey her elders.
Lee sobre la aventura del pequeño pececito. Da clic en la bocina para escuchar la narración. Da clic en la nota musical para cambiar de página.
World Cup Brazil 2014 – Kids learn about soccer
Learn soccer vocabulary with flashcards. Then play, take dictation and take a quiz.
Play this game to see how many football words you know in English. Can you beat the goal keeper? Good luck!
Try to learn these words of what you do in a soccer game. Click on the word to listen to the pronunciation:
And now sing along and move your arms and feet! Can you do it?
And finally, review your abilities with this great online picture book by Richard Graham @ www.GenkiEnglish.com
Grammar for kids
This is a helpful website where you can refresh your English grammar skills with lots of games, quizzes, interactive books and fun tutorials.
I'm too ill!
Siriwat isn't feeling very well. Can his dad and the doctor help him?
Bean Bag Hello
From the LearnEnglish Kids – British Council Facebook page, here's a song for children to introduce themselves. I'm going to use this at the start of term. There's a lovely worksheet that goes with it too.
My Family
- http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/familyHangman.htm
HANGMAN: Try to guess the mystery words letter by letter. Click letters that you think are in the word.
- http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/familyWordsearch.htm
WORDSEARCH: Words are hidden left to right and down. Click on the first letter of the word you've found and drag to the last. The correct word will be marked and removed from the word list.
- http://eslkidsworld.com/Interactive%20games/Vocabulary%20Games/Family/family%20members.html
FAMILY QUIZ: This game practices family vocabulary. Go ahead. Walk the Plank Game. Play Now!
- http://eng4kids.com/f/english-skills-for-kids/learning-english-conversations-for-kids.html
Listen and read the conversation.


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What is the difference between lastLogon vs lastLogonTimestamp atributes in Active Directory? These attributes contain slightly different values - pls see an example below. I am trying to determine when was the last time that this user has logged in to see if this is a stale user or active user. Seeing different values is confusing. Thanks!
Timestamp attribute is replicated, the other one is not replicated.
The difference is that lastLogonTimestamp is replicated to all Domain Controllers in your AD Forest, and lastLogon is only updated on a given local Domain Controller where login has actually happened without further replication. The catch is that local attribute is being updated each time after each login, and replicated attribute is being replicated only after certain interval (14 days by default) to save on a replication traffic. Some more detailed explanation as well as usefull PowerShell commands could be found in this article.


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Volunteer opportunities are now available, click below for more details. This year's Giant National Capital BBQ Battle, benefits the USO-Metro and the Capital Area Food Bank. Through volunteer support for the BBQ Battle has raised millions of dollars for District charities.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, please contact the BBQ Battle at email@example.com.


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Night Hike: Lone Hiker Challenge
A downloadable game
Play Now
The sun sets...
...and you find yourself completely and hopelessly lost in the middle of the forest. After stumbling around deeper and deeper into the forest, you come across a gnarly scene: a body that seems to have been ripped apart by some kind of monster!
You take note of the body and its surroundings to learn what kind of monster you might be up against. Is it covered in fur? Are the trees around the body broken and in disarray? What you learn about the monster can reveal your chances of surviving a run-in with this thing.
With nothing but survival in mind, you set off into the night, hoping you can last until morning and escape...
Welcome to Night Hike
Night Hike is a tabletop card-based game currently being designed by Ryan Stong that is played using three decks of cards, a die, two or more players, and lots of luck! This page is for a special text-based, single-player version of the game that I built to help playtest some the rules and concepts of the card game!
The official website, https://nighthike.tk, (linked above and below) contains just this single-player game right now, but it will hold more information as the game is developed. If you try it out and enjoy it or have any feedback, please let us know so we can improve the game!
Play Now
|Alamantus GameDev
|Card Game, Survival
|Horror, Text based
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.


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Enter each day, once at and as soon as at , for your likelihood to win HGTV Smart Home 2018, a stunning Lowcountry home in Palmetto Bluff. The Ocea waterproof bathroom television within the master bath bathe blends into the design of the toilet with a mirror glass finish. Customers can connect to TELEVISION techniques of their alternative and wi-fi networking allows good telephone content to be streamed seamlessly. As Julie and I raised our children, we tried to be consistent and inventive. One year we decided to read the Ebook of Mormon in Spanish as a family. Was that why the Lord called every of our youngsters who served a full-time mission to a Spanish-speaking mission? Es posible.
viii. In case of Advocate and Bar Registration Quantity possibility, Click on the Go button, to get Circumstances satisfying the given Advocate's Title or Bar Registration Number situation. Click on on the adjacent View button from the checklist, to see the Case Historical past of the respective Case. Search "H0422FH" for an inventory of featured items. The digital actuality room at HGTV Sensible Home 2018 is a high-tech escape with a Play Station four that includes connected gaming, intelligent personalization and built-in social capabilities.
ii. Facility to look the Acts from the Act listing is also supplied, because the Act Record is very lengthy. Enter a few letters of the Act Description in the Search Act box and press the Search button. Search "B0422FH" for a list of featured objects. Coated porch on the HGTV Sensible Home 2014 located in Nashville, TN. This home has painted white brick and an out of doors deck and lined porch. Browse extra spaces from HGTV Good Home 2014. Cell home parks throughout the Denver Metro area, like quite a lot of rising city areas, appear to be drying up — although, it's robust to search out information supporting that. Town of Aurora doesn't preserve it, neither does the state. Adams County, which has a bulk of the state's cell homes, knows one park closed final 12 months.
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e Plug in Hybrid can be included with the prize package deal for HGTV Good Home 2018. Cost it on the finish of the day and you'll be able to hit the road by morning. The glossy and seamless design of the CabiTV integrated TELEVISION cupboard door means you may cook up something new along with your favourite tv chef with out sacrificing counter house or the inviting feel of this elegant kitchen. They mark the onset of an $eleven.1 billion strategic plan, first announced in December, designed to improve Home Depot's online buying experience, develop its warehouse footprint to speed up deliveries, and make enhancements to its shops to help customers find items quicker and check out sooner. Recode reported in December that Home Depot had weighed an acquisition bid for the $9 billion logistics company XPO to beef up its transport and supply capabilities.
1. Select State, District and Court Complicated of the Trigger listing to be displayed. 2. Select the entry from the Court Name Choose box, which exhibits the courtroom quantity, the decide identify and the designation of the decide for displaying the Trigger record. 3. Choose the Cause checklist Date from the calendar management. 4. Enter the Captcha (the 5 digit numbers shown on the screen) within the text box provided. 5. Click on on the Civil or Legal button, to accordingly display the Civil or Prison Cause record of the chosen Courtroom and Date.


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Viewing posts tagged California
Trona Pinnacles, San Bernardino County, California
Posted by: budgettravel in California, Hikes, History, Interesting Natural Feature, United States of America 2 years, 2 months ago
If you are looking for an otherworldly landscape, this is the place for you. A skyline made up of about 500 tall tufa spires dotted the barren landscape as we walked in an ancient dry lakebed named Searle Lake. Searle Lake was one of many lakes filled with glacial meltwater connecting the Sierra Nevada to Death Valley as glaciers melted from the Sierra Nevada mountain range. According to one of the information boards, half of all of earth's minerals are found on this lake bed, one of which is trona, the park's namesake.
Sequoia National Park, California
Posted by: budgettravel in California, Hikes, Interesting Natural Feature, United States of America 2 years, 4 months ago
Sequoia National Park
Venturing into Sequioa National Park is venturing into a land of ancient giants. As we drove up Generals Highway from the south, we encountered many a giant around every corner, some as part of a family of giants, others as lone giants. We couldn't wait to park and start our hike once we reached the Giant Forest Museum. Luckily, there were many trails for us to stand in awe of these trees as old as 3200 years old. Of course, despite its name, Sequioa National Park is not just about giant sequoias. We managed a trail or two into different environments as well, walking through snow to reach a mirroring subalpine lake, and walking through dry foothills to a cascading waterfalls over marble rock.
Sierra Buttes and Sardine Lake, Lakes Basin, California
Posted by: budgettravel in California, Hikes, Interesting Natural Feature, United States of America 2 years, 6 months ago
Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout Trail
The Sierra Buttes are a series of crags in the Lakes Basin in Northeastern California. At 8587 feet above sea level, the Buttes are the highest peaks in the Lakes Basin. The Buttes are composed of erosion-resistant rocks exploded from undersea volcanoes about 350 million years ago. Gold was mined here in the mid-to-late 1800's. In 1869, a 106 pound gold nugget was uncovered near the Buttes.
Chilnualna Falls, Wawona, Yosemite National Park, CA
Posted by: budgettravel in California, Hikes, Interesting Natural Feature, United States of America 2 years, 9 months ago
We started our May long weekend at 10am at the trailhead at Chilnualna Falls. Parking was scarce, but we managed to snag one of the last two regular spots, lots more for creative parkers. Parking area and some of the road in was dirt/packed gravel with potholes, though our low clearance 2WD sedan made the journey just fine. A sign indicated the presence of mountain lions. Definitely keep kids close.


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What we collect
We collect information from you when you register on our site, place an order, contact us form. When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter you're: name, e-mail address, mailing address, mobile number.
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Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:
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Beauty Journal
Is there such a thing as a safe self tan?
How far are you willing to go to get that 'gorgeous' summer glow?
Everyone loves that gorgeous summer glow but what lengths will we go to to achieve it? Are you willing to compromise your health over a 'fake tan'? Whether your tan comes out of a can, a bottle, a tube or a spray nozzle, there are a few things you may want to consider before taking a leap into the heady haze of self tanners. Remember 'not all tans are created equally'.
So, self tanning products have been around for ever, and obviously some better than others. Many commercial brands have jumped on the safe tanning/natural bandwagon producing and claiming that their products are natural all the while being laiden with a cocktail of synthetic nasties such as *dihydroxyacetone (DHA) the ingredient key ingredient that gives you the colour, *xenohormones as well as parabens, formaldehyde etc etc. This is commonly referred to as 'green washing', meaning that they advertise the so called natural ingredients to divert your attention from the additional nasties, and you walk away thinking you have got yourself a safe tanning product. They will grab you attention by using advertising terms such as 'natural tan', or 'includes natural ingredients'.
My advice is:
- Do not to take any tanning product on face value.
- Understand what is harmful and always check on the ingredients.
- Choose products that have credible certifications so you know that the product has to meet the strict guidelines.
- Choose natural or certified organic products.
- Avoid products that contain DHA or xenohormones, (unless it has appropriate certifications ie certified organic or all natural as it will be from naturally derived ingredients not synthetic and will not include hormone or endocrine disrupters such as xenohormones).
- Avoid products that contain toxins such as parabens, formaldehyde, petrochemicals, and artificial fragrances.
Why you should avoid these nasties in your tanning products?
*Dihydroxyacetone (DHA)
DHA is the chemical used in fake tans to turn the skin a darker colour. The chemically made DHA, not to be confused with docosahexaenoic acid (an essential fatty acid found in fish) which also goes by the acronym DHA, or natural forms derived from the likes of beets, has been shown in lab testing to damage and change cell DNA. This means that the risk of cancers is increased. In particular, commercial spray tans or aerosol tanning bottles have an even larger risk, as the DHA particles are not only absorbed through the skin, but also through mucous membranes (eyes and mouth) and inhaled, where the chemical can lodge in the lungs. This may increase the risk of asthma and lung cancer. These chemicals may also cause skin rashes in some. Which is actually a good thing, because it's an obvious sign that the product is toxic and you shouldn't be using it.
Are synthetic hormones which are found in plastics, car exhaust, nail polish, sunscreen, cosmetics, creams and soaps. Xenohormones can have a negative impact on endocrine issues such as endometriosis, PMS, cysts in the breasts and ovaries, hormone dis-regulation and even infertility.
Other nasties found in mainstream brands to avoid, include:
Toxins such as parabens, formaldehyde, petrochemicals, and artificial fragrances.


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Niall Aslam apparently left Love Island due to 'insecurities about his ears'.
Niall who left the Love Island villa on Tuesday after just being on the show for nine days struggled to cope with stress after years of struggling with his issues with his ears.
A source has said to the Mail Online:
'Niall left for personal reasons regarding himself only. He doesn't deal well with stress or criticism, and would hate to have situations where he's involved in conflict publicised.
'It's an emotionally stressful environment and he over worries to the point where he gets stressed.
'Before he got his ears pinned back, if anyone wasn't interested in him or made a joke he'd assume it was about his ears and put a hat on for the rest of the day just to avoid people seeing.'