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I noticed the check engine light on my car came on one day. I made an appointment to get the car checked. Now the check engine light is no longer on, should I just cancel the appointment? My car only has about 10k miles on it. Jon
Hi Jon,
I'm of two minds on this subject. First thing to know in general, is that just because the light on the dashboard is off doesn't mean that the problem is gone, it can be stored in the vehicle's computer. My other mind says that a car with 10K on it shouldn't be having an issue, (of course that's in a perfect world, we all know that they can and do have problems). Most of the time on a car that age it's probably a simple gas cap issue (as in, someone didn't tighten it correctly…..). My suggestion would be instead of schlepping to the dealer (even when it's under warranty and therefore free it can still be an ordeal), just go to one of those mass market auto parts stores that check it for free.
Simple, easy, done, no stress.
Questions: email@example.com


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Sarah was treated by her mom Donna to an amazing long weekend in Manhattan to celebrate her Sweet 16! Complete with two makeovers, a trip to Michael Kors, a splurge at Tiffany's, lunch at the Plaza, Lion King and The Book of Mormon and to end it all, a session with ME! So honored to be a part of such a special weekend and I wanted to surprise her tonight with one quick sneak before she heads back to Dallas, Texas tomorrow!
Local girls…..this would be an amazing way to capture your senior year in high school either alone or with a few friends!!!
It was a pleasure Sarah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and I will be sure to share more shortly! Donna, you're the BEST!!!
xo Dawn

subset: commoncrawl


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There's so much loss, and so much pain, Oh, please God, show Your face again! You dwell up far, in vast, blue skies; So how can You hear lonely cries, And muffled screams, and unshed tears? Will you redeem our wasted years? God, when I finally break and cry, I call Your Name in Heaven … Continue reading Face Me Under Your Rainbow
Category: Poetry
My Winter Rainbow
As my pen flows with the ink of Wintery Blues It finally dries up, exhausted. But then, she's there: The Silver Lining; Darkness, then Light, My Winter Rainbow! Hope now floods parchment. Sun peeks through bleakness. I run outside to soak in its presence; Vibrant colors outshine sunlit trees which dance, delighted. … Continue reading My Winter Rainbow
Boys at War… a Memorial Day Tribute
Many situations are honorable and admirable, but there is still nothing comparable to literally putting one's life on the line, in order for other people to live in freedom. It's important to remember the brave American soldiers who sacrificed their lives for us. They are an exemplary example of what it means to have lived … Continue reading Boys at War… a Memorial Day Tribute
Blue Moon Beauty… Blood, Fire, and Billows of Smoke
BLUE MOON BEAUTY Blue Moon, you are beautiful. Yet I worship you not. For my God created you, Your blood drips at His command. Bold sun, you warm the earth. Yet I worship you not. For my God is your Creator, Your fire is ice in His hands. Green earth, you feed us. Yet, I … Continue reading Blue Moon Beauty… Blood, Fire, and Billows of Smoke
Winter Sunset's Slice of Moon
Winter Sunset's Slice of Moon I gaze up into God's great sky; Right now it's just my Lord and I. With winter sunset's slice of moon, Please hurry, Jesus, come back soon. It's fiery red behind the woods; Out here, I find no shoulds or coulds. There's just a vast expanse of space; I'm so … Continue reading Winter Sunset's Slice of Moon
We Have Nothing to Eat, and No Shoes on Our Feet; Will You Lend Us a Hand When a Flood Drowns Our Street?
Just please open the inn, For we're cold, and wet men; Moms are saving their kids, And we're looking for kin! Won't you give us a bite, Let us stay for the night? So we won't be alone When the morning turns bright? We can't stop the shiver, Each voice has a quiver; Our homes … Continue reading We Have Nothing to Eat, and No Shoes on Our Feet; Will You Lend Us a Hand When a Flood Drowns Our Street?
God, Eclipse My Heart
God, Eclipse My Heart My God, You are The Almighty! You hold the sun in the sky, You make the moon move on by. The earth is in your hands, And all of us in it! Oh Holy God, You are The Creator, You align the planets in space, Everything perfectly in place. I praise … Continue reading God, Eclipse My Heart
Ferris Wheel Fun
Ferris Wheel Fun Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel, All lit up at night, Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel, Fills me with delight! Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel, Time to step inside, Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel, It's my favorite ride! Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel, High up in the air, Ferris wheel, Ferris wheel, Good thing God's up … Continue reading Ferris Wheel Fun
Boys at War… a Welcome Home Poem
I wrote this poem in 2003. So many U.S. Soldiers, both men and women, were leaving for Iraq, to fight in a war while the rest of us lived our lives in comfort and peace. My friend's son was one of the soldiers who fought in Iraq. I presented her with a copy of this … Continue reading Boys at War… a Welcome Home Poem
Two Cocoons: a Love Poem… My Premature Twins on their Teeny Tiny Miracle Journey
Two Cocoons When I see your tiny red naked bodies clad only in diapers the size of a Kleenex, I think that nothing is more fragile, and you're just like the wings of a butterfly. While one of you cries out like a hungry kitten, the other cries out like a bleating sheep. It … Continue reading Two Cocoons: a Love Poem… My Premature Twins on their Teeny Tiny Miracle Journey


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How to become a volunteer at AFF?
Filling out the application form (available on www.americanfilmfestival.pl) and sending it to us is enough to become a volunteer. Before filling out the application, one should log in to www.americanfilmfestival.pl. Filling out and sending the form is not an automatic entitlement for a volunteer service. An acceptance decision will be taken by the festival organisers after they have familiarised themselves with all the received applications.
The dates for the start of the volunteer recruitment process:
the start: Seprember 18, noon
the end: October 6, midnight
the results: October 14, after noon
Submit an application to become a volunteer
What should one remember when filling out the application form?
Because of the very nature of the event, full availability and its exact defining is extremely important for us. That is why when filling out the form people should remember that volunteers will work in two shifts during AFF. Possible obligations at school should be taken into account.
Can a minor become a volunteer?
A minor who is 16 years old can be a volunteer; yet, they should submit a written permission from their parents or guardians.
What does volunteering at AFF look like? What are the benefits of working as a volunteer?
Volunteer's work during AFF will be a unique and interesting experience which enables volunteers to meet with many interesting film creators. Participation in the volunteering is an unforgettable occasion for young people to improve their abilities and gain new experiences thanks to their contribution in the festival. A volunteers' contribution to an efficient organisation of the festival is extremely important; the same can be said of their involvement in the contribution to a friendly atmosphere during the festival.
We need volunteers to help with the service of screening films in the Nowe Horyzonty Cinema (Kazimierz Wielkiego Str). Help is also needed as far as the festival artistic setting, service of customers and viewers, and service of Press Office and festival competition are concerned. A volunteer will work according to the established schedule in the shift system and under a guardian's direction. Volunteering rules will be precisely defined in detail in the agreement between a volunteer and the New Horizons association. In addition, the rules will be discussed during an organisation meeting which will be held before starting the volunteering work of the festival.
When does a volunteer's work start and end?
The date of the beginning of volunteer's work depends on the section in which they will work: press office (November 4-11), pass holder help desk (November 4-11), customer service office (November 4-11), viewer service in cinema (November 5-11), festival competitions service (November 5-11).
When filling out the application, we kindly request that you write what time you are available and in which section would you like to work. After receiving an acceptance of an application, volunteers will be informed about the date of the work and the scope of their duties. As volunteers of AFF you should always, everywhere care about the positive image of the festival, and help all customers and participants regardless of which section you belong to.
Does the organiser cover the expanses of a volunteer's insurance, transport, accommodation, and food?
Unfortunately, volunteers must cover their own expenses for transportation, accommodation, and food. The organiser only provides liability and accident insurance.
How to receive the volunteer certificate?
When filling out the application, please inform the Organiser about requesting a volunteer certificate. If you mark this option, a volunteer certificate will be sent to you by mail no more than two months after the ending of the festival.
All questions concerning the volunteering please send to email@example.com


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How come I have never thrown ice into the blender mix? I feel I have deprived you once again (like when I first dabbled with fruit juice in shakes). Maybe I was being sensitive of the 100-year old food processor that I used to use until I got my shiny new one? Seriously, the old one was a WEDDING PRESENT of my parents'!
Enter the Slush Puppie Shake:
So simple:
- 1/2 cup ice
- 2 Scoops Herbalife Formula 1 flavour of choice
- 200 ml milk of choice
- 1 frozen banana
- Dash of cinnamon/ squeeze of honey/ Tsp of cocoa powder/ plenty of sprinkles (all of the above)]
Blend and slurp!
Related Posts:
- Try-a da Papaya
- Mint Chocolit D-lite
- Green Cream Supreme
- Merry Berries
- Pine 'n Pepper Crush
- The Milktart shake
- The "It Can't be Real" Balanced Meal
- A Custard that can be Trusted
- Can you say Parfait?
- Date Shake Drug
- Orange You Delicious Tropical Smoothie with Papaya, Banana, and pineapple
- Nutty Monkey Herbalife Shake Smoothie with Banana and Peanut Butter
- Caramelised Banana Pancake Shake


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Two Amazing things
Yesterday when I got the mail from the mailbox, I discovered two amazing things. First, I received a check from our title company that did the closing on both the sale of our old home and the purchase of the new one. It was a check for an overage they charged us on property taxes. They made a big deal about it at closing, that we may get charged more when the taxes came due if they didn't collect enough. Then yesterday we received a check for the overage which was surprising. This came in the mail right after we had just decided to purchase something for someone else out of funds we didn't really have. So this check was triple what we spent on this other person which was amazing. Then I got a letter from Lowes, which was in regards to my Lowes card account. Turns out I have a $70+ dollar credit on my Lowes card account. This is also amazing, because I really need a hedge trimmer, which this overage will allow me to get, along with a few other small items we need for the house.
Posted on November 29, 2006, in Personal and tagged amazing, car, company, IP, old, sing, tax, trip. Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off on Two Amazing things.


text:
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text:
A passionate person steps outside their comfort zone and relies on God to help him/her make a difference in the world.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' " Mt 3:4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. Mt 3:5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Mt 3:6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. Mathew 3:1-6
Many biblical characters come to mind when I think about passion. One of the most passionate people in the Bible was John the Baptist. Obedient to God, John the Baptist preached the gospel. His platform was not an air-conditioned room, but a harsh desert. He preached the message of the coming Christ during the heat of the day. He wore simple clothes and had a desert-based diet; John the Baptist forewent a life of comfort to do the will of God. Many people went to the desert to hear his preaching, and repented and turned to God. I wondered how many of us would be willing to serve like John the Baptist. How long would be able to endure such a situation? I believe God placed John the Baptist in the Bible to inspire us to move out of our comfort zones. I do not think John the Baptist was able to live and serve in the desert by his own strength. God gave John the Baptist the grace and power to survive and preach in such harsh conditions. John the Baptism was relying on God in the desert for his provision, such as locusts and wild honey.
What if we decided to get out of our comfort zones and rely on God like John the Baptist? What if we learn to trust in God more for our provision? What if we give our lives fully to serve God and try to make a difference in our world? I believe we could make a huge impact in our world. God used one man in the desert to impact many people in his generation. God can use you and me to make a great impact in our society.
If we are to obey Jesus' Great Commission and preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, we may need to be willing to forgo our comfort zones like John the Baptist.


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OKEECHOBEE — A change in zoning to allow a Dollar General store just north of Okeechobee High School was approved at the Okeechobee County Commission Aug. 23 meeting in the Historic Okeechobee County Courthouse.
"The property is a little under 3 acres, on the east side of U.S. 441, north of Okeechobee High School, Planning Director Bill Royce told the commissioners. The applicant has also applied for a special exception to sell wine.
Although it is next to the high school property, it does mean the criteria for the separation of school from a business selling alcohol, said Mr. Royce.
"I know based on it meeting the criteria for the zoning change, I don't have a solid basis to vote against the voting change and the special exception," said Commissioner Kelly Owens.
"I just don't have a good feeling about having the sale (of alcohol) next to the high school," she said.
"It's based more I think on having been both a teacher and a police officer and knowing what potentially could happen in those situations.
"We have numerous stores of this type in our community already, and I don't have a comfort level with adding more," she added.
Commissioner Bryant Culpepper said many people who do not have transportation walk to the stores of this type.
Commissioner Bradley Goodbread said the county should support the rights of the property owner.
"I don't think we should tell the free market how many Dollar General stores or McDonald's we should have," said Commissioner Goodbread.
County Attorney John Cassels said the package sale of beer is determined by state law and all grocery stores are allowed to sell beer. The special exception is to also allow the sale of wine at this store, he explained.


text:
Read the original article here.
Agencies now deal with larger volumes of content than ever before which can make relevant information difficult to locate. Agencies are also doing more business around the world, employee attrition rates are increasing, file types are evolving, and agency personnel are more mobile. In addition, the time window for successful RFP responses continues to shrink. More than ever employees need instant access to agency content.
To get an idea of how agencies are adapting to these challenges we asked seven experts the following questions:
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
We've collected and compiled their expert advice into this guide to help any ad agency access their content effectively. See what our experts said below:
- Alexandra Wood
- Brian Cristiano
- Andrew Darling
- Brandon Bethea
- Steve Radick
- Allen Kay
- Kathy Bloomgarden
Alexandra Wood is currently the Global Product Director for Havas Worldwide, one of the largest integrated marketing communications agencies in the world. In this capacity, Alexandra leads the team that drives growth and efficiency across Havas Worldwide's global network through scalable digital product solutions. Prior to Havas Worldwide, Alexandra served in several different technology-enabled management roles, ranging from agency-side eCommerce platforms to in-house operations for a multi-billion dollar industrial supplier.
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
Saying the agencies – and by extension large organizations – are inundated with information is understatement. The sheer amount of content is overwhelming, and the constant need for newer, more relevant data only exacerbates the problem. Needless to say, the time spent wading through this sea of information costs time and impacts our bottom line.
We're tackling this issue at Havas Worldwide by putting user-friendly systems in place to help people within our organization find the information they need, when they need it. These knowledge management and collaboration tools (shout out to Docurated!) help us in two ways: first, they help us easily manage the content we already have while avoiding the traditional cataloging and tagging systems of IT ghosts past. Second, they helps us avoid the damaging duplication of efforts that comes when people simply can't find content relevant to them at any given time.
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
Our industry is finally coming to terms with the fact the we just can't force people to do what they don't want to do. Too many clicks to check out on your website? People will abandon their carts. App too difficult to understand? I'll just delete it from my phone.
This renewed focus on user centric design has led to agencies create robust practices to serve their clients' growing need for experience design expertise. And now, agencies are turning similar attention towards optimizing experiences for their internal users. If my crystal ball serves me right, agencies of the future will fully understand how creating easy-to-navigate systems that align with their users' needs impacts their competitive advantage.
Brian Cristiano is the CEO and Creative Director of BOLD Worldwide, an agency for sports, CPG and passion brands. BOLD incorporates innovative technologies to leverage its services, and prides itself on working with brands that are an extension of the agency's own passions.
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
It is paramount for agencies and clients to be on the forefront of technology and information, however becoming inundated with information and data can have a reverse effect by slowing down reaction time and marketing effectiveness. At BOLD, we use a state-of-the-art dashboard where we consolidate information and data we deem important to us and our clients. As better data becomes available we simply add it to the pipeline. This helps keep our company and clients focused on long-term goals while using these tools allows us to silence some of the noise.
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
The marketing industry as a whole will continue the consolidation of companies and services as media platforms continue to evolve, leaving only the most flexible and forward-thinking companies to rise to the top. Agencies that do not innovate will be left to close their doors. Innovation can come in many forms like: New services, better data and analytics, integration of technology and creative services.
BOLD has spent the last year intertwining technology as closely as we can to our creative process including the integration of an automated digital process to generate original and unique custom video emails. We are finding that the more we connect departments and resources the more our agency thrives as a whole.
There are a lot of fantastic agencies innovating on many different levels and I think we will see an explosion of niche services and products over the next 5-10 years. A lot of which of these services and products will piggyback off of new media platforms that arise from the tech sector.
Andrew Darling is Director of Global MArketing at TBG – a global digital agency focused on driving measurable performance from new channels. Data is at the heart of everything TBG do. By measuring tangible value, TBG's media and creative services can build the right connections, enable meaningful advocacy and move the metrics that matter to each brand's business.
TBG offers an end-to-end solution including social strategy, content creation, application builds, paid media and measurement. TBG works closely with Facebook and Twitter to develop products and services that drive tangible ROI from social media.
TBG have offices in London, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Manila
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
Depending on what you mean by 'wealth of content available'? Yes we have massive amounts of social data available to us for our social analytics and media planning purposes but this is a good thing for us. In response to the arrival of 'big data', we have built a team of developers who are focused on delivering data query engines for the social media analysts to use. We access the big data pipes from FB, Twitter etc in the usual 'firehose' way so the only way we can make meaningful use of this data is to build these query engines which enable us to rationalise this data into interpretable formats.
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
For TBG Digital, which is a full service digital agency focused on helping brands make money from new channels, the arrival of new platforms and the evolution of existing ones can only be good for us. We position ourselves as a services agency helping advertising brands make sense of new social media platforms and as a consequence, we are constantly looking at the 'next stage of the curve' I.e how will wearable connected devices impact advertising?
More broadly, we are operating in an industry where the only thing you can rely rely on is that the rate of change will get faster and faster. Therefore, the challenge for agencies like ourselves is to maintain our commitment to identifying new trends and interpreting how these will affect our clients.
Brandon is Chief Conversion Officer at Sq1. Brandon and his teams push the latest technologies in audience targeting, media optimization, creative testing and digital analytics to maximize ecommerce and retail sales.
Brandon has spent the past 15 years specifically focused on developing and expanding the Conversion Optimization practice. His previous role as Global Director of Optimization at Wunderman/WPP allowed him to build strategic marketing platforms to drive sales on a global scale. Brandon is now working to bring these world-class programs to clients of all sizes.
Throughout his career, Brandon has been an advocate of Behavioral Targeting and A/B Testing in order to methodically prove what motivates consumer behavior and drives immediate action. Brandon passionately believes in merging all forms of marketing research with the new developing tracking technologies in order to define a new type of integrated marketing platform.
His work has provided millions of dollars in incremental revenue for clients such as Verizon, Nokia, Time Warner, Dish Network, Direct Energy, Michaels, Wholly Guacamole and many more.
Brandon holds a B.A. in Marketing and holds numerous professional certifications in website analytics, multivariate testing and predictive analytics
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
With the evolution of big data technologies, marketers from all verticals and disciplines are struggling makes sense of all the new vendors and the endless amount of consumer engagement data. In order to make this data and content actionable, Sq1 has integrated several technologies and methodologies to form our S.M.A.R.T. System (Science-driven Marketing Activation & Real-Time Testing). This unique approach allows our teams to compile all data and content into a simple narrative based on the customer experience.
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
As new media technologies emerge and marketing programs adapt, the industry as a whole will quickly evolve to focus on the fully connected customer experience. It will be challenging for marketers to integrate and manage all of the various technology and service partners needed to accomplish a fully connected program. For this reason, Sq1 has built a proprietary technology integration platform called Adaptive Audience to easily evaluate, activate and optimize marketing programs.
Steve Radick is Vice President, Associate Director of Public Relations atCramer-Krasselt. Steve spent the last eight years at Booz Allen Hamilton, a huge management consulting firm where he created and implemented communications strategies for clients across the federal government. From the hallways of the Pentagon to the secure offices of the intelligence community and now to the Windy City, Steve believes in the power of technology to connect people with other people and bring the "relations" back to public relations.
Steve started and authors the Social Media Strategery blog atsteveradick.com where he blogs about social media, public relations, and leadership. In 2009, he was named one of PRNews' 15 to Watch and currently serves on the advisory boards for the SmartBrief on Social Media, and Governing people.com.
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
Agencies have always had a wealth of content. Instead of blogs, Tweets, and videos, we had books and newspapers, TV and radio. The difference now is that the barrier to entry has been lowered to practically nothing. Rather than spending the time and energy to create content that will solve a problem or add value in some way, agencies can now crank out tons of content that is distributed across multiple channels at a very low cost. Quantity has trumped quality. We've entered a content marketing arms race. In this world of 1% clickthrough rates and 2% organic reach, the agencies that help their clients focus their time and money on creating content that solves customer problems rather than maximizing likes, will be the ones that succeed.
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
You're going to continue to see a race to the edges. The larger media platforms – social and traditional – will continue to follow the money and cater more and more to big brands and agencies willing to spend the big dollars. The social networks will continue to sign $100M deals with agencies while the more mainstream media will inevitably embrace more native advertising. And, as consumers have done throughout history, they will continue to try and avoid this advertising as much as they can. As the big media platforms become more like advertising outposts, smaller niche platforms focused on a singular topic or function will flourish on the other end of the spectrum. The conversations and relationships that were once the hallmarks of Facebook and Twitter will migrate to smaller networks. Impartial editorial that was once the bastion of the mainstream media will again find a home in hyper-local blogs and niche magazines and newspapers. Well, that is, until the marketers show up there too…
Allen Kay is the founder and former CEO of Korey Kay & Partners Advertising. Allen now works as an independent consultant specializing in "Iconic Branding." Known for establishing such brands as Virgin Atlantic Airways, Wynn Resorts, Comedy Central, Stuart Weitzman and Celebrity Cruises, Allen also created the only global anti-terrorism campaign, "If you see something, say say something."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Kay,
IconicBranding_AllenKay, email@example.com. 917-699-2602.
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
Just like I tell my kids, "A place for everything and everything in it's place."
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
There is too much media proliferation already. Messages are spread too thin to be effective. Media manageability will become the watchword. LIke in all overcrowded industries there will be a shake out – lots more merging and submerging. Only the smartest and strongest will survive, making life easier for everyone.
Kathy Bloomgarden is the CEO of Ruder Finn, one of the largest global independent communications consultancies in the world. In her more than 30 years of experience, Kathy has developed communications programs to help shape reputation for a wide range of clients, including Novartis, Citi and Microsoft. Under Kathy's leadership, Ruder Finn opened one of the first global communications offices in China over 25 years ago and launched Ruder Finn Innovation Studios (RFI), one of the industry's largest dedicated digital teams. For more information, visit www.ruderfinn.com and whatsnext.ruderfinn.com.
Agencies today have a wealth of content at their disposal. How has your agency coped with the information overload?
Today's society is experiencing an explosion of information, but communications professionals can break through the clutter by understanding where consumers get their information, as well as who are the public figures and personal connections that influence them. Ruder Finn's approach leverages data and analytics that empower us to observe and target specific audiences. By understanding who we want to reach and appealing to what is personally relevant for them, we can demonstrate why a brand or product is right for the individual. Whether it's to try something new, meet needs today or fulfill aspirations, we aim to link to our audience's personal experience in way that also stimulates a viral dialogue.
As media platforms continue to evolve, what does the future hold for your industry?
From mobile platforms to Internet-based outlets and blogs, the media industry is experiencing a perpetual transformation. Today, with nearly 3 billion people globally using the Internet*, we are truly a part of a milestone moment in which the way we reach target audiences is completely changing. We must constantly disrupt ourselves and try new approaches. With so many new technologies, marketing and communications professionals will find innovative new ways to connect with audiences on behalf of brands – through new interactive platforms, connected marketing and advertising and socially-generated content. As the industry continues to place a great emphasis on content, storytelling will continue to be an important element of every meaningful campaign of the future. At Ruder Finn, we've refined and expanded our capabilities to provide socially relevant content, brand reputation and executive thought leadership platforms to drive impactful results and share our clients' stories.
*Source: International Telecommunication Union. "The World in 2014: ICT Facts and Figures."http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2014-e.pdf
Written by Cóbhan Phillipson


text:
title:Realize and know
(Make sure you set correct language to see entire article in English.)
Scriptures: Psalm 49:20
People who have wealth but lack understanding
are like the beasts that perish.
例:Save us, lest we perish.
To have realised means that what seemed like 'silver' to you in the past now seems as precious as 'gold'. To have realised also means that your perception has changed.
When I had realised, I saw correctly and came to know the fundamentals correctly.
When buying merchandise too, if you buy without realizing, you will not buy 'good merchandise', but will be happy after buying 'bad merchandise'.
In this way, if you live without realizing, you will suffer really terrible losses for your body's lifetime and for your spirit's eternity.
例:It's not logical by any means, but it's a known precept in the marketing world.
perception 認知、感知
When you realise, you must realise deeply and 'spiritually'. One woman in Bethany realized the Christ correctly. She poured her alabaster jar of perfume out and followed the Christ with correct knowledge. Upon realising Jesus properly, Peter confessed, "Lord, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
To have realised means that [you] have gained knowledge of the fundamentals 100%.
Having realized is like this: When you are taking a test, because you know it clearly, you say, "This is the answer!" are moved, and write the answer immediately.
Likewise, if you realize, you will take action immediately.
People who do not take action are people who are not in a 'state of realization'.
這段句型都蠻漂亮的,gain knowledge of the fundamentals 100%(百分之百了解根本)
People who do not take action are people who are not in a 'state of realization'.
Realise vs. Realize兩者的差異是什麼呢,其實這主要是使用的地區不同,而有的不一樣的拼字習慣,一般接觸美語、加拿大地區的人比較常使用Realize,其他英語系國家則會使用Realise
同理 realised/realized, realising/realizing, realisation/realization
把香膏倒出來(pour out)
alabaster jar玉瓶
Even a single pine tree has to be close for it to provide a 'good scent and good air', and inspire 'love' from you, since it will be before your eyes.
People, too, must be close. Then they become neighbours as close as cousins.
A field also must be close to your house. Then it will be considered to be a fertile field right in front of your house.*
No matter who one may be, whether one be small or big, the person who is nearest to the Holy Son, the Lord, is the person in the world who is as precious as gold.
Whether it be a person or creation, it must be close. Then it is more valuable. It must be close. Then you can feel it more with both your eyes and your heart.
Now that you have been enlightened, if you are close to the Holy Son, the Lord, and the person closest to Him, you will receive the blessing of being one with them in body, heart, deeds, soul, and spirit.
(문전옥답(門前沃畓) : 많은 재산을 일컫는 말.)
be enlightened 被啟發
證道話語原稿:Pastor Jung Myeong Seok


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On July 24, 2018, as part of the AGA's annual Professional Development Training, AGA and TFC Consulting, Inc. (TFC) hosted a panel discussion entitled "Agency Risk Profile: Lessons Learned and Value." The panel was dedicated to gathering insights from select agencies about their journeys through their first risk profile, including lessons learned, outcomes achieved, and value created.
This document addresses key points made during the panel discussion by Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) leaders from the public sector. Further, this paper supports the assertion that the Agency Risk Profile is an agile, appropriate tool to recognize and manage risk across an entity. Thoughtfully developed risk profiles, combined with agencies' honest dialogue pertaining to risk, lead the federal government to greater risk-enabled performance and decision-making.
The paper is organized by questions asked during the session and their corresponding answers. In an effort to mirror ERM inclusiveness regarding risk assessment, the panel encouraged the audience to join the conversation. Both the moderator and the audience posed ERM-related questions, and responses to these questions have been summarized here, for as one panelist memorably stated, "Everyone is a risk manager."
The panel was introduced and moderated by Daniella Datskovska, TFC Director, and included:
How are the President's Management Agenda (PMA) and ERM linked?
Government modernization, according to the PMA, will move away from a silo approach toward an intersection of transforming technology, data, processes, and people. Cross Agency Priority (CAP) Goals underscore the importance of strategically integrating the execution of mission. ERM will reflect the PMA's focus on integration. It will graduate from a "bolt-on" approach that separates program and risk management processes to a "built-in" method that unifies current ERM practices with an agency's operational cadence.
The ERM Framework contains seven cyclical components: Establish Context; Identify Risks; Analyze and Evaluate; Develop Alternatives; Respond to Risks; Monitor and Review; and Continuous Risk Identification and Awareness. It also includes three enterprise components: Communicate and Learn; Extended Enterprise; and Risk Environment/Context.
In addition to this ERM Framework, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) indicates the following components should be included in Agency Risk Profiles:
Although the list of expected risk profile data elements has been defined, agencies have discretion and flexibility in designing their respective risk profiles. This agile approach allows entities to tailor risk assessments that represent their organizations and reflect their own culture, risk process maturity, and specific risk prioritization methodology.
What is OMB's timeline for ERM implementation?
In Spring 2018, agencies took part in an "Integration with Strategic Reviews" phase, in which they updated risk profiles in coordination with agency Strategic Reviews. In addition, all key findings were included in the OMB-Agency Strategic Review agenda and discussion.
In Fall 2018, agencies will shift focus to an "Integration with Management Evaluation of Internal Control" phase. Organizations will present assurances on formal internal control processes for all risks included in the FY 2018 risk profile, the agency FY 2018 Annual Financial Report (AFR), or the Performance and Accountability Report (PAR).
In addition to ERM-related changes implemented in 2018, agencies must update their risk profiles at a minimum, annually.
What has been the process and lessons learned from defining agencies' first risk profile?
Through engaging discussion, panel participants shared about on-going experiences in creating and maturing their risk profiles. While ensuring conformity with OMB guidelines, agencies reported appreciating the opportunity to create profiles that properly align with their own missions and their specific risk management culture and approach. In the first year, some agencies identified ERM as integral to strategic planning and development. Risk management leaders distributed questionnaires, conducted Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analyses, and engaged Risk Management Council and subject matter experts (SMEs) to write up risk registers, or lists of risks within agencies. The risk management leaders and SMEs then scored risks on likelihood and impact. The results were generated into heatmaps, a common visualization tool, which allowed agencies to see where each risk fell within their risk universes.
In addition to plotting risks on a heatmap, agencies registered them in a risk catalog and selected key risk indicator data points to monitor risk triggers and control identified risks. All of these methods are examples of the government's initiative to strengthen ERM through customized processes. Although profile definitions differ across government, agencies agree that an effective risk profile is one that is easy for senior management to interpret and manage and one that can persuade leadership that ERM informs the strategy, goals and mission of the agency.
What was the most difficult experience of the risk profile process? Most satisfying?
The excitement of a new and improved risk assessment process brings with it both frustration and satisfaction. ERM leaders have found the most difficult part of the initial exercise is getting employees to disclose perceived risks honestly and transparently. Stakeholders and senior management at times have attempted to persuade decision-makers to prioritize certain risks rather than describe the risk process. Stakeholders who are merely interested in personal agendas do not effectively contribute to the process of creating risk profiles. In fact, they exemplify the silo approach ERM is meant to replace.
Although transparency was a hurdle in the risk profile definition process, it was also used in the most satisfying part of the new program, which panelists agreed was the chance to sit down and have an honest discussion about risk, how it is managed now, and what must be done to help an organization prepare for risk in the future. When agency entities agree to work together to assess and manage common risks, the process can prove to be a rewarding and valuable exercise.
Once the risk profile was developed, how was it shared with GAO, OIG and OMB?
The 2016 release of OMB's updates to the A-123 program took longer than expected. OMB cites challenges in defining the role of OIG and integrating their involvement. Multiple paragraphs of the A-123 revision were dedicated to this topic. Although OMB's involvement has been defined, little has been shared about agencies' coordination with OIG in A-123 efforts.
This gap in coordination is mirrored in ERM's initial stages. Some agencies have had their reservations about discussing specific risks to maintain confidentiality. Fortunately, other agencies have found ways to include OIG in the ERM process by developing strong relationships with OIG representatives to enable systems of communication and assurance. In some instances, agencies have invited OIG to events, such as the Partnership of Public Service, to help OIG personnel learn the purpose, importance and function of ERM and its risk profile. One participant suggested that proper training will enable accurate assessment of the program. Although OIG, OMB and GAO have not yet been invited to share any specifics on agencies' risk profiles, the confidentiality of the program is understood. The goal is to get the process up and running effectively before formally sharing specific risk profile elements with OIG, GAO and OMB.
What is the ERM Value Proposition?
One participant noted, "If managers do not find value in this process, they have not implemented it correctly." Indeed, OMB asserts that the ERM program offers inherent value because:
Our panelists agreed that once an agency uses a value-based mindset rather than a compliance-based thought process to consider risks, a more productive conversation begins, which leads to greater risk-enabled daily management of an agency's mission and mission-support operations. In addition, when senior management meets with Congress, the risk profile contains substance and support for the proposed Strategic Goals and Budget.
To date, 2018 is the most important year in the federal government for risk management and assessment. Through the PMA, OMB has updated Appendix A of OMB Circular A-123, Management of Reporting and Data Integrity Risk, and updated the mandates, guidelines and schedule for ERM implementation, beginning with the agencies' robust challenge to complete risk profiles. This charge, although laden with parameters, does allow organizations to execute according to their mission and strategic goals. Also, while the process can be unique to each organization, agency representatives report similar experiences, including the importance of honest dialogue about risk with senior leadership. ERM buy-in from all levels of the organization, from analyst to CFO, will foster a more effective campaign and a risk-responsible government. Gone are the days of siloed risk responsibility. We are all risk managers.
Copyright © 2020, Association of Government Accountants. AGA® is a registered trademark.


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This seemingly dark and ominous building was once a pied-a-terre for sailors in Odesa. Today, a community of IDPs call it home. Photo: Megan Birot
As the war in Eastern Ukraine enters its fourth year, the civilians uprooted by the conflict are finding solace in new communities. A port city on the Black Sea is paving the way for the integration of internally displaced peoples.
The building with boarded-up windows seems deserted, and for a while it was. But, children's sketches on the decaying walls behind the entrance's red wooden doors already hint at signs of life.
"This is our home now after the war, because I have nowhere else to go," says Evdoki Ceprei.
The crumbling 19th Century building in the heart of Odesa, on Uspenska Street, is a burgeoning haven for internally displaced peoples (IDPs), including 82-year-old Evdoki. She fled the war in Eastern Ukraine after her home in Donetsk was devastated by shelling three years ago. Today, she lives there with more than 40 internally displaced families and those of fallen soldiers.
"My family built our home (in Donetsk) with just their hands many years ago, but I was not there to see it fall," she says, struggling to holds back tears.
"I think that's why we are close in this shelter. Some of us come from the same region and we all experienced something similar, but some have lost loved ones. We're a real community."
Evdoki and Sergey Ceprei live in small rooms next to each other at the shelter. Photo: Megan Birot
As the conflict in the East enters its fourth year, Ukraine now has nearly 1.9 million IDPs, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy. Odesa is home to more than 42,000 of them, a relatively small population compared to regions bordering the conflict, with Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv shouldering most of the burden.
The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists was the bloody aftermath of the Euromaidan Revolution and Moscow's subsequent annexation of Crimea in 2014. More than 10,000 people have died in the war, while 3.4 million need humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
Unlike refugees, internally displaced peoples flee from conflict or persecution but don't cross borders to seek asylum in other countries. They remain in their country, having to rebuild what they lost.
Sofia Markina was among the first IDPs to move into the shelter in the summer of 2014. She now works for several local NGOs helping others uprooted by the conflict to find accommodation in the port city. Evdoki and her son Sergey, 53, were welcomed through the red doors two years ago and have called it home ever since.
"Every IDP who lives here is family to me. Our children go to school together," Sofia says.
"I have a social life now because everyone at the shelter is really close, and I volunteer to help other IDPs find homes in Odesa and close to it."
Sofia is on a mission to help IDPs find shelter in Odesa. Photo: Megan Birot
Some 20 years ago, the dilapidated building was a bustling pied-a-terre for sailors and European foreigners. Today, it's a not-so-secret haven for IDPs. Entry is only granted upon referral, or if you know someone on the inside. Sofia says it's to preserve the privacy of families and deter looters.
Odesa Oblast Council owns the building and had previously tried to sell it, but local leaders and campaigners were able to get it recognised as a historical site to save it from going under the hammer.
Since then, the IDP community living within its walls have been on a mission to bring the 19th Century edifice into present day. They installed windows, extra toilets and kitchens to accommodate new arrivals, with free materials and donations from private entities or local NGOs. The shelter now also has a makeshift child care center for preschoolers. Every few weeks, a new family moves in, more often than not from the East.
It is no wonder since Odesa is home to the second largest IDP population (13%) residing in collective centers after Kyiv, in Western Ukraine, according to the Global Shelter Cluster.
"We can't afford to live anywhere else and we don't want to leave Odesa. Our government doesn't have the money to help us, so we must help ourselves," Sofia says.
"So, we began to renovate the building so IDPs can live here and be safe."
The pleas of IDPs haven't changed much since the conflict began. Those fleeing the war scrambled to find shelter anywhere, mostly in abandoned sanatoriums or camps. What was meant to be temporary settlement for many became permanent. Meanwhile food, medicine and other basic supplies are still largely provided by international NGOs and donors.
The red doors at the entrance of the shelter lead to a corridor with children's drawings on the walls. Photo: Megan Birot
IDP pension is on average 1,573UAH (EU50) a month and often the sole source of income of people uprooted by the war, according to OCHA.
"It's very hard, you barely survive on that kind of money. Yes, you're not starving, but you're not living a normal life," says United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ukraine coordinator Yevgeniy Zelenko.
"Ukraine is not a rich country and has many issues like AIDs and drugs, so resources are stretched and IDPs are not getting the funding they need.
"Because there are other conflicts in the world, notably in Syria, there's a general feeling among UN agencies and people that Ukraine is a bit forgotten. Attention is diminishing, and therefore funding for the humanitarian crisis is diminishing. There is a huge financing gap for IDPs."
After leaving Donetsk, Evdoki couldn't receive her elderly or IDP pension for six months until she was able to register at a new address. Then, the car in which she slept for countless nights in her search for refuge, was stolen when she arrived in Odesa with just a bag of clothes.
"This shelter and my son are all I have now. Everyone here is so friendly, and we have become a community," she says.
"We look after the kids, we cook together and look after each other, but I feel bad for not being as active as I used to be."
In the prime of her life, Evdoki worked as an elevator operator in a coal mine during the Soviet Union.
"It was very respectable work, and I got a lot of prestige from management and a good salary," she says.
"Life was easier back then, but it's good now too because we all have each other."
From rehab to refurb
Irina spends most mornings in the room she shares with her two sons before heading off to work at the shelter's kindergarten. Photo: Megan Birot
In a former rehab centre on the outskirts of Odesa, another community of IDPs is rising from the ashes of war.
"We have a roof over our head, food and our children, so we cannot say we're not happy," says Irina Smagina. She extends her ear to catch the faint singing from the building's kindergarten and smiles.
The shelter is a far cry from its dubious past. In the last few years, refurbishments sponsored by local NGOs have allowed more than 50 internally displaced families to settle there over three allocated floors. Their children run amuck along the pink corridors, and preschoolers attend the shelter's de-facto kindergarten.
"I don't stop smiling even now," says Irina- the smiley pinned on her vest, a quirky testament of her optimism.
The 45-year-old fled her hometown in Luhansk with her teenage sons Michael and Anatol at the beginning of the war. The family now lives in a 10 square meter room with red Soviet motif rugs covering coated wooden floors. The boys share a bunk bed, and Irina gets her shut eye on a single bed, under which she stocks jams and canned food.
She suffers from diabetes and was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. She hasn't been back to the doctors since.
"Why would I?" she asks. She can't afford cancer treatment; her savings were depleted in the move and her eldest son's cataract surgery.
Irina survives on her IDP pension and a small teaching salary.
"It's not a lot," she says. But she refuses to speak of amounts, "It's not proper to talk about money with strangers.
IDPs help each other. If someone needs food, we give it to them. If someone needs money for medicine or school, we all give a little a bit."
Irina received a Business Start-up Grant from the UNDP to help IDPs start new careers or businesses. She studied English for six months before becoming a teacher at the center's day care, where she works most afternoons.
A family of five share this room at the shelter for IDPs on the outskirts of Odesa. Photo: Megan Birot
But according to UNDP Ukraine coordinator Zelenko, prolonged unemployment remains a challenge for IDPs in host communities.
"Finding jobs or earning money is still a problem. I would say by now IDPs have found a place to live, but really it's temporary, not permanent and that's a problem also," he says.
"There is a debate on this; some people believe we should help them relocate permanently, others say we need to restore Donbas so that they can go back because there is no funding or enough infrastructure for permanent relocation.
"Ukraine is very friendly to IDPs in general. People are very receptive and welcoming, but host communities like Odesa also have their own problems with prostitution and drug use, for example, where government funding is most needed."
Odesa is leading the charge in IDP integration and protection. Last year, the city, in conjunction with the Council of Europe, hosted a series of seminars advocating streamlined guidelines in the field of IDP protection, in line with European human rights standards. The regional council also works with civil society on initiatives aimed at improving the rights of IDPs in the community, including property rights and basic social protection.
Vasiliy Garlowska from Good Home, a local NGO helping IDPs find accommodation in the city, describes Odesa as a success story for IDP integration.
"We have partners all over the country, and the feedback we get every month is that IDPs want to settle here most of all. It's a word of mouth situation where someone who knows someone who is displaced tells them of Odesa and its inclusiveness," he says.
"Civil society is very active here, and we're never short of volunteers who want to help IDPs and refugees feel welcome. They're proud of their city, and they want to instill that in others."
Internally displaced peoples: A snapshot
Overall, IDPs are reporting better integration rates in host communities. Photo: Megan Birot
According to the latest National Monitoring System Report on the Situation of Internally Displaced Persons, the employment rate for IDPs has increased from 35 to 50 percent since 2016. Overall, IDPs have also reported better integration in local communities, attributed to housing and regular income.
Odesa and Kyiv are among the top employers. The average monthly salary for IDPs has also increased to 2,446UAH (EU76) in the last two years, although most still rely on government support as a second source of income, according to the report. More than half of IDPs have described their financial situation as "enough funds for basic needs".
The report also revealed most IDPs now live in rented housing, with more than 47 percent renting apartments, while most live with relatives or host families.
However, IDPs still struggle to exercise their most basic constitutional right in host communities. Voting in local elections is restricted by the government's use of the antiquated Soviet-era propiska system, which only allows citizens to vote at polling stations to which their voter address is assigned. Since most IDPs don't officially reside in the territory of their host community, most can't vote in local elections.
IDPs also face challenges when accessing basic social services, including IDP pensions due to bureaucratic red tape and delays in registration processes.
Despite this, IDP integration overall is on the up, and the rest of the country could well look to Odesa for inspiration.
"We have found a real community here, and that's priceless for me," says Evdoki.


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Azure ARM NSGs and Windows Firewall Issues
by July 26th, 2017 | ~ 4 minute readon
There is something to be said about old infrastructure guys making the transition to cloud computing. Namely, troubleshooting experience. Background I was asked to assist with a project for the Azure QuickStart templates on GitHub. The goal was to provide a template that shows the power of Cloudera Hadoop and Tableau dashboards. I was asked […]Read more


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About Me:
A quick bio: I consider myself one of the lucky few who love their job and have found their calling. All the aspects of inspecting homes – discovery, trouble shooting, assessment, and teaching – appeal to my interests and inclinations. For a time, I was a classroom teacher, but hands-on work in the field is more my speed. Whether the house I'm inspecting is a two year old townhouse or a two hundred year old farm house, I always aim to arm my clients with the information they need to make informed, smart decisions. You can never ask too many questions during one of my inspections.
In addition to being licensed in Virginia (#3380000776), I also have the New Residential Construction endorsement needed to inspect new homes. In term of professional association, I am a Certified Inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors (#260906). This means that my reports have been peer-reviewed by other experienced home inspector for accuracy and consistency. My radon testing credentials come from AARST-NRPP (#109096 RT). I also currently serve on the executive board for the Virginia Association of Real Estate Inspectors.
My wife, daughter, and I live here in Winchester and spend our time together enjoying all the area has to offer, from the Museum of the Shenandoah, to the downtown mall, to the Handley Library. We have an older home that we are slowly restoring to its former glory. If you follow Virginia Dwelling on Instagram and/or read my blogs, you can follow the journey!
– Joe


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Park your car at Abeskovens (means "Monkey Forest") parking lot. Lemurskoven (means "Lemur Forest") is right next to Abeskoven. Here you walk in the large enclosure and experience the lively lemurs that are all around you – with no fence between you and the animals! Follow the path around and look carefully - some lemurs are right at your feet, while others may be high up in the trees.
Although it is tempting, we kindly ask you not to touch the animals - for your safety.
Attend the daily feeding session and learn more about the fascinating animals from Madagascar.
Just outside the lemur enclosure are toilet facilities and a kiosk.
Learn more about the African animals of Lemurskoven in the menu above.


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The Rules:
1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
4. Choose 11 new blogs you love and link them in your post.
5. Please leave me a comment on this post with the URL to your Liebster post so I can learn more about you!
1. I always carry a book with me, everywhere I go. You never know when you'll want something to read, and I usually take every change I have to read. So sometimes I bring along two, just in case I finish the first.
2. I really want to have a baby! I also love making my husband discuss baby names with me. (He does not enjoy this so much.)
3. Sometimes my husband I play 'car games', even when were' not in a car.
4. In my married life, I haven't ever owned: a TV, a car, a microwave, a dishwasher, or a dryer.
5. I have a BA and an MA in English Literature because I love being a student, and I love reading and writing about books. My MA focused on Shakespeare but for my BA, I wrote my dissertation about Virginia Woolf. I like lots of different kinds of books, in case that isn't clear. Now I miss being a student.
6. I love tomatoes in just about everything, but I don't like to eat them on their own (except for cherry tomatoes).
7. I always cross my sevens when I write them!
8. I used to tutor both Math and English, even though I'm seriously terrible at Math. It both worried and amused my mother (and my husband), but probably mostly worried.
9. I'm not crafty at all and I never have been, even as a little girl. But now I'd kind of like to sew and knit, and wish I'd learned when there were people around to teach me.
10. My husband and I take the Economist (as our newspaper) because we like to read things in print and not just online.
Now for the 11 questions set by Kim.
1. If you won the lottery, what's the first thing you would buy? Well, to be more fun, I'll pretend that things like student loans don't exist, because obviously, I'd want to get rid of things like that. I'd probably want to take an awesome vacation, and visit places like Hong Kong, Vienna, Berlin, and Morocco.
2. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Oh, whoops, I guess I kind-of just answered that. Well, if money were no object, I'd like to visit somewhere in Asia again. I really like traveling to places outside of my comfort zone, so that means no where in America or Europe. But, for an easy (and more realistic) travelling plan, I really want to visit Vienna, Prague, and Berlin.
3. What movie could you watch over and over again? I'm not sure. I guess I'd say Lord of the Rings because I have watched that one over and over when I was younger, or Amelie, because I don't think that ever gets boring.
4. What is your favorite sweet treat? Probably cookies. I really like cookies. Or maybe ice cream, especially if it is cookie dough flavor.
5. Which cartoon character are you most like and why? Well, I cannot think of a single cartoon character. We didn't have a TV growing up, and still don't now, so I've sort of missed out on cartoons. Unless you count Disney movie cartoons, because then my favorite was always Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, because she liked reading so much and wasn't terribly helpless.
6. Who inspires you? Another hard one... well, I'll say one of the professors I had last year, who really encouraged me to live my life how I wanted, doing what made me happy. She was a great professor.
7. Do you speak any other languages? I speak a little French, enough to get around Paris and have conversations with people, but not enough to be fluent.
8. What is your biggest pet peeve? Oh, I have so many! I don't know what one is the biggest. Some things that annoyed me recently are: when people with strollers somehow take up the whole sidewalk (when there should be plenty of room, but they insist on turning sideways and stopping), and also when my husband leaves lights on all over our apartment.
9. What is the best thing you get from blogging? Either meeting people or trying to write down things about my life, because I'm bad at that and always wish I had a better record of my past.
10. Do you have a hidden talent? Hm...I'm very good at memorizing things. When I was little, I had the entire first Harry Potter book so memorized that I could tell when the man reading it on tape messed up and forgot to say an "and". I'm still pretty good at remembering quotes or movie lines....so, I guess that is my dorky hidden talent!
11. Do you have any pets? Not right now. We'd love to have a cat, but we only have a one-bedroom apartment, with no yard or garden, so it feels a bit mean. I had a dog, a cat, a fish, several mice, and two guinea pigs growing up, so hopefully, sometime in the future we'll acquire a pet of our own.
Now the questions for my nominees to answer:
1. What is your favorite way to spend an evening?
2. What kind of things do you like on your walls?
3. What is your favorite chore to do?
4. Are you a morning or an evening person?
5. What talent have you always wished you had?
6. Do you like baking or cooking more?
7. What is your favorite social media outlet - like blogging, FB, twitter, instagram?
8. Would you rather live in the city or the country, if money were no object?
9. Do you like driving, public transportation, or walking/bicycling to get around?:
10. What super power do you wish you had?
11. Do you remember your dreams when you wake up?
The 11 blogs that I nominate are:
1. Chevron Stitches
2. Moments Unexpected
3. One Sweet Tuesday
4. love always
5. She may be the Song that Summer Sings
6. Life as Ashlet
7. Simplicity is Key
8. Rebecca Recommends
9. The Cottage Diaries
10. everyday with hazel mae
11. What the Helvey
So, nominees, if you want to participate, please link to this post and leave me a comment so I can learn more about you!


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The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released its World Energy Investment 2019 report, highlighting several shifts in energy production, use and investment.
Investment plays a significant part as both a measure of energy trends and an enabler of change. Currently, the report, states that the output from low-carbon power investment is not keeping pace with demand and that a doubling of renewables spending is needed in its Sustainable Development Scenario.
The report concludes that energy investment is 'misaligned' and investment stalling. Calling for more investment on biofuels and better energy efficiency and end-use that play 'increasingly important' role in transport and heat – sectors responsible for over 70 per cent of final energy consumption and over half of the global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions – the report predicts low-carbon investment would need to grow two-and-a-half times by 2030 to reach goals.
Perhaps more positively, the report also finds that final investment decisions (FIDs) for coal-fired power declined by 30 per cent to 22 GW, their lowest level this century (in 2015 it was 88 GW). The rise of battery storage (either behind the meter or in Grid) has seen investment rise by 45 per cent to a record of over $4bn in 2018. Capital spending on grid-scale battery storage increased by 30 per cent compared with 2017, totalling more than 1.2 GW installed in 2018. Deployment in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom) and the US comprised half of 2018 investment, supported by capacity mechanisms and contracts.
Although coal supply investment increased for the first time since 2012, by 2 per cent, the divestment movement is gathering momentum with China's State Development & Investment Corporation and QBE, the Australian insurer, amongst several others announcing the end of exposure to the sector. Glencore, the world's largest coal exporter, declared a coal production cap, in response to investor pressure as well.
Overall the investment picture is mixed, but in 2018, one-third of energy investment was concentrated in areas with both well-developed financial systems and good access to foreign capital, with some area without this access ironically being those most needing it. The IEA predicts 70 per cent of energy investment will be in such regions, leading to a requirement to accelerate growth in financial development in such regions.
"Energy investments now face unprecedented uncertainties, with shifts in markets, policies and technologies," said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director. "But the bottom line is that the world is not investing enough in traditional elements of supply to maintain today's consumption patterns, nor is it investing enough in cleaner energy technologies to change course. Whichever way you look, we are storing up risks for the future."
Report here.
Low-carbon investment not keeping pace with demand
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released its World Energy Investment 2019 report, highlighting several shifts in energy production, use and investment.


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Global industrial development has entered the industry 4.0, and turn into a rapid development trend. In order to pursuit the international hot topic of industry 4.0, " Kaohsiung Industrial Automation Exhibition 2017" will be held on 10AM –5PM (the last day until 4PM), April 21 (Friday) - 24 (Monday), 2017,in the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center. OPT is a high-tech enterprise for machine vision application, it provides a competitive visual imaging solution to system integrators, equipment manufacturers, large manufacturing enterprises and large processing enterprises. This is greatly accelerated the development of industrial intelligence and automation market.
OPT new products will be showed in this time is RGB three colors lighting system. This light is used special diffuser to provide high uniformity. And it can illuminate the workpiece from different angles with different color combinations, which can highlight the 3D information on the workpiece and generate 3D images .In addition, OPT new focal fixed lens like 11MP lens, and 29MP will be also show in the exhibition.
OPT products and solutions have been applied in more than 20 countries and regions, and serviced more than 15000 customers. OPT lighting system is famous among 500 of the world's largest manufacturing enterprises, as well as world-renowned equipment manufacturers. OPT has become a trusted partner for global customers.
During the exhibition, OPT will promote new products and technologies, and sincerely invite domestic and abroad customers to visit the exhibition. We will also have technical staff to explain and demonstrate, so you have a deep understanding and trust of OPT products. If you want to have a detailed understanding of our products, you can visit our company, and we will have technical staff to answer questions on you.
Let's meet in Kaohsiung Industrial Automation Exhibition 2017, and enjoy the imagination of the future of the world ! On April 21-24 , 2017 , don't miss it !


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Please see the News tab, and Scholarship Update – Congratulations for the winners.
Bay Cities Chapter of the 99s – 2019 Scholarship
The Bay Cities chapter of the Ninety-Nines is proud to announce our 2019 scholarship to provide funding
toward pilot training, materials, ground school, or exams. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide
extra monetary assistance to a woman working on her initial flight rating (Private or Sport).
Award: Two scholarships of $2000 each
Application Deadline: Midnight on April 7, 2019
Download Application Form [pdf]
- Any female student pilot residing within 125 nautical miles of the Oakland Airport (OAK)
- Applicant must be at least 16 years of age
- Applicant must be eligible for a private pilot or sport pilot license within the USA
- Applicant must hold a current medical certificate and student pilot certificate
- Applicant must have logged five hours of flight time with a flight instructor
- Applicant does not need to be a member of the 99s
To apply, submit the following documents:
- A completed copy of the 'Application Cover Sheet'
- A one-page letter introducing yourself and your aviation goals. Include information on your financial
need, community involvement, and aviation involvement
- A completed copy of the 'Budget Statement'
- A one-page letter of recommendation, preferably from a CFI or other aviation professional
- A copy of your medical certificate
- A copy of your student pilot certificate
- A copy of the last two pages of your log book
All documents must be combined into a single .pdf file. One way to do this is by using 'Genius Scan', a free app you can download onto a smartphone.
Email the .pdf file, with your name and "2019 scholarship application" in the subject line, to firstname.lastname@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com.
Please keep in mind that your application is a reflection of you. Neatness, following directions, and
application presentation matters.
The application must be received electronically no later than midnight on April 7, 2019.
Download Application Form [pdf]
- This scholarship is for reimbursement of flight training supplies and expenses incurred after the date the scholarship was awarded.
- Applicants may be asked to participate in a phone interview with the scholarship committee.
- Funds must be claimed within one year of the date the scholarship is awarded. Original receipts will be required for reimbursement and must be signed by both the scholarship winner and a CFI.
- The scholarship committee will notify the winning applicant and all other applicants by May 6, 2019.
Bay Cities Chapter of the Ninety-Nines 2019 Scholarship Application
Application Cover Sheet
Date: __________________
Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Email address: ________________________________________________________________
Phone: ______________________________________________________________________
Are you currently a member of the 99s? If so, which chapter?
(This is not a requirement for scholarship application, and is for informational purposes only)
Hold Harmless Agreement: By submitting an application for this scholarship, all applicants agree to the following statement:
Neither the Bay Cities chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Inc., the Southwest Section of the Ninety-Nines, Inc., The Ninety-Nines, nor their members, agents, or representatives are responsible for the quality of any training received with this scholarship, nor any accident, incident, or any other event which may occur while the recipient of the scholarship is performing flight training, education, technical training or activities related thereto. I hereby release the Ninety-Nines and any of its affiliated organizations from all actions, claims, or demand that I, my assignees, heirs, distributees, guardians, and legal representatives now have or may hereafter have for injury or damage resulting from my participation in any activities related to this scholarship.
Applicant signature: ___________________________________________________________
Bay Cities Chapter of the Ninety-Nines 2019 Scholarship Application
Budget Statement
Name: ______________________________________________________________________
How far have you progressed in your flight training?
My first flight lesson was on: Date: ____________________
I am enrolled in, or have completed, ground school !
Course name/location: __________________________
I have soloed !
I have completed at least one dual cross-country flight !
I have completed one solo cross-country flight !
I have completed two solo cross-country flights !
I have passed the written exam !
I have started check-ride prep !
How much more do you believe it will cost for you to complete your Private or Sport certificate?
Fill in the blanks below to estimate the total amount needed to complete your initial training.
Study and test prep materials, please list: _____________________________________ $____________
Add'l ground instruction still needed: ___________ hours at $_________ per hour = $ ____________
Aircraft rental time with flight instructor: ___________ hours at $_________ per hour = $ ____________
Solo aircraft rental time: ___________ hours at $_________ per hour = $ ____________
Examiner check-ride fee: $ ____________
Any other add'l costs you foresee, please list: __________________________________ $ ____________
How do you plan to pay for the rest of your training if you are not awarded this scholarship?
When do you plan on completing your training?
How have you financed your training so far?
Applicant Signature __________________________________________ Date _____________________
Instructor Signature __________________________________________ Date _____________________


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Hommard Hampton Men's Cashmere Polo Shirt
The Cashmere Blended Hampton Polo Shirt is a luxurious take on the classic polo shirt, this 'Hampton' style is knitted from an ultra-soft blend of cotton and cashmere. The plush weight of the fabric makes it feel warm and cosy. It's the perfect choice for trans-seasonal weather.


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Jennigay Coetzer provides freelance writing and editing services, media training, and writing and editing skills training.
She has more than 30 years' experience as a writer and editor and she wrote regular business and technology features for Business Day for 17 years. Jennigay has also been facilitating media training workshops and one-on-one sessions and writing courses and coaching sessions for 25 years.
She has in-depth experience of writing about a vast range of topics and is knowledgeable about rapidly changing local and global market dynamics. She also has a marketing background from her earlier career.
Jennigay has a passion for editing all types of articles and reports of various lengths and she edits and optimises written website content.
She is also the author of A Perfect Press Release – or Not?, a guide to writing press releases and other types of articles. For a free copy of her ebook, email her at firstname.lastname@example.com or send her a request via the contact tab above.
Jennigay is registered on the government central supplier database to provide media training, editing, writing and writing editing and training services to government entities, under her trading company name, Jennigay Coetzer Editing (PTY) Ltd. Her CSD number is MAAA 0755805. She can be contacted on +27-(0)83-212-5754 or via email, at: email@example.com.
Further details of the media training and writing courses offered by Jennigay Coetzer can be found by clicking on these respective links. Lots of writing tips and media spokesperson tips can be found further down this page and under the article categories listed in the right hand sidebar.
Jennigay will tailor workshops and coaching sessions to suit individuals and companies:
Her one-on-one coaching session options include online mentoring via Skype and other video conferencing channels.
She also runs workshops for companies to help staff to develop and hone their writing skills, communicate more effectively with customers and write reports and memos and other business documentation, including email.
Why not invite Jennigay to a brainstorming session to discuss the many ways she can help you with your writing, editing, media training or writing skills training requirements?


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10 Awesome 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe Gas Mileage – Chevrolet, colloquially referred to as Chevy and Officially the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company, is a American Auto Branch of This American Maker General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet and ousted General Motors creator William C. Durant began the company about November 3, 1911 because the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Durant applied the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire a controlling stake in General Motors having a reverse merger occurring on May 2, 1918 and propelled back himself to the GM presidency. After Durant's second ousting at 1919, Alfred Sloan, along with his maxim"a car for every purse and purpose", would choose the Chevrolet brand to develop into the quantity pioneer in the General Motors family members, selling mainstream motor vehicles to contend with Henry Ford's Model T in 1919 and over-taking Ford while the bestselling vehicle in the united states of america by 1929.
USC60CHS111B, Source : autoblog.com
Chevrolet-branded vehicles are sold generally in most automotive markets throughout the world, In Oceania, Chevrolet is represented with its Australian subsidiary, Holden, having came back into the place in 2018 after having a 50-year shortage together with all the launching of this Camaro and also Silverado pickup vehicle. In 2005, Chevrolet was relaunched at Europe, primarily attempting to sell vehicles assembled by GM Daewoo of South Korea using the tag line"Daewoo has grown enough to eventually become Chevrolet", a movement rooted generally Motors' attempt to construct a international brand around Chevrolet. With all the reintroduction of all Chevrolet to Europe, GM intended Chevrolet for always a mainstream worth manufacturer, while GM's conventional European standard-bearers," Opel of Germany, and also Vauxhall of United Kingdom would be transferred upmarket. But, GM reversed that movement around in overdue 2013, declaring the new could be withdrawn from Europe, together with the exclusion of the Camaro and Corvette in 20-16. Chevrolet autos will continue to be promoted in the CIS nations, including Russia. After General Motors totally obtained GM Daewoo from 2011 to build GM Korea, the previous using the Daewoo automotive brand name had been stopped from its native South Korea and succeeded by Chevrolet.
2018 Chevrolet Tahoe Vehicle in Hammond LA, Source : rossdowningchevrolet.com
2019 Tahoe Tahoe 2019 Tahoe 2019 2019 Bmw X5 Interior Beautiful Bmw X5 3 0d, Source : topcar1.club
2018 Chevrolet Tahoe Vehicle in Hammond LA, Source : rossdowningchevrolet.com
Chevrolet Tahoe Reviews Chevrolet Tahoe Price s and Specs, Source : caranddriver.com
In united states, Chevrolet sells and creates a wide assortment of vehicles, from sub compact vehicles to medium-duty industrial trucks. As a result of prominence and name-recognition of Chevrolet as truly one among General Motors' worldwide marques, Chevrolet, Chevy or Chev can be used at times like a synonym for standard Motors or its products, one of these being the GM LS1 motor, commonly known from the title or a variant of its progenitor, the Chevrolet smallblock motor.


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Genesis 31 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional
"Now Jacob heard what Laban's sons were saying: 'Jacob has taken all that was our father's and has built his wealth from what belonged to our father.' And Jacob saw from Laban's face that his attitude toward him was not the same. Then the L_rd said to him, 'Go back to the land of your fathers and to your family and I will be with you.'" Genesis 31:1-3
6 chapters in Genesis (this one and the 5 preceding it), tell the story of Jacob's moral downfall. Sir Walter Scott, in his oft misquoted poem, Marmion, (Generally attributed to Shakespeare) once wrote "What a tangled web we weave, when 1st we practice to deceive." By chapter 31, Jacob has reached the pinnacle of his decline, wrapped-up in the web of his own deceit, as it were. This is where we learn that cheaters never win and winners never cheat.
After the American Civil War, when slaves were supposed to be freed, many plantation owners found new ways to cheat their former slaves of their human rights. This "legal" form of slavery was called the Company Store. Here's how it worked. The plantation owner would set up a store on his property to supply all the dry goods his servants would need. He would not pay his "employees" with US currency. He devised a new monetary element called the "chit". This was the only form of money accepted at the Company Store.
Since his field hands were uneducated, they had no idea they were being scammed. When the "chits" ran out, they would buy from the store on credit accounts. At the end of the month, the account was tallied and the crooked plantation owners would always find ways to keep the servants in debt. You couldn't leave till you paid your debt…slavery.
According to ancient custom, Laban had a similar scam running on Jacob. In spite of Jacob's completed years of service his wives and children were in the legal power of Laban, who could refuse to hand them over to Jacob. We see this in Laban's statement in verse 43, "The daughters are my daughters and the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine…"
So what does this mean to us? Satan wants to own you. Every negotiation with Satan is a compromise from G_d's standard, and leads you into further bondage and indebtedness.
G_d will allow us to feel the sting of our sin. He allows us to feel its consequence in order to rebuke and teach us. But when He knows our lessons have been learned, He extends mercy and His grace, which leads to our repentance. (Romans 2:4)
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Monday, February 10, 2014


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LeapRate's Daily Forex Industry Newsletter
Join now to receive first access to our EXCLUSIVE reports and updates.
Screenshot of a breaking news alert e-mail from Q2 2017
Amounts to a small slap on the wrist for Interactive Brokers, but shows the CFTC is cracking down on safety-of-client-fund issues.
The CFTC has assessed a $225,000 fine against Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq:IBKR), a leading U.S.-based online brokerage which also is the #5 retail FX brokerage in the U.S. The CFTC cited Interactive Brokers for:
- failing to calculate the amount of customer funds on deposit,
- failing to calculate the amount of funds required to be on deposit in customer segregated accounts,
- failing to maintain sufficient U.S. dollars in customer segregated accounts in the United States to meet all USD-denominated obligations, and
- supervision failures.
While the $225,000 fine to IBKR amounts to a small slap on the wrist for the company which has a market value of $700 million, it is a loud message to IBKR and other regulated firms that they had better cross all T's and dot all I's when it comes to securing client funds.
For the full CFTC press release click here.
For more on the global Forex industry see the LeapRate-Dow Jones Forex Industry Report.


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Environmental Sustainability
We are deeply committed to the earth; health of human + the environment are our top priorities. As such, we strive to practice environmentally sustainability in every step of what we do here on the farm and in our skincare crafting process, down to walking the talk in our own personal lives.
Organic Practices
We grow using organic practices, and then some. What this means is that we don't use any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or additives whatsoever.
We compost all organic matter on the farm possible - from what comes out of our home kitchen to any compostables in our business to plants from the fields. Composting is a critical sustainability measure that not only keeps food waste from the landfill, but turns it into rich organic matter that we use to build soil fertility.
Healthy soil is the foundation upon which our farm runs; we would not have vibrant herbs and flowers without it. Compost is a wonderful way to feed and nurture the soil that provides so much for us. We are also proud to be part of the only ~5% of the 39 million tons of food waste that is diverted from the landfill and composted (source).
Sustainable Water Management
We irrigate minimally and strategically. We build soil using methods like composting that help retain moisture in the soil, thus requiring less irrigation. When we do irrigate, we do so early in the morning to avoid evaporation from the sun and we use drip irrigation that slowly releases water right at the base of plants, so it is targeted and goes right to the plants that need it.
Our favorite feature of our farm irrigation process is that 100% of the water we use to grow plants both in the greenhouse and in the fields comes from a natural spring on our property.
Passive Solar
Our greenhouse that we use to start plants in is heated only using the heat from the sun - no fossil fuels required! The way this works is our greenhouse is south facing and contains several large food-grade barrels filled with water that are lined up along the northern wall. The sun heats the barrels during the day, and the barrels retain this heat and slowly make the heat available to the plants in the greenhouse throughout the night. More often than not, when it's a sunny day, it gets *too* hot in the greenhouse, so we open the doors and sides to ventilate.
Zero Waste
We are striving to reduce our waste as much as possible on the farm and in our skincare line. What this looks like:
- Minimizing use of plastic - in our packaging, production process, + shipping:
- Containers made from glass, metal, and cardboard
- 100% biodegradable gloves made with Eco Best Technology®)
- Plastic-free shipping tape
- More details below under "Sustainability in Our Skincare Line"
- Mindful reuse + recycling
- You've probably heard of the "3 Rs" - "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." We do our best to take things a couple steps further by rethinking, reimagining, and repurposing before we get to the other three.
- This looks like us reusing packaging materials that come with containers + ingredients we order in your online orders, avoiding single-use disposables, and offering options for local customers to refill products reusing their container (coming in 2019!)
- Of course, when we aren't able to reuse or repurpose, we recycle everything that's recyclable.
This is where we really shine, friends. In 2018, we began growing our own organic herbs to use in our products. Our goal is for 100% of the herbs used in our products to be sourced from our land, and we are on our way with each season that passes.
Thanks to amazing US-based companies like Mountain Rose Herbs and Starwest Botanicals (from whom we source the majority of our organic essential oils, butters, and other ingredients), we can confidently stand by what we are putting into the products we create for you + your families.
Our herbs, oils, butters, beeswax, and essential oils are all as natural, chemical-free, and safe for you + the environment as we can get them. Nearly all of our ingredients are certified organic, which means they have been grown/raised without the use of synthetic chemicals. Where our ingredients are not certified organic, we indicate in our product descriptions. This is much more rare and something we always consider thoughtfully.
A Note on Essential Oils:
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant matter. In some cases, it takes thousands of pounds of a plant to yield just *one* pound of essential oil (source). What this means is that each drop of essential oil is truly precious, as a great deal of human labor and environmental resources went into that drop. Not only this, but because essential oils are so potent, a little truly goes a long way. It is very possible to use too much, and any use of essential oils should be done so carefully and with proper education.
With this awareness, we are not against using essential oils; we simply do so sparingly and mindfully. We never use more than 2% essential oils in our products, which is the maximum safe recommended amount for skincare. This varies depending on which oil we use, and in most products, we use between 0.5-1% EOs.
We source the highest quality, most ethically-produced organic essential oils we can find. The term "pure therapeutic grade" is an unregulated term that many essential oil companies use; this really doesn't mean anything.
We *never* recommend ingesting essential oils. This is outside of our scope of education and you should always consult a certified aromatherapist when it comes to this. With this, we advocate for use of the whole plant/herb in lieu of the isolated, concentrated compound that is an essential oil. Why use expensive, super powerful lemon essential oil in your water when you can add lemon?! Why drink drops of peppermint essential oil when you can have peppermint tea?
As we grow more of our own herbs in the seasons ahead, we will continue to reduce our use of essential oils to a level that we are comfortable with from a sustainability perspective. We simply believe that using the whole plant/herb is, in most cases, better when it comes to our formulations.
Our packaging/containers are primarily glass + aluminum. We try to avoid plastic as much as possible! Most containers are recyclable and can also be reused by our consumers in creative ways. In 2019, we will further reduce plastic by transitioning our plastic tubes for deodorant + lip balms to biodegradable cardboard tubes.
Shipping Materials
All of our shipping + packaging materials are environmentally sustainable. This means that anything we ship comes in eco-friendly (biodegradable, recyclable, + made from recycled materials) packaging from EcoEnclose, a Colorado-based company.
The padded mailers + boxes we ship with are 100% recycled- all made from post-consumer and post-industrial content ♻
We also use plastic-free shipping tape, which is not only a positive environmental choice on the front-end, but makes recycling easier because the consumer doesn't have to remove the tape before recycling.
Further, our paper and other packing material we use to wrap and pad the products in your packages we mail is all reused from shipments of materials + containers for our business.
Our postal worker picks up outgoing packages (when you shop with us online!) when she delivers our mail, so no extra trips are made to send out your packages.


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Hierarchical porous materials that replicate complex living structures are attractive for a wide variety of applications, ranging from storage and catalysis to biological and artificial systems. However, the preparation of structures with a high level of complexity and long-range order at the mesoscale and microscale is challenging. We report a simple, nonextractive, and nonreactive method used to prepare three-dimensional porous materials that mimic biological systems such as marine skeletons and honeycombs. This method exploits the concurrent occurrence of the self-assembly of block copolymers in solution and macrophase separation by nucleation and growth. We obtained a long-range order of micrometer-sized compartments. These compartments are interconnected by ordered cylindrical nanochannels. The new approach is demonstrated using polystyrene-b-poly(t-butyl acrylate), which can be further explored for a broad range of applications, such as air purification filters for viruses and pollution particle removal or growth of bioinspired materials for bone regeneration.
- Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, so long as the resultant use is not for commercial advantage and provided the original work is properly cited.


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The Hotel
Albergo La Pineta offers a relaxing stay and a easy access to the bathing resort. The hotel has been built in 1952 on a green hill facing Andora's harbor and has been fully refurbished throughout the years.
Family-owned business
Albergo La Pineta has been managed by Baroncelli's family since 1957. The hotel has been bought by Emilio and Ervina that begun the activity as hosts. Albergo La Pineta has always been a passionate, detail-oriented, family-owned business. Nowadays, Paola and Giovanni are running the hotel, continuing the family tradition and giving you a warm welcome to La Pineta.
Andora's Bay
The Gulf of Andora faces the Mar Ligure and is located between two capes: Capo Mele and Capo Rollo.
Andora was born as a Greek colony and became a Roman settlement along the Via Iulia Augusta. It is still possible to visit the ancient ruins of the Roman aqueduct and bridge.