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Optimizing Websites According to What Your Customers Don't Say
Jack Maden | October 12, 2017
Jack Maden | October 12, 2017
We all have basic expectations of how websites and apps should work. We want them to load efficiently, be intuitive and easy to use, have personalized features that we'd find interesting, and so on.
But as digital experiences become more complicated, our needs become more convoluted.
Say you're ordering a pizza online. Scrolling through the options, nothing really catches your eye, so you take advantage of the 'build your own pizza' feature.
As a user, could you communicate exactly what you want from an online pizza builder? How it should function within the existing setup of the website or app? How many choices of crust it should display and when?
That's assuming you'd even be motivated to do so, considering you came here for pizza, not for an opportunity to relay your thoughts on user experience and information architecture.
This kind of situation is an example of what Dell's VP of Business Transformation, Erin Kurusz, dubs 'unarticulated user needs'. While customers cannot give direct feedback on exactly how their experiences could be improved, analyzing their behavior enables optimizers to discover ways of doing so.
"It's not enough to engage with customers via a survey or something like that," Erin says, "the more important enriched data comes with getting embedded in their environment... understanding what problems they have in their space, the 'unarticulated needs' that we can observe.
"Customers have the ability to articulate certain things about what could be working better for them, but a lot of potential improvements they won't even be aware of. They're not going to articulate 'if you could create an API here to hook this onto my experience...' - but we can by observing them. These are the insights we take back when evaluating our processes and product design."
Digital Experience Transformation: Where Does Your Company Sit?
Analyzing user behavior and 'unarticulated needs' in the way Erin discusses above is done with digital experience analytics technologies like Decibel Insight, which quantify trends in the digital body language of website users.
Decibel Insight surfacing an example of user frustration
This sort of visibility into digital experiences enables digital teams to understand exactly how to improve websites and apps. By being alerted to and watching back where users get frustrated, engaged, or confused, teams can immediately identify and hone in on areas where there's opportunity for improvement or to gain insight about customer behavior.
Having this proactive capability when it comes to improving digital experiences is indicative of a company well on its way to achieving digital experience transformation. Only those that combine quantitative data - the 'what' of website performance - with qualitative insights about how customers feel are in a position to deliver digital experiences that turn users into customers - and keep them coming back in future.
Where does your company sit when it comes to measuring and delivering digital experiences? Do you analyze the unarticulated needs of your users?
Find out how you compare to other companies by taking our quick 5-question quiz now!
Written on October 12, 2017 by:
Jack Maden
Jack is Digital Manager at Decibel, the best digital experience intelligence platform around! He also runs philosophy break.Follow


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CORNER RIVER VIEW UNIT. Located at the elegant gated Jasper Properties, Residence #504 is a gracious contemporary 2 bdrm, 2 ensuite bath end unit home. This 1,333-square-foot residence offers detailed 9' ceilings and an abundance of natural light through its generous oversized south-east facing windows. The majestic river valley views are most impressive. A welcoming entry leads to the generously proportioned living/dining space which has beautiful hardwood and tile flooring. The adjacent open chef's kitchen is perfect for both cooking and entertaining and features Stainless Steel appliances. Other highlights include a den, in-suite laundry, air conditioning, gas fireplace, covered deck facing the North Saskatchewan River, a heated underground parking stalls(titled) and storage locker.
Air Conditioner, Ceiling 9 ft., Closet Organizers, Deck, Exercise Room, Laundry-In-Suite, No Animal Home, No Smoking Home, Parking-Visitor
Microwave Hood Cover, Refrigerator, Stacked Washer/Dryer, Stove-Electric, Washer, Air Conditioning-Central, Dishwasher-Built-In, Dryer
Golf Nearby, Landscaped, Playground Nearby, River Valley View, Schools, Shopping Nearby
Data was last updated April 5th, 2020 at 8:16pm MDT.

subset: commoncrawl


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Boat Storage in Salem
Living in an area filled with so much natural beauty is a delight for anyone who loves the outdoors. Do you have a favorite Virginia vacation spot?
- Smith Mountain Lake
- Blue Ridge Mountains & Parkway
- Boating at Claytor Lake
- All of the Above
The question, "Where to go on vacation?" is oftentimes the catalyst for an RV adventure. But when it comes time to store your recreational vehicle between weekends and long distance trips, finding a place to park it can become a challenge. Sometimes homeowner association restrictions prevent RV and boat storage in their neighborhoods, and combined with city parking ordinances, finding long term RV parking can put a damper on the fun.
Thankfully, Rent-A-Space in Salem offers RV, boat and trailer parking at our convenient location less than half a mile from I-81 with expedient access to US-220. So wherever your vacation plans may take you, you'll find our Salem RV and boat storage location will make getting there a little easier.
Whether you need to store household items, business inventory and documents, recreational vehicles, or all of the above, you can do so in one convenient location at Rent-A-Space in Salem, Virginia!


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Make an appointment today and see how Drain Masters can provide excellent service to meet your commercial and residential plumbing needs!


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It seems we can't find what you're looking for. Perhaps searching can help.
Scott Gerike
2 years at Object Partners
7 years of Technology Experience
Over his 5+ years of development experience Scott has developed integrations with a countless number of online web services while building Java and Ruby applications. Working in small teams also led to learning and gaining real world experience with a large number of tools and technologies like Chef, Docker, Jenkins, and many more.


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African American Christmas Cards - assorted box - AAE-A505
Boxed assortment of African American Christmas cards.
- 15 cards and envelopes
- Three each of five designs
- Card size: 5" x 7"
- Inside Verses:
C-909 - Glory Blessings Honor: Let heaven and nature sing the praises of our King. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
C-943 - Wishing you a fabulous Christmas full of pleasant surprises, and New Year full of wonderful blessings. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
C-908 - All That Jazz - May the soulful sounds of the season bring joy to you and yours. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Jazzy New Year!
C-913 - From Heaven to Earth to show us the way, then to the cross, a tremendous debt to pay. Risen, exalted and worthy of praise, these words we'll sing for the rest of our days! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!
C-939 - A season to celebrate generations of love. God's gift of family comes from above. As we pray and prepare to enjoy the feast, God's grace be with you, His spirit of Peace! Merry Christmas!


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Sara is standing in the kitchen paging through her favorite cook book when the phone rings. The book was an early wedding present from her grandmother, Francine, who somehow knew she would not live to see Sara walk down the white-petaled aisle. The last time Sara saw Franny, her grandmother was cocooned in three crochet blankets, patiently waiting for death to bend down and kiss her cracked lips.
The recipes are marked at points where Franny diverted from the recipe, and comments like "better with half the butter" fill the margins with red script. Certain spices are crossed out with angry X's, while additions sit below the ingredients list in careful cursive. The paper is yellowed, and every once in a while she finds a splotch of batter pressed like a flower between two pages.
"It's Marge," the woman on the other end says. "Are you safe?"
"As safe as I can be." Sara glances behind her to the closed bedroom door. "He's sleeping."
"Let's hope he stays that way, preferably forever."
"Sorry, I know he's your husband—"
"No, don't say that word to me. I don't want him dead, but I certainly don't want him anywhere near me either."
"Well if you change your mind, call me and I'll get Boris there in less than an hour."
Sara pictures Marge's husband, a harmless Russian with shaggy black hair and a stomach like a sausage link, attempting to chase her husband with a meat cleaver. For the first time, she smiles.
"I'll keep the offer in mind. Thank you, Marge… I don't know what I would have done without you. This house is… well, it's the perfect getaway. I feel like a spy, creeping in and out of these unfamiliar rooms."
"It's just lucky we were there when you called, and that Boris had bought enough food to feed a family of six for a month."
"I'm so sorry I ruined your vacation—"
"Stay as long as you need to, dear. Don't feel obligated to come back with him."
"I can't even think that far ahead."
Even a minute seems like a lifetime, and if she stops to think of the immensity of those sixty seconds she will fall like a planet from orbit. They stretch like the shadows in a black box theater, and looking at their blackness makes her turn her head away. One at a time, slowly. She thinks back to Franny and her last steps before the illness took hold, shuffling her smooth-soled shoes against the linoleum.
"What will you do?"
Sara looks out onto the dark night, the moon shining between the branches of the Appalachian forest. They are the only sign of life for miles.
"What can I do? Cook, keep myself busy, try to avoid him." He will want to talk, she knows, and for both their sanities she must avoid it. Otherwise… she thinks of the tan pillow she never liked: the slow release like an Olympic discus, seemingly moved by the sheer energy of her anger like an explosion of volcanic ash. The hate lies inside her like a virus, looking through her eyes at the small one-bedroom world: waiting, dormant, for a time of weakness. It is a new feeling, and its presence frightens her more than anyone outside the walls. Sara clutches the cook book to her chest, trying to grasp at some sanity the talisman might contain.
Sara met Jacob at St. John's Lutheran Church's weekly bible night over a plate of store-bought cookies and lukewarm cups of coffee. She noticed his bible first: cracked cover, creased pages, and splotches of highlighter ink along the edge. The bible led to an old blue sweater, shaggy brown hair, and a pair of intelligent eyes behind wide-rimmed glasses. Sara checked his ring finger — a thin, pale finger with no silver band to be seen — and then introduced herself.
"I don't think I've seen you here before. I'm Sara, the pastor's cousin." Not only was her cousin the pastor, but her grandfather had been the pastor before him and her great-grandfather built the church from the ground up.
"Jacob," he said, extending the lovely hand towards hers. "I'm a friend of your cousin and current seminarian."
"How wonderful. I went to India last year to become a missionary, but unfortunately it didn't go as planned."
They took their plates to one of the plump red sofas, and for the next half hour Sara regaled Jacob with stories of men peeing in public, two weeks of intense intestinal discomfort, and her duty of carrying dead chickens from house to house.
"For a small town Pennsylvania girl, it was overwhelming. So now I teach elementary school, which is almost as bad." She liked making him laugh — a loud, pleasant sound that filled the room like a familiar hymn.
When the custodian, an elderly man who Sara fondly referred to as Grandpa Joe because he had a been a friend of her late grandfather's, came to shut the lights off and lock up, the two startled like birds.
"Don't let me interrupt your bible studies," Grandpa Joe jested as he took out a rag from his pocket and began wiping the narthex table. He was dressed in his standard gray overalls and blue button-up shirt, a strange combination of gardener and business man, and on his head was the same faded baseball cap he wore every day. A few wisps of white hair stuck out of the elastic band in the back like pig tails, and they bounced as he reached across the wide wood table. Sara stood and smoothed her thick wool skirt, feeling as abashed as a teenager caught in a late-night embrace.
"We were just going, Joe."
"Certainly no need to skedaddle on my account, Sarabear."
She blushed at his use of her childhood nickname.
"I'll be cleaning up a while longer — it seems the church people can't keep their crumbs on the table." Joe moved like a crab, rocking from leg to leg as he circled his messy prey. Could this be the same man who used to pick her up in his arms and swing her like an amusement park chain swing?
She picked up her bible and notebook, but before she could say goodnight Jacob took the stack from her and added it to his own. Technically Sara had a boyfriend, a guy from college who she had been seeing for a year, but though he was kind and her mother liked him both women knew that eventually Sara would have to find a fellow Christian to walk in the footsteps of Jesus with her.
"Let me walk you to your car," Jacob insisted as he held her books ransom.
"I actually live down the street," Sara said, then added for Joe's benefit: "with my mother and father."
"Even better, then I'll walk you home instead. If you want me to, that is."
Joe had suspiciously stopped wiping, but the sound of his breath was like the moan and creak of a faulty radiator.
"That would be nice, thank you."
The wiping started up again, and Jacob helped Sara into her white wool coat. She thanked God she was dressed in a skirt and sweater instead of slacks, and her snow boots were high heeled and accentuated the length of her legs. Her mother had tucked a little white cap into her purse on her way out the door, almost as though she guessed there would be just such an occasion to look her best, and Sara slipped the crocheted hat on as they left the great hall.
When they arrived at her house, her mother opened the door as soon as the first foot hit the stairs.
"Sara, I was beginning to–" She caught sight of Jacob and automatically looked down to see what she was wearing. When her yellow house dress met her approval, she began again. "Hello, I'm Mrs. Braff. You must be…?"
"Jacob," Sara answered for him, "the new seminarian studying at St. John's."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Braff," Jacob said, leaving Sara on the stairs to shake her mother's hand. "I'm sorry she's late, we got caught up in a religious discussion that went later than I realized."
Sara chaffed at the words, as though she were a child under strict watch, but then again it was rare that a man could charm her mother with such effectiveness. And charmed she was: Faith Braff had been smiling incessantly since Jacob opened his mouth, and whenever he looked away she raised her eyebrow at Sara in a he is just wonderful! expression. The next time he comes over, Sara thought, my mother will be decked out in full hostess regalia. She might even break out Franny's white gloves.
"Of course, I understand," Faith told Jacob. "Come in, come in, it's absolutely frigid out there!"
"I wouldn't want to impose…"
"Not at all! I'll make you a warm drink, perhaps even an Irish coffee?"
Could this be the same woman who told Sara that drinking was unbecoming of a young Christian woman? And now she was the very picture of temptation itself.
"You've found my weakness," Jacob said, bowing his head like he was confessing his sins. "I guess I can come in for one drink."
Walking through the front door felt like slipping into a hot bath, and Sara immediately stripped off her heavy coat and scarf. She left her sweater on, another one of her mother's rules, though it was sweltering under the tight knit.
Inside the sitting room, her father sat by the fire reading a newspaper. His tiny silver reading glasses reflected the glow, as did his shiny, bald head. When he stood to shake Jacob's hand it took him an extra minute to push himself up from the suck of his favorite armchair, like a baby from its womb, and this view of the few horseshoe hairs around his head made them all flash silver in the light.
She left the two men to discuss the church — though her father was the town governor, he was raised with a preacher father, cousin, and three uncles — and found her mother in the kitchen, moving like a cyclone between the fridge, cabinet, and coffee maker.
"If I had only known…" Faith muttered, reaching for a tin of homemade chocolate cookies she just happened to keep for this exact situation. With deft fingers, she plucked each cookie and used it to form an intricate pattern of semicircles on her favorite blue china. Then she sliced twelve slices of dense soda bread (Sara's favorite of her mother's treats) despite there being only four people present.
"Don't eat more than one slice," she scolded her daughter before Sara could even reach out a hand. "It will go right to your hips during the night. Then Faith took another sliver from the loaf and ate it with her fingers, going so far as to lick them when she finished.
Sara busied herself with making the coffees so she wouldn't talk back to her mother, a mistake she made more and more often after graduating from college and moving home. First she took the chill off the coffee glasses with a bit of hot water, enjoying the cozy heat of the tap on her cold hands. Then she poured the Winter Spice coffee, a blend her mother made herself and kept in an old Folgers coffee can, into the warm receptacles, and the scent of cloves, cinnamon, and white peppercorns filled the kitchen like smoke. Was it safe to assume Jacob liked sugar in his coffee, or would he want it black like her mother and scorn anything else? As retribution for his earlier comment and her mother's attitude, Sara dumped a teaspoon of extra granules in each cup along with the whiskey. Then she topped the glasses with caps of whipped cream, little elves lined up in a row on the silver tray, and carried them out to the living room.
Neither Jacob nor her mother noticed the sugar, however, as they were too busy agreeing on every religious issue or political topic her father introduced. Sara sat quietly, listening to their unanimous chatter, and wondered how she would break this news to her boyfriend, Frank. What could she say? I'm sorry, you are just not Christian enough? I'm sorry, but my parents are in love with another man? She and Frank were pretty serious, but she had told him from the beginning not to get too attached to her. And now she sat across the room from the man of her dreams, a good-looking future pastor who her parents adored.
Sara decided, amidst the backdrop of amicable conversation, to let his earlier comments slide and to ignore the rebellious voice that told her that anyone her mother liked was a mistake. She had prayed the night before for a husband, a Christian man who could share a future of kind acts and religious inspiration, and this man was the obvious answer to her prayers. God sent him, and she certainly could not argue with his plan.
After their inevitable marriage, the years flew by. For their three year anniversary, Sara decided to surprise Jacob during one of his days in the office. She arrived at the church's administrative wing with a tray of warm brownies, one of which she gave to the big-haired secretary who made the church bulletins and answered the phones, and a new watch wrapped in beautiful red paper left over from last Christmas.
"You're a saint!" Marlene said, the word saint muffled by her chewing gum. "It's been so busy around here that I haven't eaten a thing."
"Is Jacob free?" Sara asked, balancing the brownies on her hip as she spoke. "I know he counsels a lot on Tuesdays."
"Mrs. Beattie was his only appointment, but she's probably long gone by now."
"Mr. Beatty didn't come?" Sara regretted the eagerness in her voice; gossiping about congregants was not the Christian thing to do, but curiosity got the better of her. Mr. and Mrs. Beatty had been active members since 1999, that is until they hit a rough patch in their marriage and stopped attending anything but Jacob's counseling sessions.
"It doesn't look good. I haven't seen Mr. Beatty in a long time."
Sara walked through the dim hallway to Jacob's office, and like always she stopped to trace her finger on the words "Pastor Jacob Franks" before knocking on the door. No answer, no sound coming from inside, and the door was locked. She shuffled in her pocket for her set of church keys, found the one to Jacob's door, and turned.
As the door swung open she saw what was a familiar head of hair and pasty white skin, and her first thought was: he's changing into his robes. Then she saw the thrusting motions, the perfect white legs on either side of him, and the curled blond hair showing over the back of his head like a wig. Neither Mrs. Beatty nor Jacob heard her come in, and when she left with a small click of the lock, neither of them heard her leave.
"He wasn't there?" Charlene asked when she saw the brownies still in Sara's hands.
"No, he must have headed home. Here, you keep them. I have plenty more cooking in the kitchen."
"Thanks, Sara. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, Mr. Beatty called looking for Sadie and I told him that you were the only other person here right now. He asked to be put on hold until you came back out so that he could talk to you. Persistent man, that Mr. Beatty — no wonder Sadie's leaving him."
"I'll take it in the copy room," Sara said, rushing into the back room and closing the door. The line rang almost immediately.
"Do you know?" asked a slurred voice on the other end.
"I just found out."
"She's there right now, isn't she?" It wasn't really a question, and Sara wondered if Mr. Beatty was sitting outside in the parking lot as they spoke.
"I'm coming over, and by the time I get there I want you gone."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I should have done when this first started. I'm going to kill him."
The line went dead, and Sara tried to put the phone back on the receiver and missed. Finally, after a few deep breaths, she called the police.
"And what does your husband do for a living?" the gruff voice on the other end asked her.
"He's a pastor."
"I see… Well, Mrs. Franks, we'll be there soon. If you know of a safe place to hide out until the suspect is apprehended, that may be the best thing to do."
Even her hands were traitors, shaking so badly that it took three tries to get the door open. She rushed past Charlene, the woman's voice just white noise, and down the hall to Jacob's office. This time she hit the door with her fists, and a half naked Jacob opened it to find his wife hyperventilating in the halls.
"You can tell Mrs. Beatty to stop hiding," Sara said, and the other woman came out of the robe closet. "First of all, Mrs. Beatty's husband is coming here to kill you, so you and I are going to Marge's tonight. Sadie, do you have a safe place to go where your husband won't find you?"
Sadie nodded, too embarrassed to say a word. As she should have been, after stealing the husband of the woman who baked the Beatty's meals during the birth of their first child, the same son who Sara then taught in Sunday school and even babysat a few times when his parents forgot to pick him up.
"Great, then we need to leave now. Oh, and Jacob, the second thing: I want a divorce, you lying, scheming son of a bitch. And I'm not scared to say that in front of the Lord, because he should know."
The last time she was in her house before fleeing to Marge's, Jacob stood across the living room, head down and eyes on anything but her, after she told him they needed to leave NOW. The word floated in the air, N O W, in bold red like an exit sign. Her fingers grazed the thick canvas of their sofa pillow, its weave like the deep blue linen of her bridesmaids' dresses, and she pulled it to her chest for the closest thing to a hug she could get.
There was no need for him to touch her, and yet when he saw her tears and the pillow he stepped back into the room.
"Don't cry, Sarabear," he said, which made her cry harder. If only she could go back to that day at the church and turn her back, spill her coffee, or remember that she already had a boyfriend who loved her, none of this would have happened.
"I still want you," he crooned, stepping slowly towards her like a tiger, "I still love you." If he had stopped talking then, maybe she could have stayed with him or at least pretended for a while. But then he continued: "I don't want to pick between you. I'm sure we can work something out, the three of us, like civilized adults. You're my wife, after all."
Share her husband, like a doll on a playground? If Sadie wanted him, this unfaithful hypocrite of a man, she could have him.
Then Sara raised the pillow like the Eucharist, blessed it, and threw it with all of her might. It wasn't much, as her friends would say later, she should have thrown the good china or a meat cleaver. But for Sara, who had never hit another human being in her life, this pillow was her redemption. It flew from her hands like Noah's dove, soared on the wings of her anger, and hit Jacob smack in the face with a satisfying whump.
After it fell like a dead body, Sara looked Jacob straight in his dazed eyes and said: "I'm not your wife anymore."
Now the house is quiet, filled with Jacob's things like a shrine — or more accurately, a tomb. When they left Marge's house he gave her an address — printed in pencil on a jagged rip of lined paper from the corner of one of Boris's notebooks — where she could send his things, and she recognized it as his mother's. Will Sadie live there too, under the kitchen floorboards in the dank unfinished basement, above which Jacob's mother works for hours to produce a dinner for three? Or will they hide out in a motel like bandits, drinking stale wine and bread in a continuous toast to their passion?
Sara drops the bags at the door and steps into the living room, where she finds the pillow still there: a memorial for her first action as a single woman. She sits down with her legs crossed and brings the pillow to her chest, like comforting a child, and stares about the room for something of hers. Jacob's books line the shelves, his degrees and family photos consume the wall space, and even the rug is one of his mom's old hand-me-downs. The town house stinks of him — his church's communion closet musk, their Irish soap, old paper — and though she used to find those smells aphrodisiacal, now they choke her like a toxic haze.
She rushes to the French windows and throws them open, even though it's under thirty degrees and raining. Then she attacks the silence, taking each rare book from the shelf and throwing it to the ground like the drop of a dead bird mid-flight. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. A whole shelf wiped out in one swish of her hand; airborne, the wisdom of the written word is nothing but dead weight. The Bible reaches the shooting squad eventually, with its worn out red cover, but this one she puts back like a too-small fish.
Spread-eagled pages litter the floor, so dense she has to wade to the bedroom. On the way she stumbles on one and to her surprise the book caves in under the pressure. Of course, she thinks as she bends to pick up the hollow box, Jacob would hide things in the one place she'd never look. Not in any of the biblical texts or study guides, but in a box disguised as Madame Bovary on the "classics" shelf Sara never borrowed from. Opening the flap reveals what she already knows: the contents are love letters, old fashioned notes passed before and after service, strung with twine as a keepsake like an old soldier's correspondence with his wife. She doesn't have to open them to know what they say.
The next time Sara sets foot in a church is for her college roommate's wedding. Her divorce has been finalized for a year, but still she can't enter a narthex without a spasm running up her spine. They caught Mr. Beatty red-handed and soon after Jacob and Sadie moved into Jacob's mother's basement in Ohio, but Sara imagines she sees them everywhere she goes.
"Bride or groom?" the groomsman asks her as he takes her arm.
She was once the bride, her long white train trailing behind her, little pearls shining in the lace like pebbles in sand. Now she wears a conservative sweater set that her mother gave her last Christmas, trying to blend in with the crowd in case anyone from school heard. He seats her near the back practically behind a large flower vase, perhaps picking up on her anxiety, and she is glad she can disappear.
Once she settles in, she starts to page through the hymnal in front of her. The music is what she misses most, the choir practice and the way their voices twisted like rope up through the rafters to God, and for a second she thinks that maybe it is time to go back. Maybe this wedding is a sign.
"Excuse me," a man says behind her, and then she feels a hand on her shoulder. She tenses, and as she turns she dreads the pity she will see in a former schoolmate's face. Instead the man is smiling, and something about the adorable upturned lips and the frizzy brown hair seems so familiar to her. No wedding ring, no woman by his side, but something about him… could it be?
Kelly Ann Jacobson is currently pursuing her MA in Fiction at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, and she is the Poetry Editor for Outside In Literary & Travel Magazine. Kelly has had poems published in Wooden Teeth magazine and Outside In Literary & Travel Magazine, a short story published in The Exhibitionist Magazine, and a four part blog on life2pointoh.com. Her work can be found at www.kellyannjacobson.com.
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Shuaa Capital Saudi Arabia launches new real estate fund
Shuaa Capital Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of its real estate investment trust (Shuaa REIT), a closed-ended publicly traded real estate investment fund, approved by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) of Saudi Arabia.
The subscription period for Shuaa REIT kicks off today (March 25) and will continue until April 7 inclusive, said a statement from Shuaa Capital.
The fund will offer 30.5 million units to the public at a price of SR10 per unit, equivalent to SR305.2 million, which accounts for 51.5 per cent of the REIT's total size of SR591.5 million.
According to Shuaa, the Fund intends to acquire 6 income-generating real estate assets in four key sectors and in vital areas of the city of Riyadh.
Some of the key differentiating factors of Shuaa REIT are the independency of the REIT Manager from all assets and property owners, alignment of interest between the investors and the REIT Manager by having the management fees structured in a way whereby the bulk of the fees are based on a percentage of the rental pool generated from the underlying assets, considerably high returns for high quality assets in comparison with the competitive set of assets of the same category located in major cities around the Kingdom; whereby the targeted return is approximately 7 per cent p.a. based on freehold ownership structures and excludes lease-interest contracts.
Shuaa REIT is structured in accordance with the updated real estate investment trust regulations issued by the Capital Market Authority, which aims to increase the efficiencies of REITs by following strict principles that contribute to reducing the risks associated with it.
These real estate trusts are aimed at ensuring the readiness of the assets and the solidity of the contracts from a regulatory and legal perspectives as well as the diversification of tenants, in addition to adopting the revised valuation methodologies' that ultimately reflects the fair market price of the underlying asset by relying on the prevailing average rental prices of similar assets in the market and not relying solely on the value of the signed rental contracts.
The updated regulations also include a newly introduced 12-month lock-up period for majority unitholders that begins from the start of unit trading in the Saudi stock market, which ultimately contributes to a more stable market price for the unit.
Commenting on the launch, CEO Omar Al Jaroudi said: "The launch of Shuaa REIT today is a significant milestone for Shuaa Capital Saudi Arabia. REITs are globally acknowledged as long-term real estate alternative investment instruments, geared to provide a steady stream of income through periodic distributions whilst providing liquidity through tradable units in the market, full transparency on transactions."
"Furthermore, REITs are not considered speculative high growth instruments that generates high capital returns. We remain focused on offering our clients and investors distinctive financial solutions within the Saudi Arabian market," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Copyright 2019 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).


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Calling all children across Oman! Show us just how much you love your Mummy this Mother's Day and enter for a chance to crown her as 'Oman's Best Mum', as we kick off our annual competition once again!
Mothers are the lifeline of the family – there's no denying that, and it is high time we give our mums the credit they deserve. That is why Y Magazine has teamed up with PUCK to show the mums of Oman just how much they're loved by their children, in a special competition to coincide with Mother's Day in the GCC, which is celebrated on March 21.
This is the fifth edition of the competition – and following trend, this year's will even be bigger and better than ever!
In 2018, we saw our boxes inundated with hundreds of entries as children across the capital put their feelings down on paper, proving why, in their opinion, their mum was the best in the world.
It's not just the title of Oman's Best Mum that's on the line. Thanks to PUCK, there will be several valuable prizes up for grabs for the top three entries. And, if this isn't motivation enough to show your love, then we don't know what is – just think of all the treats you could buy your Mum as a thank you for all that she does for you.
The first real human interaction a child has once they're born is with their mother. It's a bond that's strong and beyond what words can convey. But, every now and then, we must try and express our love for our beloved mothers. And Team Y is thrilled to bring our loyal readers a competition that will do just that!
To enter, you'll need to be age 16 or under. Just pick up a special card, which will be slotted into next week's issue of Y Magazine and fill it with a heartfelt message of love for your Mum.
Remember, our judges will be selecting the winners based on content and creativity so don't be afraid to get artistic Last year, we received poems, drawings, touching words and simple displays of gratitude, so getting creative is a must.
Look out for the A5 card in the next issue of Y. Complete your entry and be as creative as you like with words and pictures – good luck and remember to say it with love!
And finally:
The top three entries will also be framed and given back to the participants for them to present to their mothers as a keepsake.
The competition closes on March 30 and our winners will be awarded their prizes with their mum at a special ceremony.
• The competition is open to children aged 16 and under.
• Cards must be decorated and written by children only. Entries will be disqualified if there is evidence of parental involvement.
• Entries received after the closing date, March 30, will not go forward to the judging stage.
• Children of employees of SABCO Media or associated companies are excluded from taking part.
• The editor's decision is final.
• Winners will be notified by email or telephone.
• Winners and their mums must be able to attend the prize ceremony in Muscat on a date to be confirmed.


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The Upper Class district would be quite different from the rest of the city. Wealthy tradesmen, noblemen and people of power would walk the cobbled streets and the stores would be expensive everything from magnificent jewlers, exquisite blacksmiths and stores with the most brilliant clothing could be found, but in the middle of the district would be a massive manor surrounded with a stone wall along with guards wearing the crest of Lunorth. Over the gate into the courtyard would hang two steel dragons holding up a large shield with a Tea Kettle surrounded with flames.
The residence of the Lord Protector
Dagger took in the sites as he rode up to the gates of the manor walls. Comparatively, the manor was far larger that the Library of CrestGrath, CrestGrath's largest building and certainly more decretive. The architecture of the compound was also much more elaborate. CrestGrath was a place of more natural beauty whereas Northheim was displaying the brilliance man can create given the chance, and the coin.
"What do you think?" Asks the Ambassador of his often grumpy assistant before stopping at the gate.
Raelene looks around the high end market, and her eye looks critically at the market. Her own memories of such a place linger in the dark parts of her memory. She knew the rumored words of the Northern Seals laws... and she knew also that just because something looked impressive, did not mean that it was built by the same faces that one saw.
As for the protectors home... it was a far cry from what she felt comfortable in, and approaching it made her want to turn around and head back.
She swallowed hard, her discomfort rising and her own tensions. The color in her face fades and Raelene's stomach feels like it's been tied into a knot.
Her voice sounds forced and strains a little as she speaks. "I wonder what Sayeh would think... if she saw this."
Dagger catches the tone, "think coin. Lunorth has a lot to offer. We need only insure that they know we are the company to do business with."
The ambassador looks down from his mount at the Lunorthy guards, "I am Ambassador Dagger of Blackwood, the Realms and the Leader of the East Blackwood Company here to see his lordship, Protector Victor Kettle."
The guards would stand as monuments looking out straight infront of them. Only as Dagger would regard one of them he'd salute Dagger before giving him a nod.
"You are expected. Please follow me."
The guard would then continue into the courtyard which would be rather large on itself. On each side along the road towards the manor there would be well cut bushes and further on each side would be traning areas one would be a shooting range with a variety of targets and dummies, everything from humanoids, animals and other creatures. On the other side would be a ring surrounded by lit braziers and along the edges of the ring there would be wooden stands with a wide variety of weapenry, some dulled for training others sharp.
Further along the courtyard before the main building there would be three people digging. Sand, cobblestone and other building materials would be laying on the ground as they would seem to be constructing something, but it was hard to tell what. Perhaps a statue.
The manor would be three stories tall and formed in a "U" shape. The walls would be made from black clay bricks and heavy wooden logs. Along the walls of the manor there would be several small guard houses and they would be manned.
The Guard would guide the two guests further towards the large wooden door with brazier burning one each side. The guard would nod to the two other guards by the door signaling for them to open the door leading into a rather large hall with stone floor, with a black and gold rug draping the center up towards a massive wooden staircase leading to the second floor. The walls would be draped with banners of both Lunorth and the Protector Couples own sigil along with a veriety of different oil paintings.
The guard would guide the two to a line of rather relegant looking wooden chairs where he'd gesture for them to sit. "Please sit here, while I inform the steward and he'll bring you before the Lord Protector." He then gave them both a quick nod before leaving them heading into a room behind one of the many different doors in the large hall.
Dagger raises a brow expectantly at Raelene and sits as told.
Realene glances at the chairs, the thought in her head for a moment, only to remain standing. From bathing, to riding, to this, she prefers to be on her feet for a little while longer, and move about a portion of the space in the room slowly waiting for the steward to come.
Noting the time pass, Dagger leans over toward Raelene, "You think they are waiting for you to sit?"
After some time an elder bald gentlemen in a black robe with a golden sash would walk walk out of one of doors heading towards Dagger and Realene. His face would be rather stiff and sharp with a lot of wrinkles. He'd give the two a small bow before gesturing them to follow him. "Please come with me." The elder man would walk with firm fast steps towards the door at the far end of the room. "You will meet his Lordship Victor and her Ladyship Eva in the throphy room."
They would walk through a few roms who'd be rather beautifully dacorated in a victorian style. They'd arrive at a smaller fall with antlers on each side of the room leading towards a door where shouting could be heard from. The elderman would stop up abruptly turning around towards the two guests looking a bit nervous. "Ehmm.. How to put this.. Her ladyship is seven month pregnant.
Just letting you know." He'd then give them both a short nod as if gesturing them to brace themselves before pushing the door open into a large room. On each of the walls there would be a series of shoulder mounted animals along with som fully mounted animals creatures standing around. Everything from different deers, to antilopes, big cats, wolves, bears and all in between. In the middle of the room there would be a series of couches and chairs and at the other side of the room a large fireplace where Lord Protector Victor Kettle and Lady De'Andre along shouting at each other wildly.
Victor would wear an open black longcoat, a white shirt with golden flower pattern embroidery and brown silk pants. He'd raise his hand in a fist slamming it into his open palm shouting at Eva "You are simply impossible! I won't have my son named like some soft posh imperial prickling! Vitus is a perfectly suitable name for a strong and self relient boy... And don't you begin to talk about all this surname crap. Children should take the surname of their father!"
Dagger's brow raises at the mention of a pregnant Eva. The Ambassador looks to the Raelene for some sort of comfort in the more complicated situation than he had thought would happen when he arrived. Well, if truth be told it should have been expected. Dagger still found it hard to picture the woman he held in high esteem after meeting her during the Summer Campaign the prior year. Not that that would change much of course. Of course not!
The ambassador, Dagger of Blackwood, wore his green vest, the one he wore to the wedding, over a deep-blue shirt accented by thick-leather bracers. Though here for business and diplomacy, Dagger wore his weapon's belt which also held leather bags and holsters for other day to day items such as his two ambassador titles. Hanging from the belt was the long skirt-like flaps which held the heraldries of Hemmenshire, East Blackwood, Sapphire Ilse and Terra. Most notably is the large sigil of Copperdale which sits just above the Element Terra's symbol on his center-belt sash.
Dagger, with red eyes and dark lines trailing from them, smiles at the site of the Protectorate pair. "Congratulations."
Eva De'Andre long red dress has gold embroidery around the edge. In the neckline, you can just see a kind of tattooing that clearly shows the sun from The Order of the Black Sun's heraldry. It almost looks like flames.
Eva looks furious at Vitor while she leans up at a chair with one hand on her pregnant stomach.
"Are you absolutely sure you want to maintain your attitude to what MY children should be have as there surname?
It is I who have dragged them around for nine months when they finaly arrives... NOT YOU!!!".
The Ambassador waited for a moment's break in the argument before he spoke again.
Eve discovers that others have entered the room and look even more furious, over being disturbed. For a moment she seems to want to say somthing more, but she sits down with a deep sigh.
Realene's own thoughts occupied her mind for a while as she followed behind Dagger glancing at the rooms.
Coming into the room, and seeing the Lord Protector and his wife for the first time, she recalled what her mistress had mentioned, and quickly pressed her lips together to avoid her first impulse. Though watching them fight, this did make her think of one thing that seemed to calm her a little... there was certainly a lot of Ignis in this room.
She listened in on the argument as well, and her mind wandered a bit more. Though the last time she spoke her mind in front of an Ignis follower, she well... regretted that instantly. She stood up tall in this case then and tried to quiet her mind of her own personal thoughts. She placed one hand over her wrist, a small charm from a bracelet, a blue piece of seaglass under the cuff of her burgundy gown with the heraldry of the embassy sewn at her hip.
Dagger smiled at the pair by the hearth. "When last we spoke you mentioned plans for the future. I should have known that legacy was among them. Congradulations." The ambassador offers a light bow does not lower his eyes. Likewise, Dagger does not remove his smile.
"Thank you for the invitation. This is my assistant, Raelene Skie." Dagger moves slightly to the side to present the mistress from Sapphire Ilse. "She aids me in matters of business and finance.
I was also expecting another merchant for the East Blackwood Company to arrive after me but I am sure he can find accommodation suiting in the city."
Victor would sigh at Eva's having heard it over and over again. Upon noticing the guests arriving Victor would walk over to Dagger and Realene.
"Welcome, welcome my friend good to see you, and thank you. We are awaiting twins. A boy and a girl or that is what the medicus tells us."
Victor would attempt to grasp Dagger in a tight hug aiming to kiss his cheeks three times before letting go and turning his attention to Realene reaching for hand to give it a kiss if allowed. "Hello there dear. My name is Victor Kettle a pleasure, I am sure."
Raelene's nerves show for a moment as Victor asks for her hand, as she isn't sure if it is appropriate for her at her station. Maybe the customs in the North are different, she thinks?
Deciding to be polite she lifts the hem of her skirts enough to curtesy and lower her head. There's an obvious hesitation as she presents her hand, "It is nice to meet you, Lord Victor, my Mistress has told me about you and your wife and her attendance at your wedding this summer."
Victor would smile at Realene nodding at her. "I hope only good things. Please give her my regards and tell her that she is allways welcome to visit us here."
Victor would then turn his attention to Dagger with a cheeky smile before looking over at Eva and then back at Dagger. "Well Dagger, now that I have you here you might help us settle our disagreement. Don't you think Vitus is a much better name for a boy than Wilhelm. Also children should take the surname after thier farther, wouldn't you agree?" Victor would take a moment looking expectingly at Dagger.
Eva looks at Dagger with a burning look while crossing her arms.
... Dagger stairs for a moment wide eyed and puzzled before not being able to withhold his opinion. "Well, Vitus sounds too much like the child is unborn... And I cannot speak for your traditions here in Lunorth but I personally would suggest that the family with the strongest name should be the name the child takes. So perhaps a compromise? Wilhelm Kettle or Wilhelm Vitas Kettle? Forgive my ignorance," Dagger looks to Eva, "but what is your family surname? Perhaps a full combination of the two houses within the name is in order of the children? Also, too keep the name Vitas one could use a version of it for you daughter, Vita… But that is just the opinion of an old soldier."
Dagger smiles doing his best to return to his more confident composure. That confidence wavers some as he becomes well aware that he blurted out an answer without really thinking it through before speaking it.


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Barons Haughton in the Peerage of England (1616-1711)
Earls of Clare in the Peerage of England (1624-1711)
Dukes of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the Peerage of England, Second Creation (1694-1711)
Earl of Clare
- John Holles, (1564–1637) 1st Earl of Clare,1st Baron Haughton.
- John Holles, (1595–1666) 2nd Earl of Clare.
- Gilbert Holles, ( 1633– 1689) 3rd Earl of Clare.
1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 4th Earl of Clare KG (Full Achievement)
1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Marital Arms)
- John Holles, (1662–1711) 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 4th Earl of Clare KG. married Lady Margaret Cavendish, a daughter of the 2nd Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. They had one child, Lady Henrietta Cavendish Holles (1694–1755), who married 2nd Earl of Oxford and Mortimer and was mother to Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland.
For further Dukes of Newcastle see House of Pelham and Dukes of Portland see House of Bentinck
Holles of Winterborne in the Baronetage of England (1660-1694)
Barons Holles of Ifield in the Peerage of England (1661-1694)
Barons Holles of Ifield
- Denzil Holles, (1599–1680) 1st Baron Holles, second son of the 1st Earl of Clare.
- Francis Holles, (1627–1690) 2nd Baron Holles, 1st Baronet.
- Denzil Holles, (1675 – 1694) 3rd Baron Holles, 2nd Baronet.


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Submit your story - No Registration Required!
- - Concept : An 'I Hate it when' always starts with 'IHIW'. There are no taboo subjects, feel free to express yourself.
- - If your IHIW isn't published on our website, don't feel offended, and thank you!
IHIW you dream that you trip on something and you actually jump in bed. ;)
I hate that too! (8) - Don't hate! (7)
Jul 26, 2018 12:50 PM - People - by Ria


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Enter text to encode:
{p} {t}What is {h}QR Code Generator{/h}? {/t} {b}
The QR code changed into created in the automobile enterprise in Japan. It was invented in 1994 through Denso Wave. It uses 4 standardized encoding modes; numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary and kanji. It won speedy popularity out of doors the automobile industry because of its speedy readabilityand capability to store greater facts. The applications wherein it started being used have been; time tracking, product monitoring, product identity, file control and advertising. This code consists of black squares with diverse undecipherable patterns arranged in a square grid on a white history. The records is extracted from styles in both the horizontal and vertical components of the image.{/b} {/p}
{p} {t}What are {h}dynamic QR codes{/h}? {/t} {b}
As soon as a QR code is generated it cannot be changed. A dynamic QR code factors to a static URL that hosts the real content material. The hosted content material cannot be changed after the QR code has been generated. you could create a dynamic QR code after signing in with a Google Account. they're dealt with inside the identical manner as a normal QR code.{/b} {/p}
{p} {t}QR {h}Quick Response{/h} {/t} {b}
QR code is the abbreviation for 'quick response' code. it's far a registered trademark of Denso Wave incorporated. The QR code is a two dimensional barcode this is readable by clever phones, drugs, computer systems with webcams. Over 4000 characters may be encoded in a single QR code. as soon as a QR code is generated it can not be changed. If an strive is made to trade the code it'll result in a exceptional code being produced, and now not the original one. inside the destiny it's expected that QR codes will update the conventional bar codes on business items. there's no restriction on the use of QR codes for non-public or industrial use. you will want to down load the right application to examine QR codes on a smart telephone. The QR code reader software is available throughout all varieties of clever phones.{/b} {/p}
{p} {t}Use of {h}QR codes{/h}? {/t} {b}
using QR codes in commercial advertising is growing. they've end up the focal point in marketing. because the QR code can be scanned by means of smartphones their utilization is increasing to access shops web sites. with the aid of scanning the code site visitors cross directly to the internet site that they need to visit without having to go into a URL cope with. In some international locations QR codes were brought on identity playing cards and a few banks are using them on debit cards. The simplicity of producing unique QR codes and of reading them has raised their recognition. preceding barcodes have been single dimensional and needed unique barcode readers to study; then again QR codes don't want any unique gadget to generate or to study. also every QR code is unique which minimizes the chances of it being duplicated and misused. QR codes are getting used across various industries like; cellular phones, digital save, code price, internet site login and in video games.
due to their flexibility in encoding, developing and studying QR codes will see an boom in usage. you could create your very own QR code, a QR code with emblem may be created for agencies and their usage to access web sites will also boom. the dimensions of the QR code can range, therefore it makes it easier for corporations to create, print and paste them on products.{/b} {/p}


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AT's newest hardside collection will have you spinning!
• Four, multi-directional dual Spinner wheels for easy mobility.
• Recessed TSA combination lock for peace of mind.
• Features our first 100% polypropylene zippered case - creating an extremely lightweight and durable collection.
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• Push button locking handle adjusts to multiple heights for comfort when rolling the case.
• Expands for added packing capacity.
• Feel secure with a 10 year warranty.
• Weight: 10.8 lbs.
Body Dimensions: 29.0" x 21.0" x 12.25"
Overall Dimensions: 31.0" x 21.75" x 12.25"


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Dear Munchkin,
Last night, you became a reader. I'm so proud of you and excited for you I can barely sit still long enough to write this. I want to
run do cartwheels and handsprings down the street shouting about your accomplishment!
Earlier in the day, I happened across collections of BOB Books at Costco. I first learned about them a few weeks ago, and they received many positive reviews from consumers. I snatched up the entire series.
I've had laryngitis (again) since Friday, and Daddy wasn't sure if he would make it home by bed time. So at dinner, I announced, "Munchkin, since my voice is still stick, YOU are going to read our bed time story tonight!"
Your eyes lit up and you grew very excited. You wanted the books even before you had finished dinner. As soon as your plate was empty, we pushed it aside and pulled out the first book. You started sounding out 3-letter words right away! It was only when you looked up at me and squealed with glee, "I'm reading it!" that I remembered to start a video recording.
You powered through the first book and wanted more, so I gave you the second. I was in awe of you the whole time. I felt like I would simply explode. The experience was a little surreal, kind of like a dream. I was watching my child READ.
And you still wanted more! It was wonderfully gratifying to see you so excited about reading, though I had to make you wait while I changed Peanut's diaper. You struggled a little with the third book, but you made it through, and then it was time to get ready for bed. You were exceptionally co-operative about the routine because I promised you could read one more story before we turned out the lights, if we had time. We started the fourth book, but it was clear you were tired. "Let's do it tomorrow," you sighed.
My darling, brilliant girl, reading will open up whole new worlds for you! I have been passionate about reading for as long as I can remember (and even before I could remember, since I've heard my parents tell stories). Since the day I knew you were growing inside me, I have dreamed of sharing the joy of reading with you. Daddy and I read to you in the womb. We read to you when you were a newborn. And we've enjoyed reading to you ever since.
Now, we embark on a new leg of this journey. We will continue reading to you and with you, modeling for you and nurturing your skills. But now we also get to help you read to us, and that is another level of delight.
You are my pride and joy,


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With the simatool Fitting Tool FT-P and its functionality, we are presenting you with a world first. The Fitting Tool FT-P, in combination with a mechanical press, guarantees the correct assembly of components with an inside diameter greater than 50 mm. The FT-P is the ideal solution for installations requiring high mounting forces, since the tool can be used on presses. It thus allows installations that could not be performed by striking with a hammer.
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Teddy Bears Poster
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Everyone loves a hug. This super-sweet Teddy Bears Poster captures a warm hug to perfection. On it are two teddies sitting on a wooden bench embracing. Look even harder, and you'll see two Names of your choice seamlessly embedded into the bench along with a carved heart.
This heart-warming poster makes a lovely gift for that special someone on their birthday, for Valentine's Day, an anniversary or Christmas. You could even add a frame for that extra special touch.
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I've had some learning to do these past few weeks, and more to come. A large part of being a professional musician is having someone come to you and say "play this". Now, if you're supposed to hold your viola like a viol, and bow between your left hand and the scroll, then you just have to learn how to do that. The same goes for doing right hand tremolo with thimbles on your fingers and playing a melody with your left hand. Or playing tuned wine glasses with your bow, or a large tam tam with same. As you may have guessed, all of these techniques are featured in George Crumb's Black Angels for electric string quartet, which I'm performing with the Pyxis Quartet later this month.
Now suppose that you're a perfectionist, and you're also prone to being down on yourself, and you have major league imposter syndrome (raising hand). That makes the learning process doubly difficult. Because I look at a movement of such a piece, and I think, "I should be able to play this, because I am somewhat accomplished". I then attempt to play the passage, fall flat on my face, and then say "I suck, I am the worst violist in the world, and everyone else can play this perfectly." I expect to get from zero to 100 instantly, and that is just not the way the world works! So, after an initial (sometimes extended) period of this idiocy, I stop, take things apart, and work methodically to figure out how to do each technique in each passage. Sometimes this is mind-numbingly slow work. When I was working on John Zorn's The Alchemist (one of the most difficult pieces I've ever played) I would spend an hour working on just one or two bars, figuring out just how to choreograph fingers and bow, just so I could get through those bars at barely half of the performance tempo.
The place when the panic really sets in is when I haven't allowed enough time to prepare before the first rehearsal. Sometimes this is just unavoidable – life intervenes in the best laid practice plans more often than not. I try to tell myself that I'll work to get as much of it under my fingers as I can, and that the others in my ensemble are likely feeling the same way. Sometimes that's true, and other times I'm the weakest link in a particular rehearsal. One thing that helps me a lot in these sorts of situations is spending at least as much time doing score study and part marking as I do just learning notes. That way, even if I'm only approximating what's on the page, I know pretty well what I should be doing, what the other voices should be doing, and how I might fit with those voices.
The main point is that only you know how you learn best, and only you can control how you structure and nurture that learning process. Negative self-talk and impatience only serve to short-circuit the process and lead to a downward spiral of shame and recrimination.


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- noun
- informal
About the Author
Tom Murphy is a recruitment leader & founder of Aptus Personnel (Aus) and Aptus Recruitment (UK). After 10 years in consulting engineering and 11 years in recruitment Tom aims to be an employer of choice for recruiters.
Tom aspires to provide a working environment where people can be as successful as possible. Tom believes by being the best he can be as an employer, other employers and employees will want to make Aptus their recruitment partner.


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John Calvin
"I extend the word Israel to all the people of God, according to this meaning, When the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith; and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, which must be gathered from both; and yet in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place, being as it were the first born in God's family.
...as Jews are the firstborn, what the Prophet declares must be fulfilled, especially in them: for that scripture calls all the people of God Israelites, it is to be ascribed to the pre-eminence of that nation, who God had preferred to all other nations...God distinctly claims for himself a certain seed, so that his redemption may be effectual in his elect and peculiar nation...God was not unmindful of the covenant which he had made with their fathers, and by which he testified that according to his eternal purpose he loved that nation: and this he confirms by this remarkable declaration, that the grace of the divine calling cannot be made void."
(see Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XIX, Epistle to the Romans, Baker Book House, 1981, p. 434-440.)
Charles Hodge
"The second great event, which, according to the common faith of the Church, is to precede the second advent of Christ, is the national conversion of the Jews....that there is to be such a national conversion may be argued...from the original call and destination of that people. God called Abraham and promised that through him, and in his seed, all the nations of the earth should be blessed...A presumptive argument is drawn from the strange preservation of the Jews through so many centuries as a distinct people.
As the rejection of the Jews was not total, so neither is it final. First, God did not design to cast away his people entirely, but by their rejection, in the first place, to facilitate the progress of the gospel among the Gentiles, and ultimately to make the conversion of the Gentiles the means of converting the Jews...Because if the rejection of the Jews has been a source of blessing, much more will their restoration be the means of good...The restoration of the Jews to the privileges of God's people is included in the ancient predictions and promises made respecting them...The plan of God, therefore, contemplated the calling of the Gentiles, the temporary rejection and final restoration of the Jews...
The future restoration of the Jews is, in itself, a more probable event than the introduction of the Gentiles into the church of God. This, of course, supposes that God regarded the Jews, on account of their relation to him, with peculiar favor, and that there is still something in their relation to the ancient servants of God and his covenant with them, which causes them to be regarded with special interest. As men look upon the children of their early friends with kinder feelings than on the children of strangers, God refers to this fact to make us sensible that he still retains purposes of peculiar mercy towards his ancient people.
As the restoration of the Jews is not only a most desirable event, but one which God has determined to accomplish, Christians should keep it constantly in view even in their labors for the conversion of the Gentiles."
(Systematic Theology V.3, James Clark & Co. 1960, p. 805. and A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, Presb. Board of Pub., 1836, pp. 270-285 passim. Now Published by Banner of Truth Trust)
John Murray
"To the Jew first, and also to the Greek...It does not appear sufficient to regard this priority as that merely of time. In this text there is no suggestion to the effect that the priority is merely that of time. The implication appears to be rather that the power of God unto salvation through faith has primary relevance to the Jew, and the analogy of Scripture would indicate that this peculiar relevance to the Jew arises from the fact that the Jew had been chosen by God to be the recipient of the promise of the gospel and that to him were committed the oracles of God...the gospel is pre-eminently the gospel for the Jew.
While it is true that in respect of the privileges accruing from Christ's accomplishments there is now no longer Jew or Gentile and the Gentiles "are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (Eph. 3:6), yet it does not follow that Israel no longer fulfills any particular design in the realization of God's worldwide saving purpose...Israel are both "enemies" and "beloved" at the same time, enemies as regards the gospel, beloved as regards the election..."Beloved" thus means that God has not suspended or rescinded his relation to Israel as his chosen people in terms of the covenants made with their fathers.
Unfaithful as Israel have been and broken off for that reason, yet God still sustains his peculiar relation of love to them, a relation that will be demonstrated and vindicated in the restoration."
(The Epistle to the Romans, John Murray, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1984, Vol. I, p. 28 and Vol. II pp. xiv-xv and 76-101, passim.)
Jonathan Edwards
"Jewish infidelity shall be overthrown...the Jews in all their dispersions shall cast away their old infidelity, and shall have their hearts wonderfully changed, and abhor themselves for their past unbelief and obstinacy. They shall flow together to the blessed Jesus, penitently, humbly, and joyfully owning him as their glorious King and only Savior, and shall with all their hearts, as one heart and voice, declare his praises unto other nations...Nothing is more certainly foretold than this national conversion of the Jews in Rom. xi.
Besides the prophecies of the calling of the Jews, we have a remarkable providential seal of the fulfillment of this great event, by a kind of continual miracle, viz. their being preserved a distinct nation...the world affords nothing else like it. There is undoubtedly a remarkable hand of providence in it. When they shall be called, that ancient people, who alone were so long God's people for so long a time, shall be his people again, never to be rejected more. They shall be gathered together into one fold, together with the Gentiles...."
(The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 1, Banner of Truth Trust, 1976, page 607.)
Matthew Henry
"Now two things he exhorts the Gentiles to, with reference to the rejected Jews: To have a respect for the Jews, notwithstanding, and to desire their conversion. This is intimated in the prospect he gives them of the advantage that would accrue to the church by their conversion, Rom. 11:12, 15. It would be as life from the dead; and therefore they must not insult or triumph over those poor Jews, but rather pity them, and desire their welfare, and long for the receiving of them in again.
Another thing that qualifies this doctrine of the Jews' rejection is that, though for the present they are cast off, yet the rejection is not final; but, when the fullness of time is come, they will be taken in again. They are not cast off for ever, but mercy is remembered in the midst of wrath.
The Jews are in a sense a holy nation (Exod. xix.6), being descended from holy parents. Now it cannot be imagined that such a holy nation should be totally and finally cast off. This proves that the seed of believers, as such, are within the pale of the visible church, and within the verge of the covenant, till they do, by their unbelief, throw themselves out; for, if the root be holy, so are the branches....Though grace does not run in the blood, yet external privileges do (till they are forfeited), even to a thousand generations...The Jewish branches are reckoned holy, because the root was so. This is expressed more plainly (Rom. 11:28).
Though particular persons and generations wear off in belief, yet there having been a national church-membership, though for the present suspended, we may expect that it will be revived...It is called a mystery (Rom. 11:25), that which was not obvious, and which one would not expect upon the view of the present state of that people, who appeared generally so obstinate against Christ and Christianity that it was a riddle to talk of their unanimous conversion. Alas! who shall live when God doeth this?"
(Matthew Henry's Commentary, V.6, MacDonald Publishing Company, pp. 448-453.)
Copyright © 2020 CHAIM - A Reformed Ministry to Jewish People - Recognized by the PCA - All Rights Reserved.
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Homemade Caramel Apples are easy to make and are the perfect fall and winter treat. Dip Granny Smith apples in homemade caramel, chocolate, and roll in crushed candies.
Fall is the perfect time of year to make homemade goodness. Each holiday season, we made roughly 200 of these homemade Caramel apples to give out to friends and customers as little thank you's. Happy recipients include the mail carrier, UPS driver, teachers, principal, vice principal and of course the bus driver. Pretty much anyone that you can think of that helps make our lives easier. Let me say that most everyone really appreciates things you make from scratch. They are almost shocked when you bring them something handmade or you baked from scratch. Probably because many busy parents have gotten away from making things at home. So when you do, it's so special.To melt the chocolate I use these Stainless steel double boiler melting pots. I have two. One for dark chocolate and one for white chocolate. They are so easy to use and fit in most of the saucepans you already own!
How to make Caramel Apples:
Step 1: Make homemade caramel. While it cooks, do NOT walk away from the pot, or it may burn! Use a wooden spoon to occasionally stir the caramel. Once it becomes caramel, keep the pot over low heat, just to keep it warm enough to dip apples.
Step 2: Twist the stem off of each apple. Make sure apples are room temperature.
Step 3: Push wooden apple sticks (7-inch wooden apple sticks) into straight into each apple. Use a kitchen towel to protect the palm of your hand, or you will eventually bruise.
These apples are dipped in homemade caramel, let dry and then dip in melted chocolate. While the chocolate is wet, roll the apples in anything you want. Dig through your kitchen cabinets and see what you have. We love toasted coconut, granola, chopped candy pieces (toffee, mints, candy canes, Reese's peanut butter cups, etc.), M&M's, chopped nuts or even a cinnamon-sugar mix to create an apple pie version.Step 4: While the caramel is hot, dip each apple in and shake off any excess. Set each dipped apple onto a prepared half sheet pan, lined with parchment paper.
I love pre-cut sheets of parchment paper. That way I'm not messing around with it rolling up and tearing it off. You'll love these and probably never buy a roll of parchment again!
Step 5: Let the caramel set before dipping into melted chocolate. Shake off excess melted chocolate and roll in crushed candies, nuts, or toasted coconut. Sit back on a clean piece of parchment paper and let the chocolate set. Drizzle with melted white chocolate for added detail if desired.
Pro Tip:
There are so many options for decorating and making these Caramel Apples. I love making them in the fall and winter, so I can use the outdoors or our garage as a cooler. Because when you make a bunch of these delicious babies, you won't be able to stick them in your fridge.
When done, you can package them up in food safe plastic bags and tie with a piece of twine or ribbon. Store them in a cool and dark place for up to two-weeks. Bring to room temperature for about 20 minutes, before using a chef's knife to slice them. This makes them easy to enjoy.
For more great apple recipes:
Southern Fried Apple Hand Pies
Do you love my recipes? If you have a moment, please leave a star rating!
Caramel Apples
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 Granny Smith apples
- 1 pound semisweet chocolate chips
- various toppings
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Once they are melted, add the can of sweetened condensed milk and stir. Heat until it comes to 245 degrees F. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon. Be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Let cool slightly before dipping apples.
- Place caramel dipped apples on half sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Let the caramel harden in a cool place. Then dip in melted chocolate. While the chocolate is still wet, roll the apples in your desired toppings.
- If you are doing a topping such as candy pieces (such as M&M's), let the chocolate harden slightly before pressing on the candy. Otherwise it will slide off.
- Let the apples dry in a cool location. If it's winter, I often times will store them in our garage on a folding table. Once the chocolate is set package up the caramel apples in food safe bags and tie up with a twist tie.
Disclosure: A Farmgirl's Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com


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After our quiet night, it was time to explore the unknown Czech city, České Budějovice. The city was quiet of small and we just started to walk from our place to the city center, about 30min by feet. The city wasn't as gorgeous as Český Krumlov, but a nice one. Our walk to the city center, mostly close from the rail trail, seeing some local life in quiet of nice houses in the way.
My memory about houses close from rail train is the ones in my hometown, Salvador, something like that. But well, we were in Czech Republic that's in the top 10 in the list of the poorest countries in the European Union.
Another day I received Couchsurfing request from a guy saying that He traveled in rich and really poor countries in Europe, such as Romania. In fact Romania is the second poorest country in the EU and have financial and social problems that results in a big emigration of Romanians to other countries in the EU. In fact Romania has a GDP - per capita higher than in Brazil. Brazil is not a poor country by the way. If you want to talk about a really poor country you should maybe mention Zambia with $4000 per capita, not Romania with $24000 per capita. Anyway, the conception about poverty is a little bit different for who never had the chance to travel outside of Europe or the US. I've no clue what means poverty by feeling. My family was poor in my first years of life. We lived in a ghetto in my hometown, in a really simple house in a area with high level of criminality for the first 8 years of my life. Even that, I can't compare myself with people that were born in Central Africa. They are constantly living in a fear of civil war, not having the easy access to housing, food, clean water and water waste. Millions of them die every year from hunger, diseases, the murder and other reasons. Ten percent of population never reaches 5 years old. In some countries such Angola, Central African Republic, Chad and Guinea-Bissau for each 7 kids one of them dies before 5 years old. Five percent of the Women just die when they are giving birth. In Chad the rate is even bigger, 9 for each 100. By average 1% of the African population dies every year. In Central Africa Republic 1.5% dies every year. Even Brazil being the country with more homicides in the world, this rate is 0.6%. It's so far from my reality that I can't even imagine it.
Anyways, Czech Republic, one of the poorest countries in the EU isn't really poor in my perspective. They have problems, such many other countries; even the developed countries in the world have problems as well. There is no perfect land, this is a fact.
České Budějovice just showed me how you can have quality of life in a "poor European country". Walking around the not tourist city center I could see a cute Czech city, with colorful old houses in the European style to have always big plazas, shops and nice cafes and restaurants.
This was my time there.


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#BORNANDMADE- We are all born with a unique and genius talent within us, a purpose to fulfill while we are on earth. Let me repeat that, ALL OF US! It is up to us to figure out what that is and not die with a unique gift inside hidden and lost. When we are young we dream big dreams without any ... VIEW POST
The Fearless Dasha Polanco
#BORNANDMADE #OITNB just some of the ways you may know the ever talented and beautiful Dasha Polanco. As Dayanara Diaz on the very popular Netflix series, Orange is The New Black she's been making waves and catching the eye of many fans. What has caught my eye in particular was her fearless, but ... VIEW POST


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Apple Pie Hot Toddy
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- 2
- 1 1/2 cups per serving
- 5 Min
When it comes to festive fall flavors, you need our Apple Pie Hot Toddy! This beautiful autumn cocktail recipe is sure to be a winner with everyone. It's perfect for getting cozy with someone special on a cool night, and nothing's better when you want to give company a surprise twist on apple pie!
What You'll Need
- 3 cups apple cider
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon flavored candy (See Note)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
What to Do
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cider, brandy, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon candy, and nutmeg. Heat 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
- Pour mixture into mugs, garnish with cinnamon stick and serve.
Mr. Food Test Kitchen Tip!
- When making this recipe, the Test Kitchen used Red Hots® Cinnamon Candy!
- For more scrumptious fall cocktails, try our Apple Cider Sangria or our Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate.
- Plus, you're going to love this collection of 50+ Easy Apple Recipes!
If you love these recipes, then you'll love this FREE eCookbook!
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07 Jan 2015
Nova Scotians Divided on Toll Highways
HALIFAX: Nova Scotia residents are divided on the addition of toll highways in the province, according to the most recent survey conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc. Recent accidents on Highway 104 have led to increased public concern of the safety of Nova Scotia highways and calls to twin portions of Nova Scotia highways. The Nova Scotia Transportation Minister however has said that twinning some Nova Scotia highways is 'very expensive and takes many years to plan and construct.' Results indicate under one-half (47%) of Nova Scotia residents support toll highways, while a similar number (51%) oppose. Meanwhile, two percent do not know or do not offer an opinion on the matter.


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My wife loves wildlife documentaries. PBS and The Discovery Channel have been an absolute godsend to her. I, on the other hand, fail to understand the appeal. The daily life of a lion on the Serengeti can be very interesting. And it is… the first time you see it. But they keep returning to the same subjects time and again, retreading material that David Attenborough covered splendidly years ago. I don't pay close attention to these shows but I've seen enough that I could probably teach a class on the mating habits of salmon without much trouble.
But it's what she loves, and I would not dream of interfering with her enjoyment. If I did, I'd essentially be begging her to make disparaging remarks about the music I enjoy. Marriage is a kind of cold war that nonetheless keeps you warm at night. So it is not uncommon for her to watch the television by herself while I retreat to the den to listen to music. Not often, but occasionally, she'll come in during a commercial break to let me know the show she's watching has something new to offer. And I'm glad of it, because I do enjoy new things.
And so it was a few weeks ago, while I was meditating on the latest Swans release, that Carol came into the den to tell me the show she was watching had "some pretty weird music" that I'd probably like. The show is called Hunters, and the soundtrack turned out to be performed by The Residents, a San Francisco-based performance group she has begrudgingly learned to cope with over our years together. They occupy a strange space in my mind, in that if someone were to tell me their music was featured on television every week I wouldn't believe it, but if I was specifically told it was in a Discovery Channel documentary series, I'd somehow not find that surprising. Odd, yes, but not outside the realm of possibility.
The Residents attempted soundtrack work in the past with mixed results, but this time it seems they've gotten it absolutely right. The music is subtle enough to fall into the background, but retains enough hallmarks of their particular sound that it rewards the attentive listener. It doesn't sound like The Residents, yet remains unmistakably Residential. I find the narrator distracting though – it seems every time I get to really concentrate on the music, he bumbles in to remind me that bears are dangerous. I can't fault him on that though, because the show wouldn't work without the voiceover. And perhaps the music doesn't hold up on its own, and the interruptions actually help it. But it's frustrating at times.
Apart from the music, the show isn't that great. It has a different theme each week, but even then the subject is too wide to cover in an hour. It acts more like a primer or broad overview. This is most apparent when something truly interesting comes up. In one episode about underwater creatures, it began focusing on sponges. Sponges are quite bizarre and could hold my attention for an hour. But a minute later the focus shifted to sea anemones – something else I could watch for a full episode. Then the focus changed again, and again. Just a taste, then move on to the next subject. Which is not unlike The Residents. They follow one path for a while, then hop onto another when their interest wanes.
So Carol and I found ourselves watching a television show together, but for different reasons. It didn't make me appreciate nature shows any more, and it didn't endear her to The Residents, but that's not important. We're together because we love each other, and we respect and embrace our differences. But for a little while we got to mutually pretending the other was "finally getting it." A little fantasy now and then serves the soul, and it was nice to have this shared fantasy inspired by the same event.


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Scott Moody at
Chirpwood has teamed up with Emma Hunt of Emma Jane Designs to produce a line of jewelry called EJD Mercantile!
EJD Mercantile jewelry is handcrafted and assembled by women in Rwanda working in teams at co-ops. Each piece combines Emma Jane's highly successful minimalist design with traditional handcrafted African beads. The project's goal is to employ and empower poor Rwandan women and to raise them beyond subsistence living with good wages, healthcare, a safe environment and individual bank accounts
provide needed independence and autonomy.
EJD Mercantile's long-term goal includes a women's training center dedicated to equipping Rwandan women for productive and healthy lives.
The EJD Mercantile project is
through a proof-of-concept year dedicated to answering two questions: The first was whether
could leverage his ties to Rwanda to produce a product that would meet the standards of Emma Jane Designs.
The second question was to see if there is a sufficient market for the jewelry to warrant an ongoing enterprise.
After months of navigating the world of customs, tariffs and language barriers, the answer to the first question is a resounding "yes." With this month's introduction of Emma Jane Mercantile into the marketplace, the answer to the second question will be coming soon.
"I travel to Kigali, Rwanda twice a year to teach SAT and ACT math prep to gap-year students who are a part of
said Scott.
"A friend with whom I taught asked me if I could help the mother of one of my students sell her handmade beads in the U.S. I was doubtful, but the beads were beautiful and I really wanted to help. I brought home several necklaces of beads, but my belief was that the style wasn't right for the American consumer.
"Then I thought of my friend Emma Hunt,"
said. "I knew she ran a very successful handmade jewelry business in Auburn and that she had a heart for the developing world. I asked her if she could apply her beautiful design aesthetic to jewelry that used African pieces as integral components."
was excited about the potential of the beads – both as parts of beautiful jewelry and as a way to impact the lives of the women who make them. She developed several prototypes that convinced
there was synergy between her design and the African materials.
"When I left my career with the UN World Food Programme I left with goals to join my two passions – making a real difference in the lives of people around the world and jewelry design," Hunt said. "This project is a perfect fit."
Chirpwood then arranged for Pascaline Menezero, a recent Bridge2Rwanda scholar attending the University of Richmond, to travel to Auburn where she learned the basics of jewelry assembly at EJD under Emma's
tutelage. Pascaline
then returned to her native Rwanda where she worked as a summer intern for Chirpwood supervising and coordinating jewelry production with women's co-ops.
"There are immediate and future impacts from this partnership," said Scott. "First, we employed
a number of
African women at wages higher than prevailing ones."
Second, if sales figures are strong enough, Chirpwood and Emma Jane Designs hope to produce more jewelry in the coming year. This would create more employment for women in Rwanda and provide good wages, healthcare and a safe environment.
"I do not believe in accidents" said Scott. "The fact that I was asked to help Rwandan women who craft beads – something I know absolutely nothing about –and I just happened to be friends with a rock star in the handmade jewelry world is not a coincidence"
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MINSK, 29 December (BelTA) – A parliamentary delegation led by head of the France-Belarus friendship group of the Senate of France Charles Guene will visit Minsk in 2019, BelTA learned from the press service of the Council of the Republic.
Belarusian and French MPs are set to discuss a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation. "Special attention will be on strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation and the role of parliamentary dimension in the expansion of trade and economic ties and investment partnership between the two countries," the press service said.
The visit will be held on Belarus' invitation and will promote the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting of Chairman of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich with President of the Senate of France Gerard Larcher in November 2018.
As BelTA reported earlier, a working group on cooperation with France in the Council of the Republic and the France-Belarus friendship group in the Senate of France were set up in 2018 for the first time in the history of the Belarusian-French relations. The groups are working to expand cooperation between twin cities of Belarus and France, establish direct contacts between businessmen, develop bilateral relations in investment, agricultural, environmental and other areas.


text: Shop Sell out! -40% on everything.At check out, use the code 'UITVERKOOP40′ to get the -40% off.Free shipping from €70 // Orders ship twice a week & only in Belgium +3 Dash & Dulce milk&sugar set (Black colour) SKU CAP.016 €14,99 In stock Quantity: 1 Add to Bag Product Details Made from bamboo and corn. Biodegradable. Set with sugar bowl incl. Lid of cork (150ml) and milk jug (200ml) incl. Spoon sugar bowl D 7.8 x H 6.5cm / 150ml milk jug D 7 x H 8.5cm / 200mlZuperzozial tableware is made from natural materials that all behave differently during production. Spots, flakes and small colour differences on the product are also part of this.On these Carbon Black products, any flakes and scratches are more visible than on lighter colours. Scratches and excess coating will disappear after hot washing (dishwasher) because they will 'soak' deeper into the product. The tableware will look smoother and nicer over time. Save this product for later Favorite Favorites Shopping Bag


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| 12.9°C Dublin
Free passports for pensioners were abolished in one of the last decisions taken in the dying days of the Fianna Fail/Green Government.
Now over 250,000 pensioners face the re-introduction of hefty passport fees after a secretive decision taken by government ministers.
The decision to charge pensioners €80 for a 10-year passport was signed off on by former Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Finance Minister Brian Lenihan and comes into effect on April 11.
The re-introduction of the fee has been described as "mean-spirited" by an age action charity.
Details of the fee are included in the briefing document left for new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore by his predecessor.
The decision was signed in "early December" and "in light of the current budgetary situation, the Government found it necessary to discontinue this arrangement," according to the document.
Micheal Martin had already stepped down as Minister for Foreign Affairs and had been appointed leader of Fianna Fail when the statutory document was signed. Mr Cowen had taken over as caretaker minister in that department.
Mr Gilmore will now have to review the decision left by his predecessor and decide whether to implement it.
Before this, people aged 65 or over were exempted from passport fees in a decision taken in 2005.
However, reacting to the news on the hit to pensioners, Age Action Ireland called the move "mean-spirited".
"You would have to question a decision like that," said Gerard Scully, a spokesperson for Age Action Ireland.
"It is questionable how much money they will make."
The minister also decided to hike the cost of passports sought by consumers over the counter at the passport office or through the ordinary postal system by €15 to €95. A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that the new Government will have to decide on the price hikes.
He added the cost of producing passports has become higher since the introduction of biometric systems.
The ministerial briefing states that it currently costs on average €9 more to produce a passport than the revenue received from it.
Irish Independent