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A couple years ago, a woman I'd never met asked if I could perform a motivational magic show for her university.
"Of course," I said.
"We're having a holiday party for 300 of our employees," Lori said. "But we need it to have motivational content for it to be funded."
"No problem."
They were proposing to pay me an ungodly amount of money for a 30-minute show. I mean, it was a huge amount that actually made my month go from subpar to phenomenal, and just thinking about the amount, I starting buying things in my head. By the end of the day, the check was half spent.
If you think about it logically, doing this kind of show is no big deal. If you have a magic show that works for you, as I do, an act that you've done several thousand times, as I have, and you know where the jokes are and how to tell them, and where the volume rises and where to hit the high notes, and how to choreograph it like some sleight-of-hand ballet, then it can be argued that the show runs on autopilot. The motivational part was going to be a little more of a challenge, but hey, I used to be an international journalist with over 500 published articles on four continents, so how hard was that going to be? I could tell a story.
The motivational story that I chose was my mother's, which I have blogged about here. It's become quite popular on WordPress. I poured a lot of passion into writing the motivational story, and then rehearsing it, and then fitting it seamlessly into the context of the magic show.
As the performance date drew near, however, a part of me began to feel a little nervous. The apprehensiveness wasn't based on logic, but instead, on how much money was riding on it. It was like the money was sitting on top of me. The more I thought about it, the more pressure I felt.
I began to think about all the things that could go wrong.
Insomnia was one of those things. For many years, insomnia had been my worst enemy, and like a bum knee, it still sometimes flared up. As a magician, you keep late hours and that can screw up your circadian rhythms. Not only that, but my call time was 9 am, meaning I'd have to get up at 6 am, an ungodly hour for an insomniac. That meant I would have to hurry in the morning. I don't like to hurry. I don't like to worry. I like to relax before a show. It makes me more nervous, which in turn makes me more nervous, which in turn makes me more nervous, and so on.
And then there was the problem of traffic. The show was taking place in my own Southern California, and the morning commute from my house to that university is, to put it mildly, an extreme sport.
No problem. I'd book a hotel room down the street from the theatre.
But that made me nervous, too. It occurred to me that people don't always sleep well in new surroundings. Insomnia could flare up simply because I wasn't comfortable. So I rented the room for two nights, just to make doubly sure.
What were you thinking?
There's a built-in problem in answering this simple question. It's hard to tell people what you were thinking at any particular time, because so many thoughts run through your head at any particular moment. There were confident thoughts, insecure thoughts, bombastic thoughts, sexual thoughts, renegade thoughts. The mind is like a radio constantly being tuned to different channels. Sometimes, it seems that there are so many people inside of us–Spock, Id, Loki, Genghis, Milquetoast, and so many others–each fighting to say his own truth. The same was true of me before this big show, but in thinking back and writing about what happened here, I must confess that I'm focusing mostly on my scared and anxious self.
I took steps to control my anxiety.
Two nights before the event, I checked into the hotel. Then, the day before the performance, I started taking precautions to make sure I'd get a good night's sleep. Good eating, good exercise, no caffeine. That night, I climbed into bed and switched off the light. Closed my eyes.
The art of getting to sleep, as everyone knows, is in not trying. You lie down and let your body do what comes naturally. You sink into oblivion. You just let it happen.
No need to panic, I told myself.
I had taken precautions. On the nightstand was a Chinese herbal sleeping formula called Suan Zao Ren that I had often found helpful. I took a couple capsules. I took a few deep breaths, then laid down and tried to not try to get to sleep again.
After an hour, still nothing.
No need to panic, I told myself.
I reached onto the nightstand and took a second dose of Suan Zao Ren. I believe in Chinese medicine. It heals the body in a natural way rather than in a brutal pharmaceutical way. There are fewer side effects. I laid back and waited for the medicine to take effect.
Still nothing.
It occurred to me that there must be an underlying layer of anxiety that was keeping me awake.
I tried not to think about what time it was, although it was inevitable that I would. I judged midnight as Doom Hour, because if I got to sleep after midnight, I would be getting less than six hours of sleep. Normally, six hours is the least amount of sleep I can get and still feel optimal. Anything less than that and I feel like I'm on some sort of drug that makes me feel punchy and impaired.
So I took a couple more Suan Zao Ren and took another stab at sleep. By this time, I was trying hard not to try hard. My anxiety was rising against all my best efforts. I kept my eyes closed and tried to sink into the bed, the pillow, the clean white sheets.
Still nothing, and the nothing went on for a long time.
Finally, I looked at the clock. It was 1 am and it seemed like I had passed the fateful window of opportunity for going to sleep. I took a deep breath. It seemed that I was in uncharted territory, like the forbidden Romulan zone or walking into the forest outside the gates of Jamestown in 1605. I counted the hours till 6 am and dreaded doing a show on only five hours sleep. I imagined oversleeping. I imagined slurring my words. I imagined forgetting things. I imagined the worst. I took two more Suan Zao Ren and started taking a liquid I'd bought called SLP that was supposed to make you sleepy.
By 2 am, the lights were out and I had my eyes closed, but the anxiety was still there. I took another couple doses of Suan Zao Ren and SLP and wondered what constituted an overdose. I imagined the headlines: MAGICIAN SUICIDE: OVERDOSES ON CHINESE MEDICINE BEFORE SHOW. NO SUICIDE NOTE. I wiped those thoughts from my mind and took a few deep breaths. I watched a bit of television, hoping that television lull me into the netherworld. Finally, I turned off the lights and closed my eyes once again.
You can do this, I said to myself, my eyes closed. Remember, you can do anything. You've proven that to yourself before.
By 4 am, my mind was roiling with apocalypse. Oh God, I couldn't stay awake all night. I hadn't done that since college. Something terrible would surely happen. I tried and tried and tried and tried and tried and tried to will myself to sleep, but of course, that's not how sleep works, it must simply land upon you like falling snowflakes on endless Kansas wheatfields.
I tried a different tack.
Well, the very worst thing has happened, I said to myself. You can relax now. It doesn't get any worse than this, and you're not dead. So calm down.
But still I didn't.
By 6 am, the alarm clock rang. I dragged myself out of bed, feeling an overwhelming fatigue in my bones. I hadn't caught a wink of sleep all night. I took a deep breath and winced at the bright sunlight.
You can do this, I thought to myself. You can do anything.
I arrived at the venue, which was a huge, lovely theatre on campus, and by 9 am, I was all set up and waiting for my cue behind the curtain. Before I went on, Lori came up to me.
"The president of the university is in the audience," she said.
"Oh, nice," I said.
I closed my eyes.
It keeps getting worse and worse!
The pressure was at a fever pitch. On the other side of the curtain, 300 people plus one bigwig were waiting expectantly in their seats. Above myself, it seemed that Loki was hovering, bemused, arms crossed, eager to see what strange and horrific things might happen. And I waited there, breathing deeply, saying over and over again, It's all right. Everything will be fine. Just do it.
The sound man hit my music and I made my entrance, but when I reached centerstage, I stopped cold. I just stood there. It was a very long moment.
"I'm just waiting for the lights," I finally said into my microphone.
The sound man, a young man with bedhead who, when I'd met him at 7:10 am, had seemed even sleepier than I was, probably because he'd done the sound engineering at some techno club the night before and had then done ecstasy in some skank's crash pad till 6 am, had forgotten to turn on the damned spotlights. As a result, anything I did in front of these 300 people would not be seen. If you can't see it, remember, it's not magic. I said what I said in a kind of CYA moment, trying to make it clear to Lori that this damned screwup wasn't my fault! Thinking back, it was a moment of incredible clarity and quick thinking, and boded well for the rest of the show.
Finally, after a few long moments, the lights went on and I started my show. This is what the show looked like.
When the final applause came and I pulled my magic table behind the curtain, I felt an incredible sense of relief. I wasn't dead. I hadn't passed out onstage. I hadn't forgotten my entire script. It seemed like I had snatched victory from the jaws of Satan–but still, you can never be sure. There had been little disappointments, as there are in every performance. I had slurred my words during certain bits. I had delivered a joke twice. I didn't know if people could detect the telltale dark circles under my eyes. So I stood backstage and waited patiently until Lori swept backstage. It seemed like she had a cloud of energy around her.
"Great job!" she enthused.
And then she was gone.
I tried to find a few moments to shut my eyes, but there was so much to deal with. I had to deal with props, mainly, and there was no place to lay down. They had also contracted for me to perform an hour of walkaround at noon, and I swear, that took 250% of the energy I thought I had left in me. My voice was getting hoarse and had nearly become useless, but nearly is not the same as completely, and I was able to fake it and croak out an hour's worth of magic and humor. By 2 pm, I was ready to drive home.
That night, I went to bed and slept for 12 hours. And the next morning, I realized three things:
- Missing a night's sleep will not kill me.
- What I thought was a 100% effort is quite far from the effort I can actually put forth.
- There's no need to worry about anything, really, and I mean anything, because whatever challenge is placed before me, dammit, I can deal with it. So shut up and just do it.


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Sunset On The Home Of The Brave
"It is still difficult for me to believe that I was abducted, hauled from one country to the next, and tortured in medieval ways -- all orchestrated by the United States government."
Binyam Mohamed
In the statement released by his attorneys at a London news conference
In accounts provided by his attorneys, Mohamed said that U.S. officials flew him to Morocco and that he was tortured there for 18 months. He said he was beaten and had his penis cut with a razor. He said he was then transferred to a CIA-run site in Afghanistan and was beaten there regularly before being transferred to Guantanamo in September 2004.
"The very worst moment came when I realized in Morocco that the people who were torturing me were receiving questions and materials from British intelligence. I had met with British intelligence in Pakistan. I had been open with them. Yet the very people who I had hoped would come to my rescue, I later realized, had allied themselves with my abusers."
Read more @ The Washington Post.
"A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we're going to be successful. That's the world these folks operate in. And so it's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal, basically, to achieve our objective."

subset: commoncrawl


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11 September 2018
5 ways utility companies can make billing payments easy
Getting bills paid on time is challenging for any business, especially utility companies. Late payment affects revenue while chasing bills wastes time and productivity. Enter FlickPay – the billing payment solution that could actually have your customers paying early!
In busy times, paying bills is a low priority, especially when it's a letter floating around on the bench or an email at the bottom of the inbox.
The latest fintech solution is MessageMedia's FlickPay: a new way to pay bills on mobile by simply replying 'P' to a FlickPay message. It's that easy.
Approximately one third of the population pay their bills late, with utility bills bearing the brunt of most delays. However, many late-payers are simply the "busy forgetful": they want to do the right thing and pay on time, but they're just too busy.
This causes a serious challenge for businesses. In 2017, cash flow and chasing payments were among the top five pain points for companies. Lack of revenue and unpredictability of cash flow aren't the only consequences: chasing bills wastes time and resources. But calling in debt collectors isn't the solution either: it's expensive, a waste for smaller bills and is not going to win customers' favor.
FlickPay is a fuss-free mobile payment solution that lets your customers pay your bills in two taps, on the go and without an app. It's simple, easy and gets bills paid – fast. For the biller, FlickPay sits directly alongside your existing billing solutions with no change to your business's everyday workflows.
Here's how FlickPay gets customers paying faster:
1. FlickPay helps customers remember their due date
The 'busy forgetful' want to pay on time – they just need a targeted reminder that cuts through a frantic day'
An SMS from FlickPay sent just before the due date does just that, and we already know that SMS text messages are opened, read and actioned at greater rates than any other method.
With 90 per cent of texts opened in the first 90 seconds after arrival, chances are that your customer will receive and read the message almost instantly. Customers are more likely to respond to text and do so in higher numbers. Most importantly, mobile phone ownership rates are extremely high, and we virtually never leave home without them.
2. So easy it improves customer satisfaction
What if you could make it incredibly easy for customers to pay? So easy, in fact, that customers start paying earlier?
FlickPay lets your customers pay quickly and efficiently, using existing technology with no need for integration or new apps. And no more passwords.
Registration takes less than a minute with no further validation required. One-time registration means that regardless of billing company, customers never have to register again.
When the bill comes, just two taps – paid!
Happy customers are prompt paying customers, and FlickPay's 95 per cent customer satisfaction rating means lots of happy customers! Systems that make their lives easier add significant value and increase brand loyalty, a vital factor when annual churn rates for the utility sector sit at 25 per cent.
You may even have customers paying early, like 65 per cent of our FlickPay customers today! What's more, if you don't have to send late payment reminders or debt collectors your customers will be even happier to continue doing business with you.
3. No apps
You might hear "you need an app for that", but many consumers don't want another app. App fatigue, a signal there are just too many apps in the market, is real. More than 20 per cent of users abandon an app after one use. Between 50 to 66 percent of apps are used less than once a month.
Customers now prefer to conduct many everyday transactions via SMS and, increasingly, expect businesses to interact with them in this way.
4. Avoid debt collectors
Debt collectors are expensive and intrusive. In any case, customers avoid them and their calls. They can also cause stress and aggravate customers. They might not be worth it for smaller bills; however, those small bills add up over a year!
Sending a reminder text from FlickPay after the due date is an unobtrusive, non-aggressive way to remind the customer that their payment is late. It's cheaper than reissuing a letter, more effective than an email and less confrontational than a phone call. Instead, take advantage of SMS's ability to prompt immediate action to resolve outstanding payments.
5. Make it secure
Avoid third party apps that might compromise your data or sending sensitive details with unsecure methods. Instead, FlickPay provides vault protection of your customers' data with banking-standard maximum security.
Communicate with your customers on the platform they know and prefer, offering true simplicity. Give them one less thing to think about in their busy lives.
Find out more about FlickPay, MessageMedia's new payments solution, here.
FlickPay – two taps, no apps.
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Request An Appointment
Contact Info
10190 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone : 310.837.9700
Fax: 310.837.9701
Email : firstname.lastname@example.com
Online Form : Fill out this form
Monday-Friday: 7:30AM-7:00PM
Request An Appointment
Please fill in the details and submit the form on the left. We will contact you via phone or email to schedule an appointment time.


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Brief History of Kennett & Lindsell Ltd
Established in 1877 and still owned and run by descendants of the founders, we are pleased to welcome you to our website. All of our products are still hand-crafted at our UK factory using traditional skills and a mixture of both classic and modern materials. Our product ranges are extensive and include models for Women, Men and Children's garments.
We also offer bespoke production within our development department.


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Jeffrey Robinson Quotes
The IMF is well meaning perhaps, but the accountants and bankers are pretty naive... They said, 'Here, we can make you capitalists overnight, here's all this money and we'll feed the system.' And the Russians, who have been defrauding the state for 75 years -- who are masters at it -- said, 'Oh, look at this, we are being given all these presents.' - Jeffrey Robinson
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Monday, October 9, 2017
New York Fed President Delivered a Jet Filled With Cash to Puerto Rico
For the record.
William Dudley, the New York Fed president loaded a jet with an undisclosed amount of cash and delivered it in person to Popular bank on the hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico, Bloomberg reports.
2 comments:
Any chance of Dudly sending jet to my house loaded with $100 federal reserve notes? I could greatly use the funds.ReplyDelete
I'm as much against the Fed and fiat as the next guy, but I don't see the controversy. Was this a donation, a loan, or simply a conversion to currency? If I was in PR, I'd rather have cash too, rather than a digital balance on a bank account. Clarification?ReplyDelete
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EDWARD SWAIN recorded his first grass carp in real style when he caught one of the biggest in the country.
This giant 40 lb 2 oz grass carp fell on Edward's debut session to day ticket Strawberry Fields in Kent.
The 30-year-old scaffolding inspector from Preston, Lancashire, fed 12 kg of Sticky Bait Krill boilies in the three-day trip and added a 26 lb mirror carp.
His catch was featured on the hallowed Fish of the Week page of Angler's Mail magazine, also winning him £100 of top tackle from Korum via the magazine's Korum Specimen Cup.
Other specimens in the Kent wonder water where Edward visited include the biggest known living common carp, which was recently caught at 60 lb 4 oz.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: firstname.lastname@example.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.


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Archive for category GMOs
POLL: Monsanto Third Most Hated Company in the World
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Control Grid, GMOs, Monsanto, News on November 12, 2014
via: NaturalSociety.com
Mike Barrett
November 11, 2014
Back in 2011, we declared Monsanto to be the worst company of the year for threatening both human health and the environment at large. Our decision was met with massive support, even amid the still growing climate of understanding when it came to what Monsanto and mega biotech at large were truly doing to the food supply. In 2014, however, the global resistance is making even greater strides.
Now, a relatively new poll from Nielsen found that Monsanto's reputation ranked 3rd worst among 60 high-profile companies, right behind oil juggernaut BP (responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history) and Bank of America (known for being a key player in the meltdown of the financial market).
Monsanto, a major biotech corporation responsible for genetically modifying and taking over many of the nation's crops, isn't necessarily a consumer-facing company. Yet it faces public opposition unlike no other.
As reported by 247Wallst:
"3. Monsanto
> Reputation score: 57.27
> 2013 Reputation score: 61.70
…few businesses have had such a long-running negative public perception. The company's promotion of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been controversial because many consumers remain suspicious about crop engineering. Monsanto has also actively worked to protect seed patents, including suing farmers who have used its seeds without permission and proper payments. The company's opposition to proposed GMO labeling laws, which require that foods sold to consumers containing GMOs include a label, has also not helped its image."
37 Million Bees Found Dead in Canada After Large GMO Crop Planting
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, GMOs, Health, Natural Environment & Weather, News on November 10, 2014
via: NaturalSociety.com
Christina Sarich
November 9, 2014
The makers of neonicotinoids, the bee-killing insecticide that was banned all over Europe, won't be able to refute this latest phenomenon. Millions of bees were found dead after GMO corn was planted in Ontario, Canada. This isn't new news, but it should be known news.
The keeper of these bees, Dave Schuit, who produces honey, reported that he lost over 600 hives – around 37 million bees.
"Once the corn started to get planted our bees died by the millions," Schuit said.
With increasing bee deaths and consumer petitions targeted to places like Home Depot and Lowe's who sell neonics, the US Department of Agriculture has failed to ban neonicotinoids, manufactured primarily by Bayer CropScience Inc., as well as other biotech companies.
Two of Bayer's best sellers are suspect this time around: Imidacloprid and Clothianidin. They are both known to seep into pollen and nectar, damaging beneficial insects such as bees.
The more widely they are used, the more bees seem to die.
Schuit's report of dead bees is corroborated by other farmers, too. Nathan Carey is another local farmer who noticed a disappearance of bees on his farm this past Spring. There were so few that he could not count on them as he normally did to help pollinate his crops. He correlates their absence to the use of these toxic insecticides.
While many scientists are still unconvinced that "colony collapse disorder" (CCD) is caused by neonicotinoids, there has been a consecutive die-off of bees in the U.S. for seven years now – directly correlated to higher insecticide spraying.
Even US scientists have found 121 different pesticides in samples of bees, wax and pollen, lending credence to the notion that pesticides are in fact a problem.
New Documentary "Bought" Exposes the Hidden Story Behind Vaccines, Pharma, and Food
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Big Food & Beverage Giants, Big Pharma & Medical Mafia, CDC, Control Grid, Documentaries & Interviews, GMOs, Health, Monsanto, News, Vaccines on November 9, 2014
via: Mercola.com
Dr. Mercola
November 9, 2014
"Your health is now brought to you by Wall Street. If you thought they hurt us with the banks, wait 'til you see what they are doing to our health care." – Jeff Hays, "Bought"
The new documentary Bought dives deeply into the inner workings of the industries at the core of our food and healthcare system, exploring the truth about how vaccines and drugs are developed and rushed to market and the ongoing secrecy behind the genetic engineering of our food supply.
For a limited time proceeds from renting or purchasing this film will be donated to the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), a non-profit organization advocating for vaccine safety and informed consent protection in the public health system.
Filmmaker Jeff Hays believes, as I do, that you have a right to the truth so that you can make educated decisions about your health, food, and medicine. Unfortunately, the truth is not easy to come by today.
Like the banks, the food and drug industries have grown more powerful and less transparent over time, and profit has become the primary motive. Hays may be best known for his 2012 documentary "Doctored," which exposes how the medical and drug industry conspire to control the health care system.
Hays' new film peels back the layers to show how the drug, vaccine, and chemical technology industries have joined forces as one supervillain, with its "undisclosed location" smack-dab in the middle of the White House.
You can't effectively address one industry without addressing them all, as they are now inextricably linked. Until enough people raise their voices, nothing is likely to change. According to Hays:1
"From opiates, to statins, to a blizzard of psychotropic medications that do far more harm than good, the film covers how our entire health care system, from education to practice has been Bought… three story lines converge on Wall Street, in a tale of corruption, greed and shocking lack of conscience."
Federal Vaccine Court: Designed Specifically to Clean Up the Trail of Destruction Left by Vaccines
Vaccines are a $30 billion per year industry. Today, four dominate the world market (Pfizer, Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, and GlaxoSmithKline). Given the furor that erupts when anybody publicly questions vaccine safety, you would assume that the US government considers vaccines completely safe.
But in reality, that's not the case as evidenced by the establishment of a Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) where vaccine injury claims are decided in a Federal Vaccine Court2 to compensate vaccine victims, but in reality protects the vaccine industry from lawsuits. The official line by federal health officials is that vaccines are safe and never cause autism.
However, the fact is that for many years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice and the Federal Vaccine Court have been quietly settling cases of brain inflammation and permanent brain damage (encephalopathy) that included symptoms of autism.
These VICP awards have been made to cover treatments related to autism. The VCIP was established in 1986 when Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act,3 which protected vaccine manufacturers, pediatricians and other vaccine providers from nearly all civil liability for injuries and deaths caused by government recommended and mandated vaccines.
If vaccines are so safe, then why has the government set up a federal compensation program specifically to manage the damage they cause? In Bought, families who have won and lost in Vaccine Court share their heartbreaking stories.
These parent and health care professionals speaking out about their experiences are articulate, knowledgeable, and compelling witnesses to the damage that vaccines and one-size-fits-all vaccine policies have done. They are not part of some anti-vaccine campaign—in fact, the reason they were in Vaccine Court is because of what happened when they DID vaccinate their children!
Most Vaccine Reactions Are Never Connected to Vaccines
Proving causation is extremely difficult with vaccine injuries in part because there are huge gaps in vaccine safety science and, also, unless a vaccine reaction is immediate and obvious, parents may not connect their child's deterioration in health to the shots the child was given.
When parents report their child's regression into chronic poor health following vaccination to their child's pediatrician, they are typically told the illness couldn't possibly be related to the vaccine or vaccinations the child was given.
Sometimes reactions occur within hours or days of vaccination and are dramatic and life threatening and the child is taken to the emergency room and the vaccine reaction symptoms are recorded in the child's medical record. Usually, only the most clear cut and identifiable vaccine reactions end up in Vaccine Court—the ones where the "dots" are easily connected.
Unfortunately, at that point the damage is done and the child may be left with lifelong chronic illness and disability. The vast majority of vaccine adverse reactions are never reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Still, CDC's VAERS database4 lists 8,000 different adverse vaccine reactions, from localized swelling and anaphylactic shock to autism, coma, and death.5
Because of the factors already discussed, the actual number of reactions is probably much higher than the database reports. As vaccine safety advocate Dawn Loughborough said in "Bought:"
"We used to have this idea we were protecting children from infectious diseases. And we created the National Vaccine program with children in mind, but somewhere in time protecting the program became more important than what's happening to our children."
GMO's and the Depopulation Agenda
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Control Grid, Eugenics & Depopulation, GMOs, News on November 8, 2014
via: TheCrowHouse
November 7, 2014
GMO Crops Are Destroying Farmland, And Monsanto Doesn't Want You To Know
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Control Grid, GMOs, Monsanto, Natural Environment & Weather, News on November 5, 2014
via: NaturalSociety.com
Christina Sarich
November 5, 2014
Biotech Covers Up GMO Devastation Of Farmland
The European Association for bio-industries, EuropaBio, wants you to believe that "GM crops can protect soils from erosion through less ploughing, conserving soil moisture, too. GM herbicide tolerant crops reduce the need to plough fields in preparation for planting crops. This saves fuel because less tilling is necessary. GM insect resistant crops require less treatments with insecticides, which also decreases the need for tractor use." But these statements are completely false.
This is essentially the requisite lie told by all of biotech – including:
- Monsanto – Known for creating or helping to create 13 highly carcinogenic and toxic products including saccharin, PCBs, Polystyrene, DDT, the atom bomb, nuclear weapons, dioxin, Agent Orange, Petroleum based fertilizers, Round Up, rGBH, aspartame, GMOs, and terminator seeds. Monsanto sues everyone to keep dealing their dirty products, but the most recent suit, involving Dustin Barca, a surfer-turned mixed martial arts fighter in Hawaii is of special note. He is taking it personally that Monsanto poisons him, and bringing activism to a new level.
- Dow Chemical Company (also Union Carbide) – This wonderful company helped toreleased methyl isocyanate and other chemicals in 1984 by their pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, causing one of the worst industrial disasters in history. They are also one of the five corporationscompletely dominating the seed market, making food sovereignty precarious for farmers and families around the world. Along with three other companies they also helped to create Dibromochloropropane (DBCP), a known carcinogen, reproductive toxin, and endocrine disruptor that contaminates ground water. They continued to produce and sell DBCP even after it was banned due to strong evidence linking the chemical to sterility.
- Syngenta – Known for suing Kaui'i County when they wanted to keep herbicide and pesticide spraying away from their school children, homes and hospitals, and also for covering up the true toxicity of Atrazine. This company has also been implicated with colony collapse disorder, killing off our bees, and other important pollinators.
Kellogg's Cereals – Double Dose Of GMO Pesticides & Antibiotics
Posted by EndlessMemories in Big Agriculture & Big Biotechnology, Control Grid, GMOs, Health on November 3, 2014
via: NaturalSociety.com
by: Christina Sarich
November 3, 2014
There is a good reason that Kellogg's spent over $1,012,552 on media propaganda in California & Washington to defeat voter ballot initiatives that would have required the labeling of GMO foods, and now are contributing again to the defeat of labeling initiatives in Oregon (contributing $250,000).
A consumer recently sent a box of Froot Loops to a lab for genetic testing and found that the corn and soy used in the cereal are 100% RoundUp Ready GMO. So is the sugar. Never mind the other toxic ingredients in the cereal. This means that in one box of Kellogg's cereal (and likely all their cereals contain similar GMO products), you are dining on a double dose of glyphosate and Bt toxins – glyphosate being patented as an 'antibiotic' by Monsanto in 2011.
Kellogg's has been making cereal since 1898, but I seriously doubt its founders ever thought it would be poisoning the world at breakfast every morning.
Not only is the corn in Froot Loops sprayed with RoundUp, but it is a pesticide in its own right, registered with and regulated by the EPA. But it isn't just Froot Loops that is of concern, for all of you who avoid sugar-laden cereals. The 'healthful' Kellogg's brands are full of the stuff, too.


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This site is now read-only. You can find our new documentation site and support forum for posting questions here.
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How long does it take, Part 2
A while back, I posted this article about work done by the Intel Bio Team to benchmark the speed and resource utilization of each step in the per-sample segment of the germline variation pipeline (from BWA to HaplotypeCaller; FASTQ to GVCF). They published their results as a white paper on the Intel Life Sciences website, which has a section dedicated to GATK (which makes us feel all warm and tingly).
Now the Intel team has published an updated version of the white paper here that extends the work, originally done on a WGS trio, to a cohort of 50 exomes and adds the joint analysis segment of the pipeline (GenotypeGVCFs to VQSR; GVCFs to filtered multisample VCF) for both datasets.
As previously, the paper does a great job of showing where are the performance bottlenecks and where you can get the biggest speed increases by parallelizing execution.
My commentary from the previous post still applies pretty much equally to this updated version, except now we have performance profiles for GenotypeGVCFs and the VQSR tools as well, which I'll comment on briefly (using WGS but the profiles are similar for exomes).
The biggest takeaway here is that the runtime of GenotypeGVCFs scales down almost linearly with how widely you parallelize it, which is obviously great news if you're in a rush and you have access to lots of machines. But pay attention here to the meaning of "thread count" in the context of the paper! As a reminder, most of the parallelization it presents is achieved through scatter-gather (parallelizing over predetermined genomic intervals), not by multithreading using
-nt and/or
nct. In our own production pipelines we don't use
-nct multithreading at all, and in GATK4 we're abandoning them and replacing the functionality with Spark support wherever it makes sense. Why am I pointing this out here? Because we're finding that GenotypeGVCFs is especially difficult to parallelize through multithreading, due to the complexity of dealing with overlapping events across multiple samples (the occurrence of which increases with cohort size). In the recent GATK 3.7 release, we added some functionality to deal better with overlapping deletions -- and now we're getting reports that this breaks when multithreading is turned on (cue the poop emoji). The safest way to deal with this? Don't use multithreading with GenotypeGVCFs; use scatter-gather instead (ask me how in the comments).
Also, don't parallelize VQSR. Look at the graph; it's not worth it. VQSR needs to see all of the things most of the time.
Finally, I should add that having the exome numbers to compare to the WGS numbers is a big upgrade -- it really gives you sense of scale of the practical implications of choosing to work with one datatype versus the other. All other sciencey considerations being equal (which they're not, but let's pretend) the computational resource commitment is massively different. Which is hardly news to our Ops team that processed Daniel MacArthur's ludicrously large gnomAD dataset, let me tell you -- for reference, the final joint VCF on that was ~22TB for 20K genomes. That's a big part of why we run our whole genomes on the cloud. It's real Big Data, no hype needed.
ying_sheng_1 Member ✭✭
Nice presentation. Is it possible to have these data for GATK4?
We haven't done this for GATK4 yet but we plan to do it once we have the full pipeline validated in GATK4. Stay tuned for an upcoming announcement of our calendar for GATK4 release.
Thanks for your presentation.
I have two questions:
1. How to parallelize GenotypeGVCFs by scatter-gather? (I guess you want us to ask )
2. In White paper , it used the following arguments:
GenotypeGVCFs: Merges gVCF's to create a genotyped VCF: -nt "NUMTHREADS" -R "GENOMEREF" -D "DBSN VCF" -V "input"
It used
-ntwhich is different with your presentation, so I am confused.
Looking forward to your reply,
Thank you!
I will ask Geraldine to get back to you soon.
Thank you @Sheila
Hi again,
Another teammate jumped in. It seems "For the Joint Analysis pipeline, VariantRecalibrator is currently unable to conduct process level parallelism and a comparison between both thread and process level parallelism techniques for the rest of the tools showed no significant improvement in time. Thus, all the tools in the Joint Analysis portion uses GATK's integrated -nt argument to apply thread level parallelism." This is from the white paper.
I hope that helps.
To clarify @Sheila's comment, we realized that there was indeed a contradiction between my blog post and the white paper. It seems I misunderstood a communication I had at the time with the authors of the white paper. We had discussed the steps earlier in the pipeline that are parallelized using scatter-gather, and I thought that applied to all steps, but the joint calling part (including GenotypeGVCFs) is in fact parallelized using -nt. I will amend my blog post accordingly. My apologies for the confusion, and thank you for pointing out this error!
I see.
Thanks for your replies. @Sheila @Geraldine_VdAuwera


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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
To quickly revive dry, cold rotisserie chicken, place slices of it in a steamer basket along with spring vegetables for a seasonal warm salad—it's a whole new take on a one-pot dinner.
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Active Time
- 30 minutes
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound baby new potatoes
- 1 (2 1/2-pound) rotisserie chicken
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dill
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound asparagus (about 1 bunch), trimmed
- 2 cups watercress or baby arugula
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- Lemon wedges (for serving)
- Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with about 1" salted water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Add potatoes, cover, and steam until just tender, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut breast meat from chicken, remove and discard skin, and slice on the bias into 1/2" slices. Remove legs from carcass, remove and discard skin, and slice meat off bones into 1/2" slices.
- Whisk mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl.
- Add asparagus and chicken slices to potatoes in steamer, cover, and steam until asparagus is crisp-tender and chicken is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Transfer potatoes, asparagus, and chicken to a platter or plates and drizzle with dressing. Top with watercress and mint and serve with lemon wedges alongside.
Related Video
Nutritional Info
- Calories661
- Carbohydrates25 g(8%)
- Fat44 g(68%)
- Protein41 g(81%)
- Saturated Fat11 g(53%)
- Sodium1212 mg(51%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat15 g
- Fiber5 g(20%)
- Monounsaturated Fat16 g
- Cholesterol152 mg(51%)


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Treatment spotlight: Derma Roller
On looks alone, you could be forgiven for wanting to steer clear of the Derma Roller. But, as the saying goes; never judge a book by its cover! The Derma Roller is in fact a skin roller consisting of multiple small (micro) needles, which range in size from 0.15mm to 1.5, depending on the target area and nature of application.
Derma Rollers are perfect for collagen induction therapy (CIT), a treatment reliant upon micro needling, to promote self-regeneration. Simply put; the tiny needles on the roller lightly pierce the skin causing nerve-stimulus, which in turn encourages the regeneration of skin around the treated area through the natural release of collagen. Over time, this creates a thicker layer of skin, which is great for dealing with troublesome imperfections, and filling wrinkles and stretch marks, naturally. It's also worth noting that Derma Rollers can accentuate the effects of skin creams, by promoting a deeper level of absorption.
Will a Derma Roller work for me?
It can be used to treat a wide range of skin conditions, from imperfections to irrigation. See below for a list of applicable treatments:
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We look forward to hearing from you.
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text:
Conversions · Details · Harmonies · Images · Preview · Color Blindness Simulation · CSS · Help
Here you see your color converted to 15 different color formats like RGB, CMYK, HSV, HSL, CIELab, Android, Decimal, and YUV.
🤖 Convert multiple colors at once or 📢 get Conversions and Harmonies via the REST API.
|225, 50, 0
|RGB Percent
|88%, 20%, 0%
|0.1176, 0.8039, 1.0000
|0.00, 0.78, 1.00, 0.12
|13°, 100%, 44%
|13°, 100%, 88%
|32.1919, 18.2888, 1.8334
|225, 64, 0
|49.84, 64.72, 62.26
|50, 89.805, 43.893
|18.2888, 0.6154, 0.3496
|Android (android.graphics.Color)
|4292948480 (0xFFE13200)
|96.6250, -47.6361, 112.5849
The Hex color E13200 is a dark color, and the websafe version is hex CC3300. The color can be described as dark washed red. A complement of this color would be 00AFE1, and the grayscale version is 616161.
A 20% lighter version of the original color is FF6F3A, and A00000 is the 20% darker color. If you saturate the color by 10%, you get E13200, and if you desaturate by 10%, it is E14416.
These gradients show how the Hex color E13200 changes by changing the brightness by 10 percent. The first figure shows a shift by +10% for each color and the second figure -10%.
Similar to the brightness gradients but the following saturation gradients show a change of the Hex color E13200 by changing the saturation by 10% instead.
The analogous color harmony consists of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
The triadic color harmony groups three colors that are evenly spaced from another and form a triangle on the color wheel.
The complementary color scheme is a pair of colors which are on the opposite of each other on the color wheel.
Split-complementary colors differ from the complementary color scheme. The scheme consists of three colors, the original color and two neighbors of the complement color.
The square scheme is like the rectangle color scheme, but the four colors are evenly spaced on the color wheel.
The rectangle color scheme consists of four colors that form a rectangle on the color wheel.
The sweet spot groups the original color and five complimentary colors.
This preview shows how the Hex color E13200 looks on a white background.
If you want to check with other color combinations, try the Color Contrast Checker.
This preview shows how the Hex color E13200 looks on a black background.
If you want to check with other color combinations, try the Color Contrast Checker.
This preview shows how black text looks on a background with the Hex color E13200.
This preview shows how white text looks on a background with the Hex color E13200.
🎓 If you want to learn the different color notations in CSS, you can have a look at the booklet HOWCOLORS.WORK – A CSS color notation guide.
The CSS property to change the color of the text to Hex E13200 is called "color". The color property can be set on classes, ids or directly on the HTML element.
This example shows how text in the color #E13200 looks like.
.text, #text, p{color:#E13200}
If you want to add a text shadow in that color use the text-shadow property, you can generate a text shadow directly with our 🔧 CSS Text Shadow Generator.
Here you see how black text with a 4 pixel #E13200 colored shadow looks like.
.shadow{ text-shadow: 4px 4px 2px #E13200 }
The CSS property to change the border of an element to Hex E13200 is called "border". The border property can be set on classes, ids or directly on the HTML element.
This example shows the color as border, it can be applied via the CSS property "border" or "border-color".
.border, #border, table{ border:4px solid #E13200 }
If only the border color should be changed use the property border-color.
.border{ border-color:#E13200 }
If you want to add a box shadow in that color use:
Here you see how a box with a 4 pixel #E13200 colored shadow looks like.
.boxshadow{ -moz-box-shadow:4px 4px 4px 4px #E13200; -webkit-box-shadow:4px 4px 4px 4px #E13200; box-shadow:4px 4px 4px 4px #E13200 }
The CSS property to change the background color of an element to Hex E13200 is called "background". The background property can be set on classes, ids or directly on the HTML element.
.background, #background, body{ background:#E13200 }
If only the background color should be changed can be used:
.background{ background-color:#E13200 }
This example shows the color as background, it is applied via the CSS property "background".
To optimize and compress your CSS code, you can use our online CSS compressor and optimizer based on csstidy. If you want to create a linear or radial gradient as background or border, check our 🌈 CSS Gradient Generator.
To convert, paste a string in one of these color formats, for example, "E13200", into the input field and click on convert. The result will be in the section Conversions, and the following sections will provide you with further details on the color.
Some color formats use the same notation, and the conversion will guess the composition of the search query. As an example, if you try to convert the string "13°, 100%, 88%" it could be an HSV or HSL color, the conversion will assume HSL in this case.
As this could lead to wrong conversions, you can define which format you are passing by wrapping your color string in brackets with the format in front. The search string "HSV(13°, 100%, 88%)" will give you the correct HSV color as there is no need to guess the format. Other examples would be "CIELAB(49.84, 64.72, 62.26)", "CIELCH(50, 89.805, 43.893)", "YXY(18.2888, 0.6154, 0.3496)" and "CMYK(0.00, 0.78, 1.00, 0.12)".


text:
The Hare Public House
Today The Hare Inn represents a traditional country pub with echos of the past. Indeed there are a number of pictures and paintings that date back over 100 years. Rich in original detail and character the pub is full of charm and has a relaxed atmosphere. The Hare Inn is situated at one end of the idyllic village of Long Melford which is home to many exclusive shops. Kentwell Hall and Melford Hall are two stately homes adjacent to The Hare Inn. Cherry Lane Garden Centre can be accessed through the beer garden and there are many country walks to enjoy in the area. Long Melford has been settled for many centuries and is recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086.


text:
50 years of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol 1964 - 2014
Welcome to the Bristol Biochemistry 50th Anniversary website.
2014 marked 50 years of Biochemistry at Bristol and to commemorate this we have put together a magazine and organised a two-day event held in September.
This website hosts some exclusive pre-release magazine material, such as Biochemistry themed articles and interviews with alumni and former staff members.
There is also information on the celebratory event.
For more information about the anniversary and a history of the department, please see the about page.
Friday 5 September - Saturday 6 September 2014.


text:
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Topic: A huge mess (Read 944 times)
A huge mess
Feb 07, 2005, 01:51:19 PM »
State is Minnesota. And I apologize in advance for the length of this.
currently has
physical custody
of his two daughters, age 16 and 17.
formerly had physical but signed custody over to him in August of 2001. The oldest daughter was having problems at her house and both kids had wanted to live with us for quite some time.
Things were going quite smoothly for a while until BM started up with her old tricks of attempting to poison the kids and anyone who would listen against DH and I. And badgering them about coming to live with her again. Around this time, oldest daughter started having problems at our house, not wanting to follow rules and generally misbehaving even to the point of physically assaulting her sister. Youngest daughter adjusted very well to our house and was and still is thriving in our home and at school.
Fast forward to approximately one year ago. Oldest daughter and DH were arguing basically because he wouldn't let her skip out on two days of school to attend a dance at her former school. Frustrated, he finally called BM to ask for her help in parenting her daughter. She agreed to have daughter come to her house for a visit that weekend so that they could talk. On Sunday, DH called her up and stated his intentions to come and pick his child up. To which BM responded, she's in her happy home, her problems were all your fault, she wants to stay here.
With no leverage due to BM's refusal to back him up on anything in regards to parenting and the age and general rebelliousness of his daughter, he felt he couldn't do anything at that point. We had no money to take the issue to court. He disapproved of his daughter staying at her mothers but he didn't know if dragging her back to his house against her will would be good for her or her sister.
About two weeks later, BM called up and said that she was having problems with oldest daughter and wanted her "sent up". DH responded by stating that she needed to return daughter to him so that he could get her into counseling. BM refused to cooperate.
Finally, after several months BM agreed that she could not control oldest daughter and that she needed to come back and live with us. Oldest daughter stated that she wanted to come back because all she ever did with her Mom is fight and she felt her mother didn't listen to her. Oldest daughter had a couple of weeks to finish out the semester and then we were going to have her come back. We wanted to allow her to do this so that her schooling wouldn't get even more screwed up from bouncing back and forth. Within the two weeks that we all had agreed upon, BM kicked daughter out and sent her to her uncle's house that lived nearby. Uncle agreed to have her stay there for the next week to finish out the semester and then she would be moving back with us.
It was then that the daughter began emailing her father and asking him to let her stay with her Uncle instead. Basically, Uncle let her do what she wanted and didn't have too many rules except that she had to do her chores and babysit on occasion. And she wanted to stay close to her friends, whom she puts above all else even though she often times gets into trouble with them. DH did not want his daughter staying with her Uncle and they argued back and forth and about it. BM changed her tune and now was backing up daughter's decision to stay with Uncle 100%. Uncle also refused to make daughter return to her father. Oldest daughter has lived with her uncle for a few months now and on a positive note, has taken it upon herself to attend night school to finish up so that she can move out of his house as soon as she turns 18.
I realize DH screwed up big time by not having daughter forcibly removed from her mother's home the first time. He allowed her to have way too much control. Due to her age at the time and her desire to stay at her mother's house, he didn't think he had much ground to stand on.
Now mother is taking him to court for custody of the oldest daughter only. (she makes absolutely no mention in any of the papers of her youngest child that lives with us) Even though she doesn't live with her and doesn't support her or make any decisions for her. And oldest daughter has stated via email that she would rather move back with us than live with her mother. Oldest daughter is 5 months away from turning 18. At this point, DH is completely frustrated with the situation. He has a father dying of Alzheimer's, he himself is seriously disabled and in almost constant pain and he has a younger daughter who is very happy in our home that needs his attention as well. Because of his disability, I am the one who works full-time and pays for medical insurance for everyone, including the two daughters.
Mother did illustrate in the papers that daughter is living with her uncle. But she did lie about pretty much everything else, including accusing DH of abuse of both his daughter and her. Since he hasn't seen BM in a year and hasn't talked to her for months, it would be impossible for him to abuse her. He also never, ever abused his daughter. BM constantly accused DH of abuse going so far as to say he "shot her in the head" and physically abused her while they were married. At one point, she filed a temporary restraining order against him while she still had custody of the kids and then called his parents up the day after he was served to see if he wanted to come pick them up for visitation. The case was of course, thrown out when it went to court.
I guess the question is, what do we do now? Would it be appropriate to refute the numerous lies she included in her affidavit in order to clear his name? We do have emails and the like in order to do so. He really doesn't think that BM should have custody since his daughter doesn't even live with her but at the same time, he realizes that she isn't living with him either. He isn't happy with his daughter living with her uncle but at her age, he knows he can't simply make her move back after he's previously allowed her to stay there. Will the judge give the Mom custody even though the Uncle is acting as physical custodian? What can we expect next?
I could basically write a 300 page essay on this situation but I tried to trim it down as much as possible without much success. Thank you for any input you may have.
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Introducing the FBM Step Through City Bike prototype. It is the sister frameset to the FBM City Bike Prototype featured here in April.
Like the City Bike Prototype, it has a classic design, uses 650b wheels and a Sword fork with additional rake to provide the easy handling you want in a city bike. It's tig welded, uses all 4130 Chromoly tubing and is made in the FBM Machine Shop in Johnson City, NY.
We plan to make limited run of the Step Trough City Bike frameset and the City Bike frameset later this year. Keep an eye on this website or the FBM social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out when they'll be available.


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"Gamers are loners.", "Gaming is not social.", "Everything was better in the past."
In the old days, when kids went to the arcade, they went with friends. These days, kids lock themselves in their rooms alone with their gaming device. That isn't social, or is it?
Sony and Microsoft don't agree with these statements. Their latest products, respectively the Playstation 4 and Xbox One, have social media integrated. They blend the online and offline world. For example, when a friend finds a legendary item while playing 'single player', the position of this item appears on your single player map too.
While playing a videogame you can also stream your gameplay live. This way your friends can watch you play and via their headsets they can interact with you. There's even the possibility to aid your friend while using your tablet or phone. (Hunt 2013)
You could say console gamers are finally catching up with PC gamers on the social aspect. Failbetter Games, for example, is pulling people in socially long before Sony and Microsoft did. Failbetter creates unique interactive stories, like Fallen London, "which could be best described as a sort of choose your own adventure story in which you play alongside Facebook and Twitter friends, asking them for help". (Harper 2013)
Moreover, the crowd-funding website Kickstarter lets both big and small game developers fund their game ideas. This really changes the gaming industry, because fans spread the word themselves via Twitter instead of the developer marketing their games via traditional media. (Harper 2013)
There are countless communities where people spread their love for gaming. People interacting, collaborating and sharing. Building new relationships, maintaining them, even ending some.
It's like people are all around you, but are they really? Is it the same as having a real person standing next to you, breathing? What is the difference? Do you think people are less social because of these changes in gaming that are supposed to make it more social?
– Hunt, T. (2013) '5 Ways Video Game Companies are Leveraging Social Media'. Visited on 4 November 2015 via https://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/media-journalism/5-ways-video-game-companies-are-leveraging-social-media/.
– Harper, E. (2013) 'Insiders Explain How Social Media and Video Games Are Merging'. Visited on 4 November 2015 via http://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-video-games/.


text:
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Philadelphia didn't have a lot of history with Kansas City before last season.
A 2-0 loss in 2010 preceded a 1-1 home draw.
In 2011, the clubs played to 0-0 and 1-1 draws.
The results were mostly pedestrian.
But a 4-0 Union win in 2012 really sparked a great season series with the back-to-back conference champions.
The 4-0 result was Philadelphia's second-best offensive output of 2012. However, Kansas City returned to PPL Park just three weeks after that blowout and earned a 2-0 shutout of their own. It was a scrappy, ugly win and it knocked Philadelphia out of the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
Late in the season, Kansas City clinched the eastern conference title with 2-1 home win against the Union, but not before Antoine Hoppenot's second-half goal prevented Jimmy Nielsen from tying the MLS single-season shutout record.
March 2nd's season opener will be the eighth all time meeting between Philadelphia and Kansas City. The Union have beaten Sporting just once and currently hold a 1-3-3 all-time record against Graham Zusi and company.
1. June 10, 2010 – Sporting KC 2, Philadelphia 0 (at Community America Ballpark)
Goals: Kamara 9', Zusi 35'
The Union were outmatched and outmanned at the old Community America Ballpark.
Kei Kamara scored from inside the box on the ninth minute, then Graham Zusi doubled the score in the 35th minute after a nifty through ball from Ryan Smith.
Michael Orozco-Fiscal was red-carded in the 42nd minute, when a rash tackle on Josh Wolff earned the Philadelphia center-back a second yellow card. The short-handed Union were unable to threaten the Kansas City backline.
2. Sept. 4, 2010 – Philadelphia 1, Sporting KC 1 (PPL Park)
Goals: Le Toux 33', Arnaud 71'
The Union scored their first goal and earned their first point against Kansas City in this matchup.
Sebastien Le Toux opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a slick first-time finish on Danny Mwanga's low cross from the left flank.
But the Union conceded a bad goal in the 71st minute, when Chris Seitz midjudged a Davy Arnaud freekick. Taking the setpiece from just inside the touchline, Arnaud's service seemed to fool the Union goalkeeper, who couldn't punch the ball clear.
3. June 22, 2011 – Philadelphia 0, Sporting KC 0 (PPL Park)
Goals: none
This was a poor result for the Union, who were coming off a 1-0 road loss against last place Vancouver.
Jimmy Nielsen made a number of important stops, included a first-half kick save on Jack McInerney. Carlos Ruiz headed off the post in the 72nd minute and the Union offense was held scoreless for the second straight game.
4. Sept. 23, 2011 – Philadelphia 1, Sporting KC 1 (at LIVESTRONG Park)
Goals: Bravo 56', Le Toux 63'
This was a great game, complete with playoff implications and late drama.
Going into this matchup, the Union needed to find points away from home. Four of the final six games in 2011 were played on the road.
Philadelphia's defense, playing for the first time at LIVESTRONG Park, was especially calm in the first half. Sporting chances were minimal, until Kamara brushed the crossbar with a header on the 40th minute.
But Kansas City broke through in the 56th minute, when Kamara crossed for Omar Bravo, who was able to get behind Union left back Gabriel Farfan. Bravo's first-time finish put the home side up 1-0.
It was a touch of magic from Michael Farfan that got Philadelphia back in the game. On the 63rd minute, Roger Torres scuffed a shot that looked to be going out of bounds. Seth Sinovic, the Sporting left back, misjudged the ball while attempting to let it roll past the touchline. Farfan was able to cut behind Sinovic, keep the ball in play, and lay off to Le Toux for the equalizer.
At the time, that point kept the Union in the Eastern Conference title race and prevented Kansas City from going 3 points ahead of second place Columbus.
5. June 23, 2012 – Philadelphia 4, Sporting KC 0 (PPL Park)
Goals: McInerney 1', McInerney 43', Pajoy 81', Hoppenot 87'
The offensive floodgates opened up in John Hackworth's second game in charge of the Union.
Jack McInerney scored within 57 seconds, finishing from one yard out after a great move from Lionard Pajoy to keep the ball in play in front of the Sporting goal.
Then McInerney, in just his second start of the season, finished his brace on the 43rd minute, converting a rebound after Carlos Valdes initially got a foot on Freddy Adu's well-taken free kick.
Pajoy got on the board in the 81st, converting a penalty kick after Hoppenot was brought down by MLS All-star Aurielen Collin inside the box.
Hoppenot then made it 4-0 in the 87th minute. Michael Farfan's lofted through ball sprung the striker, who hit an audacious chip over Nielsen's head.
It was Philadelphia's first-ever win against Kansas City, and the second best offensive performance of 2012.
6. July 11, 2012 – Sporting KC 2, Philadelphia 0 (U.S. Open Cup at PPL Park)
Goals: Peterson 65', Zusi 90+'
Sporting returned to PPL Park just 3 weeks later for the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
Fresh off the 4-0 loss, a reinvigorated Kansas City side played a much more physical and disruptive game, outshooting the Union 5-to-1 in the first half.
Roger Espinoza was particularly effective in shutting down attacks and pestering the Union midfield.
Kansas City got the game winner on the 65th minute, when Jacob Peterson knocked a looping header on goal from a Zusi freekick. Zac MacMath looked to have the shot covered, but the ball snuck past the Union goalkeeper on the near post.
Zusi added an empty net goal in stoppage time, and the Union's solid run in the Open Cup came to an end at PPL Park.
7. Oct. 24, 2012 – Sporting KC 2, Philadelphia 1 (at LIVESTRONG Park)
Goals: Peterson 40', Hoppenot 53', Sapong 83'
Sporting Kansas City clinched the Eastern Conference crown with a 2-1 win in their 2012 season finale.
Peterson scored a beautiful goal to open the scoring in the 40th minute. Sporting took a Union turnover and used just four touches to get the ball wide. Kamara's cross was slammed home on the fifth touch, a first-time sliding effort from Peterson.
Philadelphia equalized on a penalty kick put-back from Antoine Hoppenot. Michael Farfan's penalty was initially saved by Nielsen, but Hoppenot got to the rebound first to get the Union on the board. That goal kept Nielsen from earning the shutout that would have tied Tony Meola's league record.
Ironically enough, it was also the first missed penalty kick in Union history.
It looked like the Union would snag a point from this match, but C.J. Sapong's 83rd minute goal earned a win for the home side.
Homegrown player Jimmy McLaughlin made his MLS debut in this game, coming on for Danny Cruz in the 73rd minute.
Contact Union writer Kevin Kinkead at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Shana Vohra
Education & Credentials
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry; San Francisco, CA
Orthodontics, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific; San Francisco, CA
Orthodontics, University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry; San Francisco, CA
As my patient, you can expect a thorough exam and comprehensive diagnosis. I will use this information to customize a treatment plan to your specific needs and desires to give you the beautiful smile youve always wanted. I will focus on patient-centered care and will work with you to achieve your dream smile.
Dr. Vohras favorite TV shows are Scandal, Criminal Minds, Greys Anatomy, and Gilmore Girls, her favorite movies are The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Love and Basketball, and The Shawshank Redemption. Her favorite foods are Thai and Mexican. Her favorite vacation destination is Hawaii.
Volunteer/Service Experience
Give Kids A Smile, 1000 Smiles Jamaica Dental Mission, CDA Cares
Dr. Vohra was born and raised in Northern California. In her spare time, Dr. Vohra enjoys exploring the area, trying new restaurants, and doing arts and crafts projects. She also enjoys playing sports, especially basketball, and rooting for University of Arizona teams.
Professional Associations
American Association of Orthodontists


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Buster Guru's
- Buster Guru
Now this has little to do with brilliant marketing advice, I know.
But then indirectly it does, because a) good diversions are inspiring, especially if they make you laugh, which is why I like to divert a lot; b) let's be honest -- part of the dream of making it big via your marketing, at least for many of those of the male persuasion, is attracting and dating younger women.
So why do older men date younger women... for real?
Now this is NOT the reverse ... why younger women date older men. Everyone knows the 3 reasons younger women date older men:
3) Younger men are too busy playing video games.
2) Younger men all think they're great in bed, but they actually are not. Older men are good in bed, at least relative to younger men (if they can get it up and keep it up, of course.)
1) The money, baby!
But now...
Click the image below to find out why older men really date younger women...
And here they are if you prefer to read:
12) Younger women are more physically fit and have more energy, so they are better able to help older men when they fall face-first on floor from a heart attack or stroke.
11) Younger women are much easier to lie to.
10) Younger women actually think older men's Harleys and Shelby Mustangs are cool and not a desperate cliched attempt to avoid being as old and close to death as they are. (Or at least younger women act like they think its cool in case they can marry him and inherit the toys as soon as he has a heart attack.)
9) Younger women are more likely to put up with his shit longer. That's because she knows she hasn't got that long, relative to with a younger guy, to put up with his shit before he croaks and she gets his Shelby Mustang and other stuff.
8) The sex seems better. That's because a younger woman makes an older man feel like he is much better in bed than he really is, and that's because a younger woman hasn't had that much sex yet to compare his crappy performance to.
7) On a proportional basis, younger women tend to look much hotter than older women. And that makes him look better, like a nice watch.
6) Younger women's female friends are more likely to be hot. And you never know.
5) Younger women's sisters are more likely to be hot. And you never know.
4) Younger women's moms might even be hot. And you never know.
3) Older women's daughters might be hot. And you never know. And you really don't want to, even if you think you do.
2) Younger women find older mens' 2-bedroom condos impressive, because it's more than they've got. Older women find older mens' 2-bedroom condos pitiful, because they got the 5-bedroom house in their divorce.
1) He's going to have to put up with all her her shit whether she's younger or older. So she might as well be younger.
BONUS REASON: Younger women and older men are roughly at the same maturity level.
Photo Credit: sandra.scherer via Compfight cc Photo Credit: malenga via Compfight cc Photo Credit: Shameless Charlotte via Compfight cc
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4/13/2014 12:13:35 pm
I dated a senior citizen...younger men are way better in bed. I won't date any senior citizen again. Once was enough for me.
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ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Micklich, Albie
- Arizona State University
- Kluesener, Joseph
- 1 Hill, Gary
- 1 Levy, Benjamin
- 1 Russell, Timothy
- 1 Schuring, Martin
- 1 English
- 1 Public
- Mobile Crowd Sensing in Edge Computing Environment
- The Effect of Disability on Subjective Well-Being across the Adult Lifespan: The Moderating Roles of Age at Disability Onset and Disability Type
- Mechanically Active Heterogeneous Polymer Matrix Composites
- Attribute-Based Encryption for Fine-Grained Access Control over Sensitive Data
- 并购背景下教育行业品牌价值研究
Nino Rota was a prolific composer of twentieth-century film and concert music, including the Concerto for bassoon and orchestra in b-flat major. Composing over 150 film scores for directors such as Federico Fellini, Francis Ford Coppola, Henry Cass, King Vidor and Franco Zeffirelli, Rota received distinguished acclaim from several film institutions, professional film reviewers and film music experts for his contributions to the art form. Rota also composed a great deal of diverse repertoire for the concert stage (ballet, opera, incidental music, concerti, symphonies, as well as several chamber works). The purpose of this analysis is to emphasize the expressive …
- Contributors
- Kluesener, Joseph, Micklich, Albie, Hill, Gary, et al.
- Created Date
- 2012


text: ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (January 1, 2018) – From a fish & chips burrito and chowder fries to Florida citrus salad and buffalo shrimp basket, St. Augustine Seafood Company (SASco) is proud to announce it is now open and ready to serve the community. St. Augustine Seafood Company offers a small, focused menu chock-full of classic seafood favorites inspired by the city's rich culinary and fishing history. Located on St. George Street (within the Colonial Quarter and Colonial Oak Music Park), the brand new restaurant boasts two dining options: a full-service lounge with full bar in the Triay House and fast-casual, counter-service eatery in the Florencia House with outdoor seating available. "When creating the menu for SASco, I kept in mind the cornerstone of our concept, which is local, sustainable food for the people," explained Chef John Whitworth, head chef at St. Augustine Seafood Company. "It is a simple menu that shines with its focus on fresh and local ingredients; modern twists on time-honored seafood favorites." St. Augustine Seafood Company's commitment to sustainable, local seafood means that the restaurant's menu boards will be updated daily to include the name of the boat that caught the shrimp, snapper or other seafood that ends up on your plate. "We're dedicated to supporting the St. Augustine community in any way that we can," said Michael Croce, president of Pat Croce & Company. "We've partnered with the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum to donate $1 from every sale of our Lighthouse Lemonade to the museum's maritime archaeology programs. We were also pretty excited to win second place in the recent Great Chowder Debate, a St. Augustine institution. Not bad for newbies on the scene!" St. Augustine Seafood Company is located at 33 St. George St., St. Augustine, Fla. Regular business hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm. Call 904-217-8947 or visit saseafoodco.com for more information. Follow on Instagram @saseafoodco and Facebook @saseafoodco. ABOUT PAT CROCE & COMPANY Pat Croce & Company is a family-run management company that owns, operates and builds brands in the hospitality industry. The company currently owns and/or operates the following St. Augustine locales: St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum and Colonial Quarter, which includes St. Augustine Colonial Experience, Bull & Crown Publick House, Taberna del Caballo, St. Augustine Seafood Company, Colonial Oak Music Park and Explorer's Outpost.


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The Shapeshifter's Secret (Book 1 in The Shapeshifter's Secret Series)
"She tried telling herself to stop, but it was useless. Something had fully claimed her mind and body. A sound began to erupt from inside her chest, a deep sort of growl that seized her entire being. She felt as if there was a grizzly bear inside her, trying to escape. And then a deafening roar echoed from her mouth, only inches away from Lancer's face. It took everything inside of her not to attack him."
In Julia's life, timing is everything. Like the time her paranoid father put bars on her window so she wouldn't sneak out at night—even though she's never given him a reason not to trust her. Or the time this weird new kid showed up at her school and pretty much every girl in sight instantly and inexplicably fell in love with him. What was up with that?
But as time moves on, things in Julia's life go from strange to seriously impossible. Now it's all she can do to keep herself and the life she's always known from falling apart.
This fast-paced action-adventure story is packed with humor, romance, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very last page. Get lost in a world of hidden royalty, shifting alliances, and dangerous vendettas, but don't ever forget: nothing is what it seems.
The Secret of Darkwood Castle (Book 3 in The Shapeshifter's Secret Series)
The Siren's Secret (Book 2 in The Shapeshifter's Secret Series)
"She screamed in agony. Deep down, she really thought she wouldn't be cursed. She had lied to herself, given herself hope."
Julia already knows she is different. After all, she's a werecat and a shapeshifter. But she has other secrets—deeper secrets about her heritage that threaten to overtake her identity altogether. Spirited away to Sirenity, Julia learns that she is a siren—cursed to be alone forever. Her plans for a future with Terrence now seem futile, and what's worse, her friend Caleb seems convinced that they are destined to be together despite her curse (and despite Terrence).
But beyond her complicated love life, Julia is still a princess, and she must keep her siren identity a secret. Soon, however, Julia fears that she might lose herself to this new heritage when she is needed most. She can't afford to have an identity crisis when Alexis, her scheming mother, is plotting against the kingdom! Filled with secret plots, dual identities, and hidden agendas, this adventure will leave you breathless. Fall into Julia's world and discover what happens when secrets stay buried for far too long.
The Secret of Darkwood Castle (Book 3 in The Shapeshifter's Secret Series)
"Julia's vision became completely black. All she saw now was Alexis's haunting eyes, burned in her memory. She felt the shift as Alexis lowered the sword, ready to kill Julia."
Julia has embraced who she is. She's a shapeshifter, a siren, and a princess. But her fate is still unclear. As she runs for ambassador of Ossai, The Guild, lead by Julia's estranged mother, begins attacking and killing those Julia loves in an attempt to overthrow the kingdom. To defend her family, her home, and her country, Julia must stop the Guild once and for all.
But when a mysterious stranger shows up offering help, Julia is forced to trust them in order to solve the secret to the Guild's whereabouts. Soon she travels to
, a sinister palace, to confront the Guild—and her mother. If she doesn't succeed, all Julia holds dear will be ripped away and destroyed forever. Darkwood Castle
Deadly forests, dangerous alliances, and a hidden fortress—nothing is what it seems at Darkwood castle. Discover the epic conclusion to Julia's journey in Ossai.


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Riorret Merricks Grove 2009 Pinot Noir
93 Points James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion 2013, July 2012 Light but bright hue; the hyper-fragrant bouquet has some forest litter and leaf nuances that come through strongly on the long, intense and challenging palate.
Our Price
per bottle
Tasting Notes
Colour Medium red in colour with a purple hue.
Nose Ripe red fruit nose - cherries, raspberries and red plum - in a voluminous and inviting style
Taste Palate follows with glac
Food matches Pork, duck, fish, pasta with pesto, shell fish dishes


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Phoenix Solutions' Director of Operations detailed a recent retreat to Mexico. He also highlighted a few of the many benefits that come with team travel events.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA , May 25, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Corporate retreats are some of the most coveted travel incentives around Phoenix Solutions HQ. Mateen S., the firm's Director of Operations, explained, "When we get the chance to visit an exotic locale and build our professional knowledge at the same time, we take full advantage. During a recent retreat to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, that's exactly what happened. Faith, one of our campaign managers, accompanied me on this trip. He earned this getaway by showing strong determination to improve as a leader."
Mateen enjoyed being able to discuss best practices with other leaders in the industry. He gained insight into what other people are doing differently with their teams so he can adapt their techniques into his own leadership back at the Phoenix Solutions office. Mateen remarked, "I've already begun putting what I learned during the retreat to good use. These fresh insights will benefit everyone on our team."
Faith was keen to learn as much information as he could on the trip, but Mateen also encouraged him to take time to relax. The firm's Director remarked, "After a networking dinner on Monday night, we rented a boat and spent all of Tuesday on the water. There was an award ceremony on Tuesday night, followed by training and more networking on Wednesday. Thursday we were free to spend the day exploring the area, so that's when Faith and I really took in the sights and sounds of Puerto Vallarta."
Phoenix Solutions' Director of Operations on the Benefits of Team Travel
New hires and seasoned event managers alike can expect to benefit from travel opportunities such as the Puerto Vallarta retreat. Mateen stated, "Getting away from the office together brings a host of rewards to a team. Our people get to know each other so much better during our trips to conferences, other successful offices, and exotic locales. They come back to Phoenix Solutions HQ newly inspired to fuse their talents in the most productive ways possible."
The networking potential offered by the firm's travel incentives is also beneficial to the firm's event managers. "We meet so many talented people from all corners of our industry when we travel as a team," the Director added. "Not only do the new connections our people make serve as reliable sources of good advice, they also create opportunities for our company as a whole. Joint ventures and referrals that build our portfolio tend to emerge from our team's connecting efforts."
About Phoenix Solutions:
Phoenix Solutions is dedicated to uniting people behind causes that drive positive impact in communities. Through peer-to-peer outreach campaigns, the team sparks conversations about key issues and link likeminded people with good causes. Their solutions build support for change innovators who can then do more of their socially good work in the world. Phoenix Solutions follows a distinct approach that harnesses the team's areas of expertise, including business, marketing, and psychology. They apply creative practices to reach people on a meaningful level. Their on-the-ground presence positions them to generate fast results. By channeling their passion, they raise support that allows nonprofits to expand their influence. Learn more about their approach and success by visiting phoenixsolutionsinc.com.
Source: Phoenix Solutions


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About XPS Ship
XPS Ship is a FREE shipping application that streamlines order fulfillment.
- Display shipping rates to your customers based on weight and destination
- Aggregate orders from Shopify and other eCommerce platforms
- Create shipping labels in a snap for all major US Carriers
- Save money with discounted domestic and international shipping rates
XPS Ship simplifies the shipping process for Shopify merchants by streamlining the production of shipping labels and customer communication. All in an easy to use, web-based interface. You focus on selling your products and we take the pain out of shipping them.
Save Money On Every Order
First, XPS Ship has one plan, and that's a FREE plan. In addition to saving money on user fees, you will save money with discounts on domestic and international shipping, including the best possible pricing with USPS. Use our convenient rate shopping tool to easily identify the most cost-effective carrier and service. You will also save money with discounted insurance.
Save Time fulfilling orders by:
- Automatically pulling your order information into the user-friendly platform
- Multi-carrier shipping from a single screen – no more shipping USPS from one portal and UPS from another, etc.
- Eliminating the need to copy/paste receiver information
- Print shipping labels one by one or in batches
- Automatically updating order status back to Shopify
- Auto-email customer tracking information once an order has been fulfilled
Consolidate Orders from Multiple Sales Channels
XPS Ship is integrated not only with Shopify, but also a growing list of major marketplaces and store platforms, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and more!
Live Customer Service
Integrates with
- Amazon,
- eBay,
- Walmart,
- STEALS.com,
- Developer website
- Privacy policy not provided
- 8008810288
- firstname.lastname@example.com
Most recent reviews
Angel Being
I used XPS to ship my good before my shopify website and enjoyed the ease and pricing structure. Integrating the app into Shopify was pretty easy and so far no issues. Customer service answers their phone immediately and zero wait time - I appreciate that. So far I'm happy.
Developer reply
Thanks so much for this, Angel!
Marcobelle Company
Worked great until we received several duplicate charges on our credit card to recharge our shipping account (one was 4 times the usual $50 amount). We tried for 3 months (including several phone calls) to fix. Every time we spoke with someone, they promised "a manager was looking into this and would call us back". Never received a return phone call.
If you have a credit card on your XPS account, you can't delete it unless you are adding another form of payment. Not good.
Was very excited to get this new system but they don't give you an option to try the software with a billing credit card, you have to upload a minimum of 50.00 to even start. Also, their customer service isn't very good either. I once called in and this guy named Tyler who answers the call, answers by saying, XPS Shipping, your going to have to hold". Seriously, what kind of business allows their employees to answer a call like that? So even after that call, I was still going to give them a chance but after today, NOPE.
They called me yet again because they will keep calling non-stop until they get you to schedule a demo but I had questions in regards to shipping. So the lady I spoke with tried to transfer me to someone, got hung up on, then she called me back and then transferred me to Tyler who jumps on the line and doesn't even ask what my question was. But instead, immediately says, go to the "Zero balance on the upper right hand side of the screen and put in your credit card number" and doesn't even begin to even ask anything about the questions I may have. When I asked him if there were other options, he was like "No" and didn't even attempt to explain anything on why its setup that way or basically even try to keep a customer.
If I've learned anything from companies like these, it's that if the customer service is this bad when you in fact haven't even done business with them yet, imagine what the customer service would be like if there were an actual problem? Also, just an FYI for those that mainly ship via USPS, I've done rate comparisons and honestly, the rates aren't that much different than just using the Shopify shipping or any other shipping company.


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Each week, The Hutchinson News reporters find pieces of news while working on producing daily news stories. These stories about the people and places that make up our communities will be printed in Ad Astra. Send your ideas to email@example.com or call (620) 694-5700 ext. 331.
Dorothy Gale took a trip to Washington DC.
She was accompanied by Dorothy Gale, Dorothy Gale and Dorothy Gale. That's right, four Dorothys, dressed as the main character in "The Wizard of Oz," traveled to Washington, DC, where they were greeted by Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Tim Huelskamp. They toured Washington attractions and on Thursday, they saw the ruby slippers that were worn by Judy Garland in the film, according to a release.
The Dorothys, who represent the Seward County Historical Museum, are busy throughout the year. They have service projects and visit the local nursing home to sing Christmas Carols.
Each Dorothy is required to fill out an application, write a message about why they want to be Dorothy, make good grades and have a teacher recommendation. Then they must pass the interview.
- Kristen Roderick
Specialty food show
A Hutchinson business will travel to New York City for the Specialty Food Association's 59th annual Summer Fancy Foods Show.
Pantry Shelf will be one of four Kansas exhibitors. There will be more than 2,000 exhibitors at the show. They will represent the official Kansas agricultural trademark program, "From the Land of Kansas," according to a release from the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
The Pantry Shelf is an online store that sells mixes for cupcakes, pancakes, bread, muffin, pizza, pound cakes and frosting. For more information on the store, visit www.pantryshelfmixes.com.
Other Kansas businesses represented at the bi-annual Fancy Food Show include Nut Nation in Lawrence, Original Juan Specialty Foods in Kansas City and Rabbit Creek Products in Louisburg.
Kristen Roderick
Kohl's Care Winner
A Galva teen who helped create a program pairing teens with retired residents at Kidron Bethel Village in Newton is among 25 Kansans and 2,300 teens nationwide who will be recognized by Kohl's Department Store for their volunteerism.
Lindsey Unruh, 16, along with two other Canton-Galva Future Business Leaders of America students, created and coordinated the project with Kidron Bethel. The goals and motivation of the project, according to the nomination, "were interaction of generations, erase any negative stereotypes, show future job opportunities to students and build a beneficial partnership."
Unruh will receive a $50 gift card and qualify to compete for a $1,000 regional higher education scholarship.
- John Green