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As my younger sister has been preparing for the birth of her first baby, I've been keeping my eyes peeled for creative gift ideas for her baby shower and to spoil her once my new little niece or nephew arrives. Of course, moms need all the practical things they get at baby showers because you won't last long without diapers and plenty of bibs, but new moms also need a lot of love and encouragement as they welcome a new baby and navigate all the joys and sorrows of motherhood.
If you have a baby shower coming up or have a friend who is expecting, here are a couple of gift ideas to show mom that she's loved. (And I'm looking for more ideas, so if you've got one to share, chime in down below in the comments!)
This is one of my favorites because it is such a sweet little reminder of Mary's Motherhood. She knows what it is like to be pregnant and to care for a new baby and that reminder is comforting in our most uncomfortable moments and when we feel most alone.
Just like the little statue of Mary, having a visual reminder of other women who've shared your vocation is so encouraging, both in the moments when you are exhausted and need a little push and also in the great moments when you have a little glimpse of heaven. These are women who have done what we long to do – to let their vocation lead them to heaven. (Some awesome heavenly mom friends: Mary, Ann, Zelie, Monica, Gianna, Felicity and Perpetual, Margaret, Elizabeth, Helen and Matilda.)
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the awesome collection of books for Catholic Moms from Ave Maria Press. You're sure to recognize many of the authors and titles from this very site. I own several of these books and am frequently loaning them out to friends. For a mom who's just found out she's expecting, Sarah's "A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy" is perfect. For the first-timer, Lisa's "The Handbook for Catholic Moms" is a must. Our copy of Patrice's "The Catholic Baby Name Book" has gotten a lot of use and friends frequently remark on how fun it is to go through it together.
This one will sure to be on my "wish list" the next time we are expecting. I love to read and find that it's such a source of encouragement for me. But what new mom has two hands to hold a book, or even one hand to hold an e-reader? I found that listening to audio books was such a life-saver in those early days of long nursing sessions, or getting used to staying home and being alone, or helping those stretches of night feedings to go more quickly.
What are some of your favorite gifts to show a new mom she's loved? Do you have any go-to add-on gifts for baby showers or visiting a new mom? Please share in the comments below!
Copyright 2017 Megan Swaim


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The High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA's Mars Express has returned images of Echus Chasma, one of the largest water source regions on the Red Planet. Echus Chasma is the source region of Kasei Valles which extends 3000 km to the north. The data was acquired on 25 September 2005. The pictures are centred at about 1° north and 278° east and have a ground resolution of approximately 17 m/pixel.
An impressive cliff, up to 4000 m high, is located in the eastern part of Echus Chasma. Gigantic water falls may once have plunged over these cliffs on to the valley floor. The remarkably smooth valley floor was later flooded by basaltic lava.

subset: commoncrawl


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Bookshare, the online library for people with print disabilities, today announced a new program that will significantly increase college students' access to digital books and textbooks.
The Bookshare University Partnership program is a collaboration between 11 U.S. colleges and universities and publishers that will pool resources to build a more robust collection of books. The program will boost access to reading materials for individuals, including K-12 and post-secondary students, who have a qualified print disability such low vision, dyslexia or a physical disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read standard print.
Up to now, students would wait months after the start of a semester before getting their textbooks in a format they can read. The process entails the university having to either physically scan the books or obtain digital files for each book from the publisher. Under the new program, colleges, universities and publishers will pool resources to make more books available on Bookshare. Additionally, three major publishers, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group and Scholastic, have agreed to donate digital files of their books to Bookshare.?
"This program extends Bookshare's core spirit of collaboration and partnerships to increase the opportunities for these students to have an equal educational experience," said Jim Fruchterman, CEO of Benetech, the nonprofit organization which operates Bookshare.
It's also a cost-effective approach for schools: Scanning and proofreading a book can cost $100 to $1000 depending on its complexity. Schools participating in the new program are Arizona State University, De Anza Community College, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Monterey Peninsula Community College, The Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Montana, University of Idaho, and The Hadley School for the Blind.
Bookshare, which already has more than 46,000 titles, operates under a copyright exemption, known as the Chafee Amendment that allows books to be scanned and made available to qualified people with print disabilities. Each month, Bookshare adds 1000 legally scanned books from universities, the NIMAC (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center), publishers, and volunteers.
With a digital file and an e-book player, students with print disabilities can have their reading materials read out loud either in class or on the go. Ashley Seymour, a college junior majoring in health care at the University of Michigan-Flint who has been blind since birth, agrees. "It's so easy for me to get my books on time and from one source. I don't have to wait for days or weeks. I just download my books, convert to MP3 files for my iPod and go to class."


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- Books
- Nonfiction
- Connect Your Summer
- May We Suggest
- Creativity
- artists
- Musicians
- Biography
- History
- Art
- Life Stories
- Music
June 1, 2016 | SuzyQ
Writers, musicians, artists, actors, designers, scientists ..... Read about thee creative people from past and present.
A groundbreaking biography that places an obsessive, unrequited love at the heart of the writer's life story, transforming her from the tragic figure we have previously known into a smoldering Jane Eyre.
Preeminent Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro shows how the tumultuous events in England in 1606 affected Shakespeare and shaped the three great tragedies he wrote that year--King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra.
An intimate and vivid look at the legendary life of Nina Simone, the classically trained pianist who evolved into a chart-topping chanteuse and committed civil rights activist.
A history of protest music embodied in 33 songs since the 1930s.
In this tough, tender memoir, singer-song writer Patti Smith transports readers to what seemed like halcyon days for art and artists in New York as she shares tales of the denizens of Max's Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner's, Brentano's, and Strand bookstores and her new life in Brooklyn with a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe--the man who changed her life with his love, friendship, and genius.
A lively biography of Geoffrey Chaucer, the "father of English literature", focusing on the surprising and fascinating story of the tumultuous year that led to the creation of The Canterbury Tales.
"'I believe in the absolute necessity of a new art of colour, of drawing and--of the artistic life," Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in 1888. "And if we work in that faith, it seems to me that there's a chance that our hopes won't be in vain." His prediction would come true. In his brief and explosively creative life--he committed suicide a few years later at the age of thirty-seven--Van Gogh made us see the world in a new way.
No one does glamour, severity, girlish charm or tight-lipped witticism better than Dame Maggie Smith. Michael Coveney's biography shines a light on the life and career of a truly remarkable performer, one whose stage and screen career spans six decades.
The first truly definitive biography of Douglas Fairbanks, the greatest leading man of the silent film era.


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Worth a Look: Christmas, Scars, Screens, and Public Shame
Still one of my favorite Christmas songs:
"A Hallelujah Christmas" by Cloverton from Ross Wooten on Vimeo.
I love these 25 simple suggestions on how to #LighttheWorld this Christmas.
And this video is well worth watching:
And for some non-Christmas links:
On Faith:When God says "No" or "Wait"
"You know, my legs still bear the scars of the trauma from those many years ago. And, I still have doubts, I will ALWAYS have doubts - about new things and old things and the same things. Don't we all? Doubts and wonderings and "Oh, God, you haven't forgotten me, have You?"
But, when I'm doubting His goodness to me now, I cling to this promise:
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.Isaiah 43:19
I used to think this meant that God was making a way for things to work out the way I wanted. Or work out in a way that I could understand or KNOW that He actually knows what He's doing.
But, friends - when we travel down each new road He's asking us to walk - or crutching, or hobbling, or wheeling, or crawling with tears of doubt falling onto the wasteland below us - we can know that God NEVER wastes our wounds."
On Motherhood:
It's okay to let your child cry himself to sleep. Comforting news for those accused of child abuse when they try to sleep-train their child (seriously, why are women so hard on each other?).
""Parents have been told by some experts that children's stress levels will increase over time with these techniques and they will have behavioral problems, and this study shows very clearly, which I think is the first to do so, that there are no [poor] effects on children's stress levels and ... children in the intervention groups show less stress than children in the control condition," Weinraub said."
Food for thought about the dangers of screen addiction.
And finally, this is hilarious!


text: At my local hardware store I found these Phillips Alto F32T8 fluorescent light bulbs that run at 100 Lumen per Watt (2500 Lumen at 25 W). I also bought pretty cool dual bulb T8 fixture that has very reflective film coating, and electronic solid state instant start ballast. Hooked it up to kill-a-watt meter and got 44W and 0.96 power factor! These lights are brighter, compared to compact fluorescent lights I was using before. CFLs typically are rated 64 Lumen/W (900 Lumen at 14W), so these Alto T8 bulbs are 56% brighter than CFLs using same power. I had four 14W rated (60W incandescent equivalent) CFLs lighting up my work bench and they pulled 60W together at pretty bad 0.50 power factor. Now, these new lights are brighter, have almost no reactive load and are using less power at the same time!


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Nursing is a physical job but nurses are vulnerable to psychological as well as musculo-skeletal injury.
When a nurse is injured at work it usually results in much more than physical pain and loss. It usually goes hand-in-hand with psychological injury and a sense of anxiety about the future.
Dr Maya Guest, of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle, has conducted comprehensive research with 674 injured nurses, looking at their rehabilitation. The study involved nurses with a significant injury that had resulted in an absence of more than five days away from their usual work.
She said the research was driven by two key questions: why are so many nurses unable to return to pre-injury jobs? And why is it so difficult to find them suitable duties?
"Research shows that it is best to get workers back to the workplace as soon as possible but in suitable duties that don't exacerbate the injury. If you do that it is more likely to get them back to pre-injury duties. This wasn't happening in an ideal manner," she says.
Musculo-skeletal injuries are by far the most common injuries for nurses but the big, poorly acknowledged sleeper is the psychological injuries that can come with the injury, and from the difficulties and trauma found on the road to recovery.
"People were saying in the research 'I have a musculo-skeletal injury but I also have a psychological injury'. They told us that the process was so difficult that they ended up with a psychological injury as well,' says Dr Guest. "Psychological becomes important because 32% said that when they reported the injury they got a negative response from their supervisor or from HR.
"If you report a psychological injury the chances of getting a negative response are high, which exacerbates the problem."
Maya Guest says the key impediment to rehabilitation is the failure to find suitable duties for nurses to allow them to return to work.
"Nursing is a physical job, especially for AiNs and ENs, but it is difficult to give them suitable duties, compared to specialist nurses who are easier to return to work.
"If you're injured, the employer should be able to provide you with duties that avoid tasks that would worsen that injury.
Dr Guest says 87% of those nurses with musculo-skeletal injuries who participated in the research were provided with suitable duties. The 13% who weren't, went on to develop a psychological impact.
Just more than half (51%) of participants had not been able to return to their pre-injury duties. This often left them worried about their long-term ability to work and earn a living. Lack of understanding from colleagues compounded the problem.
"If you are a nurse, employed on a ward, and another nurse can't do manual handling but can do other tasks, and if she is not supernumerary, you have to cover for her. This is where some resentment comes from.
"This explains why nurses continue to work when they have an underlying injury, because they don't want to be a burden on their team.
"They know they have a problem. They try to cope, they use up their leave and then, when they report the injury, it is going to be tough. She says older nurses especially are likely to do this.
"Ageing of the nurse workforce is a huge factor and will continue to be one. Older nurses struggle on through the injury and tend not to report it."
Rural nurses trying to return to work also face particular obstacles to their rehabilitation.
"There is a bigger distance to work and also to treatment. The travel often undoes the good physio that is done. People can travel 50 kilometers on dirt roads to get to work. The car trip is a killer."
Dr Guest quotes one particular nurse who she says captures the frustration of the process of rehabilitation: "For 30 years I gave my patients the best available care but when I was a patient I didn't get it. I had to wait for approval from the insurer."
In contrast to health, employers in heavy industries will do anything to get their employees back to work because their premiums are based on the company's claims history says Maya Guest.
"They will do anything to keep the premiums down. If the organisation is big enough they will always find a role because of the premium. In big multinationals it is often a KPI for the CEO. Unfortunately this doesn't translate into the health sector."
Dr Guest says the state government may well be right that the workers' compensation scheme has high costs. But, she argues, there are other ways to fix the problem.
"With what we have seen in our research, rehabilitation in some areas is not working well. So I am not surprised that the costs are high. There are structural issues with the process.
"We know nurses, with their health expertise, have a good knowledge of what is needed to get better. One problem for nurses is the process is not working for them or it is holding them up from getting the treatment they need.
"Get the process working better initially and you won't have these long drawn out claims. The claims shouldn't be taking this long."
Dr Guest's research found that of the injuries suffered by nurses:
The difficulties nurses face in returning to work
You'll automatically become a member of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation


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Macon Charity Riders held their last benefit ride on July 30th, 2011. At our regular monthly meeting held August 1st, 2011, we voted to dissolve MCR. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all past members, public and businesses that have supported us through the last five years.We were established on January 4th, 1997 and dissolved Aug. 1st, 2011 . Thanks to all of you, Macon Charity Riders was able to hold 48 benefit rides for people raising over $85,000 for them. In addition to that, we raised and donated $3,000 to the center for Courageous Kids, over $3,000 to Macon Helps Cancer Program, $750 to the Jonathan Hudson Memorial Scholarship, $1,400 to St. Judes, $900 Back Pack Program for the schools, and $750 to the Matt Cliburn Memorial Scholarship.
We have also assisted the Lions Club and Santa's Helpers. Again, we would like to say goodbye and thanks to all of you.


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Our pocket folders are printed on a nice 14pt card stock. Our pocket folders are printed on a high quality press so you will love the quality. The turn around times are quick. Don't have artwork? We can help at no charge. Send us your idea and we will be sure to come up with something you'll love.
Get a fast quote for something more custom


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From Get Out to Logan, here are my top 10 movies of 2017
I have no idea if it's the rising political tension in America or the controversies in Hollywood but 2017 has been a fantastic year for film. This year, we've seen a nice mixture of indie movies and big-budget extravaganzas. And not one over-shadowed the other. Previous years, there had been an over-emphasis on mainstream blockbusters such as superhero movies and audiences didn't have a chance to see the smaller films. Not this year. Films like It Comes At Night, or Lady Bird would have never been released in my neck of the woods, and I'm glad they did.
A common theme in my list includes directorial debuts. From Jordan Peele to Greta Gerwig to Taylor Sheridan, these first-time directors are ones to watch for in the future. And as we continue our fight for diversity, movies have been quite diverse this year. The sleeper hit, Get Out, proved that film about race can be mega hits while female directors are starting to push through. With the push from the current American president and movements such as the #MeToo movement, 2017 has created some of the best movies of the century. Here are just 10 of my favorites.


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3 comments | 13. May 1986 - 18. November 2011
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13. May 1986 - 18. November 2011
Pattinson was born in London, England. His father, Richard, imported vintage cars from America, and his mother, Clare, worked for a modelling agency.
Pattinson has two elder sisters, singer Lizzy Pattinson, and Victoria Pattinson...
13. May 1986
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Stewart was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.
Her father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox.
Her mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor originally from Maroochydore, Queensland,...
9. April 1990
Lautner was born on February 11, 1992 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Deborah and Daniel Lautner.
His mother works for a software development company, while his father is a Midwest Airlines pilot. He has one younger sister named Makena...
11. February 1992
He took his first karate class at the age of six.
A year later, he attended the national karate tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, where he met Michael Chaturantabut, the founder of Xtreme Martial Arts...
1. August 1998
Stewart's acting career began at the age of eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.
After a year of auditioning, Stewart's first role was a small nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel original film The...
1. December 1998
At the age of 15 Robert started acting in amateur plays with the Barnes Theatre Company.
But by the age of 18 he got bigger roles to play.
He became involved in amateur theatre at the Barnes Theatre Company...
1. January 2001
In his first months after moving to Los Angeles, Lautner appeared in small television roles, small film roles, and ads and commercials.
In 2001, Lautner first appeared in the made-for-television film, Shadow Fury...
1. August 2001
Pattinson began modelling at the age of 12, but his workload began to decrease four years later.
In December 2008, he blamed the lack of modelling work on his masculine appearance: "When I first started I was quite tall and looked like a girl, so I...
1. August 2004
On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name...
7. January 2008
Kalama High School - Kalama, Washington Madison high School - Portland, Oregon
Forks High School was actually a combination of two different schools. Kalama High School in Kalama, WA was used for the exterior shots of the school - such as the pivotal...
1. February - 21. November, 2008
Indian Beach, Ecola State Park, Oregon - located off Hwy 101, two miles north of Cannon Beach, Oregon.
This is the location used as the surfing spot for the high school kids of Forks.
The second picture shown is quite recognizable as the location...
11. February 2008
Much of the filming of "Forks, WA" was actually done in Vernonia, OR.
The picture shown here is the Google® maps street view of the Wauna Federal Credit Union building in Vernonia, which was used as the Forks Police Station during filming...
1. March 2008
The house in "Forks" where Bella lives with her father Charlie s about 20 miles east of Vernonia by the Washington border in Saint Helens, at 184 South 6th Street.
3. March 2008
Bella Swan's house (pictured) is located at Kerry Park in Surrey, at 184 Street and 28 Avenue.
Jacob Black's house is around Gilley's Trail in Minnekhada Park in Coquitlam; see video of the property added...
9. March 2009
Although the New Moon story action takes place in Volterra, home of the Volturi, this part of Twilight Saga New Moon movie was filmed in Montepulciano, another medieval hill town in Tuscany.
Look the video!
This is the clock tower that was used for...
3. August 2009
The ceremony was breathe taking. With thousands of white wisteria flowers hanging from branches and rows of mahogany chiavari chairs surrounded with tree trumps, the small touches really made the studio look like it was outdoors in a real forest...
17. November 2011
In the movie, newlyweds Edward and Bella spend their honeymoon on an island off the coast of Brazil.
Both sport a more stylish and grown-up wardrobe than in the earlier movies, with Pattinson in a dress shirt and slacks and Stewart wearing a...
18. November 2011


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- Prachi Singh |
Steve Shiffman, Chief Executive Officer of Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp. has unveiled a series of strategic changes to the company in response to, what the company has called, rapidly evolving fashion and retail landscape. As a part of the strategy, Calvin Klein's the 654 Madison Avenue store will be closing in spring 2019. Meanwhile PVH expects to incur pre-tax costs of approximately 120 million dollars over the next 12 months in connection with the Calvin Klein restructuring, including as a result of the closure of its flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York.
"Our industry is witnessing a historic transformation in consumer behaviour which presents a significant growth opportunity as we look to grow the brand to 12 billion dollars in global retail sales over the next few years. Now more than ever, we must double down on meeting consumer demands by creating culturally relevant products and experiences that engage communities by pushing fashion and culture forward," said Shiffman in a statement.
The brand's strategy includes three key initiatives
The business will be streamlining its North America division, including consolidation of operations for the men's Calvin Klein Sportswear and Calvin Klein Jeans business as a means of further strengthening the brand's positioning. The Calvin Klein retail and ecommerce teams will be integrated to create an omnichannel approach mirroring how consumers browse, shop and purchase today.
The brand is re-launching the Calvin Klein 205W39NYC business under a new name, design approach and creative direction. The company added that new business will "focus on connecting directly to all of the other Calvin Klein brands and amplifying each category with unique products and aspirational experiences.
The company further said that Calvin Klein leadership team has adopted a digital-first approach and introduced a newly formed "Consumer Marketing Organization (CMO)." The CMO is evolving to accommodate the rapidly changing demands of today's consumers, with highly specialized teams focused on new areas including consumer engagement and shopper experience.
PVH updates Q4 and full year earnings outlook
PVH currently expects revenue in the fourth quarter and full year 2018 to be at least 2.40 billion dollars and 9.57 billion dollars, respectively, which is above its plan. The company also revised its projected fourth quarter and full year earnings per share outlook.
The company currently expects its earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis for the fourth quarter to be at least 1.75 dollars, which is 15 cents per share above the high end of its guidance range previously announced on November 29, 2018 and includes a 5 cents per share benefit due to lower than expected income tax expense. The company currently expects its full year earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis to be at least 9.50 dollars.
Commenting on the updated earnings outlook, Emanuel Chirico, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PVH added: "Our improved 2018 outlook reflects the power of our diversified global business model. Specifically, we are experiencing outperformance across all of our businesses relative to our previous guidance, despite the increasingly volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical environment."
Picture:PVH Corp website


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Home Buyers today want a bargain, but they don't want to do any work. And they don't have to. The inventory of homes in our market is huge and ever increasing. Even if your home is priced to reflect the need for new carpet or fresh paint, the average home buyer will walk six doors down and pay more for the home that needs no work.
Remove as many possible home buyer's objections BEFORE you list your home for sale in Tulsa. Think Buyers may not like your OU crimson-colored game room? Paint it. Brass light fixtures looking a bit dingy and dated? Install new ones. Carpet in the den looking a little worn? Replace it, and consider wood flooring.
Seek the advice of a home stager and/or real estate professional to identify improvements that will likely yield a return on your investment. Spending money up front to make your home shine and stand out from the competition will make your selling process so much easier. If you can't do the work yourself, your home stager or Realtor will have vendors to recommend.
Why "as is" properties are not selling and why "move in ready" properties ARE selling
The winning home selling strategy does not change. Your home will sell if it is in top condition, priced correctly and marketed aggressively. Choose the Listing Realtor that understands this selling strategy.
Preparing your home for sale requires some sweat equity and a humble attitude – but your participation in getting your home ready for market is truly "priceless."
Originally Posted at: Midtown Tulsa Real Estate - Lori Cain


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To be truthfully I was debating right up to the moment I logged on to my blog whether or not to right about this or not, only because I thought that you might not find my first adventure in to the world of pen and ink drawing interesting. Then I thought, well why not it's creative! Plus it would be good to get some feedback.
So here's a little background. Ever since I could hold a pen I have doodled. Even as a child, my mother thought it best to buy rolls of lining paper instead of sketchpads as I went through so much paper (sorry rainforests!) all through school and on to art school and even now art and design has been my life, I would go as far to say as I am obsessed!
Since school I have always sketched in my sketchbook practically on a daily basis, some days offerings are better than others. Sketching is a fundamental part of a creative persons life, it is where explore new ideas, capture moments, reflect of our techniques, try new things etc. It is a sandbox for my creative mind.
I have always loved the work of Aubrey Beardsley and M.S. Escher, and have been fascinated by the way they master the power of the line and tone in monochrome.
So taking a brand new Sketchbook out of its clear plastic wrapping, I opened it and look at the crisp clean blank page and pondered for a few seconds of what to do with it. The truth was, I had no idea. I started to sketch the works ink drawing right in the centre of the page and then let my mind wander allowing my pencil to create lines and shapes in a free flowing and spontaneous manner. Any one knowing me this approach is very unlike me, normally I liked a meticulous planned approach where I know exactly what I am going to go before my pencil hits the paper. Not only was this my first attempt at a ink pen drawing, it was the first time I worked totally spontaneously.
In hindsight I should have took pictures of the different stages of the drawing, so I'm afraid I will just have to jump right to the end and show you the finished result.
What do you think? As a first attempt I'm quite pleased with the result. I would really love to hear what you think. In fact if you have any tips I would love to hear about them too!
I know that it is far from perfect, there are a few stray-lines, mistakes and a little irregular spacing of some of the elements, But hey, it's only my first attempt and I'm not going to beat myself up too much. The only way to progress is to make mistakes and learn from them. The main objective in creating this title page was write a descriptive title in order to differentiate this particular sketchbook from the many others that I have. So whether I have been successful or just carried away with myself, I will let you make your own mind up about it.
So what's next? Honestly, I don't know. But what I can tell you is that I am going to continue on this pen and ink adventure and I will see where it takes me. What I would like to see happen is for me to become more confident in the medium and be able to produce works for you to be able to buy, as well as create elements which I can combine with my photography and Photoshop skills to create unique mixed media digital art works for you to buy. So I hope you will join me on this journey. At the moment it appears to be a little of a magical mystery tour but please hang on in there!
When I manage to create something new in my sketchbook I will share it with you, please let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Hugh at ReClick Photo.


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Arsenal loan out Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Chuba Akpom and Krystian Bielik
Arsenal have sent midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide and striker Chuba Akpom, plus Krystian Bielik, out on loan for the rest of the season.
Reine-Adelaide, 20, will join French club Angers while 22-year-old Akpom heads to Belgium's Sint-Truidense for his sixth loan spell away from Arsenal.
Young centre-back Krystian Bielik was also sent out to League One side Walsall after recovering from a shoulder injury that ruled him out for the first half of the season.
Reine-Adelaide has been viewed as one of...


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LEMONT – Since retiring, Patricia Camalliere continues to be active with the Lemont Public Library and Lemont Area Historical Society.
Now, she also is a published author.
Her first book, "The Mystery at Sag Bridge," is a supernatural mystery set in Lemont.
Camalliere feels the timing of the book's release is good because the theme of motherhood makes it an appropriate Mother's Day gift.
The book is available on Amazon as a paperback and e-book, as well as at Smokey Row Antiques, 112 Stephen St.
Camalliere talked with Suburban Life reporter Dan Farnham about the process of writing the book.
Dan Farnham: How did the book get started?
Camalliere: I think I always wanted to write since I was a child … I especially love mysteries. My career and my life was very busy … After I retired, I said, "You know, I don't really have a lot of time left. If I'm going to do this, I got to do it now." So, what do I want to write about? Well, I want to write about Lemont because it's a very special place … My situation was, we have a retired woman. What if she notices little odd things that happen – they've happened to her her whole life – and she always tosses them off as unimportant … What if there was a presence behind that? … Then, because I'm very interested in history and was working here at the historical society, I wanted to also have historical background.
Farnham: How much Lemont would a reader recognize in this book?
Camalliere: The book is written in two time periods. The book is written as if it's today, and it goes back to the time period of 1898 … So, as she's driving down [Archer Avenue], she's describing what she's seeing now and what she would have seen in 1898 because it would have looked very different at that time. Someone living in Lemont would know that. There would be some surprises because they may or may not know that there's a network of tunnels under Lemont … I was hoping to put some things that would surprise people, so even if you live here, you would say, 'Oh, but I didn't know about that.'
Farnham: Did you try to be as accurate as possible?
Camalliere: Nothing is being made up about the geographic features. Wherever something was made up, I would have changed the character's name … I think you can basically say that the town is represented appropriately. Many of the happenings are described accurately. Some of them are not. There is an afterword in the book that tells you which is which.
Farnham: Is this a book for people who live in Lemont or people who don't know much about Lemont?
Camalliere: Both of those things, but maybe to me even more important than that, is that Lemont is such a special place that the world should know about it. I wanted to write something that was hopefully captivating enough so that somebody in California could pick up this and say, 'Wow, that sounds like a great place, Lemont. I want to go and visit there.'
Farnham: How do you feel now that you've published the book?
Camalliere: I don't know if it's really sunk in. It's such a long process. It's so much work … You find a publisher, but anybody, unless you're Stephen King, you market your own books now … So, basically, I love it, but it's a lot of work. I feel fulfilled. I feel satisfied. I feel like something I've always wanted to do came out well.
Farnham: What would you see as being successful for this book?
Camalliere: I'm happy to have done it. I would like it to go somewhere. I would be silly if I didn't. But, I think if I got a letter from somebody that I didn't know, and it just said to me, 'I got so much out of reading your book, and I just loved it.' Even if it was only one, that would make it feel worthwhile to me because it touched somebody.


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Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday: 3 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Friday: 3 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Happy Hour: Monday – Friday: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Happy Hour
Food Specials
$2 Blue Chips
$2 Beef Sliders or Pulled Pork Sliders
$4 Spicy Shrimp Sauté with Fruit Salsa Mint Buerre Blanc
$4 Special of the Day
Drink Specials
$2 Domestic Beers
$3 Wells, House Wines & Specialty Beers
$4 Calls, $6 Martinis
Late Night Special
Friday & Saturday 10:00PM – Close
$3 Three Olives
$3 Fire Ball
$4 Crown Royal
Live DJ Every Friday & Saturday night
Daily Rooftop Specials
Monday: Industry Night
Tuesday: 1/2 Price Bottle of Wine Starting at 7PM
Wednesday: $6 Martinis Starting at 7PM
Thursday: Ladies Night
Fri & Sat: 10PM-Close – $3 Three Olives, $3 Fire Ball, $4 Crown
Sunday: Live Music from 3PM-6PM
Martini List
Serving 5 p.m.-12 a.m. Daily
Moonlight Martini $11.00
Ketel One Oranje, Chambord Liqueur, Fresh Lemon Juice,
Simple Syrup & a Splash of Cabernet Sauvignon
Pearfection $11.00
Grey Goose La Poire Vodka, Disaronno Amaretto,
Pineapple Juice & a Touch of Grenadine
Raspberry Lemonade Martini $11.00
Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray Gin, Captain Morgan White Rum, Triple Sec,
Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup & Chambord Liqueur
Flirtini $11.00
Stoli Razberi Vodka, Grand Marnier, Fresh Pineapple Cranberry
& Lime Juice with a Champagne Floater
The Hemingway $10.00
Captain Morgan White Rum, Maraschino Liqueur, Fresh Lime Juice,
Grapefruit Juice with Simple Syrup
1924 $11.00
Don Julio Reposado, Mango Puree, Basil, Fresh Lime Juice,
Simple Syrup, Topped with Ginger Beer
Key Lime Martini $10.00
Stoli Vanil Vodka, Licor 43, Fresh Lime Juice with a Splash of Cream,
Garnished with a Graham Cracker & Brown Sugar Rim
The Alamo $11.00
Ketel One Vodka, Fresh Watermelon Juice, Lemon Juice,
Simple Syrup with a Sugar & Salt Rim
Ex Boyfriend $10.00
Stoli Vanilla Vodka, X-Rated Vodka & Pineapple Juice
Expresso Martini $11.00
Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka, Licor 43, Kahlua,
Godiva Chocolate Liqueur with a Splash of Cream
Cucumber Lychee Martini $11.00
Crop Cucumber Vodka, Lychee Juice,
Lemon Juice, with a Splash of Sprite
Rooftop Dinner Menu
Monday – Thursday 3 pm -10 pm
Friday, Saturday & Sunday 1 pm -10 pm
Bleu Chip $6.00
Homemade chips with blue cheese crumbles and
rosemary balsamic reduction
Hummus & Flatbread $6.00
Toasty flatbread with our homemade hummus
Pulled Pork Slider $9.00
Two tender roast pork in our Sriracha sauce
with our housemade chips
Casa Sliders $10.00
Two 3 oz grass-fed beef sliders with caramelized onions,
Muenster cheese and garlic mayo with our housemade chips
Baked Brie En Croute $11.00
Mini Brie in puff pastry with raspberry glaze baked
and served with fruit and crostinis.
Beef Brisket and Hash $13.00
Slow roasted brisket over sweet potato hash with wilted spinach
and a barbeque demi glaze
Penthouse Crab Cakes $13.00
Over baby green with sweet chili sauce and mustard aioli.
Shrimp & Polenta Cakes $13.00
Cheesy polenta cake topped with jumbo shrimp sautéed with basil, garlic and
tomatoes in a rich butter sauce
Seared Ahi Tuna $15.00
Rare, seared Ahi Tuna on a bed of wilted spinach with sautéed artichoke, basil,
tomatoes and capers with a balsamic drizzle
**Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, fish or eggs may increase consumers risk of food born illness**


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Our Christmas party is a fun social evening for students who attend any class or private lesson at The Regency Dance Centre. (Friends are also welcome!).
Over the night we will be running a social dance for you to enjoy, provide some tuition in brand new dances and play games with spot prizes!
Price: £7.00
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.


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Find all the Hercules Cycle dealers in Bhavnagar. Click the link to view the desired Hercules Bicycle showroom across major cities in Bhavnagar.
Sharda Cycle Stores
High Court Road, Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar, Gujarat - 364001
* The address of Hercules Cycles dealer in India listed here are subject to changes. Some Cycle shops may not sell all models in the outlet. Kindly confirm over the phone before visiting the showroom.
List Of Other Dealers in Bhavnagar
Also See:
Hercules Accessories Hercules Price Hercules Models
Hercules Cycles Dealers in India, Hercules Bicycle Showrooms, Hercules Cycles Shops in India


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|Picture: Avaible on the net, source in this case
Australian Perfume Junkies
The speed was faster in earlier days with shorter entries which is rather good.per se. The more I get into perfume, the more impressions and connections to other earlier tested fragrances I find out for the new ones I try. And the result is that each post get more extensive and there is less entries posted as a total. Also the time that I can spare for this hobby has unfortunately decreased. In the "blog-library" I also see 333 old, unpublished entries, many of them are from my earliest blog "Parfumistans Blog" (The Perfumista diary) written in swedish and imported to this site from the first place where the blog was suitiated, on the newspaper Expressen. Expressen was early in Sweden to offer space for bloggers on their site. Other of the unpublished stuff is pre-written perfumereviews, most of them also in swedish and some in english. My intention is to publish at least the english written entries from time to time between all the new stuff I review. And of course waitng for the great idea how to redefine the blog. In the meantime, there is business as usual.
PS: Celebrating the 1000nd by sampling the lovely floral, spicy, fruity, airy Pichola from one of my favorite houses, Neela Vermeire Créations. Review will follow later on of this beautiful huge white-flowery perfume.


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Work in Progress : Queen Tara from Epic. Working in Maya and ZBrush I plan to make a more realistic rendition of this gorgeous character. Her face will be modeled after the actress that brought her to life Beyoncé.
Work in Progress: Want to give her a clan/tribe like feel. Using Maya and ZBrush I wish to add various accessories to achieve this.


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The quality of hospital EHR data is vital to the delivery of safe and effective patient care, and for the reuse of the data across the Learning Health System.
The vision of i~HD is to improve health care and to accelerate research through more trustworthy learning from health data. We engage with all stakeholders in order to co-create high- quality and secure environments for data sharing and data use. We aim to maximise efficiency and effectiveness, have better data quality, improve connectivity between practitioners and keep the patient centre stage.
To enable engagement with all stakeholders, i~HD is a neutral, not-for-profit institute.
Many European hospitals have expressed to us a wish to be better Learning Health Systems:
In response to this, i~HD has developed assessment methods to guide data quality improvement, and is actively promoting the importance of data quality across Europe.
The i~HD DQS4H can assess and help improve the quality of EHR data for hospitals wishing to:
The i~HD Data Quality Task Force members bring over a decade of expertise in electronic health records, health data quality, assessment methodologies and certification programmes.
Based on extensive literature reviews the Task Force defined nine Data Quality Dimensions. As a result of original research projects (including PhD publications) algorithms were developed to generate validated and reproducible quantitative assessments of these data quality dimensions. The data quality assessments are conducted using both quantitative and qualitative analyses.
Hospitals choose which data to focus on for the assessment, depending on their main objectives.
In collaboration with:
After providing feedback on the report, we can provide advice on improvement strategies, and run workshops for your teams.
Pragmatic: minimally invasive to hospital operations
Evidence based: well researched, published, assessment methodology
Flexible: can be tailored to your data quality drivers
Focussed: we can help you choose the most suitable dimensions and EHR data variables
Staged: clear sequence of steps with regular interactions and feedback loops
Holistic: we consider quality in the context of your user workflows and your EHR system
Extendable: data sets can be added incrementally, to chart out a data quality improvement journey
For further information please contact via email@example.com


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Plenty of cars and other vehicles that are written off by insurance companies are not necessarily as dead as a dodo. In fact, many can be fixed up and sent back onto the road in no time at all, and for any car buyer looking for a good deal, a write-off can prove tempting. However, you do need to be careful, as there are plenty of ways you could end up being taken for a – very dangerous – ride. Let's take a closer look at some of the basics of buying a write-off, and what you need to do to avoid trouble.
The value in written-off cars
Cars are written-off because they are damaged beyond a point where insurance companies feel it will cost to fix. So if your car is worth $5,000 at the point of an accident, but repairs will cost more than that, no insurer is likely to give you a payout – and will write-off our vehicle. For a car buyer, the value lies in a written-off car that doesn't cost as much to repair as the insurance providers think. However, some cars are written off merely because they are dangerous, and it's important to understand the difference.
Check the Written Off Vehicle Register
To accurately establish the condition of any vehicle you are thinking of buying, you should always check with the Written Off Vehicle Register (WOVR). This initiative was created to prevent dodgy repair companies fixing up write-offs and putting them back into the market as used cars, rather than ex-write-offs. It's a process known as 'rebirthing' and often results in the car getting a new identity. The truth is that whether you are buying new or a write-off, you should always check this service out regardless.
Find repair services
Obviously, the best value in buying a previously written off vehicle relies on you doing the repairs. They are a great option for a DIY project, of course, but you should be able to find plenty of professionals to help if you don't have the skills. Check your local business directory for mechanics with experience of working with write-offs and smash repairs. Bear in mind that buying a write-off is not for the faint of heart, and it's important to be able to estimate the actual cost of any damage. Some repair jobs could exceed your expectations, so always get it inspected by a qualified individual first.
Return to the road
You will need to have a string of safety checks on your new purchase when it is fixed, to prove its roadworthiness. If you don't go through this process, the car will be illegal – and you will end up in a lot of trouble if caught. You should also bear in mind that when you sell it on, it will be necessary to declare it as a write-off. And this could cause you problems, as most people will turn their backs on a car as soon as they realise its history of being a write-off. However, if you want to save money and grab a bargain vehicle that could last you for many years, the write-off market is worth a look – just be careful what you buy!
Contributed Post.
If you like what you've read here, please let others know of this post, blog, and site.
And thanks for reading! 🙂


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BI's Article search uses Boolean search capabilities. If you are not familiar with these principles, here are some quick tips.
To search specifically for more than one word, put the search term in quotation marks. For example, "workers compensation". This will limit your search to that combination of words.
To search for a combination of terms, use quotations and the & symbol. For example, "hurricane" & "loss".
The three-year hiatus from rising health care costs and premiums is definitely over.
Next year, observers say, employers can expect group health care rates, which already have started an upward trend, to continue to rise in response to higher health care costs, after a period of flat or decreasing rates.
The first signs appeared as far back as January that after three years of small increases in health care costs, the run of health care cost stability was coming to an end.
In 1996, group health care costs for active and retired employees had risen just 2.5%, according to benefit consultant A. Foster Higgins & Co. Inc. of New York, which conducted a survey of 3,290 employers.
But, in the wake of deteriorating financial results, many health maintenance organizations that had frozen or lowered rates over the previous three years were boosting rates 2% to 6% in 1997.
One reason was that managed care may have been nearing its saturation point. "The best way to achieve savings is to get employees to move from traditional indemnity plans to managed care plans. That shift has happened," said John Erb, a principal in William M. Mercer Inc.'s Miami office.
Towers Perrin also concluded from a new survey that group health care costs for active employees would rise an average of 3% in 1997.
Mark Jamilkowski, an HMO analyst with Conning & Co. in Hartford, Conn., said larger, more well-established HMOs had an improved outlook for 1997 "as their pricing is ahead of anticipated medical trends and they seem to have a firmer grasp on the cost drivers both from the medical and administrative sides."
First-quarter HMO earnings continued to suggest that HMOs were beginning to emerge from the trough of the competitive pricing cycle as rate hikes took hold.
"Generally, the first quarter was better than it has been, but the outlook for the second half is a lot better" particularly when compared with 1996, Mary O'Connell, an HMO analyst with Louis Nicaud & Associates in San Francisco, said earlier.
Then the signs at midyear renewal season confirmed what had been anticipated: Health care coverage costs were increasing, and the mid-single-digit increases many saw for this year could possibly lead to premium increases approaching double digits in 1998.
"I expect many HMOs as well as insurers will start reporting that the heat is on," said Joseph T. Lynaugh, president and chief executive officer of NYLCare Health Plans Inc. in New York. "I think health care cost inflation is definitely coming back."
In addition to inflation, another potential cost factor that emerged was legislative mandates, such as laws outlawing "drive-through" mastectomies; perceived public ire over managed care practices spurred such bills.
Some experts think mandates will mean higher premiums. "If you legislate certain procedures, it will increase costs," said Lee Exton, a consultant with Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Los Angeles.
However, at least for now, the impact of these legislative mandates should be minimal. "I have never seen any HMOs say they are going to increase rates" because of a mental health care benefit mandate, said Mary Case, a principal at The Kwasha Lipton Group in Fort Lee, N.J.
Meanwhile, by their first-half earnings reports, HMOs' rate hikes were beginning to work their way to the bottom line, said observers.
Arun N. Kumar, director at New York-based rating agency Standard & Poor's Corp., said the HMO industry could "expect margins to improve modestly through the second half and '98 to be a much better year than '97."
By earlier this month, HMO executives and others said they were expecting another 2% to 6% in rate increases in 1998.
However these observers said employers can expect rates for traditional indemnity plans to increase 8% to 15%, roughly in line with this year's rate increases, with preferred provider organization rates expected to rise 8% to 12% next year.
Rates for point-of-service plans generally will continue to be one to two percentage points more than rate hikes for traditional HMOs.
Managed care executives said years of flat or falling rates as HMOs battled one another for market share took their toll, and the rate hikes are needed to improve margins and restore battered bottom lines.
"We think there's a general recognition in the marketplace that rates had probably gone too far," said David Olson, vp-investor relations for Foundation Health Systems Inc. in Woodland Hills, Calif.
A spokeswoman for Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, the nation's largest non-profit HMO, with about 8.8 million enrollees, offered a similar viewpoint. "Our rates have been, frankly, too low over the last several years, and that actually is contributing to what in '97 is our first projected loss for the program as a whole, so clearly we have to look at not only controlling costs but also at rate increases," she said.
But employers may still find they have at least some leverage in negotiating their health care premiums. Helen Darling, manager of international compensation and benefits at Xerox Corp. in Stamford, Conn., said, "There is a lot more wiggle room than anyone ever talks about."


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This page provides you with all Non-CME Offerings currently available from the AAFPRS Foundation, including historical videos, surgical videos, webinars and live activities.
To select the course or video click on the course or video title.
Creating a Social Media Calendar
Forever Young
Aligning the Stars
Coming of Age
Our Love is Here to Stay


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It stands to reason that Microsoft has spent years trying to emulate what Apple does. Sometimes they accomplish the move with great success, with Windows being a notable example. Although many of the ideas for Windows came from the Mac OS, Microsoft did a better marketing job for a mostly inferior product, and hence earned over 95% of the global market. These days, Windows market share has eroded somewhat, basically at the expense of migration to Macs, but few would suggest that Apple will ever gain dominance.
In keeping with that tradition, when Apple introduced the iPod, it didn't take very long before Microsoft introduced the Zune. Typical of a Microsoft product, the Zune was a couple of years behind the iPod. Typical of Microsoft, they promised the next version would be better, but so was the iPod, so the Zune kept playing catch up. But it never did, and Microsoft couldn't fool the public into accepting an inferior product. So Apple won the digital music player wars, such as they were.
With mobile phones, Microsoft has never dominated, and Windows Phone languishes at the expense of the iOS and Android. Even the fading BlackBerry does better nowadays. But Microsoft never gives up, so they took the failed Zune interface, dubbed it "Metro," and they're busy adding it to Windows 8.
Now over the years, Microsoft has touted other products as being a potential next great thing, quite often during company keynotes at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is held in early January. That's where most tech companies introduce their latest goodies, such as 3D TVs, smartphones, tablets and other stuff. Well, except for Apple, which has never, ever considered a presence at CES. Indeed, in recent years, Apple has timed product or service announcements to supplant the CES.
For many years, you could depend on the Macworld Expo for a keynote from a key Apple executive — for years it was Steve Jobs himself — announcing a new Mac, iPod or some other marvelous product.
But Apple eventually changed their tune.
First it was the Macworld Expo in Boston. The concert promoters, IDG World Expo, decided to move the event to New York City, hoping the Big Apple would attract bigger crowds. But it didn't take long for the higher expenses and red tape to consume the Expo planners, so they decided to return to Boston. But Apple balked, and simply quit the event. It didn't take long for the east coast Macworld to vanish.
In 2009, Apple pulled out of the San Francisco event as well, asserting that the event didn't necessarily coincide with their own product development schedules. Besides, they could get far more media attention by staging special press events, accompanied in-store demonstrations at an Apple Store. People didn't have to travel across the country or around the world to go to a singular event devoted to Apple products.
Yes, there is still a Macworld Expo, although it's now known as the Macworld/iWorld Expo. Attendance and vendor support was decent enough for the first two years to sustain another event, but it's not at all certain how the thing will fare beyond 2012 what with trade shows, in general, no longer being the venue of choice for consumer companies that sell their stuff around the world.
Indeed, that may happen with the CES next.
For years, Microsoft used the CES to announce new products, or demonstrate future "innovations." Microsoft's executives, originally Bill Gates and later Steve Ballmer, would tout the technology du jour, such as tablets. Each and every year, for example, you were told that tablets were the next great things. Yes, that has happened, but it took Apple and, it seems, Amazon to get the public to take them seriously.
As of this week, Microsoft has decided that trade shows are no longer their thing. The 2012 CES will be the last for Microsoft. According to corporate spinner Frank X. Shad, corporate vice president of corporate communications (yes, the redundant title is accurate): "We'll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing."
In other words, they'll do private meetings, but not public sessions.
To me it almost sounds as if Microsoft is once again following Apple's playback. Indeed, they plan to stage their own media events for future product announcements, and attempt to leverage the social networking universe through Face-book and Twitter. But certainly not Google+.
More to the point, you have to wonder how many members of the media will travel hundreds or thousands of miles to receive a briefing about the latest and greatest from Microsoft. Do they truly believe they can garner anywhere near the attention generated by Apple whenever they hold an event of this sort?
No, I do not believe that Microsoft will get nobody, but the level of coverage won't approach Apple's unless they truly find something useful to say. But you have to wonder if Microsoft will ever try an original approach to receive press coverage, rather than, once again, follow in the footsteps of Apple.


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Drinking two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day may expand a woman's waistline and increase her risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011.
In this study, researchers compared middle-aged and older women who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day, such as carbonated sodas or flavored waters with added sugar, to women who drank one or less daily. Women consuming two or more beverages per day were nearly four times as likely to develop high triglycerides, and were significantly more likely to increase their waist sizes and to develop impaired fasting glucose levels. The same associations were not observed in men.
"Women who drank more than two sugar-sweetened drinks a day had increasing waist sizes, but weren't necessarily gaining weight," said Christina Shay, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. "These women also developed high triglycerides and women with normal blood glucose levels more frequently went from having a low risk to a high risk of developing diabetes over time."
The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) included food frequency surveys in 4,166 African-American, Caucasian, Chinese-Americans and Hispanic adults 45 to 84 years old. At the beginning of the study the participants didn't have cardiovascular disease.
Researchers assessed risk factors in three follow-up exams spanning five years starting in 2002. Participants were monitored for weight gain, increases in waist circumference, low levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL "good" cholesterol), high levels of low density lipoproteins (LDL "bad" cholesterol), high triglycerides, impaired fasting glucose levels, and type 2 diabetes.
"Most people assume that individuals who consume a lot of sugar-sweetened drinks have an increase in obesity, which in turn, increases their risk for heart disease and diabetes," said Shay, formerly of Northwestern University's Department of Preventive Medicine in Chicago, where the study was conducted. "Although this does occur, this study showed that risk factors for heart disease and stroke developed even when the women didn't gain weight."
Women may have a greater chance for developing cardiovascular disease risk factors from sugar-sweetened drinks because they require fewer calories than men which makes each calorie count more towards cardiovascular risk in women, Shay said.
Researchers have yet to determine exactly how sugar-sweetened beverages influence cardiovascular risk factors such as high triglycerides in individuals who do not gain weight, Shay said, but further work is planned to try and figure that out.


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Build your own models powered by air and water pressure to learn about the laws of physics. This unique kit allows you to:
The 165 building pieces included in this set are compatible with those in all Thames & Kosmos Construction Series kits, Physics Series kits, Wind Power, and Hydropower kits.
Contains: 48-page color instruction book, 162 building pieces, pressurized air+water tank, water storage tank, pump.
Ages 8+


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Ray, can you recommend a workaround? Thanks.
This issue was resolved in a private ticket. The form action was not posting to the page where the server behavior is applied, so the server validation was not being run. The form action should post back to the page that has the server validation applied to for the captcha and security question to work correctly.


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BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:20 P.M.) – Iraq's Hashd Al-Sha'abi (var. Popular Mobilization Units) forces reportedly blocked a U.S. patrol unit that was attempting to conduct a "suspicious survey" along the Syrian border, Iraqi activists reported on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Reports that members of #Iraq's Hashd (PMUs) "prevented" an American military unit from conducting a "suspicious survey" of Iraqi military units at several positions along the Iraqi-Syrian border. The US troops were forced to return to a nearby base.
— H. Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) January 15, 2019
According to the reports, the commander of Hashd Al-Sha'abi's forces in the Al-Anbar Governorate said that the U.S. troops were asking Iraqi soldiers a number of questions about their combat points, manpower, and amount of ammunition and weapons they had in the area.
According to Qassim Muslih, the Hashd's Anbar chief, the US troops were asking Iraqi soldiers about:
•the number of combat points along the border,
•no. of troops at each point,
•amount of ammo & types of weapons they had.
Muslih called it a violation of #Iraq's sovereignty. https://t.co/CwuTDG4MeH
— H. Sumeri (@IraqiSecurity) January 15, 2019
Hashd Al-Sha'abi is currently deployed along the vast Deir Ezzor-Anbar border, which links western Iraq with eastern Syria.
The Iraqi group works hand-in-hand with their country's army to monitor the border and ensure the security of this province.
- 401Shares


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Essie partnered up with TOMS shoes and produced a limited edition nail polish. Essie/TOMS gave away 1500 bottles a few weeks ago. I had forgotten that I entered and was pleasantly surprised when I found it in my mail box!
This Essie/TOMS pairing was done to raise awareness for the One Day Without Shoes campaign. Today was the official day but please check out the website. You can always help!


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Advancement at BRG is based on merit and reflects your contributions to case work and to client and academic relationships.
As your career at BRG evolves, you will have numerous opportunities to play ever-larger roles developing the analyses used in our client projects and also in the growth and management of the firm.
You will move among our various practice areas and broaden your professional expertise. Along the way, you will receive comprehensive feedback, mentoring, and coaching.
We strongly encourage intellectual curiosity and value a record of outstanding academic work in candidates.
We promote based on our professionals' ability to:
- Assist in the development of economic, strategic, and financial models
- Analyze raw economic, financial, and operational data
- Model complex economic and financial solutions
- Assist in the preparation of reports and presentation materials
- Demonstrate leadership
- Listen effectively, and act on guidance
- Take ownership of quality control and specific project tasks
- Develop ideas and alternative approaches
- Manage teams, and communicate with experts and clients
There is a defined career path at BRG:


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"The same for everyone"
"The same for everyone" are installations of illuminated text by the Scottish artist Nathan Coley, erected on scaffolding around Aarhus, Denmark to celebrate the city as the 'European Capital of Culture 2017.' The Capital of Culture's website explains: "The title, THE SAME FOR EVERYONE, brings our attention to one of the most treasured of Danish values, namely 'equality for all'."
"The Danish motto," I thought when I encountered one of Coley's installations on a recent visit to Aarhus. Despite having grown up in another Nordic country, Finland, where many share the ideal of equality, I disagree with it. Of course, everyone should have equal individual rights to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness (as long as they don't forfeit such rights by violating the rights of others).
But why should everyone otherwise get the same? The same of what? The same education, regardless of academic preparation and motivation? The same evaluation and degrees, regardless of academic merit? The same jobs, regardless of qualifications? The same pay, regardless of performance? The same standard of living, regardless of productivity?
Why should everyone get the same?
In Denmark and the other Nordic countries, that everyone should get the same is an unquestioned ideal. It is based on the altruist premise that we are our brothers' keepers. In a Finnish magazine article I was reading, someone stated: "We are here for each other." In other words, serving others is the purpose of life.
Yet almost nobody in the Nordic countries questions the premise that we are our brothers' keepers and here to serve them.
This is the premise that has led to the Nordic welfare states, with their highly progressive—and high overall—income taxes as well as other taxes, the distribution of income from those who have more to those have less, and the high cost of living. Yet almost nobody in the Nordic countries questions the premise that we are our brothers' keepers and here to serve them.
But everyone should question that premise.
As Peter Schwartz convincingly argues in his book, In Defense of Selfishness, we are not here for others, but for ourselves. Our purpose is not to live for the sake of others but for ourselves, pursuing our own values, our own happiness. Other people may be values to us, as loved ones, friends, colleagues, and competent producers and traders of material values we need to survive and enjoy life. We may want to trade values with or help others, but we don't have a duty to do so, and we don't live for their sake.
The Nordic ideal of "the same for everyone" is flawed, because equality is not a value—it doesn't enhance human flourishing.
Despite the relative prosperity of Denmark and other Nordic countries, the heavy taxation encourages the most productive—both individuals and companies—to leave for other countries (such as in Asia) where the income redistribution schemes are less ardent and taxation not as penalizing of productivity. And those who don't leave will be less productive than they could be because their freedom to produce, trade and create wealth is curtailed.
For us to be happy and thrive, we must be free to choose how to live our lives, through which line of work to support ourselves and to find a central purpose, and how to use the wealth we create.
In Denmark, the highest marginal income tax rate is 59% and the average rate about 45% (although it is possible for high-income earners to pay up to 57% in taxes on their total income). Taxes collected from the productive are redistributed to the unproductive and harm both. The freedom of the productive to pursue their values is limited by the forced income redistribution. The less productive are also harmed, and not only by the lessened production and higher prices of material values. The incentive of the less productive to produce is reduced also by the generous allocation of welfare that allows them to get by without working and leaves them without a meaningful purpose.
The principle of "the same for everyone" does not—and cannot—make people objectively better off (whether they embrace that principle, like the Danes seem to do). Human flourishing is not achieved through forced redistribution of income and wealth but through freedom and justice. We need freedom to pursue our values the best way we see fit and justice as a desert: a reward for producing material values—and a punishment for failing to do so. (Those truly incapable of productivity must depend on private charity).
Absent freedom and justice, we'll become our brothers' keepers and instead of achieving our own values, we all get the same.


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Enterprise Tech News: Microsoft Obtains Cloudyn, AWS Releases New DaaS, Magento Cofunctions With Google Over Progressive Web Apps
07 Jul. 2017 Enterprise Tech News
This week's tech news roundup features: Microsoft buys an Israeli startup Cloudyn, AWS launches a turbocharged cloud virtual desktop, and Magento collaborates with Google over Progressive Web App.
Microsoft Confirms Cloudyn Acquisition for $50-70M
Microsoft has confirmed that it is acquiring an Israel-based cloud monitoring and analysis firm Cloudyn. According to a Hebrew news publication, Calcalist, the deal is said to be worth between $50 million and $70 million. The terms haven't yet been officially declared though.
Cloudyn was founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2012 and offers automated Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to large businesses to track, analyze and organize their cloud applications. These analytics and monitoring solutions helps in improving cloud performance and productivity as well as enabling access to real-time data across many financial and operational metrics.
"The Cloudyn solution will be incorporated into Microsoft's product portfolio — offering customers the industry's broadest set of multi-cloud management, security and governance solutions," said Cloudyn CEO Sharon Wagner.
Rishabh Software is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner helping SMBs and large organization leverage the best of Microsoft technologies to build customized web, mobile, and cloud solutions.
AWS Launches A New DaaS Offering
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a new fully-managed and secure Desktop-As-A-Service (DaaS) offering. Amazon WorkSpaces runs on AWS and provides its users with a turbocharged machine that can be accessed over the internet. The DaaS solution includes virtual CPUs, a whopping 16GiB of RAM and 275GB of total storage.
Amazon Workspaces Power bundle is meant for developers, data analyst, and others who require compute- and memory heavy lifting for getting their work done. It offers a Free Tier that allows the first-time users to try the service at zero cost. The Free Tier includes 2 Standard bundle WorkSpaces for up to 40 hours of combined use per month for 2 calendar months, from the time the users create their first WorkSpace.
Are you planning to build, deploy, or migrate your existing on-premise application to AWS cloud? Let our cloud experts help you build an efficient cloud strategy.
Magento Re-Imagines M-Commerce With Progressive Web Apps
Magento, the global leader in digital commerce, is re-imagining mobile commerce to help retail merchants deliver better mobile shopping experiences. It is working with Google to leverage its technical expertise and practical insights to bring the Progressive Web Apps capabilities to its Mobile Commerce platform.
Progressive Web Apps combines the best features of both websites and mobile applications to offer a responsive and friction-less experience of a native application while alleviating the hassle of downloading and installing the app. "Magento is committed to helping our merchants deliver commerce experiences that are on the forefront of digital innovation and has a history of delivering leading mobile commerce capabilities that drive top-line revenue growth," adds Mark Lavelle, CEO of Magento. "We see PWAs as a natural evolution of the mobile web, and by working with industry leaders such as Google to develop PWAs, we plan to continue to keep merchants ahead of the curve."
Learn how we can help you integrate your Magento platform with digital technologies to improve retail management.
Rishabh Software specializes in custom web and mobile app development for small to mid-sized businesses and Fortune 500 organizations. Join our mailing list to keep up with the latest trends in IT space.


text: BUSINESS Martha Stewart Living Narrows Second-Quarter Loss 5:07 AM PDT 7/30/2013 by Georg Szalai FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Martha Stewart Broadcasting unit revenue was down in the period, but operating profit rose after it ended live TV productions. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. on Tuesday reported a narrowed second-quarter loss despite lower revenue as the lifestyle media company continues to focus on a return to profitability. The company reported a loss of $1.18 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $2.70 million. Second-quarter revenue of $42.2 million was down from $47.88 million as growth in merchandising revenues was offset by lower revenues from publishing and broadcasting. That was due to the company's decision to shutter two print titles and exit live TV programming. Broadcasting revenue in the second quarter came in at $1.9 million, compared to $4.6 million in the year-ago period. Broadcasting operating income of $1.1 million was up from $500,000 in the second quarter of 2012, though. Said Dan Taitz, interim principal executive officer: "MSLO generated a narrower net loss in the quarter due primarily to growth in merchandising and the positive impact on our bottom line of strategic actions taken over the last 18 months." He added: "While much remains to be done to drive sustainable performance improvement, we are encouraged with the results this quarter and the steps we have taken across our media and merchandising operations to position the company to drive greater engagement with consumers." E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @georgszalai FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Georg Szalai email@example.com georgszalai


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Cena: 19.88 €
Highly Commended English-Speaking Union's Duke of Edinburgh English Language Book Award 2009
Judges' comments: "...one of the best vocabulary series they had encountered - an invaluable resource for teachers and a goldmine for learners."
The first level in a three-level topic-based vocabulary course to learn and practise words, phrases and lexical grammar in context.
Oxford Word Skills improves students' vocabulary and vocabulary learning skills. Short, clear presentations and lots of opportunity for practice give students the confidence to use new vocabulary. 80 units at each level mean they cover a huge range of topics and everyday situations. Extra practice and interactive activities on CD-ROM.
Znalosť cudzích jazykov otvára brány poznania, nových príležitostí a zážitkov


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My windows Vista Computer is very slow. I scanned it for viruses and removed most of the recently installed files and programs. Is it my RAM(1GB) or my processor(Intel Core) or anything else that is creating problem.
Please help me.
My windows Vista Computer is very slow. I scanned it for viruses and removed most of the recently installed files and programs. Is it my RAM(1GB) or my processor(Intel Core) or anything else that is creating problem.
Please help me.
hey u should get tune-up utilities if it still is slow it will keep your pc in check and optimized. you can get a free 30 day trial here http://tuneup-utilities.en.softonic.com/
My Vista Home Computer goes like the clappers.... there are certain things you can do to speed it .... tremendously... First let me know a few details.. Click on start, settings, control panel, Performance information and Tools. Click on the button that says update my score. When you have done that ... post here your base score and sub scores for the components. Post them in the order they are shown starting with processor etc. There are also some web sites that give info that really make a difference by adjusting the settings and limiting the services that run.
Regards Alleluia
Hey Kammbo first of all sorry for such a late response but the delay was unavoidable as I was away.Now here's my windows experience index:-
Processer: 3.0
Graphics: 4.2
Gaming graphics: 3.0
Primary hard disk:5.9
and base score: 3.0
I was also wondering if you could give me links to some of those performance increasing sites which give useful tips
vista is slow by nature; one of its many flaws.
2gb of ram minimum more is better.
download & run ccleaner.
I would backup your files, format your computer and only install the programs you need.
Only then you will see an performance increase.
Recommended RAM for Windows Vista is 2 GB. So an increase in RAM will speed up your computer a lot. Since you have scanned your computer for viruses, you should now defragment your hard-drive and then remove registry errors using any free program. While your computer is very slow or not responding, is the hard-drive light (next to power light) blinking very fast? If it happens often then you may have to upgrade your hard-drive to a faster one. Background programs also have a toll on system performance. Run "msconfig" through start menu and go to the startup tab. Uncheck everything except your antivirus program or any other important program. Then restart. Hopefully, your computer will be faster than before
You should also disable visual effects
yes, that would definitely add some speed to your system
To disable visual effect, right click on 'My Computer' and select the 'Properties' option. The go to 'Advanced System Settings' and under Performance, click 'Settings'. Under visual effects , select 'Adjust for best performance'.
Also, check out answers given for a similar question in the past.
Thank you so much deamonlord & Aibek for your suggestions.Some of those are working well & the rest I will try shortly.And I also wanted to tell you that I wrote my processer name Intel core instead of Intel Atom in my question mistakenly.One more thing that what are the visual effects that you (Aibek) are talking about, I couldn't find Advanced system settings tab in properties.How does disabling visual effects help me?
You can also access that visual effects menu I was talking about via
Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Performance Information and Tools -> Adjust visual effects.
Oh and I found another MakeUseOf article which lists some additional tips to improve the performance. See, 4 Tips to Speed Up Your Windows Vista PC.


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Get access to leaderboards, analytics, a/b testing and more from your games with native Phaser support direct from PlayFab.
PlayFab offers a ton of features essential for modern web based games: Leaderboards, Player Data Analytics and Multiple Live Ops features such as user segmentation, A/B testing stores and much more.
Thanks to the diligent work of the PlayFab engineers their SDK now natively supports Phaser. You can literally pair up these two amazing pieces of technology with just 2 lines of code!
A basic PlayFab account is completely free and they also offer an Indie Studio package which comes with all of their professional features at an indie friendly price.
They've published a Getting Started Guide which shows how to hook them both together, so give it a look and see how you can use it to boost your next game.


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Dallas Nicole is not all about leggings but instead what to offer a full range boutique for women out there!
So many women aren't sure what styles of tops to pair with leggings. Thankfully we have a range of styles to fit every personality and comfort level!
Let your personality shine through with these stylish additions to your wardrobe!
Standard US Sizing unless otherwise noted.


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Real Madrid sacked their manager Julen Lopetegui after Sunday's disappointing 5-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
The Galacticos took the decision following a poor run of results in all competitions as they currently sit ninth on the La Liga table.
Although, they have appointed Castilla boss Santiago Solari on an interim basis, they are still faced with the challenge of naming a substantial manager soon.
However, Spanish Federation regulation states that caretaker managers can only be in charge of a team for a fortnight.
As much as most would expect manager's to swoop in on an opportunity to handle what many have come to habitually consider football's most successful club in history, such is not the case.
If anything, an interesting trend surfaced of top-level managers declining the chance of picking up were Zidane left off, in fear of falling prey to Madrid's crumbling dynasty.
Certainly, many factors come into play including the aspect of members of Madrid's genius team that conquered back-to-back Champions
League titles now fast fading away into retirement.
The end of a legacy was symbolically marked by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, who seemed to have been a vital cog towards Los Blancos' success.
Other's suggest that most experienced managers are weary of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the club's ruthless manner of turning out coaches if they don't deliver.
Here are five elite managers who thought twice and turned down the top job at Madrid.
5. Antonio Conte
Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has reportedly dropped out of the race to become the next Real Madrid handler following Lopetegui's exit.
The former Italy national team boss believes the Los Blancos project is not right for him.
4. Mauricio Pochettino
Prior to the start of the season, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was extremely happy at Spurs and had big dreams and many objectives to achieve in the North London club.
The Spurs manager was apparently a top candidate to lead the Bernabeu following Frenchman Zinedine Zidane's abrupt resignation.
Pochettino put pen to paper and extended his stay with the North London outfit for another five years in January making things a little tricky for Madrid to lure him away from Spurs.
3. Massimiliano Allegri
The Juventus manager declined Madrid's offer to come in after he was strongly linked to replace Zidane at the helm.
Allegri refused to manage Real Madrid saying that he had already made a commitment to the Serie A club and would honour it.
And looking at where Juventus is right now; he certainly made the right decision.
2. Arsene Wenger
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reportedly declined Madrid's approach to take over from Lopetegui saying that he would only resume football in 2019.
1. Jurgen Klopp
At some point following defeat to Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League in May, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was rumoured to be in talks with Perez over a possible move.
Klopp's has turned Liverpool into an overnight success and he currently boasts one of the best teams in Europe.
It was always highly unlikely the German tactician would have left Anfield.
Regardless, Real Madrid's dreams are still valid.


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RT: A federal judge issued a 75-page ruling on Wednesday that declares that the US Justice Department does not have a legal obligation to explain the rationale behind killing Americans with targeted drone strikes.
Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, both US nationals with alleged ties to al-Qaeda, were killed on September 30 of that year using drone aircraft; days later, al-Awlaki's teenage son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, was executed in the same manner. Although the Obama administration has remained largely quiet about the killings in the year since, a handful of statements made from senior White House officials, including Pres. Barack Obama himself, have provided some but little insight into the Executive Branch's insistence that the killings were all justified and constitutionally-sound. Attempts from the ACLU and the Times via FOIA requests to find out more have been unfruitful, though, which spawned a federal lawsuit that has only now been decided in court.


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Asset Strategies International (ASI), a Rockville, Maryland company, founded in 1982, is a market leader and innovator in alternative assets, including gold and silver bullion, Perth Mint Certificates, precious metals IRAs, foreign currencies, and rare coins. ASI also offers a variety of high- and low-end PCGS and NGC graded numismatic coins. Subscribe to their newsletters for market updates about undervalued finds, sleeper dates, and hidden gems handpicked by industry experts. ASI's knowledgeable and experienced sales representatives are ready to assist you with all your wealth building needs and are not paid on a commission basis.
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ALBA BOTANICA, Hawaiian Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask ...
ALBA BOTANICA, Hawaiian Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask – 3 oz
Mayanca.com special offer: Alba quality beauty products, for the best price!
Papaya Facial Enzyme Mask – 80% Certified Organic Ingredients. Green papaya enzymes gently loosen and dissolve dull surface cells and impurities, increasing healthy circulation with dramatically improved tone and texture for a healthy, vibrant complexion. Hypo-allergenic. Alba HAWAIIAN Skin Care and Spa Treatments – a collection of natural Hawaiian beauty secrets. Tropical fruit and flower extracts, nourishing nut oils and certified organic aloe vera, revered for their curative and rejuvenating properties, are blended together to create exotic skin care and spa treatments that best reflect the beauty, vitality and spirit of the Hawaiian Islands for soft, healthy, luminous skin. Certified organic aloe vera barbadensis juice, certified organic lavandula angustifolia juice, vegetable glycerin, certified organic extracts of papaya (carica papaya), pineapple (ananas sativus) and hibiscus sabdariffa, xanthan gum, carbomer, silica, papain enzyme, phenoxyethanol, methyl/propylparaben, grapefruit extract (citrus grandis), spirulina maxima, and botanical fragrance. pH balanced.
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Busty Chloe Khan shows off her amazing curves in demure strapless black dress at Miss Swimsuit UK event with Katie Salmon and Geordie Shore's Chantelle Connelly
Glamorous trio attended the bash held in Sugarhut nightclub in Liverpool
CHLOE Khan stole the show as she highlighted her famous curves in a demure sheer dress at the Miss Swimsuit UK event last night.
The reality star was joined by Katie Salmon and Chantelle Connelly at the bash held in Sugarhut nightclub in Liverpool.
Chloe, 26, cut a chic figure in her glamorous plunging gown which perfectly accentuated her cleavage and tiny waist.
The former X Factor contestant teamed the dress with black heels and a diamond jewellery, while her dark locks were styled away from her face.
Katie also covered up in a high neck grey dress, but turned around to reveal some flesh thanks to a cut-out at the back.
The gown clung to her toned figure and further highlighted her lilac locks and flawlessly applied make-up.
Petite star Chantelle opted for a silky yellow dress while she teamed with a clutch bag and natural make-up.
The trio joined friends at the bash as they judged this year's hopefuls in the competition to find the next British swimwear modelling superstar.
Fifteen aspiring models battled it out at the star-studded event, hosted by Verena Twigg, director and founder of the Miss Swimsuit UK competition.
In its fourth year, Miss Swimsuit UK called for entrants from all over the UK and there have been seven regional heats and one online heat leading to the final held on September 28.
This time last year, Chloe was making headlines through her steamy romps with Stephen Bear on Celebrity Big Brother.
Fans were amazed at her transformation at the time but it seems Chloe has no plans to halt her plastic surgery journey just yet.
Chloe recently shared shocking pictures of a botched nose job with The Sun Online.
She said: "I can't smell and I can't breathe through my nose any more. I really hate having surgery but I am going to get my nose fixed.
She added: "I actually woke up during surgery and loads of things happened when I was there. It was just a disaster from the get go."
Chloe spent five days at a Ukranian 'house' recovering from the operation, but that wasn't the end of her ordeal.
Chloe continued: "About a day after I got back from Ukraine, I remember collapsing on my kitchen floor and lying there for two days.
"I couldn't move – I felt so ill and I wrote a goodbye note on my phone to my daughter."
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Objectives: We examined whether the association between child IQ and prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons differed between groups of children whose mothers reported high vs. low material hardship during their pregnancy and through child age 5. We tested statistical interactions between hardships and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as measured by DNA adducts in cord blood, to determine whether material hardship exacerbated the association between adducts and IQ scores.
Design: Prospective cohort. Participants were recruited from 1998 to 2006 and followed from gestation through age 7 years.
Setting: Urban community (New York City)
Participants: A community-based sample of 276 minority urban youth
Exposure measure: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts in cord blood as an individual biomarker of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. Maternal material hardship self-reported prenatally and at multiple timepoints through early childhood.
Main outcome measure: Child IQ at 7 years assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
Results: Significant inverse effects of high cord PAH-DNA adducts on full scale IQ, perceptual reasoning and working memory scores were observed in the groups whose mothers reported a high level of material hardship during pregnancy or recurring high hardship into the child's early years, and not in those without reported high hardship. Significant interactions were observed between high cord adducts and prenatal hardship on working memory scores (β=-8.07, 95% CI (-14.48, -1.66) and between high cord adducts and recurrent material hardship (β=-9.82, 95% CI (-16.22, -3.42).
Conclusion: The findings add to other evidence that socioeconomic disadvantage can increase the adverse effects of toxic physical "stressors" like air pollutants. Observed associations between high cord adducts and reduced IQ were significant only among the group of children whose mothers reported high material hardship. These results indicate the need for a multifaceted approach to prevention.


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I own too many cookbooks. Ok, maybe not too many. (How many is too many?).
Maybe not as many as this guy. And certainly, I don't create nearly as many delicious dinners as he does.
But last night, I vowed to make something from one cookbook I had never used before: Nigel Slater's Real Cooking.
I'm also on a 'living leaner' buzz, thanks to Móna. I'm trying to plan my cooking a bit more (by more, I mean actually doing some planning), with a focus on working my way through all the storecupboard essentials (read: so, so many bags of dried beans) I have gathered. So last night I decided that tonight we were having beans for dinner!
After a flick through Real Cooking, I decided on this recipe. I grabbed two random varieties of beans (because I never have exactly what a recipe calls for) and proceeded to soak them overnight.
This morning, I rinsed the beans well under running water and popped them in the slow cooker. I covered them with about 1 – 1.5 inches of water, popped in a couple of bay leaves, and set the slow cooker to low for about 10 hours. If you haven't got a slow cooker (or can't be bothered with all that hanging about), after soaking the beans overnight, pop them in a saucepan, cover with plenty of fresh water, throw in the bay leaves and simmer for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, skimming off any white scum that rises to the surface. Whichever method you use, when the beans are cooked (can be crushed with light pressure, but not falling apart), turn off the heat and leave the beans in the cooking liquid until you are ready to use.
As I said above, the following recipe is adapted from Nigel Slater's Real Cooking. I didn't have all the ingredients he listed, but I muddled through and it worked out ok. So ok, in fact, that I am sitting here with a burnt tongue from gobbling down my bowl too quickly. I even took that terrible photo above so that I could share this recipe as soon as possible!
This is also a recipe you can go as fancy with as you wish (or as your pocket allows). Lidl and Aldi have their own brand tins of peeled plum tomatoes, or you can use some fancy tinned Italian tomatoes. You can pick authentic pancetta, or use half of the double pack of smoked bacon lardons from Lidl. This recipe served two for dinner with another 2 portions for lunch the next day.
What You Need:
250g dried beans, prepared as above. Nigel recommends cannellini, flageolet or haricot beans. I had some pinto and cannellini beans, so used half and half
2 bay leaves
rapeseed oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
a couple of handfuls of diced fat smoked bacon, such as pancetta ( I used 25og of beech smoked rindless bacon lardons from Lidl)
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small glass of white wine, optional
2 x 400g tins of peeled plum tomatoes
a few handfuls of green beans (I used some frozen green beans)
grated parmesan cheese, to serve
What To Do:
Grab a big saucepan and heat some rapeseed oil, enough to just cover the base of the pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft, but not browned. Throw in the bacon and cook until the bacon fat has started to turn golden. This should just take a couple of minutes. Add the white wine, if using, and allow to bubble for about 30 seconds.
Add the diced carrot, tomatoes and their juice, the beans and enough of their cooking water to cover everything in the pan. I used all the cooking liquid, you may even need to add more water. Allow to simmer for about half an hour.
Don't be alarmed if the whole plum tomatoes are floating unattractively at the top, they will break down as they cook.
Add the green beans, snapping them in half as you add them (or cutting in half, if fresh). Simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring every so often to break down the tomatoes.
Add some salt (you may need quite a bit, so give it a taste) and plenty of black pepper.
Ladle into bowls and grate some parmesan over the top. Serve with crusty bread (or toasted day-old bread).