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IDW Publishing "Last Stand of the Wreckers" #3
General Information:
Cover Price: $3.99 (US)
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Publishing Date: March 24, 2010
Written by: Nick Roche and James Roberts
Pencils by: Nick Roche and Guido Guidi
Inks: Guido Guidi, Nick Roche, John Wycough and Andrew Griffith
Colors by: Josh Burcham and Joana Lafuente
Letters by: Neil Uyetake
Edits by: Andy Schmidt
Garrus-9 Penitentiary, two years ago...
Shockwave is being reassembled, part of Overlord's overall plan. Years ago, Shockwave planted Overlord with a virus that gave him a "tactical blind spot". Once Shockwave removes it, Overlord believes he will be able to continue his sadistic games. Shockwave points out however that his true intent is to get Megatron's attention, somthing Overlord is not entirely sure of.
The present...
The chase is on as a group of Decepticons pursue part of the Wreckers team. Springer, Kup, Guzzle, Twin Twist and Impactor are fighting a running battle as they realize the other Wreckers got separated from the group. While they put up a valiant struggle, they are outnumbered and outgunned!
Elsewhere in the facility, Overlord confronts the Wrecker contingent that landed right in front of him. Rotorstorm tries to lighten the mood with some humor, but Overlord destroys him first! The others look on shocked.
Meanwhile, Guzzle uses his tank mode to send a portion of the ceiling crashing down, buying the Wreckers some time. Springer orders Kup and Guzzle to get backup while Twin Twist drills down to the prisoner level.
In The Pit, shock has worn off and the Autobots know what they must do. Verity enters a hatch in Pyro so they can protect her, and then the Autobots charge at the Decepticon!
In The Southern Wing, Twin Twist drills through into thin air! As he falls, Springer jumps in and catches him. Treadshot tries to take shots at them, but Impactor takes him down first. When they land, they find the fallen body of Kick-Off, utterly destroyed. They're near an energy reactor, and Impactor notes that if you survive The Pits, you're given a choice - but no one knows what that choice is. Suddenly, alarms go off and the three are shocked by a defense mechanism!
In The Pit, the Wreckers are not faring well. Overlord thwarts each of their strikes with ease and finally makes an offer to all Dedcepticons in his facility. Whoever brings him the head of a Wrecker can leave. This is an offer the Decepticons gladly take on as they begin to advance. Perceptor destroys a fuel tank, covering their escape. They realize their only hope now is to find Aequitas. Ironfist is not faring well psychologically however, and Topspin tells him this is not role-play, and he questions how he even got on the team. Perceptor keeps them focused however and they head south.
Below, Kup and Guzzle are making their way down a ladder slowly but surely. The two talk and we learn that Guzzle lost friends who tried to rescue Kup when before he was upgraded to his current state. Kup, with no memory of the incident tells Guzzle he hopes the Autobot rescued was worth it, and Guzzle simply states it depends on who you ask.
Elsewhere, Topspin explains to Pyro about he and Twin Twist having a "branched Spark", giving them somewhat overlapping nervous systems. The pain felt by one can sometimes be felt by the other. Perceptor finally speaks, revealing that he believes he has found the wall that Aequitas is behind. They find that what is left of Fortress Maximus is hooked up to the wall, comatose but being used to enter billions of access codes until the right one is found. The Decepticons are gathering out side and will be through soon, but before they can enter, Perceptor opens the door and the Autobots are confronted by Aequitas!
Not all is well however. Inside Stalker's lab, formerly the Spark Extraction Chamber, Springer, Impactor and Twin Twist have been captured and restrained. Only Twin Twist is awake, and Stalker begins the process of information extraction - by torture!
For those who felt the action wasn't up to par in issues #1 and 2 of "Wreckers", I'd say this issue fulfills that need and then some! I was really happy to see that the Wreckers got separated into two groups. Sure it serves the purpose of the story, but it also allows us to see two very contrasting battles. Seeing half the group take on Overlord was interesting. As much as the "Wreckers" reputation may make the Autobots seem like the roughest and toughest around, it's scary to see how easily Overlord is able to overcome them. The death of one of their members was both sohcking and not at the same time. The way the Wreckers invaded last issue, you knew there would definitely be casualties, but I was surprised that they picked one of the "green" members of the team to go instead of going the traditional "older member dies, new member carries on" story (though of course there's still room for that).
On the other hand, the running firefight in the hallway gave us massive destruction, and the humorous touches such as "Fisitron's" log contradicting everything that's happening really made this a fun issue. There is an old saying that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and this plan definitely fits the bill. It's cooler to see how our heroes deal with the collapse of their original plan as it gives us a real look at their personalities, flaws and all. Perhaps my favorite is Ironfist's breakdown. Being one who supposedly chronicled so much of Wrecker life, you would think he would know the death and destruction he would see, but reality is often much different than fiction in war, and it was cool to see not all Transformers are necesarily hardened to the realities of combat. On the flip side, it was great seeing Guzzle's enthusiasm for battle continuing despite the seemingly overwhelming odds.
I was happy to see legions of Decepticon forces getting trashed. Whether they can best Overlord or not, the Wreckers definitely earned their name in this issue by sheer body count! It was also cool to see that war's rather gruesome nature wsa shown as well. Perhaps most terrifying is what happened to Fortress Maximus. I'm hoping that he somehow gets rebuilt into a larger, more powerful form resembling the city/base we knew before, but that's probably just me.
There are a couple interesting concepts brought to bear here. In particular I like the whole "Spark" connection between Top Spin and Twin Twist. The two have long been associated because of their toys both being Jumpstarters, but not much else ever linked the two. As a kid I often wondered "Why did these two become Jumpstarters and no one else?" but now their link makes a lot of sense and I enjoyed Top Spin's reasoning behind leaving a peaceful life to join his brother. It's a different relationship than Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's or even Movie Mudflap and Skids' connection as "twins". The other concept that I found intriguing is that a Transformer can get "infected" with a virus that can affect them mentally, but not some "mystery" item like the G1 cartoon's red plague. Instead, this is manufactured by a Transformer targeting a very specific function, and I dig the idea that Shockwave is the one who came up with it! Little elements like this add depth to the universe these characters inhabit and I generally welcome them.
You'll probably notice in the credits for this issue that there were several artists involve in completing this issue, and that always leaves me with a bit of trepidation when it comes to comic books. More often than not, this means that for a few pages, the art style goes one way, then all of a sudden there's a huge, jarring change, and for my personal preference, that's always annoying. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that as the issue progressed, the style of this issue did not in fact change dramatically. Sure there are some very minor style changes, perhaps a bit more exaggeration on angles or a different use of detail lines, but overall the look of each character remained consistant. I really applaud the art team for that and thank the editors for putting together artists with compatible styles.
Something else I noticed is that the artists have a really good sense of proportion from character to character. When we see Verity's size in comparison to the Transformers, between the obvious size difference and the angles used, the larger size of the Transformers are emphasized really well. Also, the Transformers are very well illustrated in relation to each other. Ironfist is portrayed as very thick and squat, which matches his action figure while relative to him, Perceptor is taller and leaner. It's a really nice balance that makes the visuals of the characters quite distinctive from each other.
With so much action, it was cool to see different types of combat. You had ranged combat such as the hallway battle and melee combat as Overlord took on the Wreckers. I liked the use of Anime like striped backgrounds and extreme angles, giving the audience a really strong sense of movement. Very well done!
Final Thoughts:
I think this is the issue most people have been waiting for, where the action kicks into overdrive (not that the previous issues lacked action!). It was very cool to see that the Wreckers didn't just dive in, succeed and fly off patting each other on the back. If we're to believe the Wreckers are among the roughest and toughest the Autobots have to offer, then we the audience need to see how they survive a seemingly hopeless situation. The mystery of Aequitas is definitely a huge carrot stick to tempt us to pick up the next issue. All I have to say is, count me in!


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eProf was asked to blog about its biggest struggle with decision making thus far at JOLT:
At eProf, we're trying to liberate the world's best teachers by allowing them to conduct classes in a virtual classroom. Our goal is to disrupt the education system with a synchronous learning platform that enables our eProfs to connect with students from around the world.
In the summer of 2011, our founding team was at a Tech Stars accelerator in China. We built our site in Ruby on Rails and integrated open-source software for our virtual classroom experience. The open-source software was great because it was highly customizable, but there was no quality control. It was on us to ensure that the audio and video quality were top notch. Quite simply, we bit off far more than we could chew.
Coming into the JOLT accelerator, we knew we had to make some changes. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, we decided to outsource our virtual classroom experience. After some thorough market research we had a list of close to 30 virtual classroom providers. Each company had varying pricing plans, feature sets and levels of maturity. For example, well-established companies such as Adobe and Citrix had rigid pricing structures and were hesitant to offer discounts to startup businesses. Unfortunately, their virtual classroom technology is top of the line and we knew we could get quality control from their software.
On the opposite end of the spectrum we were calling startup companies such as WizIQ and BlueJeans, who were receptive to our ideas and extremely hungry for our business. They offered flexible pricing and were ready to start integration right away, but after taking a step back, we could clearly see their offerings just weren't a fit. Given that the virtual classroom is an integral part of the eProf experience, we had to be very calculated with this partnership decision.
After many phone calls, demos and negotiations, we stumbled upon New York-basedWatchitoo Inc. After going through the Watchitoo demo with a sales rep and uttering the word "wow" for 10 minutes, we knew we were on to something. Watchitoo is right in the sweet spot between startup and mature company — they were excited to partner with us and gave us a flexible pricing model, but they also have technology superior to anything we had seen.
We struggled for a while with the virtual classroom decision, but in the end we found a partnership that proves to be very beneficial going forward. As it turns out, Watchitoo is the virtual classroom provider of choice for Harvard, Yale, and now… eProf.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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This Lizard Is Called 'Draco' for a Reason
It's a bird. It's a plane. It's a…lizard? Native to the jungles of Southeast Asia, the Draco lizard uses its "wings" and tail to glide through the air. Over thousands of years, these incredible creatures adapted the ability to fly from tree to tree in order to evade predators lurking on jungle floors.
Learn about these high-flying reptiles from narrator and naturalist David Attenborough, then check out more incredible lizard behavior here.
Pregnant Elephant Dies After Locals Fed Her Pineapple With Firecracker Inside: Click "Next" below!
The Rainforest Site is a place where people can come together to protect our environment for generations to come. In addition to signing important environmental petitions, shopping for the cause, and learning about the natural world, visitors can take just a moment each day to click on a green button to preserve vital wildlife habitat. Visit The Rainforest Site and click today - it's free!


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By Pat Shea
Editor's Note: We looked for writers to cover the Northeast Region, but ultimately we were only able to find a writer with knowledge of the Snow Belt Conference. As such, our Northeast Regional Championship preview will only consider these teams. If you would like to write about the Northeast, or any other area of the world, please email us at email@example.com.
The Snow Belt Conference (SBC) has never been a powerhouse conference. This year, though, they seem to be in a position to challenge that. Some of the Snow Belt's older teams gained momentum earlier in the season, and if they continue this trend, they will be serious contenders in bracket play. With an overall strong beating corps and a quick, hard-to-stop chasing line-up, the SBC is posed to certainly make a splash this Northeast Regional Championships (NERC).
The Northeast will receive 12 USQ World Cup 8 bids, with the top 20 teams from pool play advancing to the bracket.
RIT Dark Marks
Last season, the Dark Marks formed a new name for themselves. They made it to the semifinal games at the Northeast Regional Championship, and fought their way to the Round of 32 at World Cup VII. Going into the regional championship this year, they appear to be a serious contender for the championship title. The biggest of the Snow Belt teams, RIT has its greatest strength in its quaffle play, both on defense and offense. Capitalizing on the impressive distributing and driving abilities of Shane Hurlbert and Aaron Pinzer, RIT has no problem racking up fast, hard-to-answer points. On a defensive note, between aggressive point chasers and wing chasers defending close to their marks, ball movement is hard, and patterns are caught on quickly. However, since starting the year with a strong male beating core, RIT has lost some depth in the last few weeks. With the loss of Ryan Dennehy from its roster, there will be a void that might prove hard to fill. If RIT can solve this, however, it has a reasonable shot at a repeat appearance in the semifinals, and maybe a shot at the finals.
Syracuse University
Last season, Syracuse established itself as a team to not be taken lightly. After playing some impressive games at NERC last year, the team ultimately secured a deferred bid to World Cup VII, and seems set to take the new season by storm. It picked up several veteran players from the Geneseo graduating class to add to its roster, as well as a host of newcomers. Taking what would have appeared to be a staggering blow in the loss of chaser/seeker Duane Ford, Syracuse has found a strong end-game solution in Josh Hintz, who has shown himself to be not only a phenomenal seeker, but a capable beater and chaser as well. Adam Zaczek and Suniel Soto Pol have both brought much-needed scoring opportunities to the team and provided a tough-hitting defense. However, Syracuse's beating corps seems to have a hard time pressuring an aggressive offense, and occasionally prioritizes the wrong parts of a play. If Syracuse is within snitch range in a game, though, it is more than a force to be reckoned with. The team will be facing three teams that have in the past two years denied Syracuse a bid to World Cup – the University of Massachusetts Amherst Sillynannies in 2012, and both Macaulay Honors College Marauders and RPI Remembralls in 2013. Syracuse will have to play a much more organized game if they hope to have a favorable seed in bracket play.
RPI Remembralls
After taking the Snow Belt Conference Championship last year and attending its first World Cup a month later, RPI is the conference's up-and-coming team. With an incredibly aggressive primary beater on both defense and offense, RPI sets out to break opposing defenses and score on most pushes. With Mario Nasta making the switch to full-time beating, his risky (yet extremely effective) style of play makes forward progress of the quaffle difficult. Past Nasta, RPI has strong, physical chasers who play a tight defense. Starting keeper Sam Nielsen shuts down long shots at the hoops, and coordinates and distributes on offense. Based on its record this far into the season, RPI is a serious contender to go deep into bracket play and should find little resistance in its pool on Day One of the regional championship.
University of Rochester Thestrals
At the start of the new season, Rochester picked up a lot of new players and filled in some of the holes left by graduating players. With reliable scorers like Devin Sandon to finish on the passing-heavy offense, Rochester rarely finds itself in situations where it struggles to put points on the board. The biggest struggle Rochester faces is its ability to finish games. After the departure of Kyle Sanson, the University of Rochester has found itself lacking the strong finishing capabilities it had during the previous season. That being said, Rochester's beating corps has not only maintained its incredible depth but also added to it. With Perry Wang transferring to beater, and the return of the Jack and Alex Venuti along with Harry Clarke, the University of Rochester has solid beating lines and often capitalizes on this strength. With defensive hard-hitting point chasers such as Mike Pascutoi and strong hoop play by its keepers, Rochester easily shuts down long shots and lofty passes. Though it faces a tough pool, Rochester has the depth necessary to do well in its pool play games and ultimately its bracket games.
Ithaca Community Quidditch Team
Ithaca is a curious situation. It is a team that has been around for a few years, and has some very athletic players who could very well be skilled, well known players. However, when playing, Ithaca seems to lack any cohesive action and shows a poor fundamental understanding of the game. Aside from the lack of depth, the only thing stopping Ithaca from being a competitive team is unity on the field. If this problem can be fixed, a bit of recruiting can turn it into a formidable team. Going into regionals, Ithaca will find match-ups such as those against Boston University Quidditch and Tufts University Tufflepuffs extremely difficult, given the strength and experience found in their rosters. Ithaca will need to fight hard for every point scored, and must play at its absolute best to make it into bracket play.
Cornell Quidditch
Cornell is a newly official team, who has only played in one official tournament this season so far. A green squad of players, it is a new team struggling against the clock to break into its stride before the regional championship. Facing a tough pool, it will have to play its best game to make it out of pool play. Experienced teams such as RIT, Emerson College Quidditch, and Rochester will be hard to match-up against for such an unseasoned team. But, with such little known about them, it could very well make its mark.
University at Buffalo Dragons (UB)
As another fairly new team, UB has shown a lot of promise. With some experience coming in, Buffalo still needs more time in order to become a competitive team. That being said, it has been making considerable progress throughout the current season. Finding defensive strength in the beating of Damien Hoffman, the Dragons need to train more disciplined and aware chasers if they hope to be able to score. Facing an experienced pool Day One, it will need to fight for a spot in bracket play.
Skidmore Quidditch
Entering the regional championship without really making any note of themselves, Skidmore faces perhaps one of the toughest pools. Facing the finalists from the Northeast Classic, Skidmore is going to need to bring a stronger beating game than its current inexperienced disorganized setup. However, if it can get its beaters more disciplined and communicating through chasers, forced turnovers on defense will result in much-needed points. If Stony Brook Quidditch plays at the same level that it did at the regional championship last year, than Skidmore is going to need to fight hard for a spot going into bracket play.
SUNY Geneseo by Devin Sandon
Last year, Geneseo failed to qualify for World Cup, and spent the spring showing that its outcome at the regional championship was something of a fluke. It brought an aggressive beater game to the Midwest, where it lost on a suicide pull to Michigan State University Spartan Quidditch, and a surprisingly close game to Central Michigan Quidditch, who was barely able to pull out of range. This season Geneseo has shown itself to be a mid tier team in the Snow Belt Conference. It entered the season having lost its games against three Pot One teams, having won its games against three Pot Four teams and having split its games with two Pot Three teams. Geneseo strategically looks similar to last year-it has aggressive beaters who will come up and wreak havoc with or without a bludger, as well as a fairly vertical offense originating from its keeper. Perhaps the biggest aspect of its game that has changed is that it has added a stronger driving element to its offense, at least when Chris Saudino is on the pitch. Geneseo has also improved in its ability to make secondary passes offensively, rather than being solely a one-pass offense.
With the addition of serious endgame potential this year in its new freshmen seeking corps, Geneseo has gained some much needed confidence in need-to-win games.


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Argentina, Manufacturing
Malaysia, Manufacturing
Chile, Manufacturing
SIRVE designs, produces and implements devices that protect structures from damages caused by earthquakes. For years, engineer and entrepreneur Juan Carlos de la Llera tried to convince architects and builders that his "seismic protection devices were a necessity, not a luxury. Through sheer persistence, he secured contracts.
Juan Carlos' dedication to seismic protection began in the shadow of an earthquake. They year he graduated as a civil engineer, the 1985 earthquake struck Santiago. After witnessing the aftermath, he was shaken to action. By 1994, he had finished his Masters and PhD in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley, and a year later, he returned to Chile to be an engineering professor.
In 2010, Juan Carlos became the Dean of Engineering, but aspired to lead an industry. With support from his colleagues and students, he founded SIRVE in 2003. For its projects, SIRVE designs and implements seismic protection products that are based on two technologies: energy dissipation and seismic isolation.
SIRVE's significant investment in R&D and its ability to both develop and implement superior technology at a lower cost separates it from its competition. SIRVE has changed the market by offering a full service including the design, production and implementation of seismic protection systems. In the long run, implemented products decrease clients' future costs and insurance premiums.
Through his work, Juan Carlos has been a role model to an entire generation of engineers and entrepreneurs, showing how academic excellence can be rewarded in the business world to create a better, safer world.
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1. Tracer's Pulse Gun
Here's something awesome we saw this week: Patrick from the LaserGadgets channel made a real-life, fully functional version of Tracer's pulse gun. Seriously, it's awesome. But unfortunately, not con-friendly.
2. Kingdom Hearts compilation edition for PS4 available for preorder!
The thing we never truly believed would happen is now incoming – yes, Square Enix have remastered Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 for the PS4. Not only that, but they've included the four ancillary games as well: Chain of Memories, Re:Birth By Sleep, 358/2 days and Re:coded. It's released March 31st, but is available for preorder NOW.
3. New Ghost in the Shell trailer out.
Okay, we're unsure how we feel about this one. The Major suddenly has this mysterious backstory and sports a bit of a Liam Neeson from Taken vibe. But aside from that, it's visually spectacular.
4. Horizon: Zero Dawn
This hotly anticipated game has already gotten ace reviews from IGN, Gamespot, Metacritic and more. Most reviews seem to lean to the ninety-percents or high eighties. With the game's official release being one week from today, it's high time you grab a look at this beauty. Watch the wilderness exploration trailer:


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Lets' pARTy!!
Uptown Painting Party is the largest independently owned and local BYOB paint and sip venue in town! We have hundreds of canvas paintings and ceramics to choose from! With over 2,000 square feet of studio and gallery space, we're sure to host a pARTy for you and your friends to remember!
We're located in the Glades Court Mall in Uptown Somerset, PA – just a few lights off the Somerset turnpike, miles from Hidden Valley and Seven Springs and a short drive from Johnstown and Greensburg, PA!
Click To Chat
- Friday 5pm-9pm
- Saturday 10am-9pm
- Sunday 1pm-6pm
- Summer Hours
- Friday 10am-4pm
- Saturday 10am-4pm
How Does It work?
1. You can attend one of our weekly scheduled classes. To view our monthly calendar look under the Calendar Of Events tab. You call to let us know you are interested on coming or purchase tickets through the events page.
2. You can come to our open studio where you just walk in during our open studio hours and paint any canvas or ceramic of your choice. There is always an artist on staff that will be able to assist you!
3. You can schedule an event in the studio or out of the studio for all occasions! We do.. fundraisers, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, private parties, corporate events and more… For more details about scheduling an event check out our Book Now tab.
What is a Painting pARTy?
It's a 2 hour event where guests follow along with a talented artists, have fun, relax, and ultimately take home a "masterpiece" of their own!
You bring the beverages, food (if you like!) or feel free to have a fabulous dinner at the *New* Dos Amigos…. and we supply the rest!
You'll arrive 15-20 minutes early to get acquainted, meet your fellow "pARTiers", and uncork your wine. We make sure your time is enjoyable and FUN!
The instructors will begin and you'll paint along step by step as you create a one-of-a-kind work of art to sign your name on at the very end!
We take lots of pictures, and encourage singing, laughing, and talking a lot!
Schedule a painting pARTy for your next big event! Perfect for:
- Birthday pARTies
- Bachelorette pARTies
- Corporate Events
- FUNdraisers
- On Site Private Events
- Kiddo Friendly Events
If you have never painted a day in your life, it's ok! Just come and check it out! You'll be amazed at what you can create! You don't have to be an artist to pARTy!
>>> Check out our calendar now! <<<
Open Studio
We also have Open Studio hours for you to keep your creativity juices flowing!
Open Studio is perfect night out for you and your friends, family, or significant other to get out and do something FUN! We've added hours for 2017 and are very excited to welcome our new restaurant to Glades Court Mall, "Dos Amigos!" Why not make it a date?? Have dinner and then pARTy with us! Both of our venue's are BYOB! YAY!
Just walk on in to Open Studio Friday 10am-9pm Saturday 10am- 9pm and Sunday 1-6pm choose any of our paintings to create. We have our artists on staff to guide you through your painting to create your very own masterpiece. Additionally, we have studio time for those who are not in need of instruction, as well as various other projects and crafts to create! Read more
We look forward to pARTying with YOU! Cheers!


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We try to keep our site as up to date, however we can not guarantee that all our products will always be in stock. If an item is out of stock we will aim to deliver within 28 days. If we cannot dispatch an item to you within the 28 days you can request cancellation and we will cancel the order and refund your money in full.
Order Cancellations
For most items on our website you have the legal right to cancel your order within 7 working days of receiving the goods. If you wish to cancel your order you can notify us by contacting our customer services.
You cannot cancel your order if the goods that you have ordered are perishable goods or if the product is personalised or custom made to your requirements.
Due to the nature of our products, they are immediately sent for production. Please check your order carefully during the order process as we cannot refund or cancel your order for personalised products which have been mis spelt or you have changed your mind.
We deliver to destinations within UK and certain parts of Europe. We will deliver the goods ordered by you to the address that you give us during your order process. We endeavour to dispatch goods within the time frame stated our our delivery & production page. We cannot accept liability or costs incurred due to failed or delayed deliveries where goods are sent direct from our manufacturers or for delays in the delivery caused by any third party. Dispatch times shown on the product description pages are indicative only, may vary during peak times or if the item is out of stock.
Orders will be dispatched with your chosen delivery method or for larger parcels a tracked service at our discretion. Goods returned described as undeliverable or not called for, will be subject to a redelivery charge. We reserve the right to wait up to 10 working days from the date of dispatch before replacing an undelivered item. If you do not receive your order within 28 days from the ordered date, we do not take liability unless you notify us in writing or by email within 30 days from the order date.
Important Note:
*Our working hours are Monday - Friday 9am - 5.00pm and all our dispatch timescales do not include weekends or bank holidays.
Returned Orders
Any package that is returned to us as 'not called for' or for any other reason, we will notify you via your registered email address. If you do not re-arrange delivery with us, within 28 days of the notice, we will dispose of your package and no refund or compensation will be available to you.
We want all our customers to be happy with their order, and so if you are not completely satisfied with the item you have bought you have 14 days to return it to us. This does not include personalised items.
Please be advised no returns or refunds will be allowed on personalised items that are specially made, or ordered, with your choice of name, fabric, message or other customised aspect that makes the item unique to your requirements and therefore cannot be resold. If the product is defective or where there has been an error made on our part then please contact us.
The cost of the return is your responsibility, except if the item is faulty, damaged or incorrect. We cannot be held responsible for packages lost in transit, we recommend sending the package by Recorded or Special Delivery services. Returns should be sent to us at: Partyworx, 62 Preston Road, Lytham FY8 5AE.
Images have been provided for illustrative purposes only and we do not guarantee that any image will reproduce in true colour on your computer monitor nor that any given image will reflect or portray the full design or options relating to that product.
This website may from time to time contain hyperlinks to other websites. Such links are provided for convenience only and we take no responsibility for the content and maintenance of or privacy compliance by any linked website. Any hyperlink on our website to another website does not imply our endorsement, support, or sponsorship of the operator of that website nor of the information and/or products which they provide.
To the full extent permitted by law, our liability for breach of an implied warranty or condition is limited to the supply of the goods and/or services again or payment of the costs of having those goods and/or services supplied again. We accept no liability for any loss whatsoever including consequential loss suffered by you arising from product/s we have supplied.
We endeavour to ensure all information on our Website is correct, however we do not warrant the accuracy and completeness of this. We may make changes to any information, products, descriptions and prices on our website, at any time without notice. The information and material on our Website may be out of date, and we make no commitment to update. Whilst we have taken all due care in providing the information on our website, we do not provide any warranty either express or implied including without limitation warranties of title or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. To the extent permitted by law, any condition or warranty which would otherwise be implied into these terms and conditions is excluded. We also take all due care in ensuring that our website is free of any virus, worm, Trojan horse and/or malware, however we are not responsible for any damage to your computer system which arises in connection with your use of our website or any linked website.
By accessing our website, you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from all claims, actions, damages, costs and expenses including legal fees arising from or in connection with your use of our website.
These terms and conditions are to be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and any claim made by either party against the other which in any way arises out of these terms and conditions will be heard in England and you agree to submit to the jurisdiction of those Courts. If any provision in these terms and conditions is invalid under any law the provision will be limited, narrowed, construed or altered as necessary to render it valid but only to the extent necessary to achieve such validity. If necessary the invalid provision will be deleted from these terms and conditions and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
We undertake to take all due care with any information which you may provide to us when accessing our website. However we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you may provide to us. Information you transmit to us is entirely at your own risk although we undertake to take reasonable steps to preserve such information in a secure manner. Our compliance with privacy legislation is set out in our separate Privacy Policy which may be accessed from homepage.
These terms do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. We may change our terms and conditions at any time, so please do not assume that the same terms will apply to future orders.
Complaints Procedure
We take our relationships with customers very seriously. We aim to reply to emails within one working day and if you have any enquiry or complaints please Contact Our Support Team or call us on 0333 050 1632.
Contacting Us
If you would like help when ordering, information about a product, a request for a product or if you would just like to provide us with feedback on our service, please Contact Us.


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World Wildlife Fund - Donor Testimonials
Please note all compliments shown are exactly as they were received for the sake of authenticity.
All personal information has been removed for security purposes.
Jul 2016
A resident of Pitt Meadows contacted the Feedback line to compliment Michael for being so helpful while canvassing on behalf of World Wildlife Fund adding, "Mike is a really interesting young man. His presentation was amazing; it was a pleasure dealing with him."
Pitt Meadows, BC
Jun 2016
Hi there, this is just feedback commenting on a door-to-door rep we had today (we live in the SW). I'd like to comment that Arian was a friendly rep to talk to. He informed us about WWF's cause in detail, and even though afterwards we mentioned that we only primarily donate through internet within our own home, he was respectful of that and did not press us like a door-to-door salesman. We ended up donating within our own local home internet as usual, but it was only because this message reached us through Arian. Thank you.
Calgary, AB
May 2016
A resident of Coquitlam contacted the Feedback line to relate that Kamalpreet was a lovely canvasser who represented the World Wildlife Fund well. She went on to say that Kamalpreet had a very positive canvassing approach and was a real sweetheart.
Coquitlam, BC
Apr 2016
Hi, I'd like to take the time and write your organization a quick note regarding your employee Brock. He was very professional at my door and informed me of the work he was doing and as well what the organization is doing to help animals around the world. I commend you on this journey and wish at this time I could have contributed. Our family donates a lot of money to the school our children go to and maybe in the near future we may be led to helping you out. Right now an extra monthly contribution is not in the plan for us, however that's not to say that will change later. Thank you for having people like him on your team and organization, His kindness and understanding to our situation makes me feel better knowing I can answer my door and at least hear the great news people like Brock and your company are out there providing a great help in a world that sure could use it. All the best and hopefully we may help in the future.
Thanks George / Surrey, BC
Mar 2016
A canvasser named Brock came to our home two evenings ago asking us to donate to WWF to help animals. While we love animals very much and would be pleased to help them, we just can't afford to commit to a program like yours. We are truly saddened about this. In August 2015 our beloved McDuff, a Belgian Schipperkes, went to heaven at the age of 17. Our hearts are still broken and we miss him so very much. We
are considering fostering another older dog who needs a home. We are older and realize that would be best for us. We both do not agree with shooting or any type of cruel behaviour toward any animal. However we wanted you to know that Brock, although dedicated to this project, really understood our situation and did not push us or make us feel anything other than pleased to have met him and learn about WWF. And it was raining while he took the time to stand outside and explain WWF to us. Brock was kind, clear, pleasant and just a nice young man. We think it's important that your company knows about him and his positive attitude. A truly enthusiastic representative of your company. We plan to send in a small donation sometime in the next month.
Surrey, BC


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Sepco Process, Inc. offers efficient and competitive solutions for designing and supplying vessel and tower internals for separation, mist eliminators, filtration and mass transfer applications in the petrochemical, oil & gas, and water treating industries.
Sepco Process has gained a global reputation for responsive and reliable process equipment solutions that meet our customer's needs both technically and commercially. Sepco Process provides advanced design solutions and premier products, on-demand, to a wide range of process applications. Based in Houston, Texas, home to the world's largest concentration of oil, gas, and chemical engineering, manufacturing and operating companies, we are ready to serve you!
We have become an industry leader through our expertise, outstanding customer service and long-term relationships with our clients!
Our mission statement is straightforward - we want to provide the best products, service, support, and value to our customers, guaranteed!
The professionals at Sepco Process Inc. size, select, and provide filtration, separation, and coalescing equipment to meet our customers needs.
Sepco Process offers a variety of Mass Transfer Internals used in the gas and oil industry. Our focus is specializing in designing and providing mass transfer tower internals...
Sepco Process supplies replacement tray hardware for your next turnaround. We offer a wide variety of standard stock tray hardware including clamps, valves, and fasteners...


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There is plenty of room for parking vehicles with boat trailers and in the evening it's the best place to view the colorfully lighted Norbert F. Beckey Bridge. Also located here is Pearl City Station and Riverview Center, and both facilities are available for rent.
Harbor Drive, Muscatine, IA 52761
Find it on the map


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By Patrick Sojka - Rewards Canada
used to be a time when having a Gold credit card meant you were a high
roller. Then came the platinum cards for even higher rollers but early
in 2008 we have seen Canadian banks that issue Visa cards, launch the
new Visa Infinite Brand. Typically, black in colour, the new Infinite
cards are now the premium card for Visa issuers.
In reality these cards are not much different then cards that are already on the market. However, they do have some slight changes in benefits and features that cardholders may want to have. All the Infiinite cards offer some sort of Personal Concierge service to help book tickets, make dinner reservations and more.
Individually some of the new benefits for the cards include the ability to spend over your credit limit on the CIBC Aerogold Infinite Visa. The CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite card will earn extra Aeroplan miles on gas, groceries etc (like the AeroGold card). RBC offers enhanced services and point earning opportunities and with the TD First Class Infinite Card it offers Trip Cancellation and Interruption insurance.
The Visa Infinite Cards in Canada:
AeroGold and Aventura Visa Infinite Cards
Avion Visa Infinite Card
First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card,
card is best?


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Question: We live on a gravel road and during the summer months, ATVs and dirt bikes will drive by from time to time. Recently a group of dirt bikes drove by our house going at least 50 mph and one of them was doing a wheelie for probably half a mile.
First off, is it legal to do a wheelie on a dirt bike on a road? Secondly, if our dog were to run out in front of the person doing a wheelie and they hit it and were injured, who would be responsible for the accident?
Answer: Thank you for the questions. Regarding doing a wheelie on the road, there is no law that specifically states both motorcycle tires are to be touching the road. However, I believe this is covered in state law under "careless or reckless" driving. Some local ordinances also have laws that pertain to "exhibition driving." So in reference to popping wheelies going down a public road or street, it's illegal.
As for your question about pets, pets should be kept off the roadway unless you are controlling them with a leash, for example.
Regarding who is responsible, law enforcement would investigate who or what caused the crash and submit the reports to the prosecuting attorney for potential charges. The other part of it would be the civil liability for the rider or the pet owner, which could involve insurance companies or personal attorneys.


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2 Kings 24, 25
Focus Verse: And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. – 2 Kings 24:19
Even though he was aware of the negative consequences that the kings before him had faced for doing evil, Mattaniah (called Zedekiah by the king of Babylon) still did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Even though both Israel and Judah were being torn apart and destroyed because the people refused to obey and follow God, Mattaniah still led them in doing what was evil.
He did not learn his lesson. Instead of repenting and deciding to do what was right, he chose to continue in the way that was wrong even though he knew it led to darkness and destruction.
When those before us and when those around us do wrong, it is easier for us to join them. But it is more excellent for us to resist them and choose to do what is good in the sight of God instead of what is evil; to walk in the light instead of the darkness; and to stand for right instead of wrong.


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PESCE: Hook yourself up with a colazione tradizionale at Lupa on Christmas Eve with La Vigilia, the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes: crispy octopus with farro, swiss chard and green faro, shellfish stew with eels, lobster, clams and more… and, you know, five more (plus dessert: chocolate budino, or pudding -- and yet so much more than pudding). They start serving this special menu at noon and reservations are required. $85.00 per person ($130.00 with wine pairings).
SING OUT: Washington Square Park may look a little different post-renovations, but the Christmas Eve caroling under the arch lives on: Meet at 5PM, and if you can't remember how many "fa-la-la"s come after "Deck the halls with boughs of holly…", sheet music will be provided. 5PM.
NOT-MAS: Why just settle for Chinese food and a movie, when you can celebrate just another Friday night with your fellow chosen ones at Gotham Comedy Club's Very Jewish Christmas? Jessica Kirson headlines an evening of notable Jewish comedians from across the country, including Barry Weintraub, Lenny Marcus and Gregg Rogell. 7:30, 9:30PM.
See our music picks on the Nonstop Sound blog.


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You are here
India to use International Solar Alliance to push solar water pumps
India plans to use International Solar Alliance to popularise indigenously developed solar water pumps across the world, especially in emerging markets, a top official said.
"Many countries are not even aware of solar pumps," said Upendra Tripathy, secretary, ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE), who is also the chairperson of the interim administrative cell of International Solar Alliance (ISA), a joint initiative of India and France launched during the Paris climate conference last year to bring together 121 'sunshine' countries to optimise solar power use.
"We are planning pilot programmes in about 15-20 countries at our own cost, explaining their benefits and exporting about 100 pumps to each of them," Tripathy told ET.
India is a world leader in solar water pump use for both irrigation and drinking water, with about 62,000 pumps in operation across the country. Slightly more than half of the total were added last year.
Of the total, 13, 964 pumps were sold under MNRE's programme Solar Pumping Programme for Irrigation and Drinking Water.
Solar pumps mostly substitute for diesel and electric pumps used by farmers to pump water to their fields.
Solar pumps of 3-5 HP cost around Rs 5-7 lakh, multiple times more than diesel and electric pumps of similar capacity. A 3-5 HP diesel pump, for example, costs Rs 30,000-50,000, but the cost of diesel in running it even for a single year is often greater than the cost of the pump.
Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary, MNRE, said the government may also extend credit lines to other countries to buy more solar pumps from Indian manufacturers. "If asked for, we can also provide training in solar pump manufacture. We can have technical collaborations through the National Institute of Solar Energy or other institutions," he said.
There are 19 solar pump manufacturers in India and about 60-70 companies sell them.
In the absence of any international standards for solar pumps, MNRE has developed its own. "We will also familiarise these countries with our standards," said Kapoor.
Vinay Rustagi, managing director at solar consultancy BRIDGE TO INDIA, said it is important to promote solar pumps among farmers. "The government subsidised diesel for years since it is used by farmers to run their pumps and irrigate their fields. Since diesel is largely imported, it has resulted in a large subsidy bill as well as a large power bill. Diesel use is also environmentally harmful," he said. "Solar pumps are costly, but it is good that the government is promoting them.


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3 Days - $1100.00 / person, taxes included.
Season: May, June and early July
The Nimpkish River is the largest volume river on Vancouver Island and the only island multi-day expedition. This tour combines the Nimpkish River Whitewater and Adventure day trips plus another 15 km of river to explore. We start at Duncan Pool and run the entire river section to Nimpkish Lake, more than 45 km downstream. Great scenery, limestone canyons, wildlife (including black bear, elk, cougar, deer, eagles and more!), swimming, caving, cliff jumping, kayaking and rapids ranging from family splash to the more adventurous whitewater!
Included: Use of waterproof gear bags, tent (one for each 2 guests), sleeping bag and pad, all riverside meals, limited wines and micro-brewed beer, splash jackets and pants, wetsuits and helmets (for certain river sections), lifejackets.
4 days - $2800.00 / person, taxes included.
Season: August & September
The Southgate River at the head of Bute Inlet provides the winding tour route down glacial green waters cascading off surrounding mountains. The glacial flow originates from the Homathko Icefields, the largest in BC at 770 square kilometres. Adjacent to the Great Bear Rainforest, this river expedition is unique in its accessibility and remoteness at the same time. The tour includes a boat trip to the head of historic Bute Inlet and a helicopter flight into our starting point on the river. Marvel at the views of amazing waterfalls, glaciers and mountain ridges. We have many opportunities for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing along the way. The river valley has abundant wildlife, including grizzly bear, wolves, deer and eagles. Great meals prepared by a red seal chef, professional guides and a spectacular river valley to explore at a natural leisurely pace.
Included: Use of waterproof gear bags, tent (one for each 2 guests), sleeping bag and pad, helicopter and boat transfers, use of fishing rods & gear, all riverside meals, limited wines and micro-brewed beer, splash jackets and pants, lifejackets.
Not included: fishing license.
Click here to View our Valley of Falls Video on You Tube


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The new healthcare bill (HR 3200), "America's Affordable Healthcare Choices Act of 2009," promises to provide every American with affordable quality healthcare and to control healthcare cost growth. The Democrats who drafted and support the legislation point to provisions in the bill that would build on what works in today's health care system and fixes the parts that are broken, protect current coverage–allowing individuals to keep the insurance they have if they like it–and preserve their choice of doctors, hospitals, and health plans.
The bill proposes to achieve these reforms through offering:
· A "Health Insurance Exchange"—a transparent and functional marketplace for individuals and small employers to comparison shop among private and public insurers;
· A public health insurance option that promises to operate on a level playing field, subject to the same market reforms and consumer protections as other private plans in the Exchange, and it will be self-sustaining–financed only by its premiums.
· Essential benefits – A new independent Advisory Committee with practicing providers and other health care experts, chaired by the Surgeon General, will recommend a benefit package based on standards set in the law.
· A sliding scale affordability credits – Affordability credits will be available to low- and moderate-income individuals and families.
· Caps on annual out-of-pocket spending
· Increased competition
· Expanded Medicaid – Individuals and families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for an expanded and improved Medicaid program. Recognizing the budget challenges in many states, this expansion will be fully federally-financed.
· Improves Medicare – Senior citizens and people with disabilities will benefit from provisions that fill the donut hole over time in the Part D drug program, eliminate cost-sharing for preventive services, improve the low-income subsidy programs in Medicare, fix physician payments, and make other program improvements.
· Individual responsibility – Except in cases of hardship, once market reforms and affordability credits are in effect, individuals will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining health insurance coverage. Those who choose to not obtain coverage will pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of modified adjusted gross income above a specified level. (More on this below.)
· Employer responsibility – The proposal builds on the employer-sponsored coverage that exists today. Employers will have the option of providing health insurance coverage for their workers or contributing funds on their behalf. Employers that choose to contribute will pay an amount based on eight percent of their payroll. Employers that choose to offer coverage must meet minimum benefit and contribution requirements specified in the proposal. (More on this below.)
· Assistance for small employers – The smallest businesses—those with payrolls that do not exceed $250,000—are exempt from the employer responsibility requirement. The payroll penalty would then phase in starting at 2% for firms with annual payrolls over $250,000, rising to the full 8 percent penalty for firms with annual payrolls above $400,000. In addition, a new small business tax credit will be available for those firms who want to provide health coverage to their workers. In addition to the targeted assistance, the Exchange and market reforms promise to provide a long-sought opportunity for small businesses to benefit from a more organized, efficient marketplace in which to purchase coverage.
So far I have provided a lot of information about what the new healthcare bill promises to offer. Here's the rub: How will we pay for it?
Section 441 of the new bill states that there will be a surcharge on "high-income individuals with the following sliding scale:
(1) 1 percent of so much of the modified adjusted gross income of the taxpayer as exceeds $350,000 but does not exceed $500,000,
(2) 1.5 percent of so much of the modified adjusted gross income of the taxpayer as exceeds $500,000 but does not exceed $1,000,000, and
(3) 5.4 percent of so much of the modified adjusted gross income of the taxpayer as exceeds $1,000,000.
Republican's in their dissenting view, provided in written form on July 13, 2009, point-out many flaws in the new healthcare bill, including:
"… Americans with health insurance would pay thousands of dollars more per year for coverage, and a host of new taxes on individuals and businesses would further hamper efforts to revive an already struggling economy if this bill becomes law. The bill violates oft-repeated promises by the President and others that health care reform won't cause people to lose coverage they like, that taxes won't increase on families with income less than $250,000 and that tax rates won't increase above what they were during the 1990s."
Republicans point-out that only one hearing was held on the discussion draft released in June, and that, despite claims that the United States is already spending too much on healthcare, the bill finances even higher spending with more than $820 billion in new taxes that will be paid for by families making as little as $20,000, small businesses, and manufacturers—all while we are in the midst of a recession and with unemployment moving quickly toward 10 percent.
Section 441 of the bill (addressed above) attempts to plug part of the fiscal hole it creates with a new surtax on individuals and small businesses, with a 5.4-percent surtax rate, combined with the already scheduled increase in the top marginal rate to 39.6 percent, which would result in an increase in the top Federal income tax rate from 35 percent in 2010 to 45 percent in 2011.
Adding in the 2.9-percent Medicare payroll tax and hidden marginal rate increases that operate by phasing out certain deductions, the proposed top Federal rate would jump to about 48 percent, and the average top Federal-State marginal tax rate would be over 52 percent.
While nominally aimed at individuals, the surtax will fall heavily on small businesses, the engine of job creation. According to a Joint Committee on Taxation data projection for 2011, 42 percent of small business income (including the income of sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations) would be subject to the surtax.
Not content to just tax "the wealthy," the bill also imposes large taxes on some of America's poorest families. Effective in 2013, section 401 would impose a tax on individuals without "acceptable coverage", which would hit single filers with incomes as low as $9,350 and married couples with incomes as low as $18,700 (in 2009 dollars). This undermines President Obama's ongoing promise not to raise taxes on families with incomes under $250,000.
The overall conclusion by Republicans is that the bill adds nearly $240 billion to the deficit this decade, with the bulk of those costs occurring at the end of the budget window. In 2015 alone, the bill will add $40 billion to the federal deficit. By 2019, that figure will rise to $65 billion and the deepening debt impact shows no signs of slowing down in future years. In short, the $240 billion that this bill would add to the deficit this decade is just the tip of the fiscal iceberg.
Regardless of which side one believes, there can be no denying that the costs associated with this bill would be enormous, and are projected to be $1 trillion or more over the next decade. That money will have to come from somewhere, and it is clear that taxes will have to be increased, very likely on all of us, and on all businesses, to cover this cost. While the distribution of these taxes can be debated, the numbers are so large that every one of us will feel the sting, should the bill go forward in its current form.


text: Jack wrapped up his brief trip to China with a visit to Nicklaus Club-Beijing, the recently opened course and club that has become one of the biggest success stories in China golf. Less than three years ago, Jack and his team took over a complete renovation and transformation of the club. During that time, the membership has grown from 35 to over 430. After his first look at the finished course and clubhouse, Nicklaus said, "What a special facility. I don't know if I can recall a better prepared facility than Nicklaus Club-Beijing. I'm blown away. Ecstatic."


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The Department of Physical Therapy at Stony Brook University, Parent Program at Stony Brook and Expansion Program at Southampton, is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
telephone: 703-706-3245 email: email@example.com
website: http://www.capteonline.org
If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call (631)-444-3250 or email: email@example.com
NPTE Ultimate Pass Rate:
Stony Brook Campus
2-year Average (2017-2018): 100%
Southampton Campus
2-year Average (2017-2018): 100%
Graduation Rates:
Stony Brook Campus:
2-year Average (2018-2019): 99%
Southampton Campus:
2-year Average (2018-2019): 100%
Employment Rate:Stony Brook and Southampton Campuses:
2-year Average (2017-2018): 100%
Stony Brook's Physical Therapy Program enjoys a rich history spanning over 45 years and 1800 graduates. The program develops leaders of the profession who demonstrate evidence-based practice, critical inquiry and clinical decision-making skills needed for differential diagnosis and autonomous practice. Our graduates are prepared to provide direct patient care in a multitude of physical therapy settings as well as to pursue careers in research, administration, or education. Information regarding student outcomes, including graduation rates, pass rates on the national licensing exam, and employment rates, are provided on this webpage as well as on our FAQs page.
The Doctorate in Physical Therapy Program enrolls a total of 85 DPT students annually, with 35 students at the Southampton Campus and 50 students at the Health Science Center in Stony Brook. Stony Brook's DPT Program has delivered the same high quality education it is known for at both campuses since 2013.
Stony Brook University is one of four comprehensive research university centers within the State University of New York system, and one of two such centers that include a health sciences center. It is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, and is ranked in the top 1% of all the universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The DPT program at Stony Brook University is part of the School of Health Technology and Management within Stony Brook Medicine, and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
As you embark on your journey to becoming a health care provider, we hope that you will consider joining the Stony Brook University physical therapy family. The Stony Brook campus is situated on the lovely north shore of Long Island, just a train ride away from New York City. The Southampton campus is located on the beautiful South Fork of Long Island. The atmosphere of our program is collegial, supportive and professional. We invite you to visit us when you are in the area, and attend one of our monthly Information Sessions.
If you do not find the answers to your questions on this website, please contact us for additional information. We look forward to assisting you in this process.
Kyle Hewson, PT, EdD
Chair, DPT Program


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Cross-sensor comparisons between Landsat 5 TM and IRS-P6 AWiFS and disturbance detection using integrated Landsat and AWiFS time-series images
International Journal of Remote Sensing
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Routine acquisition of Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data was discontinued recently and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) has an ongoing problem with the scan line corrector (SLC), thereby creating spatial gaps when covering images obtained during the process. Since temporal and spatial discontinuities of Landsat data are now imminent, it is therefore important to investigate other potential satellite data that can be used to replace Landsat data. We thus cross-compared two near-simultaneous images obtained from Landsat 5 TM and the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)-P6 Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS), both captured on 29 May 2007 over Los Angeles, CA. TM and AWiFS reflectances were compared for the green, red, near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands, as well as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) based on manually selected polygons in homogeneous areas. All R2 values of linear regressions were found to be higher than 0.99. The temporally invariant cluster (TIC) method was used to calculate the NDVI correlation between the TM and AWiFS images. The NDVI regression line derived from selected polygons passed through several invariant cluster centres of the TIC density maps and demonstrated that both the scene-dependent polygon regression method and TIC method can generate accurate radiometric normalization. A scene-independent normalization method was also used to normalize the AWiFS data. Image agreement assessment demonstrated that the scene-dependent normalization using homogeneous polygons provided slightly higher accuracy values than those obtained by the scene-independent method. Finally, the non-normalized and relatively normalized 'Landsat-like' AWiFS 2007 images were integrated into 1984 to 2010 Landsat time-series stacks (LTSS) for disturbance detection using the Vegetation Change Tracker (VCT) model. Both scene-dependent and scene-independent normalized AWiFS data sets could generate disturbance maps similar to what were generated using the LTSS data set, and their kappa coefficients were higher than 0.97. These results indicate that AWiFS can be used instead of Landsat data to detect multitemporal disturbance in the event of Landsat data discontinuity.
Additional publication details
|Publication type
|Publication Subtype
|Journal Article
|Cross-sensor comparisons between Landsat 5 TM and IRS-P6 AWiFS and disturbance detection using integrated Landsat and AWiFS time-series images
|Series title
|International Journal of Remote Sensing
|Year Published
|Taylor & Francis
|Publisher location
|Philadelphia, PA
|Contributing office(s)
|Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
|22 p.
|Larger Work Type
|Larger Work Subtype
|Journal Article
|Larger Work Title
|International Journal of Remote Sensing
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text:
Phylum Productions presents
an intriguing bromantic love story...
OMBRE tells the story of Jake, an aspiring actor who went to Baguio City for a reality star search audition. There, he meets Dennis, a photographer from Manila. Both stay in a transient house owned by Dennis' gay best friend, Brix.
Jake is a dreamer
Dennis is a searcher who just got out of rehab
They became friends and secret lovers. While both of them have special someone waiting back in Manila, it becomes clear that there's a bond between them that they've never felt with other people, and this feeling begins to grow into something deeper.
Is this LOVE?
OMBRE is written and directed by Jonison Fontanos and stars Zac Ferrero, Darwin Taylo, Jobben Bello, Lando Perez, G.A Villafuerte, Tin Gonzalez, Kimjee Abad with Ms. Jef Gaitan (Survivor Philippines Palau finalist).
Dreams, destiny and love, in forms not known to many, come together in this full-length independent film, pre-slated to be shown early next year 2011.


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MA Drawing Lab 4
Thursday 28/11/13 11am – 1pm
Centre for Drawing with TK
The question of scale refers to both the scale of the mark made as well as the scale of a drawing, and how the drawing addresses the scale of the environment/space it is placed in. Scale is more than how big or small something is, a drawings' dimensions are also relative; relative to other drawings, its subject, it's mark-making, its composition, the amount of space it occupies, its place in the room.
What you will be considering :
An exploration of scale, the impact of making drawings of different sizes,
an introduction to simple systems of drawing using a grid that mean a drawing can change scale,
the dynamics of group work on a large drawing.
Please bring general drawing materials, but not using colour, please also include charcoal, white pastels, and rubbers + 3 sheets of A1 drawing paper.
Exercise one. 10 minutes
Make several drawings on very small pieces of paper – this paper will be supplied.
Exercise Two. 10 minutes
Select one of these drawings and place it in the room. Bring your attention to how different placement might effect the drawing's reading and its scale.
Exercise Three. 25 minutes
Fold your one of your small drawings in half along the longest dimension, then in quarters. Unfold it, and see that you have produced a grid across the paper.
Take a larger sheet of paper, – take an A1 piece of paper and fold this the same way.
Using the grid transfer the drawing on the small paper to the larger piece of paper.
Exercise Four. 45 minutes
Take your larger drawing and place it on the wall to form a grid with the drawings of your peers. Have the drawings all in the same orientation and placed next to each other.
Using charcoal and rubbers work as a group to have your drawings combine and form a bigger collective drawing. You can add more sheets of paper to the grid if you want the drawing to get bigger.
The scaling up of the small drawing to A1 size paper was effective. Once we had fixed our A1 drawings to the wall & stared making a larger drawing I felt uneasy about drawing on other people's work. However, once this I overcame this initial misgiving it was interesting to draw as part of a group – albeit in silence & with out any obvious direction or reference to the original drawings. . .
The finished collage by 8 people.
Part of the other groups drawing.


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A Boolean value indicating whether the view or any of its ancestors has ever had a rotation factor applied to its frame or bounds.
- macOS 10.0+
- App
The value of this property is
true if the view or any of its ancestors has had its
frame or
bounds properties modified at any time. The value is still
true if the rotation factor is changed to a nonzero value and then back to 0.
Use this information to optimize drawing and coordinate calculation. Do not use it to reflect the exact state of the view's coordinate system.


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Farewell Dolly 2 | Plus a final guided tour of our upcycled caravan
It feels a bit sad to be writing this but the time has come for us to say goodbye to… Read More
As we've been keen festival go-ers for almost 2 decades, my boy and I decided to buy a little caravan to take with us on our adventures.
It was a much cheaper option than hiring a motorhome each time and much more comfy than a tent.
So we bought an ugly, dated little van and turned it into something lovely.
A proper little home from home to use while we're camping. Et voila, Dolly 1 was born. Since then we've had twin boys and needed a little more room so we sold our original van and bought a bigger version — Dolly 2.
This collection of posts shows how we renovated both vans — plus everything I've written that's caravan related.


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Crown Fleece Darien Vest
- Brands Peter Millar
- Product Code: MF18Z20
- Availability: In Stock
Color: Arctic Night
This refined vest is crafted from premium wool yarns that are blended with luxurious cashmere yarns for exceptional softness. The nature of this fabrication is extremely breathable and lightweight while retaining optimum insulation. Finished with a two-way zip closure and side pockets. Wear it with Peter Millar sport shirts and sweaters for a cultivated appearance in fall and winter.
Details & Fit
- Men's 90% wool / 10% cashmere vest
- Classic fit
- Extremely breathable and lightweight
- Machine wash cold with like colors. Lay flat to dry or dry clean
- Imported


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Am I Evil: Hurry! Limited Edition CD's Pre-Order ( SALE) International buyers kindly visit the store before ordering
Not available
The CD is only available to be shipped in India under free shipping offer. For international orders kindly contact us with your shipping address, so we can calculate the shipping and send you the quotation. The CD will be Shipped after 18th of February, 2018 And the free download link of the album will be available on the 18th Feb Evening IST


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WORC Board of Directors
Dakota Resource Council
Lisa DeVille – An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation, Lisa holds a Master of Management, MBA, and BS in Management from the University of Mary. Active in her community, Lisa was awarded the North Dakota 2015 Human Rights Award.
Linda Weiss – Linda lives in Belfield, North Dakota, where she is a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician. A former Chair of DRC, she is active in DRC's campaigns on agriculture and oil and gas issues. Linda is WORC's Secretary/Treasurer.
Dakota Rural Action
Paul Seamans – Paul is a rancher/farmer and life-long resident of Draper, South Dakota, where he mainly puts up hay for sale. Paul joined DRA over five years ago because the Keystone XL tar sand oil pipeline is slated to cross his land. DRA has helped in his negotiations and dealings with TransCanada. Paul is the board Chair of DRA.
Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks – Nancy has been a member of Dakota Rural Action for close to twenty years. She is co-chair of the DRA Small Farms committee. Nancy and her husband live on a small acreage on the edge of Toronto, South Dakota. Nancy is the coordinator of disability services at South Dakota State University. She is a former Chair of WORC.
Idaho Organization of Resource Councils
Linda Leeuwrik, PH.D. – Linda is a cultural and intellectual historian, with bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech, Georgia State University, and Bryn Mawr College. Concerned with clean water, air, and energy, Linda joined the Idaho Organization of Resource Councils, Portneuf Resource Council, and WORC in 2014, eager to be more involved in working on Idaho's water protection, clean energy future, local foods initiatives, and responsible oil and gas development. Linda is a writer and editor and she is politically active, considering another run for elected office.
Christina Stucker-Gassi – Christina received her B.S. in Environmental Studies from the College of Idaho, where she focused in Political Economy and Conservation Biology. Christina advocates science-based policy that sustains economic growth. Her policy interests are agriculture, food, and natural resources.
Northern Plains Resource Council
Beth Kaeding – Beth has been a member of Northern Plains Resource Council since 1991 and served on its Board for many years, including a term as Board Chair. Beth has been an active member of Northern Plains' Coal, Coal Bed Methane, and Tongue River Railroad task forces (the latter two issues resolved after many years of team effort) as well as the Organization and Finance Task Force. Beth is a member of WORC's Coal Team. Beth has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Fish and Wildlife Management and worked for many years for the National Park Service in resource management, interpretation, planning and compliance, public affairs, and interpretive planning. Beth and her husband, Lynn, live in Bozeman, Montana. Beth is serving as the WORC Chair.
Steve Charter – Steve Charter is a second-generation leader of Northern Plains. His parents co-founded Northern Plains when Steve was in high school, and he served as Chair in 2013-2015. Coal companies have had their eyes on the Charter Ranch since the early 1970s, and Steve is still fighting them. He and his late wife were sued by the federal government for refusing to pay the Beef Checkoff because those funds were used to promote corporate domination of agriculture. He is a leader in the drive for healthier soil, and uses his ranch as a sort of "laboratory" to try out soil health techniques.
Oregon Rural Action
Mitch Wolgamott – Mitch is a native Oregonian. He has degrees in Zoology (BS OSU) and Biology (MS PSU). He has worked in both the private and public sectors,retiring after serving as Eastern Region Administrator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Mitch and his wife, artist Sue Orlaske, reside on a small woodlot on the eastern slope of the Blue Mountains near Summerville.
Lacy Folden– Bio coming soon
Powder River Basin Resource Council
Bob LeResche – Bob and his wife, Carol, own a ranch near Clearmont, Wyoming, and they produce organic heirloom produce for a Community Supported Agriculture group. Bob spent more than 40 years in Alaska as a wildlife biologist, State Government Policy and Planning Director, Director of Habitat Protection, Commissioner of Natural Resources, Executive Director of the Alaska Energy Authority, and Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Coordinator. Bob a former Chair of WORC.
Stacy Page – Stacy is a retired regulator with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. Stacy's expertise is in coal mine permitting and reclamation. She worked for over 20 years as a vegetation and reclamation specialist, overseeing coal mine permitting and reclamation in Wyoming's Powder River Basin. She lives in Sheridan, Wyoming.
Western Colorado Alliance
Steve Allerton – Steve left the teaching profession in 2014 and has entered "refinement", a term he coined to use in place of "retirement." For Steve, refinement is about digging into those things he loves: family and three grandsons, music, backpacking/hiking with his wife and friends, and helping to create healthy soils in which to grow vegetables for the community. He is Chair of Western Colorado Alliance and active in Mesa County's clean energy program.
Monica Wiitanen– Monica grew up thinking that working to leave the world a better place for "the youth in the distant tomorrows" was what adults did. With her husband, Wayne, Monica runs Small Potatoes Farm near Paonia. Monica is the past Chair of WORC.
Western Native Voice
Johnel Barcus – Johnel is a Native American Studies Professor at Montana State University in Billings, Montana. She is also the owner and lead principle investigator of Sage Quest Consulting, a research, educational, and development firm. She has worked in the development of Indian Country through her business for over 20 years. Johnel was born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe. Dr. Barcus received a Doctorate of Education from Montana State University in 1997 in adult, community and higher education.
Pat Smith – Pat holds an undergraduate degree in history and political science and a juris doctor degree from the University of Montana. His law practice specialized in Indian law where he represented Indian tribes for 31 years. In 2013, he was appointed by Montana Governor Steve Bullock to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and also to represent Montana on the Columbia River Treaty's Sovereign Review Team. He is an enrolled member of the Assiniboine Tribe on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, where his family has operated a wheat farm. He and his wife Michelle live near Missoula, Montana.


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The Adventures of Oee, our Elf
Oee has been with our family three years now. He comes on Thanksgiving and leaves the day we leave for Florida, which isn't quite Christmas Day. Here's what he's been up to this year. Check back daily to see where we found Oee each day!
November 09, 2011- Came and left note for the kids. Either he had an elf friend with him or he set Mommy's camera with the timer so we could see him writing the note.
November 24, 2011- Oee arrives bringing with him his book to share. Monster wrote him a note to take back with him when he takes his book back at night.
November 25, 2011- Oee was discovered "hanging out" on the blinds by the window in the dining room.
November 26, 2011- Oee took a ride on our stuffed animal Max.
November 27, 2011- Who's that hiding in the tree?! Monster commented, "Great job hiding today, Oee!"
November 28, 2011- "I think Oee's going to get stuck in there, Mommy"
November 29, 2011- Oee has been found peeking out from behind a picture on the highest shelf in the play room.
November 30, 2011- Spreading some love to Mr. Snowman.
December 1, 2011- Oh where, oh where could he be? "Mom, how can he see me from in there?" And the wise Mother replies, "He's magic. He doesn't have to see you to know what you're doing".
December 2, 2011- Oee made his first ever appearance in Monster's room. That way he could see how many times Monster was put in time out.
December 3, 2011- Oee moved over to Sunshine's room. It took the kids most of the morning to find him in there. Guess they never expected Oee to check up on Sunshine's trips to time out.
December 4, 2011- Oee is getting pretty tricky. It took Mommy to find Oee this morning and point him out to Daddy before leading the kids in the right direction.
December 5, 2011- We found Oee hiding in Santa's hat! He also left Monster a note letting him know he delivered Monster's letter to Santa.
December 6, 2011- Shh...Oee is napping. Guess he had a long night.
December 7, 2011- Oee was found hanging out on top of the fridge.
December 7 after the kids went to bed...... that darn elf...
December 8, 2011- Last year when Oee was in the same spot, Sunshine thought it looked like he was using the potty. This year it was more clear to hear that he was not.
December 9, 2011- Oee left a note on the computer telling the kids to remind Mommy to tape the special Elf on the Shelf show that's on CBS tonight. So, it wasn't too difficult to figure out that Oee must have been hiding in the computer room.
December 10, 2011- Apparently Oee and our stuffed animal, Max, are good friends. This is the second time they've been hanging out together.
December 11, 2011- I guess Oee feels Mommy and Daddy need a little supervision, too. He was found in their room.
December 12, 2011- Argh, Matey! Looks like Oee made friends with our paper pirate.
December 13, 2011- Oee is welcoming the Irish Step Dancer into our house.
December 14, 2011- Each of the kids accidently found Oee, at separate times. Neither could find him because he wasn't up high. Then, they stumbled upon him by accident. Monster was very worried Sunshine would open the cabinet door and touch him. She didn't.
December 15, 2011- Looks like Oee found some friends to hang out with.
December 16, 2011-- Oee was trying to get tricky here. You can't see him from one angle, but can from another. The kids found him right away. You can't seem to trick these kids!
December 17, 2011-- Oee was spotted hiding on top of the kitchen cabinets. Maybe to remind Mommy to clean up there?
December 18, 2011-- Maybe Oee wanted to see if the doorbell switch really worked that Husband put in. It does Oee. If you push the button in, it connects the doorbell. Button out, it's disconnected.
December 19, 2011-- Oee is enjoying the bright, SUMMERY flowers.
December 20, 2011- It seems as though Santa is disappointed with the kids' behavior lately. Oee had to leave a note on the computer letting them know they had better start listening better. In fact, he then sat right above the computer to make sure the kids saw the note.
December 21, 2011- Still not convinced the children's behavior was up to par, Oee was found hiding behind Mommy's Thomas Kinkade. Most likely as to not show the disappointment on his face.
December 22, 2011- Oee left the kids another note telling them he was much happier with their behavior yesterday and to keep it up. He also told them it was great being their Scout Elf and he can't wait to come back next year.
Bye-bye for 2011, Oee! We'll see you on Thanksgiving in 2012!
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May 2020


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Shanghai carbon exchange aids first custody contract to build trade
[BEIJING] The Shanghai Environment and Energy Exchange announced its first "custody contract" on Thursday, allowing a brokerage to borrow permits from a local company and trade them, in a bid to inject liquidity in a depressed market.
China's government will launch a nationwide carbon trading market next year and is working on plans to harmonise the seven existing pilot markets, but it remains unclear how many of the existing local exchanges will survive the transition.
They are now scrambling to stay in business by offering a range of other financial tools, including buy-back contracts, loans using permits as collateral, permit-credit swaps and forward contracts negotiated over the counter.
Under the custody contract, Wujing Thermal Power Plant, a subsidiary of the State Power Investment Corporation, one of China's biggest power firms, transferred 2 million permits to Carbon Trading Capital. The Shanghai exchange carried out the transfer and did a risk evaluation of both parties ahead of the contract signing.
Wujing will receive an agreed share of any carbon-trading profits and will see the full amount of permits returned to it in May in order to comply with its emission targets.
Capital is a brokerage firm registered with all seven of the country's regional exchanges. The permits are nearly 4 per cent of Wujing Thermal's annual amount. "Shanghai regulators gave the approval to intermediaries with capital and credibility to provide financial services to industries with little trading experience," said Kou Weiwei, China director at Carbon Trading.
According to the rules, borrowers have to pay a 30 per cent margin as a risk deposit. Mr Kou said the deal is risk-free since Shanghai is supporting the banking of older local permits that the Chinese government will convert for use in the national market in 2017.
Liquidity in the Shanghai exchange has declined after local factories closed and dumped their permits on the market, causing a glut. No permits have traded since early September when the permit price fell close to a near-historical low of 13.4 yuan. "We think the decline mirrored fundamentals and it is good the government stepped back," said Mr Kou, but she said the market was still unable to send sound price signals because fluctuations could be triggered by a small number of companies.
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Occasionally there's an piece of writing and thinking so full of interesting, smart, provocative thoughts that my screen is pretty much covered with highlighter.
'Web Design – the first 100 years', is such a piece. Why not click on the link, have a read, then come back here and let's have a chat about it, OK? There's a brief summary at the bottom of this post in case you can't bear to leave this page.
You *could* skip the history of aviation if you wanted to, but it's both fun and interesting, so you might as well read the whole thing.
Done? Oh you want to reread the bit about the experience of exponential growth leading us to discount the present? Can't blame you.
OK, so that was pretty good and interesting, right? Maciej Ceglowski is talking to an audience of web designers, but reading the piece it struck me that much of what he says is just as pertinent to the wider digital marketing community. To whit; our habit of discounting the present in favour of the bleeding edge. Our love of gratuitous change. A tendency to add features to turn an idea from good to great, instead of removing features that might simplify the complex.
Maybe Ceglowski's boldest assertion is that the web of 2060 will look pretty much the same as the web of today. Arguably, that might be as good news for us digital creatives as Ceglowski says it is for his design audience.
And that's because a good enough web is a wondrous place for brands to explore and play in. Ceglowski's preferred vision of the web – (to connect knowledge, people and cats) – already 'erases distance between people [and brands] and it puts all of human knowledge at our fingertips'. And, of course, it's all made of cat GIFS. He describes this vision of the Internet as a humble one, saying that 'on a planet of seven billion people and millions of cats, the chance that you are going to be able to think of all the best ideas is zero.' For creatives, this should be fine. We don't need to have all the best ideas – one per brief will do nicely.
The passage that most resonated with me was Ceglowski's articulation of 'exponential despair' – 'a restless sense of excitement we feel that something new may be just around the corner, bringing with it a hopelessness about whatever we are working on now, and a dread that we are missing out on the next big thing.'
There is always a need to fuel a creative agency with the newest thinking and doing out there on the world wild web. The technologies and behaviours that are shifting the paradigm for us and for our clients. But what I've taken from my highlighting of Web Design – the first 100 years is that constantly focussing on the horizon can cause us to wilfully miss the amazing things that are happening, or could be made to happen, right in front of our noses. The right here and the right now is a pretty amazing place to be.
Thanks for reading with me.
*in case you didn't read the piece (and more fool you if that's the case), Ceglowski argues that, like the commercial aviation industry in 1960, the most dramatic transformation in internet technology has already happened. Dazzled by our experience of the last 20 years of exponential growth (Moore's Law) we design for continued transformation at similar rates and scale. So instead of yearning for a techno-utopian future that might never happen we should accept that the web as it is, connecting knowledge, people and cats' is both beautiful and good enough and we should enjoy it and not take it for granted.