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That's the sound my credit card will be making tonight when it pays for the next order from ProChem for Annies Dye Pot.
At least the good news is that I will have a bazillion new colours to play with when the order comes in to land! Yay!
Golden Delicious, Soft Orange, Wedgewood, Old Rose, Kiwi, Iris, Lilac - just to name a few. As well as a re-stocking of my bloody Raspberry, Mulberry, Grape etc.
Hopefully now that Dad's stopped the yo yo-ing between home and hospital I'll have some more time to devote to throwing dye at cloth. I have missed it so bloody much.
Love working with paper, love working with fabric most of all!


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Remigius de Souza
Sr. Alice, SMMI, a Keralite nun, left India some years ago for Papua New Guinea to serve the tribal for rest of her life.
She told us a tribal custom there. On Easter two rival and fighting groups reconcile and unite. Each of the rival groups carries a half cross and reaches the Church and combines the half with other half in reconciliation. That's Tribal Wisdom.
The benevolent and the do-gooders of civilised societies may wish to give the tribal their ways of life. I have met many such people who refuse learn from the tribal, and who think they are superior culture. But who will civilise the civilised world of constant conflict and chaos?
© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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Only Human
Happy Weekend TAY and a Happy Father's Day weekend to all the dads out there.
Whew! What a week. My kid's exam-psycho teacher has gone into overdrive as the end of the school year approaches. We had a busy week of studying on top of all the other weekly commitments, so I am looking forward to a quiet weekend and a trip to Five Guys for my Father's Day meal.
I didn't have a lot of time to game last week, but I did manage to gain a little progress with Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut.
What a brilliant game. I had forgotten how much I truly enjoyed Human Revolution the first time I played it and the Director's Cut is the icing on the already delicious cake.
Gone are the ugly yellow outlines on objects that you can interact with. I found this highlight option (and the lack of the ability to turn it off in the original game) broke the immersion. In the Director's Cut, I now enjoy having to actually investigate a room instead of just making a beeline to the nearest yellow-outlined object. You can, of course, turn these outlines back on if you choose but the fact that they are off by default gives great insight about the player feedback to the developers (and kudos to the devs for listening to this feedback).
The changes to the bosses are the biggest improvement. As someone who tends to focus on hacking and stealth, the original format of the boss fights was a pain in the ass. In the vanilla Human Revolution, the only real option to fight the bosses was a knockdown shooting match. If you didn't put many skill points into weapons and physical defense, then these bosses became significantly overpowered and tough for some players to deal with. The inclusion of a hacking option for these battles in the Director's Cut is a welcome addition and it is wonderfully integrated without feeling the least bit tacked-on.
I'm having an absolute blast with Human Revolution, it is one of those games that gets me jonesing for it when I'm not playing. I'm definitely looking forward to more of it this weekend.
I caved and bought Horizon: Zero Dawn and Uncharted 4 during Sony's E3 sale (
thank you curse you Spikespeigel for drawing my attention to the bargains), so I'll have a pile of amazing stuff to play when I finish with Human Revolution.
So, what are you playing this weekend?
[Request: Could someone volunteer to fill in for me in two weeks (the weekend of July 1st)? I have a family wedding to travel to...on Canada Day...Canada's 150th birthday...likely one of the busiest times ever to travel...yay. Thanks!]


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Mastering Symfony
In this book, you will learn some lesser known aspects of development with Symfony, and you will see how to use Symfony as a framework to create reliable and effective applications. You might have developed some impressive PHP libraries in other projects, but what is the point when your library is tied to one particular project? With Symfony, you can turn your code into a service and reuse it in other projects.
This book starts with Symfony concepts such as bundles, routing, twig, doctrine, and more, taking you through the request/response life cycle. You will then proceed to set up development, test, and deployment environments in AWS. Then you will create reliable projects using Behat and Mink, and design business logic, cover authentication, and authorization steps in a security checking process. You will be walked through concepts such as DependencyInjection, service containers, and services, and go through steps to create customized commands for Symfony's console. Finally, the book covers performance optimization and the use of Varnish and Memcached in our project, and you are treated with the creation of database agnostic bundles and best practices.
|Page Count
|Course Length
|8 hours 42 minutes
|Date Of Publication
|25 Apr 2016


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Sad but true. A few years ago, a teenager from Anhui, one of China's poorest provinces, sold his kidney to buy an I-Phone. This tragic incident was recalled by Dr Jack Linchuan Qiu, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong speaking at our office recently.
There are over 2.6 billion smartphone subscriptions globally, likely to go up to 6.1 billion by 2020. What is concerning is that fact that on an average people spend over 4 hours a day on their smartphones. Dr Qiu feels world's addiction to iPhones and other smartphones/devices has created a generation of iSlaves. His recent book "Good Bye I Slave" is on this topic.
For me, Smart phone usage is a behavioural issue that needs attention. Much has been written about its adverse effects on health (not just on adults but children as well) productivity and relationships.
How can you know if you are a smart phone-addict? You are if do one or more of the following:
– You look at your phone first thing in the morning when you get up.
– You take the phone with you to the toilet.
– You check your messages or speak on the phone while having meals.
It may not be difficult to change these habits. If you do that, it will be a good beginning. It is also not a good idea to be on a large number of social networks and groups such as WhatsApp. You end up being flooded with messages and most of them are useless forwarded messages that keep doing the rounds.
The biggest problem, however, is that excessive use of smartphone does not allow us to enjoy our present moment or focus on the person we are with. I had written in one of my earlier posts about make the-best- of -now attitude. Indeed, the most important person is the one we are with, in a given moment. So, don't let your phone snatch away that moment from you. Switch it off from time to time. It is a smart thing to do! This alone will decide who is smarter: you or your phone.


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Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Lamps made from deer antlers? You gotta be kidding me!
By Fire Chief Stella Griffin
from the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries
By J.J. Cook
Okay. I admit to being a city girl. I'm not ashamed of it. I was born and raised in Chicago. I'm a third generation firefighter. I know my way around city streets and I don't have a car. I take the bus or the train like normal people. My cell phone always works.
At least until I came to Sweet Pepper, Tennessee. Now I live in a log cabin with a ghost and all of the lights have deer antlers on them. And my cell phone NEVER works!
I don't understand the deer antler decor. There is even a deer antler rack to hang cups on. I don't know if they're REAL deer antlers or fake ones. I don't want to think about it either.
I live on top of a mountain where I have bear-proof trashcans and scorpions. I didn't like cockroaches but the thought of scorpions makes me shudder. Oh, and there's snakes too. Ugh!
Still there are some perks to the job. I have great views of the Smoky Mountains from my deck in back overlooking the Little Pigeon River.
People from Sweet Pepper act like I'm the best thing since sliced bread. And I get to be chief, even if it is over a band of men and women who know absolutely nothing about firefighting. At least they're hard workers. They take time from their families and their jobs almost every day to practice or help their neighbors taking calls. No one pays them to be there. They are that loyal and dedicated.
Now if they could learn to hold a hose on a fire!
And the ghost? Well, we're trying to work out our differences. It's not easy living with a man who can vanish and walk through walls. It's kind of creepy not being sure where he is when I'm dressing and showering, even if he's been dead 40 years.
I've learned a lot about nature from Eric, the ghost. I know that those things that swoop down on you at night on the deck are bats. And those chirpy noises are crickets (or frogs, not sure which). Deer run into the road most during mating season in late fall/early spring so you should watch for their eyes gleaming on the side of the road.
It's going to be strange going back to Chicago when all of this is over. I know Chicago is my home. My job and my family are there. But I'm going to miss this place too.
That Old Flame of Mine
By J.J. Cook
From the Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mysteries
Read an excerpt at
Coming April 2013
8 comments:
We could use your expertise in Elderberry Bay!ReplyDelete
I'm curious, is this a volunteer fire office? Why is Stella there? Oh, I guess I'll have to read all about it.ReplyDelete
Dru, even when you have a volunteer firefighting group, there is usually a paid chief. This is for the expertise the chief brings to the job as well as making sure the group meets the strict state guidelines. In this case, they also needed me to get the group going. The county backed out handling calls to Sweet Pepper. There was no one to train the recruits, except the ghost, and he doesn't count!ReplyDelete
When I think of lamps attached to deer antlers, I picture deer walking around at night with miner's hats on. And if they did that, would it mean they would have that deer in the headlights look for one another?ReplyDelete
One of my mother Fresca's neighbors runs a company making antler lighting. Very popular with decorators and the second-home set who love "the Montana look." Most are natural sheds from whitetail or mule deer -- elk and moose are harder to find, and much more valuable. But yeah, you probably didn't see much of that in Chicago!ReplyDelete
That is one thing I don't like looking at too. My father is a hunter, and he has some bits of skull with small antlers on his wall. Lucky for you it is only temporary. You could wrap some shawls around them.ReplyDelete
I've seen a lot of log cabins with MOSTLY deer antler items. From chandeliers to lamps, dining table centerpieces and more.ReplyDelete


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Kora Jade - Private Escort
QLD Brisbane & Gold Coast CBD Yes
25 172cm 6 (True to Size) 32 DD
Silky Long Caramel Blonde Hazel
BRISBANE/GOLD COAST PRIVATE ESCORT - Kora Jade
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BRISBANE & GOLD COAST BASED: Kora is currently taking Bookings for Brisbane & Gold Coast, unless touring below.
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About Me
Welcome to my decadent and indulgent world, open to the most distinguished gentlemen to enjoy the wonders and pleasures therein.ZOO MAGAZINE 2015PENTHOUSE BLACK LABEL COVER GIRL 2017 MISS SEPTEMBERPENTHOUSE AUSTRALIA SEX AND MONEY ISSUE 2017PEOPLE MAGAZINE COVER STORY "AUSTRALIA'S HOTTEST SEXPERT" 20172017 AUSTRALIAN ADULT INDUSTRY AWARDS NOMINEEPENTHOUSE AUSTRALIA AUTUMN BEAUTY ISSUE 2018
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Eric Genuis: Concerts for Hope - Moss Vale Parish
"His music captures the best in classical style while having a definite modern touch. It is truly unique! Thousands have been moved by Eric's music and this tour promises to be an unbelievable experience for all who attend" - Fr Mark.
Fr Mark De Battista is coordinating Eric's concerts in the region and will be inviting parishes to host their own Eric Genuis Concert. "Eric's concerts are full of hope in a time of uncertainty, particularly for so many of our youth. Through the dynamism of his music he gives a message that life is worth living, and through hope in God we can find strength and vision to overcome obstacles and reach our potential.
Saint Paul's Parish Catholic Church, Moss Vale
24 Garrett St, Moss Vale, NSW 2577
Contact Details
This event is currently closed and no contact details are available


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Are Walmart's Eco-Efforts Enough? Balancing Sustainability & Social Responsibility at America's Largest Retailer
Image: CrunchGear
Walmart has been in the sustainability spotlight over the last few years, both for implementing its own efficiency measures and for raising the bar for industry at large. Some view these initiatives with skepticism because the company has had a less-than-stellar reputation in other areas, like labor rights and disruption of local economies. So for perspective, here's a (long) look at both sides of the issue, which is far from black and white. Let's start with the most recent announcement, the retailer's efforts to promote healthy foods. It includes some impressive and lofty goals: reformulate thousands of packaged foods to contain less sodium, sugar, and trans fats, lower the prices of healthier food choices like fruits and vegetables, create a packaging label with "strong criteria" to help customers identify healthy foods, build stores in underserved communities to combat food deserts, and increase charitable support for nutrition programs.
Undeniably, all of these address what have become urgent issues in this country. But is Walmart's plan made of workable solutions? Some aren't so sure.
One reaction to the front-of-package label is that, by establishing its own criteria, Walmart is trying to stay ahead of the regulatory process. It's not just Walmart—the New York Times reported recently on industry-wide efforts to "influence the F.D.A.'s continuing effort to establish voluntary guidelines for front-of-package labeling." But in that context, a label based on Walmart's own criteria does raise suspicion.
Here's what Marion Nestle had to say about the company's lofty goals for promoting healthier foods:
The idea that Walmart is going to do its own front-of-package label to identify those products is particularly annoying. They are doing this just when the Institute of Medicine and FDA are trying to establish research-based criteria for front-of-package labels. So here is one more company trying to preempt FDA regulations.
Michele Simon had this comment on Appetite for Profit:
1) Here's an alternative scenario: Congress holds hearings (you know, in public) on how the entire food industry should be changing its ways with enforceable, meaningful laws that apply to everyone, not just Walmart.
2) Why not wait until Walmart has actually accomplished something to give them credit? Any company can promise something. And we have plenty of examples of other food companies making promises that weren't kept.
The company was reported to be taking a similar approach to chemical formulations of products by establishing its own screening process (self-regulation) rather than relying on a federal agency to take care of the regulatory processes. John has covered this for TreeHugger:
It puts Walmart, its suppliers, a little known software developer, and self-selected NGO confidants - not the Federal government - in the business of 'regulating' formulation choices. Thus, Walmart's program, while very well intended, surely, operates beyond the legally defined mandates of EPA and FDA. It puts EDF and whomever else joins Walmart at the table in the role of oversight body.
Image: eatdrinkbetter.com
Regarding the nutritional improvements Walmart is planning for packaged foods, Marion Nestle added: "a better-for-you processed food is not necessarily a good choice."
As for opening stores in underserved areas, a recent study showing that obesity rates go up when a Walmart comes to town doesn't make the fight against food deserts a real promising goal. Quite the opposite, actually. (Not that it's fair, as the study makes clear, to assume the relationship is one of cause and effect. But the pattern is a valid concern regardless.)
Questions over Walmart's supply chain
Self-regulation seems to be a trend here. An investigation in Bolivia showed a different picture of Walmart's Love, Earth jewelry line than the talk of responsible and sustainable practices promoted by the company. The investigation found that factory workers received low wages, strip searches, were not provided dust masks, and faced pressure to finish their work quickly or lose their jobs.
Walmart responded to the story by conducting an investigation into the conditions described in the article. The investigation, conducted by an internal auditor, was "unable to substantiate the allegations."
Poor labor practices are what Walmart is most notorious for, and the retailer (which would be "China's fifth-largest export market, ahead of Germany and Great Britain," if it were a country, according to Ted C. Fishman in his book on China) has been accused of all of the following, from Jordan to India to Bangladesh to China: forcing people to work overtime, locking bathrooms in factories, paying inadequate wages, requiring workers to take pregnancy tests, denying access to healthcare, and firing (sometimes blacklisting) workers for trying to defend their rights.
The National Labor Committee reports this quote from a Bangladeshi factory owner:
"A few years back, I told Wal-Mart, 'Give me one cents more a piece, one cents. I will use that money for these poor people.' He says, 'No, give us two cents less.'"
Employee treatment
Walmart has long been known for being anti-union. Jim Hightower reported several years ago: "'While unions might be appropriate for other companies, they have no place at Wal-Mart,' a spokeswoman told a Texas Observer reporter who was covering an NLRB hearing on the company's manhandling of 11 meat cutters who worked at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Jacksonville, Texas."
Walmart has also been accused of illegal political activism, sometimes intimidating employees to vote for the political party of its choice (in the last presidential election, that meant against Obama).
Walmart has been sued for both gender and disability discrimination time and again, and has been cited for more than 1,400 violations of child labor laws in Maine alone.
And the company has a long history of not treating its in-store employees well—for a long time because it defined full-time as 28 to 34 hours a week, and has been criticized for shifting some full-time employees to part-time status, which limits health insurance coverage. The Washington Post reported, "The new benefit plan for "Peak-Time" workers -- Wal-Mart's name for part-timers -- also shortens the waiting period for part-time employees to obtain coverage to one year from two years. But the plan will be unaffordable for workers who are moved from full-time wages to part-time."
Which brings us to...
Public money
Image: Walmart Subsidy Watch
A study by the UC Berkeley Labor Center found: "Wal-Mart workers earn 31 percent less than the average for workers at large retail companies and require 39 percent more in public assistance."
Walmart Subsidy Watch, a project of Good Jobs First, compiles information about Walmart's use of public money, including "more than $1.2 billion in tax breaks, free land, infrastructure assistance, low-cost financing and outright grants from state and local governments around the country," as well as about the healthcare costs of employees who turn to programs like Medicaid because they don't get health coverage with their jobs. It's worth a look to see subsidies broken down by region, size, or category.
Good Jobs First also has a map allowing you to look up the benefits Walmart has received in each state. For example, in Colorado, where I live, "at least 4 Wal-Mart locations have received subsidies worth about $8.8 million; at least 9 Wal-Mart locations in Colorado have challenged their property tax assessment, recouping about $718,000; many Wal-Mart workers are ineligible for health coverage from their employer or choose not to purchase what is available, because it is too expensive or too limited in scope; [and] Wal-Mart receives about $3.6 million a year from a state policy that allows retailers to keep a portion of the sales tax they collect from customers."
Walmart has also profited from renewable energy credits without having to touch a solar panel or wind turbine. In 2009, Walmart paid $22.6 million in cash for the right to claim $33.6 million in energy tax credits, yielding a profit of $11 million.
Impact on communities
Image: SaveOurSmallTown.com
Controversy is almost inevitable whenever Walmart starts planning to open a new store, from New York City to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where Walmart recently abandoned plans to build a supercenter on a Civil War battlefield.
Debates surface for many reasons: small businesses have a reputation for being crushed when Walmart comes to town, and a study published in Social Science Quarterly found that poverty actually increases in communities that have Walmart stores, or at least hinders individual families' ability to move out of poverty:
After controlling for other factors that influence poverty rates, the study found that U.S. counties that had more Wal-Mart stores in 1987 had a higher poverty rate in 1999 than did counties that started the period with fewer or no Wal-Mart stores. The study also found that counties that added Wal-Mart stores between 1987 and 1998 experienced higher poverty rates and greater usage of food stamps than counties whereWal-Mart did not build, all other things being equal.
Increased crime rates have also been found near Walmart stores. One study of 551 stores found the average rate of reported police incidents for each Walmart was 400 to 1000 percent higher than the rate for the nearest Target, six times higher for serious and violent crime, and that the cost to taxpayers for police responses to incidents near Walmart stores is $77 million annually.
The negative impact on community-owned businesses is one of the most common sources of opposition to Walmart. Individual stores are often driven out of business, and local employment rates generally are affected: one study found that on average, when a Walmart opens, county-level retail employment drops by 150 jobs. In plainer terms, that means that for every new retail job created by Walmart, 1.4 jobs are lost "as existing businesses downsize or close," and the overall health of the local economy takes a hit.
Local property values also tend to drop, and noise and light pollution go up. So does traffic, which means carbon emissions. The store has also been encouraging drive-through shopping, which isn't necessarily a step toward sustainability.
Predatory Pricing
One toy industry blog (nothing to sneeze at: Walmart is reported to sell one out of five toys bought in America) had this to say about the effects of predatory pricing:
forces other retailers to also sell at a loss, OR cancel orders for that promotable product because they cannot compete with the artificially low price that has been set. The end result is that the toys will ultimately sell fewer units because Walmart will be the only game in town selling it. The toy manufacturers and even the inventors suffer.
And on low prices, one of the driving forces of its success: Walmart was found late last year to be raising prices, in some cases by more than 60 percent.
Sustainability Index
Walmart's sustainability index was announced a few years ago to much fanfare and had ambitious goals, starting with a detailed questionnaire of all suppliers—but we are yet to see at least most of the goals realized (or progress towards them).
Green business writer Joel Makower explains:
Walmart says it is using the answers to better understand suppliers, but it is not creating ratings, rankings, or other comparative measures, even for internal use. To my knowledge, not a single supplier has been dropped because of its answers, or lack thereof, to the questionnaire. There is no evidence that supplier responses have led any of Walmart's buyers to alter their purchasing practices...
The product-level scrutiny has been equally slow-going. Predictably, there's a certain amount of jockeying going on by members to ensure their interests are being addressed -- for example, that the metrics used to judge products favor their companies. There's a sense of frustration among some members that the Consortium, run by academics from the University of Arkansas and Arizona State University, lacks the management skills to herd all of the corporate cats.
Walmart had this to say about PVC, which it originally wanted to eliminate in packaging by 2007:
In 2007, we realized we would not be able to meet our goal to eliminate PVC from our private brand packaging. However, we are making progress by: continuing to look for alternatives to PVC.
Except for meat and metal can sealants, for which they "are unable to find suitable replacements for PVC." They also said they were converting PVC clamshells and windows in packaging to PET.
The really promising thing about Walmart shifting toward more sustainable practices is that it is likely to drive similar changes industrywide. The sheer volume that Walmart sells also means an immediate impact when it comes to things like reduced and greener packaging, increased efficiency in how products on the shelves were produced and transported, etc.
But perhaps because it is such an industry leader, there are certain things it could be aiming a little higher on. Green packaging, for example. Here's Beth Terry, expert on plastic-free living, on the store's efforts to reduce packaging by 5 percent by 2013: "5% is not enough. And switching from PVC to PET is not enough."
Terry also touches on the packaging being recyclable—a word that does a real disservice to sustainability discussions—"Labeling packaging as recyclable is not good enough if there are no markets or recycling facilities to handle the packaging waste."
And for all the talk about green practices, there have also been cases of blatant disregard for the environment, for example when it paid fines for Clean Water Act violations and poor safety practices in 2004. That was long enough ago for the company to be forgiven if it has since cleaned up its act (no comment here one way or another), but it's certainly reason to, at best, look on with caution.
The Good Stuff
Image: Metrolic.com
None of this is meant to diminish any of the sustainability initiatives that Walmart has taken the lead on in recent years.
The retailer announced an ambitious goal last year, which Mat wrote about for TreeHugger: to reduce "the greenhouse gas emissions from the lifecycle of its products by 20 million metric tons (22 million US tons) by 2015--a figure roughly equal to the company's current annual emissions, and about one and a half times the company's projected carbon footprint growth in the same time period."
The company took the step years ago to work with the Rocky Mountain Institute on improving the efficiency of its truck fleet, which has since adopted a range of trucks from a dual-mode diesel-electric hybrid to reclaimed grease fuel trucks.
Walmart stocks a Home Efficiency Center with CFL and LED lightbulbs, efficient appliances, Energy Star appliances, and dual-flush toilets. The aisle started out in 9 California-based Sam's Clubs in 2008--now it's in all of them.
Clean energy and green roofs
Walmart has solar panels installed at more than 30 locations, and has experimented with a green roof in Chicago.
Green design
Despite the earlier criticisms of the steps taken toward green packaging, they're still important steps. Walmart held a design challenge in 2008, which HP won for innovative notebook packaging that eliminated 97 percent of it while conserving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions.
Walmart introduced evaluations for electronics in 2007, a packaging scorecard in 2006 to rate manufacturers on categories such as raw material use, recycled content and greenhouse gas emissions, and in 2009 it promised to reduce, recycle or reuse everything that comes into its 4,100 U.S. stores by 2025. We'll see how serious they get in achieving that goal—but in the meantime, in a country where zero-waste isn't exactly a household term, it's significant that the largest retailer is putting it on the agenda.
Some WalMart stores have captured waste heat from their refrigeration systems and used it for hot water in bathroom and kitchen areas. According to WalMart, "approximately 70 percent of the hot water needs for Walmart Supercenters, Sam's Clubs and Neighborhood Markets are generated this way, saving enough energy to provide hot water for more than 30,000 U.S. homes."
In the last year, they've launched initiatives to boost support of small farmers and local produce and to help food banks go green. And not just 'changing their light bulbs' green—although those will be changed, too. With the Walmart grants, the food banks will also be able to improve their heating and air conditioning equipment and refrigeration appliances—and potentially waste less food in the process.
More on Walmart:
WalMart: 20 Million Tons of Carbon Emissions Down, Many Human Rights To Go..
Wal-Mart: The Next Steps Toward Sustainability
Walmart's Newest Sustainability Initiative Focuses on Local Produce, Small Farmers
Walmart Gives $2 Million to Help Food Banks Go Green
Walmart Announces Plan to Promote Healthy Foods


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Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen is situated in CN, Xian, No.5 Huancheng Road (E), Zipcode: 710048, Hotel coordinates: 34.3667 and 109.212Facilities:
Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen has 1 rooms with great views and excellent room service. There are 1 floors where you can spend your time. Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen has the best room security offering you Electronic Room keys. If you are a business man, and if you always take your job with you, Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen is equiped with special meeting rooms where you can take all your work. All rooms in Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen are equipped with latest Air Conditioners, that make the air fresh in any weather.
You are here because you are looking for discounts hotels reservation in Xiankou. Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen is one of the best hotel in Xiankou, Shaanxi Sheng and even in such states like Sichuan Sheng, Chongqing Shi, Shaanxi Sheng, Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu, Hebei Sheng, Shanxi Sheng. If you go to Xiankou alone and first time Xiankou interactive, printable map will be your travel guide. It will show you the road from airport or trainstation to Jinjiang Inn Xi'an Jianguomen or way from the hotel to the neighbouring cities: Jinchiyuan, Ho-shang-yuan, HsĂĽeh-feng-chen, Chou-chia-wan, Lindicun, Chunshuzhuangzhan etc. from trusted booking service.
Copyright © 2020 Coronavirus World map


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In a story from ComputerWorld, the increased attacks occurring on older Windows versions was put forth by Symantec, no doubt hoping to increase the sales of their products, but I wonder if this might not be a coordinated effort.
Why? Because it's possible, and Microsoft wants the very biggest of wins with the upcoming Windows 7.
Another story, just yesterday on blorge, a lesser known tech site, has another story from Symantec, giving a lengthy story about free antivirus solutions not being enough protection, and talks about all the ways in which the user's system can be attacked. Oh, and from the savaging that Microsoft Security Essentials gets, it is clear that I was wrong about a coordinated effort from Symantec and Microsoft – they each have their reasons for wanting customers to buy a newer OS, anything other than that is pure coincidence.
The story is one of those that has just enough truth to ring true to the partially informed. Those uninformed or partly informed will become part of the sheeple that companies like Symantec depend upon for the huge revenues they generate.
There is no doubt that some free solutions are better than others, and that no antivirus is a complete solution. If the intelligent user does his homework, and secures his machine using the proper components, chances are very, very low that problems will be encountered.
While the proper components change from time to time, to get the best results, it is not a daily struggle. But the cost of free protection is vigilance. When a story comes of a new attack by way of some other program, or add-in, it is wise to discontinue usage of that piece of software, until such time as a fix is delivered. recent problems with Adobe Reader are a good example.
I use Windows XP on most of my machines, and have no problems with anything. Part of the reason is because I don't do stupid things, but a very large part is that I use either Avira Antivirus or AVG Antivirus (for those who open unknown attachments delivered by e-mail, I suggest AVG, as Avira doesn't scan e-mails, but any viruses should be caught by the resident portion of Avira – still, prevention is always better than rescue!). I use Comodo Firewall, which is updated often, and has a feature that functions well above that of a firewall, called HIPS+. It functions well as an antimalware solution, so I don't run one.
With the antivirus updated at least daily, and the firewall updated when necessary, I have zero problems. I don't believe that there is a much higher level protection needed for most people's uses. While a paid solution for an antivirus might be necessary for those who do high risk things, such as download pirated software from torrents, or suspicious sites, it is really not necessary for most. The best free solutions do a magnificent job of protecting, we should all send thanks to the providers who do much for the safety of our systems.
I will, as I've stated before, buy at least one copy of Windows 7, but I feel no compulsion to change other systems of mine that run Windows XP, because of feature or safety concerns.
Quote of the day:
All things are difficult before they are easy. – Dr. Thomas Fuller
Using a browser that is more secure than Internet Exploder is also a way to achieve a greater level of security … I suggest Opera!


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Scottish construction firms have grown at a slower rate than their counterparts south of the border in the last three years, according to new figures.
Factors including rising costs, challenges in securing high margin work and difficulties accessing lending are being blamed for the comparatively poor performance.
A report by accountants Henderson Loggie analysed accounts from 1,708 construction companies across Great Britain, including 157 Scottish companies.
GB-wide turnover at firms in the sector has increased by 14.8% on average over the past three years but only by 8.4% for Scottish firms.
Scottish companies with turnover of less than £100m have seen an average pre-tax profit fall of 19.2% and those with a turnover of between £5m and £10m show a 66.6% reduction in profit before tax over the last three years, compared to a 5.3% increase nationally.
MEICA Supervisor required in Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire area (Mill Hill, London, UK) https://t.co/KQA5Fzr1sg— Construction Jobs (@Construct_job) October 29, 2018
"Proactive management and early intervention is key to recovery when times get tough. Bolstering management reporting in order to know the true cash position of the company is as important for smaller companies as it is for construction giants."


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Été 1932, Robes d'Après-midi et Tea Gowns
- Object:
Fashion design
- Place of origin:
Paris (designed)
- Date:
early 1932 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Worth (designers)
- Materials and Techniques:
pencil, pen and ink and watercolour
- Credit Line:
Given by the House of Worth
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C, case 96, shelf C, box 164
Physical description
1 of 66 designs for afternoon dresses and tea gowns for Summer 1932, mounted in volume. Pencil, pen and ink and watercolour
Place of Origin
Paris (designed)
early 1932 (made)
Worth (designers)
Materials and Techniques
pencil, pen and ink and watercolour
Height: 25 cm, Width: 14 cm
Descriptive line
House of Worth. Design for an afternoon dress or tea gown for Summer 1932.
Worth Collection, Été, 1932, Robes d'Après-midi et Tea Gowns.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings Accessions 1957-1958 London: HMSO, 1964
Pencil; Pen and ink; Watercolour
Watercolour drawing
Fashion; Designs; Day wear
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection


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One day before Nokia is due to announce its next set of quarterly results, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has made three announcements: a milestone reached with Series 40 feature phone purchases, and a buyer for its manufacturing plant in Romania, and a re-casting of its quarterly results for the three quarters preceding the one getting reported tomorrow.
Considering it is unlikely that Nokia will have arrested the declines it has been posting in revenues and market share for the past several quarters, the first two news items are more likely being released now to get investors in a good mood before breaking them the less good news tomorrow.
It is also another signal to the public that Nokia is moving swiftly along in its strategy to change up, in the wake of the famous "burning platform" memo sent out by CEO Stephen Elop (pictured) almost a year ago today.
Series 40. Nokia today announced that it had sold its 1.5 billionth Series 40 feature phone. The sale, appropriately enough, was made in Brazil — which, with the rest of the BRIC block, is a market that all big handset makers are sizing up as the next big target for mobile growth.
It was only yesterday that news emerged that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) had hired a person (a Brazilian) to oversee Latin America. The Series 40 operating system is a proprietary OS of Nokia's that is worth watching: earlier this month the company bought Smarterphone to enhance its feature phones, and these devices are being seen by Nokia, Samsung and others as a key ramping-up route to eventual smartphone users.
So much so that RIM's new CEO had to face a question from an analyst on his first day in the job about whether BlackBerry would be considering a similar route to be able to pick up more users in emerging markets. (For the record, Thorsten Heins didn't seem to warm to the idea.)
Nokia definitely wants to highlight its activity in the region of Latin America: in the last quarter (Q3) the company reported that revenues had declined by seven percent to $531 million and unit sales by six percent to 10.9 million devices.
Romania. Meanwhile, another step was completed in Nokia's downsizing strategy, as the company found a buyer for its plant in Romania, closed down in November 2011 as part of its cost-cutting program. The plant had been used to make feature phones, but now it will be used to make home appliances for De'Longhi, the Italian home appliances maker. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it's not clear whether any of Nokia's former employees were included as part of the transfer deal.
Lastly, the re-stated results. As Nokia said that it would, the company has also now published a recast list of figures for financial quarters covering the previous two years. It says that it has done this mainly to account for how it has regrouped its mapping assets, NAVTEQ (NYSE: NVT) with its social location services, which used to be part of Nokia's Devices & Services segment but are now together form a new division, Location & Commerce.
Important to note that these are not re-reported results: for example, Nokia's operating loss for Q3 was still €71 million, no matter how you cut it.
Looking ahead to Thursday. Mobile people will be watching tomorrow's results eagerly, not least because they want to see if Nokia includes some meaningful numbers about early sales of its new Windows Phone 7 smartphones. There has been a lot of dispute about how well these have been going: a report earlier this week indicated that Nokia had shipped 1.3 million Lumia devices, although some back-of-the-napkin analysis from Benedict Evans gave a far lower number for the number of phones that Nokia may have actually sold: between 300,000 and 400,000.
One operator claimed that their stock of Lumia devices, while figures from one retailer in the UK provided to paidContent indicated that Nokia's Lumia 800 — its first WP device in the UK — accounted for only 0.17 percent of sales in its first weeks on sale in the UK.
All of these are problematic in their own way, so hopefully Nokia will put a full stop to some of these question marks tomorrow.


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There was also a great sense of joy as it felt like the right decision had been made. This was a heartfelt bid and London was the athletes' choice. We had support from world champions from across the globe and our presentation demonstrated our passion for the sport – it came through in everybody's speeches.
In some instances money talks, but not here. We dealt with the key issues, emphasised London's strengths – the guaranteed packed stadium, the knowledgeable, passionate fans, the sporting obsession – and outlined what we propose to do with the experience we will gain from hosting the Olympics.
Everyone's performance in the presentation was key. One word, one sentence or phrase of reassurance could sway someone who was a maybe to a yes vote for us. It was an incredible experience.
Jodie Williams was amazing, she spoke very well. There was humour too. Sometimes these events can be very sterile but the IAAF members enjoyed it, they found some of our presentation entertaining. Boris Johnson raised a smile as usual which was great.
We saved the best until last though. During Seb's closing speech the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. He understands what this is all about and believes in it. He's been there, he's an athlete, he's an IAAF council member. He ticks all the boxes. His speech was so emotional.
He got across perfectly that this decision was all about the sport and its future – that is why we've all been here.
I was calm when the announcement was made, but I felt very confident once we had made the presentation. It was a very different experience to when we won the Olympics. It was a very quick decision and it was a resounding win – a great result.
There's no denying though that the day was tense at times. People were tweaking their speeches in the morning. You always hear a few rumours that it's going to be a very close one, you're not sure which way it's going to go. It makes you more tense and has an impact on you but the depth of our feeling for the bid and the importance of us getting the decision kept us focused and calm.
The legacy of winning this vote will be great. Within schools athletics will now have a new focus. The next stars have to emerge from school level and I'm delighted that athletics will become much more of a priority. There are nuggets of talent out there which we need to develop. The world championships in London are there for you.
There was lots of bubbly on Friday night, and we drank a toast to a very successful bid. I've been very proud to have been part of the Olympic campaign for 2012 and, as chairman of the Athlete Commission, this successful bid for 2017. It makes you feel good.


text: Lexus returns to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the world's largest specialist auto show, with another display showcasing the work of top customisers and its latest sports designs.The Japanese automaker makes its its fifth appearance at the show and will be presenting nine cars, three of them special custom models to explore the potential for more extreme styling and performance.Project GS F Sport by Five AxisTroy Sumitomo and Five Axis return to SEMA with a new take on the GS F Sport. Finished in "glacier" white with gray accents, the car sports a body conversion, a custom-built twin-tailpipe exhaust and AirRunner TC-5 air suspension. CT 200h by Five AxisFive Axis has also worked its magic on the CT 200h, focusing on sporty appeal with a body conversion, a JDSU Dark Passage paint finish and a TEIN performance suspension system.The cabin is just as edgy with suede leather seats and a host of technical equipment such as LCD touch screens.IS coupe-cabriolet by VIP Auto SalonVIP Auto Salon has modified many Lexus models in the past and for the 2011 SEMA show it has given the IS coupe-cabriolet a dramatic styling boost with a unqiue paint job and a carbon fibre body kit. PROJECT GS F SPORT: Custom guru's Fixe Axis will present its take on the Lexus GS F sport at the 2011 SEMA show.The vehicle gains a high performance exhaust, lowered springs and F Sport 19-inch full-faced forged alloy wheels. To enchance performance a supercharger kit has been added. Top Stitch has created special seat inserts for the show car, and even the lighting has been customised, with high-intensity discharge fog lights and LED running lights.Lexus F Sport:Lexus focuses on the dramatic styling for its F Sport models at SEMA, with the unveiling the new GS F Sport for the first time. In bid to show that that hybrid power doesn't translate to bland styling, the GS is joined at the show by F Sport versions of the CT 200h and IS coupe-cabriolet and sedan.The Sema will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Centre from November 1, 2011.


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Dharamshala — His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the inauguration of Dudjum Nunnery in Upper Shey on July 26, and as usual, all of the locals and hundreds of school children lined the road side to get a glimpse of him. He was welcomed by Urgyen Rinpoche as he stepped out of the car.
At the threshold of the Nunnery's new temple, His Holiness cut the ribbon, recited prayers of consecration and pushed open the doors indicating the temple's inauguration.
In his introductory speech, Khenpo Tsewang Rinzin described Urgyen Rinpoche's efforts over many years to uphold the teachings of the Buddha, among which were the founding of this nunnery and construction of this assembly hall that were now complete. Expressing deep appreciation of His Holiness's presence, he said that since His Holiness embodies the enlightened deeds of his predecessors, even to hear his name leaves a special imprint for enlightenment.
Urgyen Rinpoche referred to "this excellent occasion when His Holiness has graciously acceded to our request and come here in a kindness that cannot be repaid". He mentioned that 52 nuns presently belonging to the Nunnery, of whom the younger ones attend school and college, while the older ones remain in the Nunnery to do spiritual practice. Rinpoche said that his prime intention is to take care of the nuns' education and health, in the hope, despite limited resources of serving the Dharma and sentient beings. He concluded with prayers for His Holiness's long life.
Nuns, four challenging and four responding, then gave a debate presentation before His Holiness the Dalai Lama, discussing synonyms of existence.
"Here in Shey, Urgyen Rinpoche has worked hard," His Holiness commented as he addressed the congregation. "Not only has he constructed this temple, but he is making provision for the education of these nuns. He has made efforts and local people, supporting him out of devotion, have contributed their help. I really appreciate all that's been done here, which has also included saving the lives of animals. This is in contrast to the great tragedy and obstruction of the teachings of the Buddha that has taken place in Tibet. We all follow the same tradition, but merely praying that the teachings flourish will not achieve that goal.
"To ensure that, we have to know what the teachings are about. The great Indian master Vasubandhu advised that the teachings of the Buddha can be classed as scriptural and experiential. To keep them alive we need both to study and develop experience of them. This means reading the scriptures and applying what we learn by exercising the Three Trainings in ethics, concentration and wisdom—in other words, study and practice. Here in this Nunnery we have nuns keeping their vows, as well as studying logic and debate. The overall purpose of combating negative emotions cannot be done by prayer alone; it requires understanding and wisdom.
"This is why it's important for the nuns here to include logic in their studies. Chinese communists used to say that Buddhism is just a system of blind faith. They dismissed it as a means of exploiting the people. However, if you study and develop a sound understanding of what Buddhism is really about, you'll be able to explain it and answer such challenges."
He advised Urgyen Rinpoche of the need to give the nuns a good grounding in the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. On the basis of that they could turn to Longchenpa's 'Trilogy on Finding Comfort and Ease', followed by his 'Treasury of Philosophical Tenets', which will introduce them to different points of view. To that they can add Longchenpa's 'Treasury of the Mahayana' and 'Treasury of Dharmdhatu'. He picked up the small booklet that had been distributed containing the 'Heart Sutra' or 'Perfection of Wisdom in 25 Lines' and gave a succinct explanation of its contents.
Turning to the nuns, he said, "Study well and you too can become fully qualified teachers. Last December in South India, twenty nuns were awarded Geshe-ma degrees in recognition of their rigorous studies over about twenty years."


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As a middle-aged man it is increasingly important to me to maintain a glowing, healthy complexion. Over the years I have found myself trying out a number of skin products as an alternative to treatments to find that 'glow', however, if truth be told the results have never been totally satisfactory. I kept on applying product after product on my skin, ever hopeful that I would achieve results, which always seemed to elude me. I was then referred to Beautiphi by a friend of mine. From the outset I was impressed as before I was allowed to try any form of product, Stacey went to great lengths to analyse my skin type before referring me to Xcell. So I began applying Xcell Anti-oxidant cleanser, Xcell alive serum, followed by Xcell saturate moisturiser and finally Xcell screen factor every morning, and then with the addition of Xcell Ultimate A, again every night. Within a month of using these Xcell products, I found that every second person I met commented on how well and fresh and healthy I looked, even after a late night out! Having not had any botox or similar treatment for well over a year, I reaslised that I had finally found a product that worked and kept working. Apart from providing me with a healthy young glow to my skin, it has also slowly but surely removed my jowl which is everyone's pet hate. I have since referred the same products to another male friend of mine and I am somewhat blown away by the results I see Xcell have on him, with my own eyes.
Skin care has come along way over the years, and in my opinion, Xcell leads the way. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who really does want to care for their skin.
Bradley J Watson
I have been going to Beautiphi for over 3 years now for Dysport and fillers and couldn't be happier with the result Stacey and her team have achieved with my skin. I had tried every product on the market to iron out the sun damage I have and Stacey said to try Xcell. So after at least 12 months using Flawless, Vit A serum, Saturate and the SPF40 and a Super Jessner peel later I have the skin of a 30 year old and my sun damage has decreased by at least 60%. Stacey is an amazing technician when it comes to Dysport injections and I love the result it has given me. I have recommended Beautiphi to a lot of my friends as I am now getting compliments on how good I am looking and I want the same for them.
Ange Tinker
Stacey and Kathryn
Thank you both for always making me feel welcome. Whether it's a phone call to ask for your advice or an appointment at the clinic, no question seems to be too small and nothing is ever a problem. Arriving at an appointment is like arriving at a friend's house. It is always comfortable and inviting.
Stacey – your levels of communication are impeccable. Your range of knowledge is impressive and you always clearly explain expected outcomes, possible risks and further options/treatments to achieve the best result.
Your passion for your work and willingness to go above and beyond is to be commended. You have a naturally caring nature which is reflected in the way you care for your clients. This has always been appreciated.
Both mum and I can't recommend you enough to friends and family. Thank you for helping me gain greater confidence with my skin.
I am truly grateful for your expertise and knowledge over the past 3 years.
I was recommended the XCell Enzyme Away mask as a post-IPL treatment, to help slough away the dry scaly skin. To my delight, this mask does everything it promises and then some. One 20 minute application left my skin soft bright and smooth, much like an in-salon peel, and continued use has already helped settle breakouts caused by hormones and stress. I have long been a sceptic about the benefits of expensive topical take-home products but this mask really works and is well within budget – I'm sold!


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This is one thing I never really bothered looking into, but have always been unsure of.
punching, kicking, slapping or slashing [is/are] strictly prohibited
That's what I'm trying to determine. Let's say multiple of these specified actions can occur simultaneously. Is it proper to use "is" or "are"?
This is going to be used in a short legal notice.


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Representatives from the EIT and the European Commission met with KIC CEOs at the 5th EIT FORUM held on November 7th in Larnaca, Cyprus.
The forum was kicked-off by an institutional dialogue on the state of play and an update on links and plans with EIT Foundation. Furthermore the group discussed how governance can effectively be streamlined by new working groups and thematic agendas.
The agenda also inlcuded the overall progress on corporate issues as well as a special focus on Task Forces; mainly performance, simplification, communication, marketing and outreach.
The Education and Entrepreneurship agendas were presented and among issues of future interest one could find the EIT Awareness Days planning and the EIT Conferences in Ireland, April 2013 and Lithuania, Autumn 2013.


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by Jim Seabolt
(Climax Springs, Mo.)
I am a retired O/O with more than 4m miles. I pulled about every type of trailer at one time or another. About 3 years ago I sold all of my equipment and retired. I would like to drive one week, off one week. Retirement sux and need to get back in the game.
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Owner Operator Needs a Driver to Share Truck.


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Hi Guys,
I know its been awhile I am super bust with my senior year!! I have not lost intrest with the road I never will. I started to think what can I do more for the road. How can I make it better, this is mine and everybody around me future. As long as I live it will go no where. I want to make the happen I want my kids and grandchildren seee this. It's something I feel stong about and enjoy. Guys please slow down and look around you, I want for you my friends to take the road in as much as you can! In one of my classes I had to make a Magazine cover for a project. My headline story was "Young teen wnats to save the road" I was thinking yes that's true, but what can I do to make it better? I want to start a thing where we pick up trash on route 66? Where does it need the most help. I know I can start in my own little town of Galena KS. I have something up my sleeve….. Do you if there is anybody I get ahold for that? I think that would be good for the commituty and the route. And our family "the road"
The girl with a dream….


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Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend feels he may have to seek a move away from White Hart Lane this summer in search of first team football opportunities.
The 22-year-old spent the second half of last season out on loan with Queens Park Rangers having made just six Premier League appearances for Andre Villas-Boas' side, all of those from the bench.
His spell at Loftus Road was Townsend's ninth loan move away from Spurs in just five years and given the recent arrival of Belgium winger Nacer Chadli, the England U21 international could find first team roles hard to come by once again, leaving the Spurs man with a difficult decision to make in the coming weeks.
"I think I either give it a go at Tottenham, get more game time, or look to move on a more permanent basis," Townsend was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"I've had nine loans now. I enjoy going out on loan because it means I'm playing games. I'm not young anymore - I'm 22. In football terms, I'm getting on a bit and I want to play sustained football on a permanent basis."
Although defender Steven Caulker has left the club for Cardiff City and with Gareth Bale nearing closer to a move to Real Madrid, Tottenham have spent themselves during the transfer window.
The club have today completed the signing of Spanish international Roberto Soldado, the club's third recruit of the summer following the arrivals of Brazilian midfielder Paulinho and former FC Twente star Chadli.
Chadli, whose arrival could prove to have a great bearing on Townsend's future, turned down the opportunity to join Shakhtar Donetsk earlier in the summer in order to get the transfer he wanted, something he has achieved in his move to White Hart Lane.
"I am very pleased to join Tottenham. My goal was to get a good transfer this summer and I got it," Chadli told Spurs TV.
"I had to show a lot of patience, but I'm really happy to join the Spurs. I will do everything to make the club's fans happy."


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lcd monitor
|navigate by keyword : bar barcode blue business cinema code commercial computer computers cpu crystal delicate design desktop display electronic equipment flat flatscreen graphic hertz lcd liquid monitor office plasma prepress price screen silver slim sticker technology tft thin
|LCD Monitor. Include clipping path Lcd monitor marketing concept.
Stockphotos.ro (c) 2020. All stock photos are provided by Dreamstime and are copyrighted by their respective owners.


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Event News
2017 Award Winners
Special thanks to all those who attended the 2017 Awards Show and congratulations to all of the winners!
There are two main parts to the Awards Show: Our statewide competition that took place before Let's Play PA and the popular vote during the Expo hall. Here are the categories and their respective winners.
|Winner: PHL Collective
Game: IRIS
Location: Philadelphia, PA
|Finalist: Schell Games
Game: I Expect You To Die
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
|Indie Tabletop
|Winner: Two Sisters in the Wild
Game: EDGE of EXTINCTION
Location: Corsica, PA
|Finalist: Fun to 11
Game: Miskatonic School for Boys
Location: Lebanon, PA
|College Tabletop
|Image Coming Soon!
|Winner: Kevin Schiel of Wilkes University
Game: Planets: The Game
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
|Finalist: Nadine Kloss-Gannon, Kelsey Van Horn, and Stephani Kirkos of Marywood University
Game: Gallows
Location: Scranton, PA
|Image Coming Soon!
|Indie Digital
|Winner: Simcoach Games
Game: Booeys: A Ghost Code
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
|Finalist: Steve Gabry
Game: Sally Face
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
|College Digital
|Winner: Team Athena of the Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University
Game: Smash
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
|Finalist: The Tailors of the Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University
Game: Button's Journey
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
|Best of the Expo Hall
|Winner: Fun to 11
Location: Lebanon, PA
|Finalist: Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Location: Harrisburg, PA
|Image Coming Soon!
|Best Tabletop Game of the Expo Hall
|Winner: Fun to 11
Game: The JRPG Tabletop Adventure Game
Location: Lebanon, PA
|Finalist: Frugal Mule Games
Game: The Pitch (Making Movies)
Location: Middletown, PA
|Image Coming Soon!
|Best Digital Game of the Expo Hall
|Image Coming Soon!
|Winner: Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Game: VR Minefield, created by Rowland Depree and Bobby Klein
Location: Harrisburg, PA
|Finalist: The Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University
Game: Injustice, created by Jaehee Cho
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
|Image Coming Soon!


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Hi all,
I'm new to the forum here and new to an eLearning post for East Sussex.
One of things to look at here is how to evidence intervention and tracking for pupils that are only taught virtually.
Does anyone have any good ideas that they use or might be adapted for this situation? I'm open to multiple ideas as this is all new to me.
Thank you!


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Cape Coral is home to some of the state's biggest losers.
That's not only a good thing, it's bragging rights for a local TOPS chapter that supported the efforts of not only Florida's 2017 weight-loss queen but the weight-loss king runner-up as well.
"We are one great big family. We cry when we're sad, we laugh when we're happy. They have confidence in you that you'll be able to hit the goals you set and can be successful. We're a losing group," said Theresa Bickford, area captain and member of TOPS Chapter 854, with a laugh.
Article Photos
Members of TOPS Chapter 854 Cape Coral call themselves "one great big happy family."
Weight is something a person can struggle with their whole life. No matter what they try or what program they join, it can be quite a challenge to get yourself where you want to be.
TOPS - Take Off Pounds Sensibly - is the group they turn to for weight loss goals and so much more. Through the TOPS program, 20,853 pounds were lost in Florida, the fourth greatest collective loss in the United States.
TOPS Chapter 854 Cape Coral is special, however, said Bickford, a member since 2016.
"This is the most welcoming bunch of people I have ever met. They are so encouraging, I thrive here," said Bickford.
TOPS weight loss is an international, nonprofit, noncommercial weight-loss support group organization founded in 1948 by Ester Manz and two friends in her kitchen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now, TOPS has chapters all over the United States and Canada, including 215 in Florida, for anyone who is looking to shed some pounds.
Bickford started her journey with TOPS after her mother had passed away. She said her eating habits became exacerbated and it all came to a head on a family vacation when she saw a picture of herself. A year and a half after joining TOPS, she had hit her weight loss goal and owes it all to the program.
"I honestly believe it's the TOPS philosophy of support. We can all lose weight if we follow programs, but it's keeping it off that can be the hardest part. It's the accountability to the scale, it's the accountability to your fellow TOPS members, and this group is just incredible."
Chapter 854 was started in July of 2013 with eight members. The troop has now grown to 42.
What makes TOPS different than most weight-loss programs is that once you hit your goal, you continue on your quest, now as a KOPS (Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly) member.
Chapter 854 has graduated 19 members to its KOPS program. At the most recent State Recognition Day, eight members of 854 were celebrated for hitting their weight loss goal and starting down the road to keeping the pounds off.
They also had two members give key-note speeches.
"Our presence was definitely felt," Bickford said.
Bickford says TOPS is truly the best option for those who are having a hard time getting on track and keeping the weight off.
"You can lose the weight by following any diet program. The question is, when the rubber hits the road, what happens after you lose the weight? You need support in order to maintain the weight loss, and that's something TOPS will give you in spades, that others don't."
TOPS meetings start with a private weigh-in, followed by a roll-call where members can share challenges, successes or goals, but only if they feel comfortable doing so.
Weekly and monthly awards are part of the incentive program to keep members motivated to hit their goals. Local, regional, and international recognition is another great aspect of their rewards system.
Membership is $32 for the year, yes, the whole year.
That membership includes: My Day One, a ready-set-go guide to healthy living, a one-year subscription to TOPS News magazine, healthy recipes, 28-day meal plan, weight tracker, wellness videos, self-care program and more on their members-only website.
Your first visit to any chapter is free, so you can decide whether TOPS is the place for you.
Another successful member of the 854 chapter in Cape Coral is Joe Dever.
Dever has lost 70 pounds since he started his TOPS voyage and is recognized as 2017 State King runner-up, having lost the second most amount of weight in the state of Florida in 2017.
Dever said it was a health-conscious decision to become a TOPS member.
"I weighed about 270 pounds and my blood sugar was sky high. I didn't like the way I looked, didn't like the way I felt. I started on my own and went up and down a bit, but didn't see the results I wanted to."
A church bulletin at St. Katherine Drexel, where the weekly meeting are held, caught the attention of Devers and his wife, who decided they'd give it a shot.
Dever joined three years ago, and says he absolutely loves this place.
"Everybody is friendly, warm, accepting and nonjudgmental. Everybody wants to help everyone. If I hadn't joined TOPS, there's no doubt in my mind I would still be unhappy with my weight and my life. My goal is to have my weight start with a 1, it was very close to beginning with a 3."
Down an amazing 70 pounds, Dever feels this is more of a support group more than a weight-loss group.
"We call each other on the phone, send text messages and emails to help keep everyone accountable and assist those who feel they need a boost," he said.
Dever was one of the key-note speakers at this past State Recognition Day, giving a 45 minute address to other TOPS members about enthusiasm and motivation which was well received, along side co-leader and 2016 runner up king Dave Schatzke.
"This works," added Dever.
"I've lost and gained more weight than my car weighs over time. If you want to do something that's effective, long-term and ongoing, this is the place for you. Once you hit your goal, that doesn't mean it's over. Being a KOPS graduate means you have the same accountability and support for all members of the group."
Dever tells about a time where he felt he may have been plateauing, and leaned on the TOPS group to help him remain on track.
"When I got close to my goal, I found myself starting to 'turtle' and I only had a few months left to reach my mark to graduate to KOPS. Judy Galewski, our weight recorder, was on track to graduate and she told me she was walking across the stage in April, and by god I better be there with her and I hit my goal with room to spare," Dever said.
TOPS is always advising and encouraging their members in weekly meetings and walks.
Challenges are presented to the group each week for prizes and bragging rights. TOPS doesn't push their own food or a particular diet, it's all about healthy lifestyle choices.
If any member has a bad week and gains weight, the whole group says in unison, "We're here for you."
Dever says they're a hugging group.
"Verbally, physically or even virtually, we are all about support and stability."
Even on vacation or trips out of your community, you can find a TOPS chapter near you and stay up to date on weekly goals and achievements.
Married couples can sign up at a discounted rate, one spouse will pay $32 while the other has a $16 fee.
Weekly meeting are held at 9:30 a.m. at St. Katherine Drexel Parish in Cape Coral.
For for information on the TOPS program, visit tops.org.


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Happenings at Garden in the Woods
FRAMINGHAM, MA - New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods, premier native plant botanic garden and nursery is now open for the season.
View 1,500 native species in naturalistic habitat displays, including 200 rare and endangered species, and thousands of seasonal blooms on 45 acres.
All purchases and membership support the health of the natural environment. 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA. (508) 877-7630.
SPRING HOURS: Open daily, April 15-June 15; 9 a.m.- 7 p.m.;
SUMMER HOURS: June 17-October 31st daily 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Admission: $7, Seniors: $5, Children and Young Adults (6-18 yrs): $3, Members and Children under 6: Free.
Tours daily at 10 except Sundays at 2, no reservations required. Museum Shop, plant nursery and 275 special courses and events.
Upcoming Events
May 7 (Sun) FREE 1pm Meet Carol Stocker of The Boston Globe signing and discussing her new book, The Boston Globe Illustrated New England Gardening Almanac. Purchase copies at the Museum Shop at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham. www.newfs.org. 508-877-7630.
May 14 (Sun) FREE 1pm Tom Smarr, New England Wild Flower Society Horticulture Director lecture/demo "Great Wildflowers for the Woodland Garden" Afterwards he and his staff help with custom native plant selections.
May 21 (Sun) FREE 1pm Author and New England Wild Flower Society Nursery Director William (Bill) Cullina lecture/demo: "Top Ten Native Woody Plants for Landscaping" Afterwards he and staff help with custom native selection and book signing.
May 28 (Sun) and again June 18 FREE 1pm Tom Smarr, New England Wild Flower Society Horticulture director lecture/demo: "The best tools in the trade for planting, pruning, and plant care."
PLAN AHEAD: PLANT SALE PREVIEW PARTY – Friday, June 9th 5-8 pm. Enjoy New England Wild Flower Society's largest plant sale in the northeast, and an evening of earthly delights, music, tasty treats, expert advice, and perfect shopping without the crowds. $25 ticket benefits plant conservation and gains admission to an unforgettable garden evening.
Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham. www.newfs.org. 508-877-7630. Reservations at email@example.com.
(Photos Courtesy of New England Wild Flower Society).


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"If there were 10 thousand me's, it would be great… I would bust the shit out of the world, but it would be great. There are just a lot of things I want to do that will never happen."
Performing as The Brian Jonestown Massacre for the better part of 26 years, Anton Newcombe is a musical icon in a league of his own. Being the primary songwriter and multi-instrumentalist for BJM's impressive catalogue, as well as running multiple record labels and production studios, it is not surprising that Anton feels as if he is constantly rushed for time.
"I work a lot," he laughs, "This year I've produced The Limiñanas record and a Vacant Lot record and two Brian Jonestown records and a single as well as a Tess Parks And Anton album and EP. Pretty soon I start production for an album for Roman Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner and then I go immediately on tour, so, I work six days a week but it's still not a commercial studio. It's tough though because I'd like to do a lot more."
Speaking of what he has been working on, Anton touched on his unique ability to write songs in different languages, a skill that has become more prevalent over more recent BJM albums.
"I'm really interested in writing in other languages and giving it back to the people of that culture and making people focus," he explains. "I've had arguments with French musicians who I am friends with because I say they have to contribute something to their culture but they all respond, 'French isn't like English, you can't make it rhyme so easily' and I don't feel like it has to be written like that. You can sing like Mozart, you can chop the syllables up, and sing them like they are notes; it doesn't need to be so literal.
"In the future I will connect to so many different things purely through the ways that people find it and share it. It's silly to think that everybody is going to speak English in the future, so if I write in Danish I hope that it will inspire more people from Denmark to sing something in Danish instead of trying to be the next Stone Roses of Denmark."
Expanding on the notion of his bands future, Anton expanded, "Do people care about that Outkast 'shake it like a Polaroid picture' song any more? No, because it doesn't matter if it was the biggest song in the world and it won a Grammy, it doesn't matter nothing (sic). No body cares about anything, so it's really important to have a vision about where you are heading.
"[My music] is really long term and it proves itself when we play songs from 1990 that fit seamlessly with what I'm doing now. And the same isn't true for U2, they play something off their first record and it doesn't fit seamlessly or stylistically, they've changed for popularity."
When asked if there was a final end goal to Anton's plan, he excitedly responded, "I'm hoping that I find more people to make films with because it is such a great way of telling a story even just as a silent movie.
"People forget that for the first 30 years of films there was no talking, music was the thing that led you through it," he says. "I mean 30 years! That's a long time! I feel people forget that you can do some incredible things with film and music if you're not chained to the business."
The Brian Jonestown Massacre are scheduled to release two albums later this year.
When & Where: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – June 13 & The Forum, Melbourne – June 14.
Written by Alex Callan


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Battlefield as shown that sign of life again with the unscheduled release of Battlefield 4 trailer and gameplay. So everyone gets to drool about the gorgeous game on the horizon.
Here we go Battlefield 4 and it looks gorgeous and with a 17 minute trailer/gameplay you kind of wish every game thought to do this. Maybe this will be a trend starter fingers crossed. It will be released on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Will it be on the PS4 and new Xbox unsure, but no plans for the WiiU, that is all we know for NOW!It looks like DIce has done it again and we can enjoy going back into the field.


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Public Defence Service Director and former Crown Counsel Madeleine Laracy, has been appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security for a three year term, Prime Minister Bill English announced today.
"The Deputy Inspector-General assists the Inspector-General in preparing and carrying out programmes for the general oversight and review of each intelligence and security agency," said Mr English.
"She also assists with the Inspector-General's reporting responsibilities to the Prime Minister, the Ministers responsible for the intelligence and security agencies and the Intelligence and Security Committee."
Ms Laracy's term commences on 11 September 2017. She replaces Ben Keith, who completed his term as Deputy Inspector-General last month.
The appointment was made following consultation with the multi-party Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.


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Experts are pondering issues raised after a trial found that a vaginal gel could help women avoid infection.
VIENNA — The best AIDS-prevention news in years was released here last week at a world conference on the disease: a vaginal gel, called a microbicide, that can be used without a man knowing it, gave women a 39 percent chance of avoiding infection with the deadly virus.
Thirty-nine percent is, obviously, not perfect, though the women in the South African trial who used the gel most faithfully did better, achieving 54 percent protection.
After more than a dozen microbicide failures, it was a huge relief, and led to cheering and standing ovations for the researchers here.
"This is a field that's known a lot of pain," said Catherine Hankins, chief scientific adviser for Unaids, the United Nations' AIDS-fighting agency.
There was general relief that the data was not as shaky as that of an AIDS vaccine trial released in September.
"There's a certain feeling of ease and pleasure for me as a scientist that any way you slice the data, it's statistically significant," said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, a top AIDS expert in the United States government, which paid most of the trial's costs.
There was an unexpected bonus: the gel protected women even better against genital herpes. (The investigators were not sure why, but it contained tenofovir, an antiviral drug, and AIDS and herpes are both viral.)
Now experts are pondering the many questions raised by the news.
How much more testing will it need to win approval from drug regulators?
Would more than 1 percent tenofovir in the gel, or a two-drug mix, work better?
Can it be made cheaply enough for poor countries? (The gel costs 2 cents a dose, but the applicators are 40 cents because they are patented and were frequently redesigned to be more comfortable.)
The women had sex an average of five times a month, and were instructed to insert gel before and afterward. Would one dose, which would be easier and cheaper, work just as well?
Will it protect prostitutes, who have sex with many men in succession? Is it safe enough to use daily?
Can pregnant women use it? (Some women got pregnant and gave birth, but were taken off the gel quickly to reduce any risk.)
Would women who use it but got infected anyway develop hard-to-cure drug-resistant infections?
And, although it was tested on poor African women, might it appeal to Western women, some of whom might worry more about herpes than AIDS?
Might it also work for anal sex, and protect gay men?
The investigators and other experts said they had only partial hints of answers, but most were encouraging.
And, given that this is AIDS research, which inevitably creates controversy, some hard questions were raised.
If it was known after the first year that the gel was working, why wasn't the trial stopped?
And what will happen to the 889 African women who, in the words of Mark Harrington, an AIDS activist, "put their bodies on the line for this study"? Would they be able to keep getting the product that might have saved their lives?
Some questions were easy, said Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, a study leader and professor of epidemiology at both the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Columbia University.
The price of a dose could fall below that of a condom because the applicators are just molded plastic and, without patents restrictions, "the Chinese could make them for half a penny," he said.
Others, like what drug and dose combinations are best and safest, must be tackled in future trials. A complex multination trial of several methods, including microbicide, is due to end in 2013, but a rapid new one may be designed as quickly as possible.
Globally, more than a million women a year die of AIDS, so speed is important.
The gel has never been tested in men, but has protected monkeys given anal doses of the simian version of the virus. Dr. Karim said samples he took found that tenofovir in the women's vaginal linings had migrated to their rectal linings too, meaning they might also have been protected against anal sex.
"The tissue between the two is very thin," he said.
Using a gel rather than a pill meant the drug infused the genital tracts but hardly reached the blood. That lowered the chances that a woman who got infected anyway would develop tenofovir-resistant virus, experts said.
No woman developed it, but they were tested so often that the virus would have had little time to mutate.
Dr. Kevin A. Fenton, director of the AIDS division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the one-two AIDS-and-herpes punch "could make it more attractive to American women."
It's not clear whether men would like gels, and tenofovir pills are being tested in uninfected gay men, but the results "are a real shot in the arm to the field," he said.
The trial was not stopped early, Dr. Karim said, because the independent review board that could have done so wanted results so overwhelming that they would have equaled the results of two generally favorable trials, "and we didn't achieve that level of efficacy."
Dr. Sheena McCormack, a British microbicide researcher, recalled penicillin tests of 70 years ago. Those researchers gave it to their sickest patients, not a random sample, and it still worked astonishingly well. This, she said, more resembled trials of circumcision as an AIDS preventive, which took three to be convincing.
What happens to the 889 women is unclear. Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Dr. Karim's wife and research partner, said more gel needed to be made and she hoped to enroll them quickly in a new trial so they could get it.
Mr. Harrington said he thought they ought to have a choice of being in another trial or just getting the gel indefinitely, even though it is not legally approved by any drug-regulatory agency yet.


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High quality offset print on white matte uncoated offset paper.
The cat is a breed called 'Russian Blue'. They are known for their shimmering silver colored coat and bright green eyes.
The Faunascapes Flower Portrait Series features a set of excentric animal and flower double exposure portraits. The dark style with the black background and heavy shadows enhances the squlpturesque qualities and unique personality of the animals and is heavily inspired by the clair obscur (chiaroscuro) painting techniques as developed by Italian renaissance painters and refined by the Dutch masters in the 17th and 18th century.
• List of Resellers


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Traveler's fare thukpa
6-8 servings
3 TBS oil
2 Onions sliced
8 cloves Garlic minced
2 lb boness chicken thigh sliced, or 3.5 lbs bone-in chicken boiled, boned and sliced
1 inch ginger minced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp hing
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1TBS Cumin powder
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 teaspoon pepper
4 Carrots thick julienned to match onion
2 Cans of chickpeas, 1 whole, 1 blended
1/2 head of cabbage thin sliced to match onion and carrot
salt to taste
1 lb of dry linguine
1C whole plain yogurt
1 Garlic clove mashed to paste
salt to taste
1 lime cut into 8 pieces
1 bunch chopped cilantro
Thukpa- 30 servings
10 onions
40 cloves garlic
10 lb chicken thighs
5" ginger
5 tbl cumin
2 ½ tsp mustard seeds, turmeric, cloves, cardamom
2 heads cabbage
5 lb linguine
5 c yogurt
5 limes
5 bunches cilantro
2 lb carrots
2 lb dry chickpeas, cooked
Add mashed garlic and salt to yogurt, let sit for one hour. Boil noodles in salted water until tender. Put oil in pan at med high, add mustard seeds untl they sputter then cumin seeds then hing, then turmeric then garlic and ginger. Stir for 1 minute, then (if using raw chicken here) add chicken and lightly brown. Add onions with some salt and sautee for 2 minutes then all other veggies and whole chickpeas with enough water to cover. Boil until cabbage is very tender. Add cumin powder, cloves, cardamom and pepper with can of blended chickpeas to thicken. Taste for salt and add water if necessary for rich stew consistency. Serve in bowls with high broth to noodle ratio garnished with cilantro, squeeze of lime, and garlic yogurt sauce.
Simple breakfast
Final Menu
Rice pudding- khir p 74 (250)
Hard boiled eggs
Medu Vada- savory
Banana Vada- sweet
Coconut chutney
Cut up fruit
Yogurt/Buttermilk smoothies- jackfruit, mango, mint
Proper Chai Masala
Banana Vada
2 cups and 1 tablespoon milk
8-1/4 bananas, mashed
8-1/3 cups baking mix
8-1/4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon butter, melted
16-2/3 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 cups and 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
In a mixing bowl, combine the milk and bananas. Sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Thoroughly mix in the eggs and margarine.
Heat the oil in a large skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Carefully place spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry until brown. Flip the fritter and continue to brown. Remove fritters from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust the fritters with confectioners' sugar and serve while warm.
Medu vada
Buy frozen, bake
Rice Pudding
1 ½ gallons milk
2 ½ c rice
Cook rice in crockpot until porridge
Add spices, sugar, coconut, nuts
Heat gently. Serve cool if it's warm and warm if it's cold outside.
5 oz disposable cups
40 4 oz servings
100 oz yogurt
2 29 oz cans mango puree
1 29 oz can ripe jackfruit
Fresh mint
Black salt
Honeydew melon, starfruit and grapes for fruit
5 dozen hard boiled eggs
32 oz coconut chutney


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Do you have a Nordson® glue gun that has stopped heating? Instead of replacing the complete applicator head, repair by replacing the heater and the RTD Sensor. Heaters generally run under $60, depending on which applicator head you use and the RTDs run under $50/each. Much less expensive than buying a new complete applicator head.
Please call us if you need help determining which specific heater and/or RTD sensor you need.
Angela Wagley


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BOSTON — He is the officer as infantryman, the leader who volunteers for the grunt work.
He is Ryan Callahan, the right captain at the right time for the right team.
"He's a second-, third-, fourth-effort guy who leads by example, you know what I mean?" Brad Richards asked rhetorically before the Rangers brought their seven-point conference lead over the Bruins here for tonight's test in a series of them for Callahan and his band of brothers. "He's not a rah-rah guy, he's not 38 years old with 18 years of experience.
"But all our guys follow him, and we follow him because night in and night out, his level of effort is always going to be the highest of anybody on the ice for both sides."
Callahan is 26, not 38, is in his fifth year in the NHL, not 18th, and is in his first year as captain after serving two years as an alternate to Chris Drury. And though he might have acted as de facto captain much of last season when injuries limited Drury to 24 games, never before had the "C" been stitched onto his Blue Shirt just up above where his heart beats.
"I would imagine it must have been overwhelming for him to be captain so early in his career, but you'd never know that with the way he's responded to it," said Henrik Lundqvist, a teammate since 2006-07. "He's the same guy I've always known.
"To me, his leadership comes from the way he plays. The way he sacrifices, it makes it easy for guys to step up for him. If there's a style, that's what it is."
Callahan is second on the Rangers with 22 goals and has eight in the last 11 games, but scoring does not define him. Despite twice being sidelined last year with broken bones (one hand, one ankle) he sustained while blocking shots, Callahan continues to throw himself on grenades.
The captain leads Rangers forwards in blocked shots and hits, and is fourth in the NHL in both.
"Cally is a watch-what-I-do leader more than a listen-to-what-I-say guy," said Marc Staal, a teammate for four years. "With me coming back in the middle of the season, I can't tell you that I see any difference in his personality.
"He's the lead voice of our team and if there's one guy who talks to Torts [coach John Tortorella] on the team's behalf it's him, so that's a change, but it hasn't changed him."
Callahan told The Post that while the captaincy hasn't altered his game or his relationship with his teammates, it has had an impact on his approach.
"The big thing for me is that I need to have the feel of the team and to make certain that as a group we don't get too high or too low," Callahan said. "My preparation is a little bit different in that regard.
"I try to get the feeling in the room on a daily basis of how to approach things. I'm not an especially vocal guy, but if there's something that needs to be said, I'll say it. I've been comfortable in the role, in interacting with my teammates. It hasn't at all been a burden."
There perhaps have been more charismatic Rangers captains, but never one who has better personified the team that he leads.
"Think of it, at his age, to be captain of an Original Six team, and in New York City; he handles it all properly, the way he represents himself and the team," Richards said. "He's done an unbelievable job as our leader."


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These guys didn't take nearly as long as the Exemplar Errants. They came out very nicely, and I even ordered another 2 blisters of them from http://www.thewarstore.com/ just so I could have a unit of 10 of them if I wanted eventually. PrivateerPress seems to have gotten into the habit of removing blisters of 2 figures in favor of just giving you a boxed set with the maximum unit size. I agree with this, but it means that I would be stuck with a min unit AND a max unit if I wanted a larger one (as happened with the Errants). Anyway we're set to go. Next up will be the Wracks, and possibly the Reckoner. Also have to start eventually on magnetizing the plastic Crusader box..
In a moment of weakness I bought the Protectorate Colossus, The Judicator. Awesome figure but it'll take quite a while to work up the courage to paint them.