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Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
The Wenger Giant is a Swiss Army knife with 87 implements, including a metal saw, laser pointer, and fish scaler. more...
June 3 , 1965 : The first American walked in space. more...
Warm skin tone is a term used in cosmetics to describe a person with yellow or golden undertones to his or her skin. Knowing whether skin is warm or cool can help define what type of colors, jewelry, and even hair color will help complement a natural skin tone. There are several ways to tell if skin is warm or cool.
One easy way to tell warm skin tone from cool is to look closely at veins in the arm. If veins appear more green than blue, the person typically has a warm skin tone. If veins appear more blue than green, the person is often considered to have cool skin. Vein checking only works on skin types where veins stand out enough from skin color to be easily noticeable.
Another way to determine if skin is warm or cool is by holding up swaths of gold and silver fabric next to the face. A warm skin person will almost always look more vibrant, colorful, and lively with the gold fabric. Silver fabric can make warm skin appear washed out or yellowish.
Choosing the best colors for a warm skin tone will vary from person to person. Most of the time, anything with a yellow undertone will compliment warm skin, while colors with blue or pinkish undertones may not make skin look its best. That does not mean that a person with warm skin tones must avoid cool colors entirely. Depending on hair and eye color and complexion, some people with warm skin can still look smashing in cooler colors.
Sometimes, people with warm skins are referred to as autumns or springs, based on several different skin tone analysis systems that use seasons to suggest the best colors for a person's complexion. People with an "autumn" warm skin tone look best in bold reds, golds, oranges, and leaf greens. Those with a "spring" complexions still use yellow-toned colors, but look best in muted shades like olive, warmer pinks and reds, and even some dusty lavenders and aqua colors.
In terms of hair color, people with warm skin tend to look best when using dyes that have a golden or copper base. Some experts recommend avoiding dyes that are listed as ash or have maroon red undertones. Many available hair dyes and highlighting kits will say whether they are for warm or cool skin tones; some common names for warm-enhancing colors include words such as golden, caramel, bronze, and copper.
Post 5
ColdRain- Sorry to say this, but you are wrong about dark skin not having yellow or golden undertones. Ethnic skin color comes in a variety of shades and not all are created equal. Caramel, Golden Brown, and Medium Brown do have warm undertones. Ebony, from my knowledge, is the only complexion that carries a cooler undertone.
Post 4
heart297-Warm and cool skin tones are usually only used to classify people with fair skin. People with dark skin do not typically have yellow or golden undertones in their skin, which is what they use to classify a warm skin tone.
Post 3
Do only people with fair skin have either warm skin tones or cool skin tones? It is possible for African Americans to have a warm or cool skin tone?
Post 2
heart297- No, there are typically not makeup products designed for people with warm skin tones. However, as it states in the article, there are certain makeup colors that people with warm skin tones look best in.
Post 1
Are there makeup products that are specifically designed for people with warm skin tones?
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


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Maine Maximum Exposure Guidelines for Drinking Water 2016 (9 pg. pdf)
The Maine Maximum Exposure Guidelines were established by the Maine CDC in 1984 and are updated every five years or so. They are similar to the EPA National Primary Drinking Water Standards in establishing limits for exposure to chemicals in drinking water. However, unlike the EPA standards, they are not legally enforceable, and they are based more on considerations of health than practical or political expediency.
The most recent edition was released in December, 2016, with changes to manganese, uranium, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Here's a summary of the 2016 MEG updates: MEGchanges2016 (1 pg. .pdf)
Where do the Maine MEGs come from?
From the Maine CDC working document "Procedures for Developing Maximum Exposure Guidelines (2011, 9 pg.pdf)":
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MECDC) Environmental and Occupational Health Program (EOHP) develops Maximum Exposure Guidelines (MEGs) to assist risk managers, homeowners and others in making decisions regarding the suitability for human consumption of drinking water contaminated by chemicals.
MEGs are not promulgated by rule making and therefore are not issued as legally enforceable drinking water "standards." Rather, MEGs represent the MECDC's most recent recommendations for concentrations of chemical contaminants in drinking water below which there is minimal risk of a deleterious health effect resulting from long-term ingestion of contaminated water.
The MEGs are intended to be solely health-based guidelines, and do not take into account analytical methods, treatment technology, or economic impacts. This is in contrast to the legally enforceable drinking water standards called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). MCLs are promulgated under the Safe Drinking Water Act for the purpose of regulating public drinking water supplies, and allow for consideration of the technical and economic feasibility of attaining a standard. Most MCLs are promulgated as national standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

subset: commoncrawl


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Home > Jewelries & Watches > Jewelries > Necklace > Cool Men's Stainless Steel Wolf's Fang Pendant fit Chain Necklace
Product Details
- Cool stainless steel wolf's fang pendant
- Taking the shape of the wolf's fang, the pendant boast of cool and stylish
- Made of stainless steel, it shines a cold metal lustre
- Perfect for DIY necklace, bracelet and other crafts
- Length: Approx. 1.6 inch / 4.1cm
- Max Width: Approx. 0.7 inch / 1.7cm
- Material: Stainless steel
- Color: Silvery
Note: Please be reminded that due to lighting effects and monitor's brightness/contrast settings etc, the color tone of the website's photo and the actual item could be slightly different.
Package Includes:
- 1 x Pendant
Related Tags


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Hi, my name is Mojo and I do not have a country.
I hold an Eritrean passport like my father,
but I have never even been to Eritrea.
The country is unsafe.
I am Saudi born and raised, but I cannot live in Saudi.
The country does not grant citizenship or residency rights by birth.
I lost my temporary Saudi residency while in the US
studying at Texas A&M University.
I am in a limbo.
I cannot go to Eritrea.
I cannot remain in Saudi Arabia.
I cannot go to the United States.
I have been removed from everyone I have ever known or loved.
I have been a refugee for the past two years, traveling as a tourist to avoid persecution and deportation to one of the world's worst dictatorships and police states.
What really matters to me?
However, I have let my circumstances dictate my life.
In my religious Muslim family, music is considered the voice of the devil.
I am torn between my passion and my fear of disappointing my parents.
We all have our excuses for not pursuing our dreams.
I'm sure you can relate.
I lost my voice the day I left the United States.
I have been silent for two years.
I cannot live in silence any longer.
My commitment: I will no longer live in fear.
I turn 10,000 days old on February 5, 2014.
On that day, I will kick off my journey to travel the world. I will release my first music project online.
I may face hardships.
I may face limitations.
I will persevere.
Why travel the world? Beyond an obvious interest in people and culture, the reason I want to embark on a journey around the world is because I need to liberate myself and find a home. If I had a country I would just go to it but I carry a passport of a country that enslaves its own people. My nominal relationship with Eritrea has crippled me. My fear of being sent there controlled me for the longest time and I finally said to myself:
"If I cannot go to Eritrea, I'll just go to every other country in this world."
I'll travel to get my voice back.
I'll travel to live my passion.
This is what this journey is about.
via Stateless Mojo.


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Opinion: Northern Gateway proposal carries too much risk …,writer Ph. D. Dennis Takahashi Kelso' says…..his credentials/experience suggest that his observations be given serious consideration..
All the sectors of the ENERGY INDUSTRY struggled in the early days—For instance ,search the 1944 Cleveland LNG disaster—70 years hence ,LNG now considered safe !
BC does not accept being a 'guinea pig' while Enbridge and Kinder Morgan ,along with their bitumen shipping partners ,EXPERIMENT , on our COAST—.
Don't PLAN to send bitumen tankers into any busy,narrow,island bound waters ,and sensitive fisheries. Terminate BOTH Enbridge and Kinder Morgan pipelines near Port Simpson area..In this way our leaders address many of Dennis Kelso' concerns –by practically eliminating risks …in sensitive areas !
Organize an INDEPENDENT study of the Bitumen challenges—where all the interested parties (pipe liners,producers,shippers,governments,insurance industry) contribute to joint Canadian/U.S .university research to produce a WORLD CLASS bitumen transport/handling study .
B.C. has always supported the beneficial, national , import/export industries ..but with this challenging BITUMEN situation we insist that risk be minimized….surely that's a just/reasonable CONDITION ?


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Here are photos of a few stations for the Way of the Cross processions on Good Friday in Los Planes de Renderos, San Salvador, El Salvador. A morning procession took place, and in the evening, an even larger, more attended procession happened from 7:00pm – 10:00pm local time.
Click any photo to enlarge it.
Information on the Stations of, or the Way of the Cross below (known in Spanish as the "Viacrucis" or "Estaciones de la Cruz" and also "Vía Dolorosa")
Way of the cross – English.
Viacrucis (o Vía crucis) – Espanol
Here are videos of the processions as they took place in Los Planes de Renderos for 2010 and 2011. Visit the 2010 one first, it's more authentic with no music overlay, you can hear the people praying and chanting (and even Cicadas in the background!) 2011 is available also. Both were shot by jucabuher (YouTube user name).


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08942 stands on the through roads at Bristol Temple Meads whilst between duties on 03/05/1986.
08955 departs St Blazey SS on a trip to collect traffic from Par Harbour on 23/11/1987.
With morning fog hanging on Dartmoor, 08584 is pictured at Meldon Quarry whilst outbased as the quarry pilot on 18/02/1988. When not in use the loco would stable in the concrete shed visible to the left.
08492 trundles through Doncaster with a trip working comprising of two ferryvans on 24/12/1990.
08830 is pictured at Crewe Works during the Open Weekend on 31/05/2003.
08443 shunts 303032 at Bo'ness on 13/07/2003.


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0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
I've just moved with my family into a house
Quote from: pin on January 27, 2018, 02:56:58 pmI've just moved with my family into a houseI tried to resist but I'm obviously too weak .. so what were you living in before ?
Guess, I'll just keep doing like before... I mean, the main goal still is to help other users with their issues, right?


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Kolkata, Aug 26: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged corruption in the erstwhile Left Front government and said that many files were missing for which FIRs should be lodged.
Speaking at a Trinamool Congress youth rally here, Banerjee said that Finance Minister Amit Mitra had sent her a file which pointed to this.
"Wherever theft has occurred the related files are not traceable."
She said she told Mitra to file FIRs when files were not available.
She alleged that the CPI(M) which ruled the state for 34 years has amassed party funds amounting to Rs 417 crore. "CPI(M) has built palatial buildings in the name of party offices throughout the state and has huge properties near the party headquarters in Kolkata.
Stating that her party the Trinamool Congress was a poor party, she asked her partymen not be lured by the greed for money.
"Nationally TMC would earn a name for transparency and accountability," she said.
She recounted that she was a MP for many years and could have earned crores of rupees, but spent the allowances of a parliamentarian for the party to serve the people. She said during college life she had given tuitions and helped the Chatra Parishad, and also worked in a milk depot and as a teacher.
Claiming that the LF government had ruined the state, Banerjee also alleged that when her government was trying to create job opportunities by wooing industry, investors were being asked not to invest.
"They (industrialists) are being asked to wait for another three and a half years. The TVS company is being asked why they were investing here now to set up a motorcycle manufacturing unit when they did not do so during the Left Front regime," she said.
On the performance of her government, the chief minister said that the junglemahal and and Darjeeling problems have been solved. "What we have done in one year, no other government in the world has achieved in that time."


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The County Sheriff's department captured Uriah, a stallion, along a busy highway. He was suffering from a horrible eye injury. The people he belonged to did not want him back. They were emphatic about not wanting to incur any veterinary bills. So they abandoned him in hot drought conditions, no food, no water, blind in his left eye and so very frightened.
Uriah was brought to a horse rescue organization in excruciating pain, hungry and very scared. The eye socket around his left eye was crushed. His eye muscles were ruptured and his eye had a huge hole in it. It was black, sunken and oozing pus. He was immediately given fresh hay and cool water. The veterinarian was called, and on that same day, he came to evaluate the horse. The decision was made to have the eye removed. This was an intentional injury from someone hitting Uriah with a post.
Uriah had his surgery. His eye was removed with the muscles around it and the crushed bones. The two eyelids were stitched shut. He had arrived as a breeding stallion, so he was gelded as well. While under anesthesia, he had his hooves trimmed. They were in such horrible shape! A few days later, he developed an eye infection. Five doses of antibiotics cleared the problem.
He was on the thin side when he was welcomed by his rescuers. His hips and ribs were starting to show. He is still underweight, but gaining rapidly. He is also so fearful. He startles easily. Volunteers have been spending time speaking to him with soft, healing voices. He is given reassurance that he is in safe hands. He is petted gently and he is learning to accept human touch. It is apparent that someone beat him. He is very afraid of hoes, rakes and water hoses. Uriah is young, only seven years old. Except for his eye, he is very athletic and healthy, and should have a bright future. One eyed horses do very well as riding horses.
This story is one of the saddest and happiest. Uriah was doomed to go to the slaughter house if not for this caring rescue facility. Now he is safe and should be ready for adoption in a couple of months. To encourage more happy outcomes, let's gather together to help this wonderful organization to carry on their mission. Uriah's recovery is not inexpensive. Beside medical care, he requires nutritious food which is becoming more costly because of the drought in west Texas. Nothing is growing! The fields are dust bowls. There are days the temperature reaches 111 degrees in the shade.
This rescue group is becoming desperate, uncertain how they will continue to care for abused and abandoned horses left in their care. Click Here to Make a Donation
Please find it in your hearts to extend the gift of life to these beautiful creatures by making a generous donation to Uriah's recovery.
For updates on Uriah and past Spotlight Stories, see our Spotlight Animal Updates page.


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Approximately 44% of all new kidney failure cases are diabetics. Even when the diabetic is managing his disease, the disease can lead to kidney failure. Most diabetics do not develop Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) that results in kidney failure, and of those who are diabetic and develop kidney disease, 180,000 of them live with the kidney damage that results from their diabetes without going into kidney failure.
Those diabetics who unfortunately go on to develop kidney failure will need to have dialysis, which is an artificial blood-cleaning procedure, or they receive a kidney transplant.
Other Causes
Diabetes is not the only cause of kidney failure cystic diseases account for 2.3% of the cases, urology diseases account for 2.0%, 26.8% is due to high blood pressure not associated with diabetes, and 7.6% is caused by Glomerulonephritis, there are 17.5% of other causes and the bulk of the causes, 43.8% of kidney failures result from diabetes.
Those individuals who are of African American, American Indian, or are Latinos typically develop diabetes, CKD, and kidney failure at a higher rate than Caucasians do for an unexplained reason.
It is unknown what factors lead to those with diabetes developing kidney disease but heredity, diet, and other medical conditions, such as having high blood pressure may contribute to the development of kidney disease in those with diabetes.
Kidney Disease a Long Term Process
Diabetic kidney disease does not happen overnight it takes many years for the damage to be done to the kidneys. Those who do develop kidney disease may experience small amounts of the blood protein albumin leakage in their urine, which may be discovered during urine testing.
As the kidney disease progresses higher amounts of albumin is detected in the urine as the kidney's filtering function begins to decrease. The body will retain various waste products because of the failing filtration function of the kidneys due to the kidney damage. A common occurrence is as the kidney damage increases so does blood pressure.
Typically kidney damage will not appear in the first 10 years of being diabetic. Fifteen to twenty years may even pass before kidney damage shows up. Your risk of developing kidney damage decreases when you have had diabetes for 25 years or more without any detectable kidney damage.
Glomerular Filtration Rate
It is important that individuals who have diabetes be screened for chronic kidney disease on a regular basis by taking a test known as the eGFR, which stands for estimated glomerular filtration rate. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) suggests that all diabetics be screened for CKD with an eGRF test at least once a year.
Anyone who has Type 2 diabetes should be tested yearly with a urine albumin screening and those who have had Type 1 diabetes for at least 5 years should also be screened yearly.
Image of renal glomerulus by EM Unit/Royal Free Med. School, Wellcome Images, Creative Commons License.


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P s a l t i k i promotes the advancement of the Hellenic Psaltic Art, also known as Byzantine and post-Byzantine Chant, and Hymnology by facilitating, cultivating and supporting its academic study, as well as initiating projects that transmit the psaltic heritage.
Our mission is to educate, empower and connect the next generation of chanters for tomorrow by providing knowledge, resources and visibility today.
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The written contents of this online magazine are copyright Psaltiki, Inc. or other express authors. You may contact us for permission to reproduce articles online or in print. Contact us to let us know where and when the article will be reprinted.
Editor: Rev. Dr. Konstantinos Terzopoulos, email: ed [at] psaltiki [dot org
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 149161, Orlando, FL 32814
Psaltiki, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the State of Florida dedicated to the advancement of the Psaltic Art in America and its study around the world.
Copyright Statement: All "content" of this Web site (including but not limited to all documents, programs, and images on this page and related pages of this site) is protected by U.S. and international copyright law, or other copyrights to content of particular pages of this site.
Copyright © 2008 Psaltiki, Inc. and the Authors. Email: psaltiki at psaltiki dot org
All Rights Reserved. The copyright holders provide the content online as reference material for educational or cultural purposes. The content is provided "as is" without any warranty whatsoever. Commercial use of the content is prohibited except by express, written license.
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If you are interested in translating any of the articles on a volunteer basis, please do so, under the following conditions:
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ISSN: 1946-7540 Copyright © 2009-2012, Psaltiki, Inc. and the Authors.


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Tonal Architect, or Magecrafter,[1] was a notable rank in Dwemer society and was attributed to Dwemer craftsmen and mage-engineers. These types of builders specialized in Tonal Architecture and the magic technologies of the Dwemer. One variant of this rank was the Chief Tonal Architect[2]; a person who held this position led the Tonal Architect group in their studies and development of the magical technologies of the Dwemer.
Notable magic technologies createdEdit
- Kagrenac's Tools[1]
- Dwemer Convector[3]
- Tonal Resonator[4]
Notable Tonal ArchitectsEdit
- Kagrenac (Chief Tonal Architect)[5]
- Bthuand Mzahnch[6]
- Yagrum Bagarn – One of the last known living and existing Dwemer and one of Kagrenacs' Tonal Architects. He was traveling in the Outer Realms when the Battle of Red Mountain occurred and Kagrenac tapped into the Heart of Lorkhan, causing the entire Dwemer race to disappear. He had no knowledge of the disappearance of his race until after he returned from the Outer Realms, and still, for unknown reasons, he was completely unaffected by the events at Red Mountain during the First Era. He spent many years searching through Morrowind for answers to the disappearance of his race, as well as other Dwemer. Eventually, he caught the Corprus disease, and as of the Third Era, he was residing in the Corprusarium, and was mostly conscious, though he did not have full control of his body or mind.[7]
- Mzulchond[8]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kagrenac's Tools
- ↑ War of the First Council
- ↑ Dialogue with Arniel Gane during Arniel's Endeavor
- ↑ Dialogue with Katria during the events of Lost to the Ages
- ↑ Kagrenac's Tools
- ↑ The Egg of Time
- ↑ Dialogue with Yagrum Bagarn
- ↑ Ancient Scrolls of the Dwemer VIII
*Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Fandom will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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Platform 21 by T.R. Patrick is the first book in the Beyond the Veil science fiction series. Today, T.R. Patrick, who received the "Best Debut Author of 2013" award from the Bookworm Best Awards, will share a little bit about the creation of his book. And there's a giveaway.
Here's a little bit about the book:
Luke's life is about to take a dangerous turn. But first he has to die.
In the year 2052, high school sophomore Luke Gibson considers himself an average teenager in a world on the brink of monumental change. Joining his parents and sister, Laura, at the first World Energy Initiative Conference, he is among thousands gathered in a Denver arena to celebrate free renewable energy when a massive earthquake strikes killing everyone in the stadium. The last thing Luke sees before his death is a girl reaching out to him—a stranger whose face he remembers from his dreams.
The end, however, is not the end. Suddenly, inexplicably, Luke is back home in Ohio and everything is different. His sister is gone, the victim in an unsolved homicide years before. Angela, his mysterious dream girl, is here also, and the only person besides Luke who recalls the previous reality. And now their determination to uncover the truth about Laura's murder and their transformed world is making them targets—forced to flee for their lives from a nameless shadow organization and a government seeking vengeance for an unthinkable act of terror—as they stand on the threshold of a dark conspiracy that threatens all humankind.
Please give Patrick a warm welcome:
Have you ever been so frustrated about something, you needed to find a creative outlet to just get it all out? Writing Platform 21 was a bit like that for me. There are so many things going on in the world, it's often easier to put it in the back of our minds and just focus on the little things. For whatever reason, I couldn't do that. There is so much wrong with the world, I wanted to do something – anything to inject a voice a reason into the discussion.
Platform 21 was born from that frustration. The original concept of the book was something so simple, I almost feel a little embarrassed when I think about it. But when I started writing it, things just wouldn't line up. I knew I was writing one thing, but the story wanted me to write something different. For the first time as a writer, I decided I was going to let the story tell itself. I would simply become the dude lucky enough to be able to write it down. That once embarrassing concept is nothing but a distant memory. It was an idea I'm glad never truly raised to the surface. Instead, I found a world in the shadow of an inexplicable veil that separates humankind from the truth.
If there is one thing constant about each and every one of us, it is the desire for the truth. We've seen throughout history how those in power distort and twist the truth. There is a constant struggle for it and humanity has grappled with it since the beginning of time. I believe every one of us desires to do good. We want to see our neighbors succeed as well. Every time a terrible event inflicts harm upon us and our neighbors, there are always good people willing to rise from the ashes and make things right. However, when it comes to the big picture – people just don't know where the fire is. Some of us feel the fire is simply too big to put out.
So, I set off to write a book about this struggle. Set in a world where every conspiracy theory is real, Luke Gibson and Angela Morgan set off on a journey to discover the truth about Luke's slain sister. This search for justice is much like our search for the reason why terrible things happen in this world. Luke and Angela's search for the truth makes them targets of some very powerful enemies. Amidst all the conspiracy, and the lies, they discover anyone could be an enemy. Learning that even people who desire good could work against them, they begin to realize how misled the world has become.
This theme follows Luke throughout his adventure. I'm writing 'The Vorago Initiative' (The Sequel to Platform 21) right now, and I find myself thinking about all of those who think they are fighting for truth, or for what's right – only to discover they've been misled all along. How can you discern the truth if you've been lied to since the day you were born? What if you don't like the truth? Is it worth pulling back the veil if it means revealing a world that is nothing like what you once thought? Some would even end up fighting to protect the veil, to continue living the lie because they've become comfortable with it. Those who are willing to fight for the truth have their own demons to deal with. Just how much is an individual willing to sacrifice for it? How much would you sacrifice?
It's difficult to discuss these things without demonstrating what is truly at stake when a person gets close to the truth in a world filled with conspiracy. The general themes of Platform 21 are quite dark, and a very gritty picture is painted. I didn't want to hide the truth, or pull my punches as an author. It's simply not fair to the reader when an author hides just how wicked the world can be at times. I stayed hauntingly close to the historical events discussed in the book, all while showing the reader two characters who would stop at nothing to overcome the adversity they faced.
Writing about these themes is tough. I had to write more than my fair share of difficult imagery and depressing moments. There were times I spent many hours staring at a blank screen, afraid to start writing because I knew where it would take me. This is the obstacle I've set out to challenge, and with Platform 21, I think I managed to show the brutal truth about our past, present, and potential future.
But you know what? The world ain't all that bad. The love story in Platform 21 was one of the most enjoyable parts of the writing. Some of my self-proclaimed 'crowning achievements' in the book weren't the fast paced action scenes, or the twists. To me, the book shined because of the characters and how they interacted with each other. There were some extremely tricky topics discussed in Platform 21. I had to imagine how a person would react in the face of one of the most despicable and deplorable acts a person could commit. How would that event change the character, and the existing relationships he or she already had? These were some very tough questions and it isn't easy, or in my opinion even possible, to just outline this kind of complicated character development. This was the hardest part of the writing, but it was also the most rewarding.
Writing Platform 21 was a challenge. It was the hardest book I ever set out to write. It was also the best book I've ever written, which is why I decided to publish it. Having penned two other books, I know what it's like to write something and realize it isn't your best. With Platform 21, it just came to me. There isn't any other way of putting it. I'm the luckiest guy ever! Why this story chose me to share it with the world, I'm not sure. It has been a wonderful joy, and I can't wait to see where the series takes me next.
About the Author:
Author Timothy R. Patrick, born in 1985, started writing when he was only nine, delivering his first short story to his Mom for her birthday. Since then, writing has been an incredible passion. Every chance he could write, he took it. He even scratched out a few stories in Naval Boot Camp at Great Lakes, Illinois.
Tim spent four years in the Navy achieving the rank of Petty Officer 2nd class. He served three years aboard USS Chosin and was deployed twice in support of the Global War on Terror, and Iraqi Freedom. However, he would always be remembered as the guy who sat in the corner of the mess decks writing a book he would never release. He said it wasn't good enough.
After his time in the Navy, Tim became a Test Engineer working for companies like Scientific Research Corporation and Hewlett Packard. During this phase of his life he moved to Charleston, South Carolina where he bought a home and tried to settle into the American Dream. But Tim wasn't content with that, he wanted to do something more than work the 9 to 5. So, he tried his hand at politics and ran for Dorchester County Council as an Independent. They said he was too young and verbose. After losing the election, he decided to try his hand at writing instead.
Today, Timothy Patrick is the author of, Platform 21 – the first installment of the "Beyond the Veil" series. Platform 21 is a novel set in the near future which follows a young man on a journey to solve his sister's murder in the midst of global conspiracy. His current project is, The Vorago Initiative – which picks up right where Platform 21 left off.


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My name is Antti Kirjavainen.
This blog is about my main interests concerning games: game-based learning, agile games, game design and indie gaming.
I originally started this blog as a way to share my academic work on developing game-based learning environments. Time has passed, though, since I last was in the academic work.
Currently I'm an entrepreneur in Flowa along with my fellows. Much of my work is related to games and learning as I help individuals and organizations to improve the ways in which they do knowledge work in their organization, teams and networks.
I'm also interested in the development of software products as well as agile and lean. You can find more information on me in my LinkedIn profile.
In my dissertation work I researched the quality development process of digital game-based learning environments. The study is multi-disciplinary and aimed to provide valuable information on how to plan and arrange the development processes of future GBLE development endeavors. The Case Projects page describes the game projects related to my academic work in brief.


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Love the way you look
Women around the world are still having a hard time embracing their reflection in the mirror.
Women around the world are still having a hard time embracing their reflection in the mirror.
According to a survey done by Glamour Magazine this past year, 54 per cent of women are not happy with their body, and 80 per cent said that looking in the mirror makes them feel bad.
The same survey was taken in 1984, and the results from this survey were worse than the one conducted over 30 years ago.
"There is definitely a long way to go," said Caren Shapiro, graduate of the The Women's Therapy Centre Institute and a founding member of Endangered Bodies US.
Shapiro said that although there is much to be done, this issue is on the radar of women and men worldwide.
"I can see in that way it's getting better, and I think there are reasons to feel very positive and optimistic," she said.
However, Shapiro said it won't be easy to stand up to the media and other large corporations, who she claimed are the major causes of negativity surrounding women and their bodies.
"Certainly there is a lot of healthy critique out there," said Anna Friedman, the creative and marketing director of My Body Gallery (MBG), and MBG for Men.
Friedman is unsure how much this "healthy critique" will affect what is being produced by mainstream media, clothing companies, advertisers, and Hollywood.
According to her, there has been "some movement," especially with recent pop songs and celebrities promoting curvier body figures, but they don't completely solve the issue.
"A lot of pop culture is embracing curvy bodies and big butts but we can't shame the skinny people," she said.
One way we can solve this solution is by becoming body activists, Shapiro said.
Not just women, but everyone, should look at themselves and be empowered by having a body, and knowing what it feels like from the inside out, rather than as objects that are designed to be observed and must be approved of from our outward physical appearance.
"If they see their bodies from the inside, that's a huge confidence boost," said Jaimie Labbe, a first-year diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) student.
Breanna Townsend, also a first-year DMS student, said there should be more campaigns like Dove's Campaign for Real Women.
"How they show all women in all different sizes, I think that's really important to let people know that you're still beautiful regardless [of what you look like]," she said.
Endangered Bodies is a worldwide organization that works to help the women and people in each different area based on site specific issues.
Currently, in New York, Shapiro said that they are working to address the body mass index (BMI) issue in schools.
BMI, according to the Dieticians of Canada website, is a number calculated from a person's weight and height that classifies a person as underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obese.
This number can be used by some to depict a person's body type in a negative way.
Children in these New York schools, some even as young as kindergarten, are being tested and weighed publicly, and are receiving report cards that include their BMI.
"An issue that used to hit in the teens is now hitting younger and younger," Shapiro said.
MGB was started by a photographer who wanted to set up a place where women could upload photos of themselves that were unedited and non-media mitigated.
Friedman said they often receive a lot of inspiring feedback from users of their site, who are typically between the ages of 18 and 40.
"We have users tell us that just the process of looking at pictures of women their weight looking happy and beautiful makes them feel better about themselves."
She said that it also provides a "reality check," for people with body dysmorphia (a mental issue where people believe that one's body is defective when it is usually not) so that they can feel better about their bodies.
Shapiro said that another way women can become more confident in themselves is by being aware of the negative self-talk that people participate in.
"There are statistics that show that just a couple of minutes of all that negative self-talk women do creates a lot of lower self-esteems," she said.
Friedman said that there have been some "good starts" in the past couple of years on female body image projects.
"It will be interesting to see if this continues," she said.
Shapiro emphasized that it is important for people to remember that "we are complex, unique, beings who should not be judged by or reduced to our mere physicality."
"We are more than just our bodies or our appearances."


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Hands up who secretly loves The GO! GO! GO! Show on Nick Jr?
*looks around discreetly and puts hand in air*
"Family friendly pop" isn't a genre of music I ever expected myself to like, let alone announce in public, but the songs are so catchy and the girls completely LOVE them so I've found myself singing along, and possibly wiggling about a bit, on more than one occasion. We've even got tickets to go and see them live over the Easter weekend!
Aside from the tour next month, they also have a two disc album coming out on 7th April and we're all more than a little bit excited about it.
The "Radio Go! Go! Go!" CD (disc one) will feature 12 of the show's hit songs plus two instrumental karaoke tracks for fans to sing-along to at home (or in the car - squeeeeeeeeeeee) and the second disc, a DVD, will feature seven music videos and three dance tutorials.
"Radio Go! Go! Go!" will be released on Monday 7th April 2014, but is available to pre-order on Amazon for £6.85. You can also enter my giveaway to win one of three copies RIGHT NOW!
Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget below and everyone is entitled to four entries each. The competition closes at midnight on 3rd April 2014 and the winner will be announced on Twitter (and emailed directly) the following day. This competition is open to UK residents only.
Good luck! xoxox
Good luck! xoxox
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com


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Jobs surge in manufacturing sector in Q3, but exports may remain weak; heres what FICCI survey says
Financial Express , Feb 11, 2019
Even as hiring and production outlook is expected to improve, exports are likely to be affected on account of global demand factors in the manufacturing sector in Q3 FY19, a survey by an industry body said. An increase in percentage of respondents can be seen in reporting higher output growth during the third quarter (54 per cent) as against (47 per cent) in the corresponding period of previous fiscal, FICCIs latest Quarterly Survey on Manufacturing said.
The percentage of respondents reporting low production was only 13.5 per cent in Q-3 FY19 as compared to 15 per cent in Q-3 FY18. On the hiring front too, the outlook for the sector seems to have slightly improved for near future, the survey said. However, the outlook for exports is somewhat stable.
The rupee depreciated in the last few months, but no significant increase in exports can be seen, the survey noted, adding there global factors are restricting growth of the exports.
A higher number of the respondents maintained either more or same level of inventory, which is slightly higher as compared to in the previous quarter but less than the case in Q3 of 2017-18. This has been due to low domestic and export demand.
The cost of production as a percentage of sales for manufacturers in the survey has risen as per respondents. This is significantly higher for Q-3 of 2017-18. This is primarily due to increased cost of raw materials, wages, power cost, rising crude oil prices, increase in finance cost and rupee depreciation.


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Due to the heavy time demands from my professional life, and my no longer having sufficient free time to devote to the ZC project and community, I have decided to resign from the staff and ZC development.
Amusingly, I cannot actually remove myself from being listed as an Administrator, due to hacking protections put in many years ago... however you should consider me permanently inactive, and someone with FTP access to the site should feel free to remove my permissions from config.php whenever they next get the chance.
I will relinquish repository commit access once I finish helping ZoriaRPG resolve one last issue (https://github.com/ArmageddonGames/Z...sic/issues/144).
I believe all other infrastructure (the wiki, the main site QDB, the old SVN repository) has been transferred to fresh hands over the past year.
I've been around this site for many years (over 15, now). The community has changed a lot in that time, of course, and the change in the way we use the Internet and social media has shifted even more dramatically. But one thing that has not changed is the remarkable passion of the quest authors and fans of Zelda Classic. I wish y'all the best of luck in the future!


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Have we got a treat for you! Peter Boyles and a gang of bikers will be descending upon City Hall this Sunday for a trip back to the time of jazz clubs, whiskey bars and wiseguys. We've got five pairs of tickets to lay on you, and one winner will win an exotic lunch from the caterer du jour, Biker Jim.
The 1930s and '40s were not the best time for America, what with the Depression, the funding-eager president, the down housing economy, the younguns dancing to crazy music...wait a second, did we say the '30s and '40s? Sounds like America today, especially with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies coming to City Hall.
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History lessons aside, we want to hook you up with some tickets for lunch and the show. You're going to have to be creative to win these, though. We don't want to know the Wikipedia origin of the band's name; we want to know the best reason for claiming to be a Cherry Poppin' Daddy. Be sure to include your actual e-mail address in the appropriate field below so we can reach you if you win. One lucky winner will also win two brats from Biker Jim. All yours, daddy-o. Have at it.


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Question: Dear Luise: I am interested in your take on the absence of sexual passion in most marriages after a while. I'm young and not married yet but it seems to be an accepted fact that passion dies with time. Is it necessary for that to happen? I sometimes think I would rather stay single if that's the case. I love the excitement of a new relationship and the passion that goes with it. I don't think I am the kind of person for a ho-hum existence. Nan
Answer: Dear Nan: There are many ways to look at this. Don't expect to find a formula. Just try to look at it as a lot of people who have varied tastes, energy levels and priorities. Many that are your age would agree with you.
How you feel about this sounds like it has a lot to do with novelty. The very nature of novelty is temporary. The focus of a couple may start out as heavily sexual. Almost everyone knows how if feels to think of nothing else and to mark time by how soon you can engage in it again, what you can do to enhance it and how long you can prolong it. That can be quite wonderful.
I think what happens as time passes is your focus shifts. Novelty can't stay novelty it slides into routine. Look at something else…your first new car, maybe. The whole experience is so exciting for most of us that we can't sleep in the process of making the choice, following through with the purchase, taking possession and driving off…free as a bird and thrilled. However, does it, do you, stay at that emotional pitch? No, the car becomes part of your life. You may always love it but you can think of other of things.
Yes, I know there is no comparison between the two. That's deliberate on my part. What they have in common is novelty. It's not sustainable.
That said there is a vast difference in how people use and sustain their sexual energy and expression. I'm not saying that there aren't couples that don't have a lifetime of really marvelous sex. Yet even the definition of what "marvelous sex" means can vary. You will define and redefine your take on it.
Why not just stay in the present and not worry about the future? We all learn and grow in our own way, creating our own preferences while adjusting to others. You won't have to give up anything you prize. If it shifts, it will be because you have. You may even decide to call it expansion not contraction. Blessings, Luise


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ROCD and other personality and societal factors:
Personal factors may interact with societal influences to affect one's ability to feel secure with one's choice of a partner. In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in exposure to other people, their behaviors, and personal lives. Such increased exposure is particularly evident in digital social networks (e.g., Facebook, Google+) and dating websites/applications, thus creating an illusion of availability. Many clients with ROCD describe such extensive exposure to "potential" partners as a powerful trigger of their relationship doubts and preoccupations. Studies in behavioral economics have long supported the role of perceived availability of better options in indecisiveness and differing choices (e.g., Tversky & Shafir, 1992). In the context of romantic relationships, recent studies looking at decision making in online dating show that more search options (i.e., increased perceived availability) result in excessive searching, poorer decision making and reduced selectivity in finding potential partners ( the "more-means-worse effect"; Wu & Chiou, 2009).
More recently, Yang and Chiou (2010) examined the moderating effect of personality tendencies on decision making in the context of choice proliferation. Findings indicated that the more-means-worse effect is accentuated among individuals with "maximizing" decision making tendencies. Maximizing strategies are aimed at achieving the best possible option and require an exhaustive search of all possibilities (Simon, 1956; Shwartz, 2002). In contrary, "satisfying" strategies strive for a "good enough" choice, searching until meeting an acceptable option. Indeed, individual differences in maximizing decision-making strategies were liked with poorer mental health (e.g., depression symptoms), increased maladaptive beliefs (e.g., perfectionism), more regret, and higher likelihood of engaging in upward social comparisons (Shwartz et al., 2002). Maximizers were also found to spend more time reviewing options when making a choice than do satisfiers, arguably increasing maximizers' uncertainty regarding the best choice (Dar-Nimrod, Rawn, Lehman, & Schwartz, 2009; Iyengar et al., 2006). Moreover, recent findings suggest that maximizers tend to avoid commitment to their decisions in a way that contributes to reduced satisfaction (Sparks, Ehrlinger, & Eibach, 2012). Thus, increased perceived availability of alternatives together with a maximizing decision making strategy may increase doubts regarding one's relational choices.


text: Print | Newsroom > Newsroom > 2017 2017 PPG reports first quarter 2017 financial results Net sales of approximately $3.6 billion and reported earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of $1.29, up 4 cents versus prior year Adjusted earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of $1.35, up more than 6 percent from prior year including unfavorable impact from foreign currency Sales volume growth of 2 percent versus prior year, with solid earnings leverage Initial pricing underway to address inflating raw material costs Operational excellence driving lower manufacturing and overhead costs Made compelling proposal on March 20, 2017, to combine PPG with AkzoNobel PITTSBURGH, April 20, 2017 – PPG (NYSE:PPG) today reported first quarter 2017 net sales of about $3.6 billion, up 1 percent versus the prior year. Net sales in local currencies grew nearly 3 percent year-over-year, aided by sales volume growth of 2 percent. The net impact from business portfolio actions contributed less than 1 percent to net sales, as acquisition-related net sales modestly exceeded divested net sales stemming from the sale of the European fiber glass business in October 2016. Selling prices were flat, an improvement versus prior sequential quarters. Unfavorable foreign currency translation impacted net sales by nearly 2 percent, or about $65 million. First quarter 2017 net income from continuing operations was $334 million, or $1.29 per diluted share. First quarter 2017 adjusted net income from continuing operations was $351 million, or $1.35 per diluted share. Adjusted net income excludes an after-tax pension settlement charge of $14 million, or 5 cents per diluted share, and after-tax transaction-related costs of $3 million, or 1 cent per diluted share. The effective tax rate for the quarter was 24.3 percent, and the adjusted effective tax rate for the quarter was 25.0 percent. First quarter 2016 net income from continuing operations was $337 million, or $1.25 per diluted share. First quarter 2016 adjusted net income from continuing operations was $341 million, or $1.27 per diluted share. Adjusted net income excluded after-tax charges totaling $4 million, or 2 cents per diluted share, for transaction-related costs and an asset write-down charge. The effective tax rate for the quarter was 24.6 percent, and the adjusted effective tax rate for the quarter was 24.7 percent. "We continued to deliver higher year-over-year adjusted earnings per diluted share, increasing by more than 6 percent in the first quarter. This growth was despite moderate but uneven global market demand and the unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation," said Michael McGarry, PPG chairman and chief executive officer. "Our earnings-per-share growth rate improved versus the fourth quarter 2016, benefiting from our ongoing cash deployment, sales volume growth and continued cost discipline, but negatively impacted by increasing raw material costs, which we partially offset with our initial pricing actions," McGarry said. "In aggregate, sales volumes grew by 2 percent year-over-year, including broad-based growth across the majority of our European businesses. Volumes were flat in the U.S. and Canada, reflecting a continuation of uneven end-market demand, with declines in automotive industry production offset by improvements in other end-use markets. Sales volumes continued to expand solidly in emerging regions, led by growth in Latin America and Asia," McGarry said. "From a business perspective, sales volumes grew more than 5 percent in our Industrial Coatings segment, more than doubling global industrial production growth rates. Each business in the segment posted solid mid-single-digit percentage growth versus the prior year. Sales volumes were in line with the prior year in our Performance Coatings segment, where significant weakness in global marine coatings continued to offset growth in other businesses," McGarry said. "Looking ahead, we expect economic growth to remain modest, particularly in developed regions. In the U.S. and Canada, aggregate customer demand has yet to match recent economic optimism. We anticipate continued measured growth in Europe across most of our businesses. Growth rates in emerging regions are expected to remain moderate, driven by increased consumer demand in Asia and broad-based expansion across Latin America, including in Brazil, where we see improvements after a likely bottoming," McGarry said. "We are focused on earnings-accretive opportunities to deploy our strong balance sheet for the benefit of our shareholders," McGarry continued. "We recently made a very attractive and highly compelling offer to acquire AkzoNobel. This offer was rejected, and to date, the Boards of AkzoNobel have declined PPG's multiple invitations to discuss the proposal. We remain willing to engage with AkzoNobel and continue to believe strongly that a combination of the two companies is in the best interest of both companies' stakeholders. Separately, our pipeline for bolt-on acquisitions remains active in most end-markets and geographies. We will remain focused on maximizing long-term shareholder value," McGarry concluded. PPG reported today that cash and short-term investments totaled approximately $1.4 billion on March 31, 2017, up about $350 million versus the prior-year period. During the quarter, the company repurchased about $165 million, or approximately 1.6 million shares, of PPG stock, and average diluted shares outstanding were reduced by about 4 percent versus the prior year. The company has approximately $1.7 billion remaining under its current share-repurchase authorization. PPG reiterated its commitment to deploy at least $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion of cash on acquisitions and share repurchases in years 2017 and 2018 combined. First Quarter 2017 Reportable Segment Financial Results Performance Coatings segment first quarter net sales were approximately $2.02 billion, down $22 million, or about 1 percent, versus the prior-year period. Sales in local currencies increased by more than 1 percent versus the prior year, primarily due to higher selling prices along with acquisition-related sales of approximately $10 million. Sales volumes were consistent with the prior year, including a modest positive impact from the Easter holiday shift between quarters, affecting some businesses and regions year-over-year. Unfavorable foreign currency translation reduced net sales by approximately $45 million, or about 2 percent. Organic sales expanded by a low- to mid-single-digit percentage in automotive refinish, with higher end-use customer demand in each region. Aerospace sales volumes were consistent with the prior year, reflecting a continuation of modest industry demand growth and customer inventory management. Led by increased demand in Western Europe, sales volumes improved in architectural coatings – EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), advancing by a low-single-digit percentage and building on the prior-year sales volume increase. Architectural coatings – Americas and Asia Pacific sales volumes declined by less than 1 percent. A mid-single-digit percentage increase in U.S. and Canada company-owned stores was offset by lower demand in the independent dealer network, with volumes mixed in national retail accounts including comparisons to prior-year new product inventory pipeline fills. Architectural coatings sales volumes improved year-over-year in Latin America and Asia Pacific. Protective and marine coatings sales volumes decreased by low-double-digit percentage versus the prior year, as increases in protective coatings were countered by significant weakness in the marine end-use market, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. Segment income for the first quarter was $285 million, up $6 million, or about 2 percent, year-over-year, including unfavorable foreign currency translation of about $10 million, primarily due to the Mexican peso, British pound, and euro. Segment income benefited from initial selling-price increases and continued overhead and manufacturing cost savings, including the initial benefits from recent business-restructuring actions. Improvements to segment income were partially offset by the unfavorable impact of increasing raw material costs. Industrial Coatings segment first quarter net sales were about $1.47 billion, up $97 million, or 7 percent, versus the prior year. Sales volumes increased by a solid mid-single-digit percentage, and acquisition-related sales added approximately $60 million, or about 4 percent, versus the prior year. Pricing was negative by about 1 percent year-over-year, and initial pricing actions are underway to address rising raw material costs. Unfavorable foreign currency translation of more than 1 percent reduced net sales by about $20 million. Automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings sales volumes increased by a mid-single-digit percentage year-over-year, exceeding global industry growth rates. Industrial coatings and specialty coatings and materials sales volumes increased by a mid-single-digit percentage versus the prior year, outpacing global industrial production growth rates for the fifth consecutive quarter, as sales volumes improved year-over-year across a broad range of end-use markets. Packaging coatings increased sales volumes by a mid-single-digit percentage year-over-year, building on strong sales volume growth in the prior-year period, led by continued industry conversions to PPG's interior can coatings technologies. Segment income for the quarter was $273 million, up $8 million, or 3 percent, year-over-year. Segment income increased due to higher sales volumes and lower manufacturing costs, including the initial benefits from business-restructuring actions. Acquisition-related income contributed to segment income growth, but at an expected margin that was below the Industrial Coatings segment average margin levels. Lower aggregate selling prices, increasing raw material costs and higher transitory global transportation and logistics costs required to meet elevated customer demand levels in Asia partially offset segment income increases. Unfavorable foreign currency translation reduced segment income by $5 million. Glass segment first quarter net sales were $83 million, down $50 million, or about 38 percent, versus the prior-year period, primarily due to the 2016 divestiture of the European fiber glass business. Sales volumes in the North American fiber glass business were down a low-single-digit percentage, mainly attributable to lower customer demand for wind-energy-related products and partially offset by an increase in oil and gas end-market demand. Segment income for the quarter was $9 million, down $5 million versus the prior year due to the absence of income from the divested European fiber glass business and Asian joint ventures. Income improved in the North American fiber glass business year-over-year due to significant cost-structure improvements. Financial results of the divested flat glass business are presented as discontinued operations. Historical financial results of the divested fiber glass businesses are included in the Glass segment. PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD™ At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and materials that our customers have trusted for more than 130 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $14.8 billion in 2016. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com. Additional Information PPG will provide detailed commentary regarding its financial performance, including presentation-slide content, on the PPG Investor Center at www.ppg.com at 1 p.m. ET today, April 20. The company will hold a conference call to review its first quarter 2017 financial performance today at 2 p.m. ET. Participants can pre-register for the conference by navigating to http://dpregister.com/10103848. The conference call also will be available in listen-only mode via Internet broadcast from the PPG Investor Center at www.ppg.com (Windows Media Player). A telephone replay will be available today, April 20, beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET, through May 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The dial-in numbers for the replay are: in the United States, 877-344-7529; international, +1-412-317-0088; passcode 10103848. A Web replay also will be available on the PPG Investor Center at www.ppg.com, beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET today, April 20, 2017, through April 19, 2018. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained herein relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements reflecting PPG's current view with respect to future events and financial performance. These matters within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect PPG Industries' operations, as discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Accordingly, many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. Such factors include global economic conditions, increasing price and product competition by foreign and domestic competitors, fluctuations in cost and availability of raw materials, the ability to maintain favorable supplier relationships and arrangements, the timing of realization of anticipated cost savings from restructuring initiatives, difficulties in integrating acquired businesses and achieving expected synergies therefrom, economic and political conditions in international markets, the ability to penetrate existing, developing and emerging foreign and domestic markets, foreign exchange rates and fluctuations in such rates, fluctuations in tax rates, the impact of future legislation, the impact of environmental regulations, unexpected business disruptions, and the unpredictability of existing and possible future litigation, including asbestos litigation. The forward-looking statements contained herein also include statements about the proposal made by PPG Industries on March 20, 2017, to discuss a combination with Akzo Nobel N.V. ("AkzoNobel"), which was rejected by the Boards of AkzoNobel. It remains uncertain whether AkzoNobel will cooperate with PPG Industries regarding PPG Industries' proposal and whether AkzoNobel's management or supervisory boards will endorse the proposal. However, it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, while the list of factors presented here and in PPG Industries' 2016 Form 10-K are considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, lower sales or earnings, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on PPG Industries' consolidated financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. All information in this release speaks only as of April 20, 2017, and any distribution of this release after that date is not intended and will not be construed as updating or confirming such information. PPG Industries undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as otherwise required by applicable law. Regulation G Reconciliation PPG believes investors' understanding of the company's operating performance is enhanced by the disclosure of earnings per diluted share from continuing operations adjusted for certain charges. PPG's management considers this information useful in providing insight into the company's ongoing operating performance because it excludes the impact of items that cannot reasonably be expected to recur on a quarterly basis or that are not attributable to our primary operations. Earnings per diluted share from continuing operations adjusted for these items is not a recognized financial measure determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and should not be considered a substitute for earnings per diluted share or other financial measures as computed in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, earnings per diluted share from continuing operations may not be comparable to similarly titled measures as reported by other companies. Regulation G Reconciliation - Net Income and Earnings per Diluted Share ($ in millions, except per-share amounts) First Quarter 2017 First Quarter 2016 $ EPS $ EPS Reported net income from continuing operations $ 334 $ 1.29 $ 337 $ 1.25 Transaction-related costs 3 0.01 1 0.01 Pension settlement charge 14 0.05 — — Asset write-down — — 3 0.01 Adjusted net income from continuing operations, excluding nonrecurring items $ 351 $ 1.35 $ 341 $ 1.27 First Quarter 2017 First Quarter 2016 Income Before Income Taxes Tax Expense Effective Tax Rate Income Before Income Taxes Tax Expense Effective Tax Rate Effective tax rate, continuing operations $ 448 $ 109 24.3 % $ 456 $ 112 24.6 % Transaction-related costs 4 1 37.9 % 2 1 37.6 % Pension settlement charge 22 8 37.9 % — — — Asset write-down — — — 4 1 37.6 % Adjusted effective tax rate, continuing operations, excluding nonrecurring items $ 474 $ 118 25.0 % $ 462 $ 114 24.7 % PPG INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) (All amounts in millions except per-share data) Three Months Ended March 31 2017 2016 Net sales $ 3,569 $ 3,544 Cost of sales, exclusive of depreciation and amortization 1,969 1,920 Selling, general and administrative expenses 896 906 Depreciation 83 85 Amortization 31 30 Research and development - net 110 116 Interest expense 25 30 Interest income (4 ) (6 ) Asbestos settlement - net — 3 Pension settlement charge 22 — Other (income)/charges - net (11 ) 4 INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES $ 448 $ 456 Income tax expense 109 112 Income from continuing operations, net of income taxes $ 339 $ 344 Income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes — 10 Net income attributable to the controlling and noncontrolling interests $ 339 $ 354 Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests (5 ) (7 ) NET INCOME (ATTRIBUTABLE TO PPG) $ 334 $ 347 Amounts attributable to PPG: Income from continuing operations, net of income tax $ 334 $ 337 Income from discontinued operations, net of income tax — 10 Net income (attributable to PPG) $ 334 $ 347 Earnings per common share (attributable to PPG) Income from continuing operations, net of income tax $ 1.30 $ 1.26 Income from discontinued operations, net of income tax — 0.04 Net income (attributable to PPG) $ 1.30 $ 1.30 Earnings per common share (attributable to PPG) - assuming dilution Income from continuing operations, net of income tax $ 1.29 $ 1.25 Income from discontinued operations, net of income tax — 0.04 Net income (attributable to PPG) $ 1.29 $ 1.29 Average shares outstanding 257.6 267.6 Average shares outstanding - assuming dilution 259.5 269.4 PPG INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) ($ in millions) The condensed consolidated statements of operations include the impact of items that management does not include when evaluating the performance of the business on a quarterly basis. Income tax expense on pre-tax income from continuing operations includes tax benefits related to the following: Three Months Ended March 31 2017 2016 Transaction-related costs $ 1 $ 1 Pension settlement charge 8 — Asset write-down — 1 Total $ 9 $ 2 PPG INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS (unaudited) ($ in millions) March 31 December 31 March 31 2017 2016 2016 (a) Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,349 $ 1,820 $ 909 Short-term investments 40 43 121 Receivables - net 3,057 2,692 3,030 Inventories 1,727 1,546 1,816 Assets held for sale 34 30 283 Other 439 321 718 Total current assets $ 6,646 $ 6,452 $ 6,877 Current liabilities: Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt $ 604 $ 629 $ 36 Asbestos settlement — — 831 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 3,573 3,510 3,547 Restructuring reserves 96 101 71 Liabilities held for sale — — 112 Total current liabilities $ 4,273 $ 4,240 $ 4,597 Long-term debt $ 3,817 $ 3,787 $ 4,210 (a) Assets and liabilities of PPG's flat glass business were classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2016. The business was sold on October 1, 2016. PPG OPERATING METRICS (unaudited) ($ in millions) March 31 December 31 March 31 2017 2016 2016 (b) Operating Working Capital (a) Amount $ 2,395 $ 2,050 $ 2,524 As a percent of quarter sales, annualized 16.8 % 14.7 % 17.8 % (a) Operating working capital includes: (1) receivables from customers, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, (2) FIFO inventories and (3) trade liabilities. (b) Period excludes the working capital components of the flat glass business which have been recast as Assets and Liabilities held for sale. PPG INDUSTRIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BUSINESS SEGMENT INFORMATION (unaudited) ($ in millions) Three Months Ended March 31 2017 2016 Net sales Performance Coatings $ 2,017 $ 2,039 Industrial Coatings 1,469 1,372 Glass 83 133 TOTAL $ 3,569 $ 3,544 Segment income Performance Coatings $ 285 $ 279 Industrial Coatings 273 265 Glass 9 14 TOTAL $ 567 $ 558 Items not allocated to segments Corporate (64 ) (61 ) Interest expense, net of interest income (21 ) (24 ) Legacy (Note A) (8 ) (11 ) Transaction-related costs (4 ) (2 ) Pension settlement charge (22 ) — Asset write-down — (4 ) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES $ 448 $ 456 Note A: Legacy items include current costs related to former operations of the Company, including pension and other postretirement benefit costs, certain charges for legal matters and environmental remediation costs, and certain other charges which are not associated with PPG's current business portfolio, including the impact of the asbestos settlement. Until April 2016, legacy items also include equity earnings from PPG's minority investment in Pittsburgh Glass Works, LLC. We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. PPG Media Contact: Mark Silvey Corporate Communications +1-412-434-3046 firstname.lastname@example.com PPG Investor Contact: Scott Minder Investor Relations +1-412-434-3466 firstname.lastname@example.com investor.ppg.com Newsroom 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 Publications Media Contacts Facts about PPG Media Coverage Social Media Businesses, Products and Brands Videos


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Phone + 385 21 474 464
Mobile + 385 99 216 55 00
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|Charter price per week in € for M/Y Donna Del Mare
|Payment options
| Other discounts may apply
|APA (obligatory): 30%
Donna Del Mare, Luxury motor yacht of modern design built in 2007, offers its guests every conceivable luxury that is expected on a yacht of this class. Robust steel hull does not diminish the high luxury interior and wide open spaces. With 7 cabins of equal size in the lower deck and spectacular main cabin behind the bridge "Donna del Mare" is able to accommodate 14 + 5 privileged guest. Salon, together with the dining room, is also spacious and leaves an extremely warm impression, thanks to the wooden panels which cover the walls. Sunny deck for all sun worshipers has two canopy-covered Queen size bed , jacuzzi with built-in TV and DVD; perfect equipment to enjoy and do absolutely nothing but enjoy the scenery, food, and excellent service our crew can provide.
The yacht particulars and pictures displayed above are given in good faith and believed to be correct but not guaranteed. All information are subject to change without any further notice and without warranty. Croatia Charter booking department will confirm exact pricing, yacht particulars and pictures upon your request.
**Chartered only with crew (7 members)
The boat is situated in marina: Dubrovnik and region: Dubrovnik
In order to confirm your booking, a down payment amounting 50% of the total charter fee should be settled upon the reservation. The rest of the charter fee (50%) should be paid at least 4 weeks prior to your embarkation. For bookings within 6 weeks of departure, the total charter fee should be paid. For now, we offer only one method of payment - bank transfer. The deposit can be given in cash or as a credit card slip (Visa, American Express, Maestro and Diners).


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…If You Are In Business
No one really knows who said, "You get a second chance to make a first impression." Nonetheless, it is true, especially when speaking about websites. One of the most important aspects of business today is a good website. A good website leads to greater exposure, which leads to increased website traffic which, in turn, leads to increased sales or more clients which, ultimately, leads to greater profits. Your website is your proverbial "first impression" and, studies have shown, that prospective customers and clients will form that first impression in .2 seconds. In another 2.6 seconds, their impression will be all but cemented. What this means is that if your site does not "grab" visitors in the the first less-than-three-seconds, you have probably lost them as a customer or client. To simply compete in the market today is not enough. Anyone can give you basic, "ho-hum" content for your website, but I can give you CONTENT that gets your business noticed.
Once you have made your good first impression, your site needs to keep your visitors engaged. There must be thoroughly-researched, well-drafted, and impactful content. Your website literally needs to show the world – the internet makes every business an international business – that you and your business are legitimate, serious players in your industry. Further, your unique selling proposition, your brand, and why you are better and/or different from your competitors. Everything that a site visitor encounters (i.e., logo, visuals, and navigation menus) goes into making a judgment about you and your brand. If your website has inarticulate, poorly-written, and incoherently displayed content, the prospective customers will question your company's quality of work; conversely, clear, well-written, and easily-understood content indicates high quality and professionalism, translating into higher sales and more clients. I have the unique skills and understanding of the business world to give you and your business a compelling voice that will attract people to your website and keep them engaged when they get there, turning "clicks" into customers. Additionally, once you have your content, I can make sure that it stays current and interesting to your existing and potential future customers and clients.
When you are in business, there are a seemingly endless number of things that need to be done on a daily basis. Payroll, human resources, marketing, and website maintenance are just a few. As the day-to-day operator of a business, it is all but impossible to keep track of everything that needs to be accomplished, let alone actually accomplish them. The pressures are undeniably brutal. I can relieve that pressure by, in addition to providing exciting website content, researching, drafting, and/or editing almost any written or verbal form of communication, on-line or off-line that you would need for your business to succeed.
…If You Are Transitioning Careers or Looking for Employment
Changing or starting your career, be it voluntarily or involuntarily, can be, at best, intimidating, and, at worst, downright scary; this will likely be a very emotional and frightening time. One thing is for certain, it is not easy to do in today's world. It is difficult in good times, let alone bad ones, to accurately represent yourself. That is, write about who you are and why a prospective employer wants…no…should…no…NEEDS to hire you. Your online profiles (e.g., LinkedIn, Indeed) have to be well-written and organized in order to attract "wanted" attention (My LinkedIn profile is rated "All Star").
Your online profiles are not, however, the only components of your, for lack of a better term, "transition." You need a resume and cover letter for every job for which you apply. Neither of these is a static document; they need to be fluid and constantly changing. Both your resume and cover letter need to be tailored to the position you seek and, not just up-to-date, but up-to-the-minute. You need to not only write about yourself, but paint a picture to the prospective employer that accurately reflects their need for the position they are trying to fill. What are the specific job requirements? You must make sure you "tick all the boxes," while simultaneously making a compelling "case" for yourself for that job — for each position you seek.
It is, quite simply, not so simple. You need to do all of this while maintaining your status quo. You probably do not have the time, knowledge, or experience to do the social networking and other necessities of being or becoming an individual in today's business world. I understand the marketplace and can (i) help craft your online presence and (ii) tailor your resume and cover letter to the position you are seeking. By having a professional like myself help you, you stand a greater chance of obtaining the job and success you want.


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Engagement Strategies is the first solar solution able to manage the complete customer acquisition process online. The e-commerce capabilities provide a seamless, modern, and easy process for your customers. Manage all sales documents and the entire sales process and transactions online. Customer proposals can be customized with details of facility statistics and provide all needed information for a confident sales decision. A full catalog of marketing material and a custom website will help you promote and sell your programs. Engagement Strategies offers the easiest way to buy solar, allowing customers to shop online from the comfort of their home.
Our E-Commerce platform provides all the documents necessary for an easy sales transaction. Gain access to fully automated online transactions, allowing your customers to purchase as many panels as needed from the comfort of their home with the ease of a click of the mouse. Don't waste time with contracts that expose you to mistakes and risk. Our automated transaction forms will help speed up the sales process and provide a quality customer experience.
The automated documents include proposals generated for your customers with details about the facility and information they need in order to make an informed decision. The customer will receive customized details of their proposed system size, cost of panels, expected energy production, anticipated savings, and the lifetime environmental impacts they will make by participating in your program. All of this information will be delivered to them with your company logo and contact information.
Promote your community solar program with the help of a custom designed website. Let us build a dedicated site for you with your branding, one that helps spread the word about your program, educates the community and turns leads into sales.
Get instant access to a well-defined and highly effective community solar messaging. Choose from a full catalog of marketing material designed to communicate the benefits of community solar, reaching the right targeted market, assisting you with customer acquisition and establishing you as the community's resource of clean energy.
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The spotlight will soon fall on the matric results and we can expect the familiar soul-searching and browbeating on the state of South Africa's education system. Who is to blame? The teachers, pupils, curriculum designers, examiners, or the education department?
But instead of apportioning blame, we need to find workable solutions. One attempt to do so is in my forthcoming textbook, Academic Literacy for Education Students, which aims to provide student teachers with good communication skills in English.
The book is the outcome of my studies in academic literacy and my work in an education faculty. My PhD research at the University of Johannesburg, supervised by professors Elizabeth Henning and Sarah Gravett, focused on course design for integrating language and subject content in higher education. The curriculum for the textbook was shaped by practice and influenced by theoretical input and linguistic debate.
My research findings indicated that many students who enter higher education were linguistically unprepared, or underprepared, for the rigours of academic life. Entry into higher education can be exhilarating for some and alienating for others. Those who have the potential but lack the necessary skills and strategies to study at university are the most seriously disadvantaged.
For many of these students a major obstacle to academic success is their lack of familiarity with the language of the academy, which has its own rules and conventions and demands a difficult transition from school to university. As a result, students are faced with the daunting task of having to develop their often inadequate knowledge of the language while learning conceptually challenging subjects and discipline-specific content. Can you imagine studying quantum physics in Mandarin if it is not your home language?
The dominant practices of higher education are textual, whether it be the lecture hall, textbooks, internet or written assignments. Reading and writing are central processes in almost every academic setting. Students who cannot read fluently and understand what they read cannot learn from texts. They also cannot write about what they have learned in clear, unambiguous language.
Many students simply give up
Limited competence in these meaning-making skills prevents students from attaining the intellectual growth and transformation that should accompany investment in higher education. In many instances students simply give up and drop out of the system.
In designing the textbook my approach has been two-pronged. First, I wish to introduce education students to the language and literacy of their field of study while helping them to develop the reading, writing and thinking skills needed to succeed at university. Recent research strongly supports the notion that students should be actively engaged in learning the vocabulary, grammatical structures and genres particular to the discourse of their chosen field of study.
The language of specific academic domains varies according to conceptual demands and language resources, as well as the formal structuring of these discourses. Each discipline has its own specific organisational structures, methods of inquiry, habits of knowledge construction and text representation.
We need only to compare the languages of science, law and medicine to understand that each discipline uses words and thought structures in a distinctive way. For example, unless you are familiar with the territory, it would be extremely difficult to follow a conversation between two engineers or two computer scientists.
This suggests that students working within their own knowledge areas can develop a better understanding not only of its concepts, but also of its rhetorical processes and linguistic strategies. By exposing students to the language, strategies and genres they are likely to encounter in their subject areas, Academic Literacy for Education Students hopes to demystify academic literacy by making transparent the conventions and values of a learning community.
Second, as future educators, student teachers need to have a good understanding of the processes involved in language development and be able to set a good example of language use in the classroom. Language is central to the act of teaching, because it provides both the means and the medium for learning and understanding.
Quality of learning is determined by quality of communication
The quality of learning is determined by the nature and quality of communication in the teaching situation. Instructions are given, questions are asked, explanations are provided, ideas are exchanged and so on.
How teachers talk to students, structure the spoken language in the classroom and provide written feedback for assignments, and how students interact with one another, can either open or close opportunities for learning. Effective teachers are those who can use language creatively and interactively to engage with their learners in a dialogic relationship.
The 14 units in the textbook focus on different skills and strategies for discipline-specific literacy learning in higher education. Activities are arranged in a progressive order to give students the opportunity to gradually develop competence in interpreting and negotiating meaning from texts and enable them to transfer that understanding to their own composition.
The aim of the textbook is to develop critical readers and writers who question what they read and find ways to relate what they learn to a wider context. It provides students with opportunities to reflect on their own learning and experiences and encourages them, through talk and writing, to develop a deeper understanding of the content area they are required to study. All the learning activities, texts and discussion topics serve as a support structure for students' emerging mastery of academic knowledge and academic language.
Dr Judy Seligmann has designed curricula and provided academic support to undergraduate and postgraduate students at several universities for the past 15 years and she co-ordinated the Writing Centre at the University of Johannesburg. Her book, Academic Literacy for Education Students, will be published next month by Oxford University Press.