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The U.S. Open has been going on for quite a few weeks at this time and to be honest, I haven't been wildly enthusiastic about the whole thing. Yeah, yeah, I know — it's one of the most timeless sports that one could watch and all of that but it's sort of like golf for me — I don't have a whole lot of interest in watching people smack balls back and forth to one another across a court. Hot or not, my attention span doesn't have the capacity for that sort of thing.
My girlfriend on the other hand is pretty into it, so I've taken what I can about the girl's outfits and "made lemonade" if you will, because there's no arguing how good they look scampering around in those tennis skirts.
For those of you out there who are equally as enthusiastic about this whole sporting event, I don't even have to call Maria Sharapova to your attention, but I'm going to do it for the rest who may be living under a rock.
She is crazy attractive and has been getting props left and right for her clothing choices, and with excellent reason — she essentially started a new trend in tennis by wearing day and night ensembles for her tournament matches.
Unreal. Just when I thought there couldn't be anything I could find to love in tennis tournaments, here she was. I am so digging on her color combination choices, too. Basically the girl has got it going on, seeing as how she's currently the face for designer Cole Haan.
The latest "phenom" (as my GF calls her) is 17-year-old Melanie Oudin, and this gal is not only shaping up to be the next athletic sensation, she would appear to have a bit of taste, too.
Not to rub salt in any wounds or anything, but she kinda-sorta beat Sharapova on Sunday, too. Her leg was bandaged up but she still managed to smoke the court in a head to toe Adidas get-up that was iced with a pair of technicolor sneakers (my fave, duh). Give me another year, I might have something dirty to say but until then, mum's the word on this new American sweetheart.
The most awesome/biggest burn is that both Maria and next on my list, Nadia Petrova have already been taken out of the running due to her underage hand.
Petrova is pretty much known amongst lady lovers as having amazing, defined arms and legs which in turn highlight what she's wearing on the court. Note the hottest red on white Lacoste choice for her tennis gear, an original choice and actually kind of forward. In my opinion, the "preppy" look is coming back, if not mildly. Every hipster I know is mocking it in some form. If you're going to do it though, go for something that's classically refined and respected like the brand Nadia chose, not Abercrombie.
I know there are a bunch of you who are probably itching to pick up a racket after all the hype of the Open, so do it with style. Any place we should know about to pick up duds to sweat (attractively) in?


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A reflection on the holocaust memorial in Berlin.
Continue ReadingStelae – In Berlin
James Mercer is the Vicar of All Saints', Harrow Weald in the Willesden Area of the Diocese of London. He has been chair of trustees and co-founder of a 'drop in' cafe serving disadvantaged young people in a city centre and the founder of a Forest School working with marginalised young people in West London.

subset: commoncrawl


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Having gotten a good feel for Muscat midway into our trip,we decided to venture out of the city and into the desert. A two hour road trip placed us smack dab in the middle of what looked like nowhere, until we found the single dirt road that led us to our luxury camp in a valley of huge, mountain-like DUNES!
Enormous piles of sand, perfect for the locals' version of off roading (aka dune bashing). Who would've thought that a Toyota could breeze up and down these sand mountains like they were a freshly paved country road?!
Our accommodations at the Desert Nights Camp. We really roughed it with two bedrooms, a full marble bath, and air con. Throw in a two big meals with a view and a meet & greet with this guy:
Pals. Okay, two favorite photos of the trip coming up, taken at sunset on top of the dunes:
Charming as well.
All smiles before we left the next morning. SUCH a fun, unique experience with so many firsts. Officially checking 'ride a camel' off my bucket list!


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We live in a time where reality stars are made famous for drinking and getting in fights at the Jersey Shore or being in high school and pregnant. Seeing these people get scooped up from obscurity is enough to get you frustrated – at least enough to get me frustrated. I know how hard I've worked to get to where I am – high school, good grades, college, more good grades, blah blah blah. I know I shouldn't feel entitled, but where's my piece of the pie?
It's with that attitude that I became bitter and even a bit cynical. It was that bitterness and cynicism that caused me to stall my writing. Well, there are other reasons as well (which I'll get into in future blogs), but I was pretty angry to see people like Snooki and Lauren Conrad get book deals. It really takes a lot out of me and I just get angry.
I need to really stop thinking about what I can't control and I can't control the media. What I can control is writing. I may not ever get published, but I'll never get published if I don't write.
Which brings me to my brother-in-law. I have plenty of stories about my wife to tell when it comes to the support she offers me, but this post is about my brother-in-law. If you know me, you'll know I spend a fair amount of time on Facebook. One would say that the time spent on Facebook could be better served writing, and that's exactly what my brother-in-law thought. On April 10th, he threw the gauntlet down and I accepted. His challenge was to stay off Facebook until I finish a first draft. I have accepted and I haven't been on Facebook since.
These blogs are auto-posted on my Facebook account, so that's why you've seen me lately. Since Facebook allows commenting from e-mails, if you respond to these posts, I'll see your comments. My brother-in-law has allowed me to respond to the comments, so that is the only way you'll see my on Facebook until the first draft is complete.
Okay…now back to the writing (and the blogging about writing – which, at this point, I'm doing a bit more of).


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Learn About Christian Family Values
It is important to first and foremost acknowledge that Christians form a very large percentage of the global population and it is a religious group that seeks to emulate the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. It is important to note that the spread of Christianity is very wide and it goes into many different countries.One of the main teachings of Christianity are the family values because Christianity advocates for very solid families being the most basic units of a society. The composition of this basic unit may include a farther mother as well as children. The sole and most important reason of this piece of writing is to shed light on the different Christian values advocated in Christianity as well as the importance of this values to our day to day living.
The interaction between the members of a family are all governed by the values on Christian family. The raising of children the Christian way as well as interaction of the partners to a marriage are good examples of some of the things family values do.
Respect as well as discipline of children towards their parents is one of the vital family values in Christianity and it offers long life as the reward to those who follow the value. A husband or a wife is required to love and remain faithful to their marriage partner and thus love and faithfulness are also family Christian values. How you talk to a family member, the art of giving as well as empathizing with a family member are good examples of family values. State and society relations are also well captured by the Christian family values.For instance, basic Christian family values require that a family participates fully in the development of a society or in nation building There are a lot of gains when one uses Christian values both to a family unit and to the society.
Immorality as well as theft are some of the cases that drastically reduce by use of Christian family values by parents in bringing up their children and this therefore becomes a big plus to the society and the nation at large. Christian family values also have the ability of drastically reducing the divorce cases as well as separation cases because it is the aim of Christian family values to encourage modest conflict resolution among couples.Good governance at the national level starts at the family unit and the Christian family values promote good governance.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the Christian family values have been under constant threat of eradication due to modern lifestyles adopted by people as well as technological factors. The study of Christian family values is of great use.


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The Product
This is a frozen whole chicken in the 4.50 to 4.99 pound range. Nutrient dense raised on pasture. It is packaged in a heavy plastic shrink bag. Processed at an inspected facility here in Minnesota.
The Farming Method
The chicken you buy is only as good as the way it was raised. Here at Nelson Grass Farm we start from the Soil Up. These chickens come to the farm as day old chicks. We start them in the brooder and feed transitional organic feed which has been carefully formulated by our nutritionist and sourced by our feed mill. When they have feathered they are moved out where they live on fresh pasture with daily moves. There shelters are designed to provide protection from the elements and predators while giving them ample space and opportunity to be a chicken.


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Eco Warrior - Infant Organic Onesie
$ 22.00
We have run out of stock for this item.
Eco Warrior. Be an environmental warrior by protecting our planet and making the world a better place to live.
Designed for maximum comfort, fit and environmental sustainability, your infant will adore this soft, American made onesie. And snap closure makes changing a breeze.
- FABRIC: Organic baby combed ring spun 100% certified organic cotton
- Neckline and leg opening binding
- Double needle sleeve hem
- 1/2" 3 snap closure
- Our 100% CERTIFIED ORGANIC COTTON fine jersey has a super soft hand feel and is environmentally friendly
- Made in USA
- Fit: Infant Unisex


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The city of Baranovichi, in modern-day Belarus Belarusian: Бара́навічы [ba%CB%88ranav%CA%B2it%CA%82%C9%A8], Łacinka: Baranavičy, Baranavichy; Russian: Бара́новичи, Polish: Baranowicze, Yiddish: באראנאוויטש, Baranovich, began as a Polish village, growing to a town with a 50% Jewish population in 1897, and serving as a seat of Jewish learning and culture. It became part of the Soviet Union and served as refuge to Jews fleeing German-occupied Poland. In 1941 the Wehrmacht seized the city and created a ghetto on its outskirts. After several "selections," all the occupants of the ghetto were sent to various German concentration camps.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baranovichi http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/baranovichi1/bar110.html http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_02002.html http://books.google.com/books?id=NH0K92ZcNN0C&pg=PA224&lpg=PA224&dq=baranovichi+ghetto&source=bl&ots=YRF9szT1df&sig=NLlE4GVa4PFBjutyQZEMZMDHgm8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=bmHsUKmHKOqdiALY5YCYAw&ved=0CGMQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=baranovichi%20ghetto&f=false


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Jonti-craft Kydz Traditional Computer Desk And Optional Chair Set
The multicolor, Kydz Traditional Computer can go perfectly as part of your kids room. JC027 is the part number for this furniture. The furniture is available in multicolor. There's a lot of suppliers where you can purchase a furniture, with reviews you can obtain the ideal items. While it is great to shop in nearby stores for your furnishings, remember internet shopping typically offer significantly more choices and much better discount. The most important thing to not forget if you are choosing a furniture for the classroom is to have fun. Spend some time to browse the selections. Online deals for Kydz Traditional Computer in multicolor. For additional details on this furniture, click on our affilate link below.
Who makes the Kydz Traditional Computer Desk And Optional? jonti-craft kydz traditional computer desk optional
|Jonti-Craft Inc
Product Description
This traditional pc desk is perfect for any child boy or girl. Designed for ages 4 to 13 years. Readily available with an optional matching chair. The tabletop features straightforward to clean laminate and functions rounded edges for child safety. Height might be adjusted in two-inch increments from 18-30 inches high. Built child-safe and ready for the young computer whiz. This desk features"full back"construction that protects cords and locking wheels. Constructed of sturdy solid hardwood that ensures many years of use.


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I meet the loveliest humans sometimes – and today I'm here to tell you all about somebody who I've discovered is especially special! (If that wasn't already a thing, it needs to be!) It takes a lot to manage a successful wedding business: superhuman dedication; insane organisational skills; creativity and above all kindness, empathy and that certain something which makes someone a real "people person". When I did a quick introduction to Michelle from Elegante by Michelle J on the English Wedding insta and on our facebook page last week, the replies I got told me a LOT about this amazing lady. The reviews on her website do likewise; and while I haven't met Michelle in person, I just know she's something special.
So I'm delighted to be welcoming Elegante by Michelle J to the English Wedding team today. Michelle is a destination wedding and event planner in London and a professional member of the UKAWP. The Elegante by Michelle J mission is to always create the most magical and memorable of days for her couples and their guests. So let's meet Michelle!


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1-What is the Gamma Lifestyle Membership Program?
The Gamma Lifestyle Membership program is an online series where we provide weekly information on cooking, nutrition, health and wellness, provided by Gaye Chicoine, Dr. Ed Chicoine (chiropractor) and some of the other family members.
2-What do I get with this membership?
Members will receive regular information in the form of blogs, articles and videos. We want to empower people to take better control of their personal and family health. Members will be able to send us their questions and we will answer them in our webinars that will be conducted every two weeks or every month, depending on the demand.
3-How much does it cost?
The regular fee for maintaining an active membership is $9.99 per month.
4-Can I cancel at any time?
Yes you can cancel at any time, no questions asked.
5-Do you provide live presentations?
Yes, we provide live presentations. Check out the keynote speaker section for more details. Dr. Ed provides one presentation on health and wellness, entitled Disease Proof Your Body. Another presentation entitled Fearless Family, is provided by Dr. Ed and some of his children. Both presentations provide practical and useful information on how to create and maintain better health naturally, and how to create more success in your life. It's good for individuals, groups, companies, organizations and corporations who would like to better themselves and be inspired.
6-Why should I use your services?
There is a lot of hype and misinformation being propagated over the Internet. What we share with you are principles and action steps that we do as a family, what Dr. Ed teaches in his clinic and the procedures we follow with our family corporations. It's not just theoretical. We're in the trenches so to speak, just like you and we have a genuine interest to help people improve their situation in life.
7-Why should I purchase the book Feed Your Family Real Food, Local Seasonal Traditional?
The book, Feed Your Family Real Food, Local Seasonal Traditional by Gaye Chicoine will give you a very good idea of the nutrition principles that we follow as a family. At a time where more and more people are attempting to eat better, using local, seasonal and real foods, this book is a timely addition of great information on important food concepts. Accompanying her collection of nutritious, delicious and healthy recipes are compelling stories of her personal perspective, growing up with her two grand-mothers who taught her how to cook, as well as the experience of raising six healthy children, who are now young adults and extremely appreciative of the better health they enjoy today as a result of their experience with food. The traditional ways of cooking from the past are brought to the present with easy to do explanations and great ideas. It's a must read for any parent or individual who loves to eat good food and wants to take better control of their health.


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This fall, 47 new Jesuit novices joined the Society of Jesus in Canada, Haiti, and the United States, the largest group of novices in the last 10 years.
Christopher Alt, 30, earned a bachelor's degree in theological and religious studies
from the University of San Diego and a master of divinity degree from Boston
College. He served as a Jesuit donné* at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and also worked at a health care center
and homeless shelter. Christopher enjoys music, art, fitness, and hanging out
with family.
Mark Blancke, 30, grew up on a farm in southeast Michigan. He received bachelor's degrees in health science from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., and nursing from Regis University in Denver. Mark practiced as a medical/surgical nurse for four years and has interests in organic gardening and green living. He enjoys running, cycling, sailing, skiing, and hiking.
Adam Bryan, 22, is a native of Lima, Ohio. He obtained a bachelor's degree in physics from Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he also became interested in liberal arts, particularly medieval philosophy and literature. Adam enjoys playing sports, listening to and playing bluegrass music, learning foreign languages, and reading intellectually stimulating literature.
First-year Midwest Jesuit novices: (front row, left to right) Vicktor Moberg, Mark Blancke, Christopher Meister, Robert Purgert, Joshua Utter, Josef Rodriguez, Alexander French, Christopher Alt; (back row, left to right) Mark Hakes, Matthew Waldoch, Adam Bryan, Alexander DeWitt, John Weinandy, Patrick Saint-Jean, Cody Sandschafer
Cody Sandschafer, 24, grew up in Effingham, Ill. He graduated from Marian University in Indianapolis and studied at Saint Meinrad Seminary & School of Theology in Indiana. Cody was a middle school math teacher and donné at Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He enjoys spending time with friends and family, hunting, sports, and philosophy.
John Weinandy, 25, is one of seven siblings from Bowling Green, Ohio. He attended St. John's Jesuit High School & Academy in Toledo, Ohio, and John Carroll University in Cleveland, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology. After working in medical research, he returned to St. John's as an alumni volunteer and staff member. John enjoys reading, cooking, playing games, and exploring God's creation.
Click here for the Fall-Winter 2016 Jesuits magazine index.


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10 December 2019, 17:44 | Religious ceremonies and pilgrimage |
A new bishop of the RCC in Ukraine ordinated in Zakarpattia
Today, on December 10, 2019, the Bishop's ordination of Mykola Luchko took place in Mukachevo.
21 October 2019, 10:48 | Judaism |
Gravestones from Jewish cemetery found in Chop
Recently, four gravestones from the Jewish cemetery were found in a private yard in Chop in Transcarpathia. They were found by the owners, who a few years ago bought a house on Tysova street and now doing repairs.
10 October 2019, 12:11 | Restoration, maintainance of cultural inheritance | |
Transcarpathia wants to preserve one of the oldest synagogues in Western Ukraine
The synagogue, constructed in 1705, is located in Tyachiv region. The last century significantly and negatively influenced the fate of the shrine. However, the community of Vilkhivtsi intends to give the building a new life.
11 September 2019, 10:06 | International relations |
A Transcarpathian separatist priest requested the support of the President of the Czech Republic
In early September, President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman received a delegation of seven in Prague Castle, who claimed to "represent the interests of the Ruthenians seeking their autonomy in Ukraine."
1 June 2019, 07:27 | Scandals, crime |
"Canonical intimidation": stone with message thrown into window of OCU priest in Zakarpattia
Unknown people broke a window in the house of the rector of St Prophet Elias Church, Archpriest Victor Bilan in the village of Velykyy Bychkiv in Zakarpattia.
5 May 2019, 19:51 | Greece-catholic eparche of Mukachevo | |
Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese celebrates 30th anniversary of coming out from underground
The Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese in the last week celebrated the 30th anniversary of its coming out from the underground. The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held on May 1 and gathered a large number of leaders of the diocese and representatives of the clergy, Zoryana Popovich, a RISU journalist, has reported.
23 December 2018, 12:50 | Inter-Orthodox relations |
Transcarpathian communities predicted to actively transfer to OCU once Tomos is granted
Currently, there are six communities in Transcarpathia which confirmed their intention to move from the subordination of the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, most of them in Uzhhorod, but this movement will gain momentum once the Tomos is granted.
25 October 2018, 14:08 | Religion and society |
Members of ecology units of Eastern European Churches and Germany to discuss climate protection
On October 25-27, an international conference Alliance of Religious and Civic Organizations for the Protection of the Climate of Eastern Europe will be held in the Transcarpathian Syniak village in the framework of the project of the German Nature Protection Union. This was reported by Transcarpathia - online.
12 April 2018, 14:25 | Greece-catholic eparche of Mukachevo |
German Cardinal to Greek Catholics of Transcarpathia: I support you and stand beside you
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki was making a visit to the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese from April 4 to April 7. Exactly 10 years ago, his predecessor - Cardinal Meisner visitied Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese. Cardinal Woelki gifted to Bishop Milan (Shashik) one of Cardinal Meisner's personal cups featuring his cardinal emblem.
9 March 2017, 10:37 | Church and ecology
Transcarpathian bishops ask believers neither to pluck primroses nor buy them from poachers
Bishop Milan (Shashik) of the Diocese of Mukachevo, UGCC, and Bishop Antal Maynek of the diocese of Mukachevo, RCC in Ukraine, appealed to the faithful asking them not to pluck primroses and not buy them from poachers. According to them, tearing the flowers, the people thus are causing irreparable environmental damage.
9 November 2016, 12:49 | Calvinism |
First bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church Lajos Gulácsi died
On November 6, former bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church Lajos Gulácsi died at the age of 92. Today, on November 9, the funeral is to be held.
8 November 2016, 11:01 | Greece-catholic eparche of Mukachevo |
Bishop Milan (Shashik) participates in glorification of 38 blessed martyrs that suffered from communist rule
Albania, declaring itself a completely atheistic country, went in for a brutal persecution of all believers, Catholics, Orthodox, and Muslims. Catholics suffered special persecution for their pastoral dynamism and unwavering faith identity.
10 October 2016, 14:20 | National religious question |
Holocaust memorial unveiled in Uzhhorod
Transcarpathian regional center hosted the 10th anniversary Festival of Jewish Culture. This year it received its own name – Heymish Ungvar, which means "comfortable, cozy, warm."
29 July 2016, 11:53 | Announcements |
International Conference on Integration of religious and ethnic minorities in Eastern Europe to be held in September
The event will last 2 days, starting its work on 13 September in Uzhgorod and continuing it the next day in Mukachevo, Zakarpattya.online reports.
7 March 2016, 11:45 | Temples, church property |
Photo exhibition of amazing Jewish cultural artifacts opened in Uzhgorod
The exhibition in roll-up format was recreated by the Society of Hungarian artists, architects and Cultural Organization of Jews in Hungary under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Economy and Foreign Affairs of the neighboring country.
29 January 2016, 13:00 | Restoration, maintainance of cultural inheritance | |
Unique frescos found during renovations in former synagogue
Built in the late nineteenth century, the large synagogue in the Neo-Mauritanian style was once one of the most beautiful buildings of Beregovo.
3 December 2015, 10:39 | Inter-Orthodox relations |
UOC (MP) tries to win a temple of UOC-KP in Transcarpathians by court action
It is known, on September 27, the UOC (MP) representatives in Pylypets tried to seize by force the temple of the community which moved to the UOC-KP.
12 November 2015, 12:19 | Religion and policy |
Separatist Orthodox priest received by Czech president
Czech President Milos Zeman met with the leadership of the World Council of Subcarpathian Rusyns (WCSR) in Dasice where the WCSR HQ was located.
21 October 2015, 10:21 | Greece-catholic eparche of Mukachevo |
Greek Catholics in Transcarpathia lost a third of donations from faithful
Charitable donations from the faithful of Greek Catholic Church in Transcarpathia decreased threefold. This was stated by Bishop Milan Shashik during a press conference in Uzhgorod, as he spoke about financial capability of the diocese to restore the wall that crashed in front of the cathedral.
28 September 2015, 11:24 | Land and property problems |
Paid thugs and UOC (MP) representativesattempted to seize a UOC-KP church in Transcarpathia
A religious war broke out in the village of Pylypets in Zakarpattia region. The cause of the confrontation was the transition of the UOC (MP) community to the Kyiv Patriarchate and the defense of their property right to the local church.


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A FREE advice centre which helps the poor, elderly and disabled fight for their rights has nominated a supermarket which keeps it going in the Oxfordshire Local Business Charity Awards.
Banburyshire Citizen Project, which helps people across the north of the county, has put forward the Midcounties Co-operative for the 2019 A-Plan Award for smaller charities.
The charity runs the Banburyshire Advice Centre, a non-profit scheme providing benefit advice, general advice and career counselling to help the poor, elderly, disabled and unemployed.
One example of the team's work was when they recently helped a person with uncontrollable epilepsy and frequent blackouts who was told by the local Jobcentre Plus they were fit to work.
After the advice centre challenged the Department for Work and Pensions, the decision was overruled and benefits were reinstated.
In another instance the charity helped a single mother with mental health problems and learning difficulties who faced having her benefits cut when she missed a job search interview because one of her children was ill.
Andy Willis, the chairman of the organisation based at Cherwell Business Village in Banbury, wrote in his nomination for this year's A-plan award: "I cannot express how much Midcounties have done for our charity, they are truly amazing.
"Midcounties has allowed our advice centre to flourish. Their funding has allowed us to publicise our services, which has allowed us to reach people who we may not have reached."
He underlined that, as his organisation does not receive any regular funding, the Midcounties Cooperative's donation help keep the centre running so 'people receive justice in benefit decisions'.
But the Midcounties Cooperative support is not limited to financial transfers.
Mr Willis explained: "The local Midcounties Committee has been really supportive to our Good to Talk Group, which is a group to support carers and lonely people.
"The Midcounties offered one of their team to help at the sessions and provide tea, coffee and cakes for the group.
"They are a wonderful company and I cannot express our deep gratitude to their help and cannot explain what a difference they continue to make for our charity and to the people of Oxfordshire."
He summed up: "Midcounties makes a difference which is such an extent we urge you to recognise how they help the local community and our charity"
Midcounties Co-Operative hardly needs to be introduced: the largest independent co-operative in the UK now has more than 700,000 members.
It was created in 2005, when Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op merged with West Midlands Co-op, but can trace its history to 1853, when the Swindon's society was formed, followed by Gloucester in 1860, Chipping Norton in 1866 and Oxford in 1872.
Midcounties Co-op is a multi-sector retail and services giant, best known for numerous convenience stores and supermarkets, but also active in travel, healthcare, funeral, childcare, energy, post offices, telecoms and flexible benefits sectors.
Its nomination for this year's A-Plan Award in the Local Business Charity Award reflects Midcounties Co-op's commitment to helping local communities.
Midcounties is one of six businesses and three individuals that have been nominated to the Local Business Charity Awards in Oxfordshire, to compete for prizes worth over £2,000, which are sponsored by insurance brokers A-Plan and Jelf with the Oxford Mail's media partnership.
To enter, charities had to nominate an Oxfordshire business or individual who had done an outstanding job supporting them.Read also: Who needs A-Levels? Mia lands dream job with Google
If their nominated business wins, the charity will receive a donation of £1,000 and the winner of the individual award will receive a weekend break to the value of £300.
The finalists in the Jelf Award are Lucy Group Ltd (nominated by Oxfordshire Youth), Oxford Castle & Prison (Helen & Douglas House) and STL Communications (SpecialEffect).
In the A-Plan Award Oxfordshire finalists are: Knox & Eames (nomination from Clear Sky Charity), Pillow Wad (Springfield Sanctuary) and Midcounties Co-op.
Individual Award nominees are Brendon Cross, John Lubbock OBE and Keeley Dennyschene.
The finals will be held on Thursday, August 29.


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Massage Therapy and the healing powers of human touch date back to prehistoric times. Over time as humans evolved touch became more structured to eventually become a healing art therapy. Ancient massage therapy can be traced back to almost every culture on earth, starting as a social interaction and evolving eventually into a therapeutic tool. After some time, people in both Eastern and Western cultures began to see the benefits of massage other than just the enjoyment. Some of these benefits include healing ailments, cure of some illnesses, deep relaxation and relief of stress.
The major influences of massage therapy can be seen in thousands of different cultures around the world. Many of the different cultures have very different techniques but the goal remains the same – healing through the art of touch. In the Thai culture much of the emphases of the massage is based on stretching, a way to help loosen muscles and improve flexibility at the same time. In Chinese reflexology massage, the focus is on pressure points that correspond to different parts of the body. Swedish massage, which was developed by Henri Peter Ling at the University of Stockholm in Sweden in 1812, is the manipulation of both superficial and deep muscles and other connective tissues by using a medium to light pressure and a combination of long strokes, kneading motions, and friction to help increase blood flow as well as many other benefits.
Although there are many different types of massage, they originated from very different places all over the globe. The main focus however remains the same, to heal and help the body through touch in a holistic way. Many of the ancient forms of massage technique still exist in modern day and are still used to help heal the body, and now more than ever massage therapy is respected and viewed as one of the best holistic forms of healing and is probably one of the most enjoyable ways to help your body stay in tip-top-shape.
No matter what the history of massage is, one thing is for sure, almost everyone loves to get it. It feels great, is good for you, and allows you to temporarily escape into a state of relaxation. Whether it's to relieve stress or feel energized, massage therapy has been around for thousands of years and will continue to be around for thousands more.


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Senin, 04 Oktober 2010
Thomas and his family move to a new home where he starts at a new school. All he wants to do is to fit in, but when his pregnant mother has to take things easy, he is put in charge of his autistic older brother, Charlie. Thomas, with the help of his new girlfriend, Jackie, then faces his biggest challenge yet. Charlie's unusual antics take Thomas on an emotional journey that causes pent-up frustrations towards his brother to pour out.
Date Released : 6 March 2008
Quality : DVDRip
Info : imdb.com/title/tt0865297
Starring : Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Toni Collette
Genre : Drama
Download Files : Part1 - Part2 - Part3 [300MB-mkv]
Download Files : Part1 - Part2 - Part3 [300MB-mkv]
* Join filenya dg , baca caranya


text: Lady Cubs win two last week Wed, 12/12/2018 - 12:00am PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news. Not yet a subscriber? Click here for The Clifton Record! or Click here for The MeridianTribunel! Read more about Lady Cubs win two last week


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CCSD teacher and SNWP Teaching Consultant, Stacey Dallas Johnston, reflects on being a teacher during this moment in our nation. In her piece, "My Hands Will Ache and My Voice Will Shake, But I'll Be the Change That Helps Protect My Students," Johnston writes, "I want my students and my own children to be able to see people standing together in solidarity to make their futures safer, more accepting and more loving. I need them to know that their school days are about poetry, equations, science and building relationships, not about dissecting the room for places to hide from gunfire."
Click here to read the full blog entry.


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TOS Holds a Sprint to Develop FOSS Courses
A team of faculty involved with TeachingOpenSource (TOS) are working on four Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) courses that will be available under a Creative Commons license.
Instructors always struggle to find enough time to develop and revise teaching materials, and often cannot teach new topics unless well-developed materials are already available. The TOS project (http://teachingopensource.org) and the associated sites such as http://foss2serve.org have created over 100 learning activities that can be used by faculty interested in teaching open source. Even so, teaching resources have not been organized into well-packaged modules or full courses, and there are still some open source topics for which there are no teaching resources.
A group of faculty have been working to make four FOSS courses available as complete packages. For each course, an instructor has committed to completing the following tasks:
- Develop full course materials – These materials will include: the course syllabus, presentation slides, assignments and in-class learning activities, tests or quizzes, etc.
- Teach the course – These are full-term courses offered to undergraduate students.
- Conduct evaluation of learning – This may include a pre-course and post-course survey, and summary of direct learning, e.g, as shown on exams or tests.
- Report on results – The instructor will provide a basic description of the result of the work including demographic information about the course section, instructor analysis of the course results and suggested revisions.
- Make course materials available – The syllabus and course materials will be linkable from teachingopensource.org or foss2serve.org so that the materials can be downloaded. All materials will be licensed under a Creative Commons license.
The faculty team recently gathered at Nassau Community College in New York for a course materials sprint. The instructors for each course presented an overview of their course, and discussed challenges and approaches that had been particularly successful. The time together provided an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas and provide helpful suggestions for each of the courses.
Two of the courses have already been offered to students, a third is being offered over this summer and the final course will be offered in the fall semester. We expect to have materials from the first courses available by the end of summer, with the others to follow after they have been offered and packaged.
Participating institutions were: Nassau Community College, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dickenson College, Towson University, Western New England University, and Drexel University.
TOS is a member project of the Software Freedom Conservancy.
We want to thank Google for the funding for this course sprint provided by the Google Open Source Programs Office.
Some Tech Firm Perspectives on Hiring
I recently attended a meeting with local tech companies to discuss the talent pipeline in this region, how they were approaching hiring, and what they saw as needs and opportunities . There were about 30 companies and a handful of recruiting agencies represented at the meeting. Several points of the discussion jumped out at me:
Describing the tech landscape – One of the technical recruiters, who worked for a large technical placement and services firm, offered his version of tech hiring, essentially lumping all the tech jobs into three categories:
- Mobile/Web – and this was mostly about mobile
- Analytics – which included big data and data science topics
- Operations/production/support/infrastructure
I was interested in the absence of any mention of application systems and, in particular, back end processing, in this view of talent needs. Similarly, one of the large consulting services firms was present, and in discussing what they wanted from recent graduates there were two items that clearly dominated what they want: Agile methods and Web and mobile development.
Overall, I was pleased at how these perspectives line up well with our current degree programs and intended directions at Drexel, but I was surprised at how strong these trends showed in hiring.
Valuing open source software knowledge – I mentioned my interest in teaching students about open source and having them participate in HFOSS communities. I was pleased that this was well-received by those present and people from a number of organizations made a point of discussing this further with me during the day. They clearly saw open source knowledge as valuable both for product familiarity and for the process and tools knowledge that comes from FLOSS communities.
Hiring entry-level employees – Many of the companies are only hiring experienced people. While I can understand that impulse, and know that it's difficult to do anything else for small companies, I was surprised at some of the larger companies still in that mode. For example, one company that has about 650 employees admitted that they still never hire recent graduates. That seemed very short sighted both in terms of supporting local talent development, and in keeping new ideas and perspectives flowing into the company. Unsurprisingly, this same company also mentioned concern that the average age of their IT staff was higher than they wanted.
Opening city offices to appeal to younger workers – Several companies mentioned using offices in the city as part of a strategy to attract younger workers. One company had specifically opened a city office for this purpose. This seems like a smart move, especially for companies with most of their operations in the outer suburbs. It also provides a clear demonstration of the significant difficulty companies are having hiring enough tech talent.
Open Source and Plagiarism: What do we Teach Students?
Some members of our HFOSS team recently submitted a proposal for a discussion session at a computer science education conference. The proposal was to bring together instructors involved with teaching Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) and other faculty who might be interested in introducing open source to their own students. The proposal was rejected, which was disappointing but not a big problem since rejections are a normal part of life in academic conference participation.
But I was quite surprised by the comments of a reviewer who had concerns about the proposal. The concern centered around open source and potential plagiarism by students. Essentially, the reviewer was concerned that if we teach students about open source that we would be enabling them to cheat by copying freely available source code from FOSS projects. The reviewer was hesitant about the very notion of teaching open source, and felt that a session on open source could not be held without discussion of student cheating it might encourage.
Now, like any instructor, I understand concerns about plagiarism. Cheating in many forms is far too common in higher education, and all instructors are constantly looking for ways to detect and prevent cheating. But from my perspective, there is no easy jump from concerns about plagiarism to concerns about teaching students to participate in open source. In considering this connection, it seems that there are several relevant points:
First, there's not a shred of hope for a strategy that suggests that we can keep students from plagiarizing code from the Web by not teaching about open source. It's true that most students don't really know much about how open source actually works. But they all know that there is lots of source code on the Web – and that it's as close as their preferred search engine. Teaching open source isn't necessary for them to plagiarized, if that's what they choose.
Second, open source provides an excellent opportunity to discuss intellectual property, attribution, and correct and incorrect use of all that code available online. Academic integrity has clear parallels to professional attitudes we want our students to develop. Wouldn't it be better to make that parallel clear to students as part of helping them develop as professionals?
Third, the reviewer's comments carry an implication that student work should be individual and done in isolation. Students learning to program do need to spend time writing small programs from scratch, but that needs to be just part of the picture. Students also need to develop understanding and skills reflecting the reality that most software products are team efforts and most software work involves working with large, existing code bases. Unless we prepare our students for that reality, we will turn them loose at graduation with major deficits in their professional preparation.
Moreover, this perspective on professional work is best introduced early in the curriculum. The computing profession is struggling to attract under-represented groups, including women. Research shows that the social aspects of team-based computing work are attractive to women students. Introducing students to open source communities early in their education shows signs of appealing to women students. The humanitarian aspect of HFOSS also seems to have appeal to women and under-represented groups.
HFOSS participation offers excellent educational opportunities for our students. For faculty like this reviewer who hesitate because of cheating concerns, we need to be very clear that teaching open source will not raise the risk of cheating and provides a great opportunity for learning, including opporunity to address academic and professional integrity.
Celebration of Women Faculty in Computing
The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing feels a bit like a mirage for any computing faculty member who has been involved in trying to increase the number of women majoring in computing. Our efforts tend to produce very modest results, so going to Hopper feels somewhat disorienting. There really are large numbers of undergraduate women in computing! Of course the concentration at Hopper is an artificial effect, but very fun nonetheless!
The recent ACM election however created a result that isn't a mirage. At the organizational level, the newly elected officers are almost all women. They are:
President: Vicki Hanson
Vice President: Cherri Pancake
Secretary/Treasurer: Elizabeth Churchill
Members-at-Large: Gabriele Anderst-Kotsis, Susan Dumais, Elizabeth Mynatt, Pam Samuelson, Eugene H. Spafford.
And for those of us with special interest in computing education, this election cycle is a double-header of good news. The newly elected SIGCSE officers are also almost all women, and, like the national officers, the whole group is highly accomplished. They are:
Chair: Amber Settle
Vice-Chair: Judy Sheard
Secretary: Sue Fitzgerald
Treasurer: Adrienne Decker
At Large members: Michelle Craig, Briana Morrison, Mark Allen Weiss
Immediate Past Chair: Susan Rodger
This would be a great year to introduce women majoring in computing to ACM, including pointing out who is running the organization.
Microsoft… and Hard… and a little bit Open
Skimming Microsoft's most recent annual report provides some interesting insights. Among them:
While many people are inclined to view Microsoft as a mature (and perhaps not that relevant?) company, the financial results continue to be quite impressive. In rounded billions, Microsoft has grown from total revenue of $70 billion to $94 billion over the last 5 years. The most recent year over year growth is 8% – not a rocket ship, especially for a tech company. But at this scale, that equates to a revenue increase of over $6.7 billion – an amount that dwarfs the total revenue of all but a small number of tech companies.
A second point is that the "soft" part of the name continues to be joined by "hard" as in hardware. Of the current $94 billion, $17.7 billion is in the "Devices and Consumer Hardware" category. Not a dominant segment on Microsoft's scale, but viewed by itself, $17.7 billion would make a pretty respectable hardware company! And it's a long way from the days when the occasional bit of hardware like the Microsoft mouse was all that came from Microsoft's corner of Redmond.
On a different dimension, browsing the annual report doesn't uncover any declaration that MS is going become an open source company and abandon the proprietary model. No surprise there! But there is some recognition of the undeniable role of open source in today's software ecosystem. The Shareholder's Letter from CEO Satya Nadella includes this comment:
"We made tremendous progress in our developer engagement this past year by delivering new innovative services to developers across all device platforms and also opening our technology to create more participation from open source communities. "
And also this one:
"I am excited about the growth opportunities ahead. We've broadened our addressable market by building and acquiring technologies in key growth categories like security, data and analytics, while also delivering greater integration and support for Linux and open source technologies such as Docker containers and Hadoop. "
Other parts of the report correctly name open source products as competition for a range of MS offerings, so of course we're looking at a mix of cooperating and competing. But that's a step in the right direction.
I recently co-organized a one day workshop to bring together faculty who teach in Information Technology (IT) degree programs. The workshop was a pre-conference event for the annual ACM SIGITE conference held in Calgary. The workshop was a small gathering made possible by some remaining funds from the NSF-supported HumIT project. We had a great group of faculty, shown in the photo below, who brought their enthusiasm and expertise to create a day of interesting discussion and exploration of possibilities for student participation in humanitarian FOSS projects.
The attendees were all experienced IT faculty and they had the usual dual reaction to the idea of students participating in humanitarian FOSS projects. On the one hand, they were intrigued by the excellent educational opportunity and potential motivational boost for students. On the other hand, they were cautious about the learning curve, complications, and overhead for instructors who try to integrate student humanitarian FOSS participation into their classes.
One particularly interesting part of the discussion was whether student participation was easier or more difficult for IT students compared to students in other computing majors. One of the workshop participants, Jake Miller of Pennsylvania College of Technology, suggested that it might be more difficult for IT students to participate because they would be providing services for the FOSS project rather than making contribution to the product. Heidi Ellis, co-investigator for the HumIT project, and I have raised similar conjectures about IT student participation. But what is really the issue?
The fundamental issue here seems to be whether it's easier for a new FOSS participant to contribute to the FOSS product or to services related to the product. As an instructor trying to plan student participation, there's great appeal to finding possible contributions to the FOSS project that are manageable within the constraints of a course. This seems to translate into factors including the following:
- Size – Something big enough to be interesting, but not so big that students can't grasp the task and complete it within the time frame of a course
- Dependence – Something that is clearly part of the project, but not strongly interdependent with other tasks or parts of the system
- Schedule – Something that is needed as part of the project's forward progress, but not on the critical path of project activities
It's easy to think of tasks related to the product that have the desirable characteristics for each of these factors. For example, fixing non-critical bugs or developing a plug-in or generally free-standing module. On the services side, the concern seems to be that more of the IT services tasks have less desirable characteristics for student work. Size seems relatively manageable. The concerns seem to center around the other two factors above. Dependence may be more of an issue because many services tasks seem to have a greater need for knowledge of context. It also seems that more of the examples people think of for IT are items that have time pressure associated with them (e.g., providing support services to users).
The bottom line is that there definitely seems to be an additional layer of hesitation among IT instructors about whether student participation in FOSS is manageable, and I think there is merit to that opinion. But I also think that there is still plenty of room for IT students to engage in humanitarian FOSS work. We've had some initial success in this area, and I think broader opportunities exist. But clearly we need to provide additional demonstration of success to help IT instructors understand the opportunities.
How Big is "Big Data"?
"Big Data" is getting a lot of attention lately as a key computing area for the coming years. Even the White House has gotten involved with this year's announcement of a Federal Big Data initiative. But exactly how big is "big data"? It's a moving target of course, shifting with our growing ability to generate, store, and process ever larger volumes of data.
The IBM 2314 Disks, introduced between 1965 and 1970 were a technical wonder in their day. But it took a whole row of large appliance sized units to crack 200 MB, and the "big data" of that day was mostly stored on tapes and accessible only via slow sequential processing of carts full of tape reels. Megabytes clearly qualified as big data.
Today I can beat that string of 2314 disks by an order of magnitude with a USB stick for under $20. Clearly the economics are radically different. But where does that leave the qualifying level for "big data"?
Wikipedia, that font of modern knowledge, provides an interesting perspective. A quick browse of the entries for gigabyte, terabyte, petabyte, exabyte provide all the scale we need without even worrying about a yottabyte. The system and storage examples in the Wikipedia entries are informative:
- Megabytes clearly don't make a blip on the Big Data horizon. The Big Data of yesteryear is a routine unit for the size of individual files today.
- Gigabytes can be covered with examples of modest amounts of image, audio, or video data that most computer users deal with routinely. A few music CD's or the video on a DVD breaks into gigabyte territory. There's not much here that will impress as Big Data.
- Terabytes are just one step up the scale, but things start to get much more interesting. The examples deal with data capacities and system sized from the last 10 to 15 years. They include the first one terabyte disk drive in 2007, about six terabytes of data for a complete dump of Wikipedia in 2010, and 45 terabytes to store 20 years of observations from the Hubble telescope. Clearly, at this point we start to be entering "big data" territory.
- Petabytes start to move beyond the range of single systems. Netflix stores one petabyte of video to stream. World of Warcraft has 1.3 petabytes of game storage. Hadron Collider experiments are producing 15 petabytes of data per year. IBM and Cray are pushing the boundary of storage arrays with systems in the 100 – 500 petabyte range.
- Exabytes examples start to leave systems behind and mostly describe global scale capacities. Global Internet traffic was 21 Exabytes per month in 2010. Worldwide information storage capacity was estimated at 295 exabytes of compressed information in 2007. On the other hand, astronomers are expecting 10 exabytes of data per hour from the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope, although full operation is not projected until 2024.
So this scale would seem to clearly put gigabytes in the yawn category and probably below the threshold of Big Data. Terabytes clearly qualify, and probably will account for much of the Big Data efforts at the moment. Petabytes cover the really impressive data collections for today and really seem to contain the upper boundary of what even the most ambitious Big Data projects will be able to handle. Exabytes are rushing at us in the future, but mostly beyond what anyone will be able to address in the next few years.
So the bottom line: Big Data today has moved beyond Gigabytes. It is squarely in Terabytes and edging up into Petabytes. Exabytes and beyond is in the future. And we still don't need to try to comprehend what a yottabyte is.
Image Credits
2314 disk – Scott Gerstenberger. Wikimedia Commons.
750 Gigabyte disk – Christian Jansky. Wikmedia Commons.


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Blending Well is a day-long workshop with Adele Cornish (Researcher, Author and Relationship Coach) who specialises in working with Blended Families.
Workshop topics include:
Crucial advice on how to achieve and sustain a great couple relationship
How expectations influence your stepfamily's progress
Successful parenting and step parenting strategies covering: Discipline, Loyalties (feeling torn), Helping children adjust
Creating a peaceful co-parenting relationship with your ex-partner
Resolving conflict without it damaging your relationships
Insights from the latest research on what it takes for your family to success
Morning tea and workshop manual provided.
Workshop is hosted by Hope Presbyterian Church, 27 Amyes Road, Hornby.


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The repairs can only be cosmetic in nature and are limited to a maximum of $35,000. Because the repair costs are smaller, there is less red tape to get the loan, which is why it's called "streamline." These loans can also be used to refinance existing mortgages and rehab homes.
Tags: Home Improvement, Renovation Loans
This article was written by marsharichard


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My Favorite Reads Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Rachelle's Writing Spot.
This is my first giveaway! I wanted to hold off a little longer before doing a giveaway, but I found I couldn't help myself and wanted to join this hop...! I have many favorite reads, and would love to share those books with others!
-Giveaway begins June 1st and ends on the 6th.
-The winner(s) will be chosen using rafflecopter.
-This giveaway is International, as long as The Book Depository delivers to you.
-The winner(s) will have their pick of any one of these
five six books below. (Originally it was only five...)
-I haven't quite decided on the number of winners yet, but there may be up to three.
-I'll give the winner(s) 48 hours to respond to my email before picking a new one.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Magician's Apprentice by Trudi Canavan
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson


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Each year, over half of the remake cases that come back to our laboratory are due to an improper shade match. This is frustrating for you and your patients, and certainly is costly for all of us. But we have good news! By adding a minimal amount of effort we can achieve a substantial improvement and drastically reduce these disappointments.
Color and Shade are subjective values and involve many variables. Shade eludes exactness due to its layered quality. There are essentially three elements to shade; hue is the "color," chroma is the concentration or saturation of the hue, and value is the lightness or darkness of a hue.
While shade tabs provide an effective start, most dentists will agree that a "perfect match" is a combination of several shade tabs and not just one.
Here are some often overlooked basics to reincorporate to improve success:
1. Measure from the same stick
When completing the prescription, please note the exact shade guide used (specify manufacturer). We have every shade guide available, however, since small variations exist between manufacturers, it is enormously helpful to have this information.
2. Take the shade at the beginning of the appointment
Please remember to take the shade before preparation.Teeth tend to lighten with dehydration and this slight nuance can lessen the accuracy of the shade communication.
3. Stump shades
Often overlooked, the inclusion of the shade of prepared teeth is extremely helpful for ensuring the correct final shade of all-ceramic restorations.
4. Operatory lighting
Most practices have replaced their lights with Natural Daylight bulbs measuring approximately 5500 Kelvin. It makes all the difference.
5. Photography
We love photos! Please include the shade tabs in your images with the etched identification of the shade clearly visible. While the shades may not be perfect, having the objective shade tab in the photo give us a great starting point. Inclusion of multiple shade tabs is also very helpful. Photos are key to communicating texture, characterization, translucency, size and shape. Photos can be sent to email@example.com after they have been taken.
6. Five specific angles
1. Patient: Please include a full face photo of the patient smiling
2. Shade tab: Include the incisal edge of both tooth and shade tab
3. Facial view: Provide a full facial view of tooth and those adjacent
4. Distal/Mesial: Please capture both aspects of the tooth
5. Incisal edge: By using a dark background, translucency can best be captured and communicated
We are committed to helping you keep your promises to your patients the first time, every time. With a bit more information properly and consistently communicated, we can all vastly improve our chances of immediate success.
Joseph P. Fey
President, Co-Owner
Joseph Fey begin his career in the dental industry as a regional manager with Brasseler USA in 1989. In 2003, Joseph and Co-Owner Larry Albensi started Maverick Dental Laboratories. We dedicate our entire existence to providing excellent restorations to our clients and their patients.Share


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Oh. Yes. He. Did.
U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Newport Beach, just called out Jeff Sessions and his fellow Republicans.
"I should not need to remind our chief law enforcement officer nor my fellow Republicans that our system of federalism, also known as states' rights, was designed to resolve just such a fractious issue," he wrote in The Washington Post, as reported here by The Cannabist. You've got to check it out for yourself…when you're done reading my piece.
Back to the honorable Rep. Rohrabacher, a surfer dude in his 70s:
"Our party still bears a blemish for wielding the 'states rights' crudgel against civil rights," he warned Sessions, et al. "If we bury state autonomy in order to deny patients an alternative to opioids, and ominously federalize our police, our hypocrisy will deserve the American people's contempt."
I can't get much more affirmation than that. I have been a completely outspoken advocate for using marijuana to treat addiction since the day I left the Fortune 500 chain of rehab centers and psychiatric hospitals that I wrote for until June. They were awesome, they paid me well, they know about my cannabis card, and I have not one bad thing to say about them.
Read more: Here's even more proof the plant is a way out of addiction
And saying anything good probably isn't kosher right now either. I'll say this. Rehab works for a lot of people, and if you think it may work for you or someone you love, the chain I wrote for is the only chain I even would recommend trying. If you're that interested, you know who they are!
Shameless plug for another former employer: I recently learned The Cannabist is owned by The Denver Post, which is owned by Digital First/MediaNews Group. I worked for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, Calif. just a month after its purchase by MediaNews from Knight-Ridder. It was a tumultuous time at the newspaper, and in my life, too, but somehow I channeled it into that high-stress job that paid great money.
It was only high stress because that was the nature of the job – copy desk chief for an a.m. edition in the 1990s, under new ownership and new production procedures, was a true challenge. I was up for it despite my personal problems, and the company was just really good to me. I left to go to the Detroit News, then owned by Gannett. Who owns it now? DigitalFirst/MediaNews!
But before I wrap up the first edition of "Your Morning Bowl" with David Heitz (I'd love to have time to do this every day!), I want to elaborate on why Rep. Rohrabacher's words mean so much to me. They mean a lot not only because he is a Republican, (Gasp! I am a Republican, too…a gay one, even) but because I used to cover Rohrabacher as a reporter for the Orange Coast Daily Pilot in 1993.
In my community, mum's the word from Dems
In my own home district, I am not hearing boo about medical cannabis from my Democratic legislators. I suspect they could care less about this social issue, because the truth is, they're not true social Democrats. They are career politicians whose only interest is staying in office.
There is a long and storied history where I live. It's frighteningly corrupt. So this former radical liberal homosexual (I was executive news editor of the historic Advocate gay newsmagazine in 1997-98) voted a straight Republican ticket for the first time in November.
I don't regret it.
To quote Rohrabacher, "Surprisingly, given the Obama administration's generally liberal approach to marijuana, its Justice Department tried to interpret the amendment in such a convoluted way as to allow counterproductive raids on marijuana dispensaries….This, despite President Donald Trump's belief, made clear in his campaign and as president, that states alone should decide medical marijuana policies."
Read more: Your grandma wants to know all about your medical cannabis
If it seems like I have made an awful lot of connections and met an awful lot of famous and high-profile people through the years, it's because I have.
Read more: An excerpt from my book about life in Detroit
As a reporter for the Newport Beach-Costa Mesa Daily Pilot, I had the true pleasure of speaking with and even shaking the hand of Rep. Rohrabacher a few times. A true compassionate conservative. A great guy.
Man, I'm smiling over this affirmation today. If I could plop my family home down on a plot of land in Newport Beach…BELIEVE ME!


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Project Description
JPiere is "Japan + iDempiere". JPiere is Plugins of iDempiere for Japan and JPiere is iDempiere Distribution(Distro) for Japan. JPiere provides not only Japanese business practice, but also various functions. So, Everyone in the world can use JPiere. JPiere can update latest iDempiere. So, JPiere don't need fork from iDempiere. To fork from JPiere is Good idea! But not need fork from iDempiere!
JPiere Install Package
JPiere Source Code
JPiere5.1 - 201807 - src


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As a child, I was obsessed with Australia. To me, it was wild and exotic with animals that couldn't be found anywhere else on the earth. I decided one day I would visit the island continent that held so much mystic in my mind.
On my recent visit to Sydney, I had booked the Wild Australia Experience at Taronga Zoo. This extraordinary adventure takes you behind the scenes and takes you inside the everyday life of a zoo keeper.
Situated in the Sydney suburb of Mosman, this lush hillside zoo affords breathtaking panoramic views of Sydney Harbour. The giraffes have an amazing lookout of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. I wonder if they know how lucky they are.
Taronga Zoo is a short twelve-minute ferry ride from Circular Key, across Sydney Harbour, to the Taronga Zoo wharf. Once you disembark, you can take the Sky Safari cable car up the hill to the park entrance, while getting a birds-eye view of the various animal enclosures below.
Our small group of six people was met by our zoo guide, Alicia. We embarked on our two-hour adventure with our guide asking each group member which animals they would like to see. We started by taking a walk around the zoo and visiting the indigenous animals of Australia. We got to feed kangaroos, see a platypus (currently on the endangered species list) and have our picture taken with a koala. As we walked along, Alicia gave us facts about the zoo that opened on October 7th, 1912 to its present day species conservation efforts. The zoo currently cares for over 4,000 animals and 350 species. They provide education, hospital care and a breeding program to ensure a long healthy future for Australia's animals. Alicia was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very accommodating.
Next, we went behind the scenes into the zoo kitchens where various fruit, vegetables, and insects were kept in refrigeration. The wall was adorned with feeding charts listing the animal, location, meal preference, and feeding times. We then took our prepared meals and headed for the Bushtail Possum's enclosure in the Nocturnal House.
The enclosure mimicked the Bushtail Possum's natural habitat. The setting inside the enclosure was a starry night in the suburbs. The back yard scene included a shed sitting next to a tree. There was also a café table and bicycle with a basket. Bushtail possums live in the hollow of a tree or on shed roofs, so their attention to detail in creating an authentic habit was just another way Taronga Zoo shows its love of wildlife conservation.
In a hushed tone, Alicia explained how the possums come alive at night and love to feast on fruit and insects. We placed our small tins of food in the various parts of the enclosure. One by one, the possums came out to feast. It was thrilling to be up close watching them enjoy their meal.
At the end of our tour, our guide took us to the Harbourside Café to enjoy a beverage and cupcake. Alicia answered more questions from the group and asked for feedback on how she could improve the tour. She was a fantastic guide and none of us could offer suggestions for improvement. I could see that Alicia was truly passionate about her job and her smile could not be contained. She made this once in a lifetime opportunity all that much sweeter.
If you have a sense of adventure and love to try something different, I highly recommend you check out Taronga Zoo.
Travel Tip: Wear comfortable walking shoes and sun block. Take a water bottle. The zoo has several water stations where you can refill and hydrate.
Budget Tip: Check out the tour tick at Viator (a Trip Advisor Company) for a great price starting at US $104.00 Do a Google search to get current coupon codes that will save you an addition 10% to 15% off.
Check out the tour on Taronga Zoo's website. Prices from $US102
My article as it appears in the Philadelphia Inquirer.


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XCTRL 7 Inch Woven Short
XCTRL 7 Inch Woven Short
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Product Variations
Availability: This item currently unavailable
Technical specifications
Item No: MR5848b
Product Details
Lightweight woven mesh delivers advanced breathability, while moisture wicking and Polygiene® keep you feeling fresh. XCTRL is engineered for all training conditions.
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Click here to organise an exchange or return of an online purchase.
Care instructions
For wetsuit care instructions: Click Here
To best care for 2XU garments:
- Machine wash in cold water with like colours.
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- Hang to dry in a cool shady area away from sun.
- Do not use bleach, fabric softeners or dryer sheets.
- Do not iron.
Garment Features
- Elasticated waistband for comfort and flexibility
- Zip key pocket for secure storage
- 7" leg length


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The world of Snowbabies bisque figurines began in 1986 when the first model was introduced by Department 56. Ten years later in 1997 the Snowbabies Friendship Club was launched.
Department 56 itself was founded in 1976 and In 2005 after purchasing Lenox from Brown-Forman, the company changed their name to Lenox Group. It is most famous for its lighted porcelain houses.
Snowbabies artist Kristi Jensen Pierro freelanced for Dept 56 until 1987 when she was hired as a full-time illustrator/designer - one of her first projects was to develop the newly created Snowbabies series.
Kristi's ideas for Snowbabies are then sent to the sculptor who model the three-dimensional prototype to the exact specifications of her artwork.


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Note: Articles prior to 2015 can be found on the Pressroom Archives.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015/Categories: Governor's Office/Tags:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 11, 2015
Dave Parker, Communications Director, 444-9844
Mike Wessler, Deputy Communications Director, 444-9725
Helena, Mont.—Governor Steve Bullock today sent a letter to Montana's congressional delegation encouraging them to work together to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (SRS). In his letter, Bullock highlighted the detrimental impacts on Montana schools, roads and fire prevention efforts if the program is not reauthorized. Montana stands to lose more than $16 million this year if the act is not reauthorized.
"Montana's schools and counties will be hit hard. Many county roads will lose the necessary funding for maintenance and many schools will be suffering huge budget shortfalls," Bullock said in his letter. "I know that each of you share my commitment to the livelihoods of Montanans and the livelihoods of our communities. That is why I am asking for your help in reauthorizing the program."
Bullock's letter noted that thirty-four of Montana's counties will be impacted by the failure to reauthorize the SRS act. Beaverhead, Flathead, Lincoln, Ravalli, and Sanders Counties will all lose more than a million each if the act is not reauthorized.
The 113th Congress failed to reauthorize the SRS Act, which expired in September of last year.
Bullock's letter to Montana's federal delegation can be found HERE.
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Published: 15 August 2012
Words: Simon Powers
Over the last few months, we have taken the opportunity to have a look at some of the staff who support the Great Britain Cycling team in the lead up to this summer's Olympic Games. After an event which showcased the Great Britain Cycling Team at its very best, we thought it would be fitting, in the final article of the series, to have a closer look at the way both data and rider performance are analysed both in training and in competition.
Above: Chris White (left) runs through some post-ride data with endurance coach Paul Manning
Working as part of a team, two of British Cycling's performance analysts, Chris White and Will Forbes have the responsibility of monitoring every detail in the performance of some of the most successful cyclists of all time. Working for the Great Britain Cycling Team on behalf of the English Institute of Sport both White and Forbes are responsible for, in Chris White's words, "the provision of effective feedback to coaches".
Chris goes into a little more detail as to their main roles: "This tends to be in the form of video or numerical data. Our aim is to help the coaching process and keep them informed on a performance level so ultimately, the athletes go faster. Performance Analysis is deeply rooted in the coaching process. It's not just about providing information but also having a good relationship with the coaches."
"The type of work we do can be tactical analysis at, for example match sprint events, looking at our riders and their opponents looking for any patterns in the tactics that they employ during a race. Or in time trial events we also do a lot of splits analysis on both our riders as well as other teams." Forbes adds.
They also work closely with biomechanist Paul Barrett along with the coaching staff to provide feedback on such things as positioning and technique.
"For example, in the Team pursuit, we will work with the coaches not only to help them devise strategies and schedules to get the best from the team but also to help them with rider selection and order," explains White.
The job of the Performance Analyst is both based in the office, looking at collected data and video as well as in the heat of the field of play, where data is compiled ready for use either immediately or often for analytical work at a later date.
Will Forbes, who mainly concentrates on sprint events at the velodrome, explains: "In competitions, we tend to use a lot of video to produce our timing information. From known reference points on the track we can calculate accurate splits during a wide range of different events on the velodrome."
The data is captured in the eaves of the velodrome and with their own private Wi-Fi networks they often set up can, if required, be processed and broadcast to the coaches in the field of play only a few minutes after the conclusion of each event. The data is tailored to the specific requirements so that in a fast paced event, for example, between rounds, just simple data such as accurate splits can be provided so as to de-brief the rider prior to the next round. This data can prove crucial in matters such as gear selection choice as well as rider selection and order mid-event.
Chris White, who usually concentrates on endurance events at the track explains what the data is used for: "For the team pursuits, for example, we are here for pretty much every training session where they are doing race-type efforts. We analyse everything from how the riders have ridden the event, what is the flow of speed. Across the team, what length turns have each rider done. This will go into getting the best out of the team but will also assist coaching staff in their ultimate selections. The way we crunch the numbers for a team pursuit is exactly the same, be it in training or at a major event. Therefore, you can go to any track in the world."
In the last six track world championships, there has been at least two analysts covering each major track event from start to finish. It has become a well engrained sports science service with the team now, as Will Forbes confirms:" It's changed in the last few years in terms of our presence at the track. They always gave you a small area to work from but now, in terms of how the UCI see Performance Analysis, there is now an accredited area normally on the back straight but in London it's actually on the home straight which is nice."
Now that performance analysis has become an everyday part of the process at the velodrome, it follows that a lot of nations use such sports scientists to collect data for that all important post event de-brief after each major event.
Forbes explains the scenario a little better: "In Melbourne at the last World Championships, there were 15 nations with PA representation at the track. It's a bit cloak and dagger up there; we all get along fine but don't give too many secrets away!"
"They all film our rides and we film theirs so that's just part of analysis. There have been instances of other nations trying to get screenshots of their competitors' data. We always keep an eye on what everyone else is doing but we have developed our own strategy with coaches on what data we use and how it's interpreted so we just look at the opposition's within our own context really. You never really want to copy what the opposition is doing but it pays to keep an eye on what technology is being used by other nations," added Chris White.
Both Chris and Will were accredited for the Games which is a great step since Beijing, when only one performance analyst was allowed to attend. This time, the BOA looked at the way Performance Analysis is used and the value it has and took, in White's word's "a no compromise approach allowing us to operate exactly the way we have been at recent world championships."
During the course of the cycling events at the track, Will remained with the track team right up to the event whereas Chris started on the road race and time trials then headed to the velodrome as soon as that finished. Both of them then covered the BMX followed by the mountain bike at Hadleigh Farm.
"It is very different on the road so we just gave the riders some simple split times really. We had been down to the course a number of times as well as studying the information on line which was available to riders in advance. So we had some data on that already," White explains.
This format was the same when they arrived at the mountain bike. "At the test event, we had four or five people there filming sections so we have spent a lot of time analysing that since as well as any training sessions we have had since on the track," commented White.
In the same way that the mountain bike was a similar task to the road and time trial events, BMX was very similar to the track but with a more 'no-frills' approach adopted insofar as they didn't have their own special area. "We were just in seats with an empty seat next to us so there was no tripod; just hand held footage on that one." says White.
The video footage the analysts obtain has often proved vital on the track, especially in events such as the sprint and keirin. As the video can be available to coaches within a few minutes and played back on a tablet device, this has often proved invaluable on a number of occasions.
Chris White explains the crucial role this footage has often played: "The footage we capture is compressed and sent down to the coaching staff within a few minutes and displayed on a tablet device. This is often invaluable not to question commissaries' decisions but to gain clarity on a few things. There have been a few occasions where decisions have been overruled in our favour based on the video we shoot and also the speed with which we are able to get it down to track centre."
At the conclusion of the final cycling event at Hadleigh Farm last Sunday, the job of the performance analysts is far from over as White explains: "We only had 2-3 days off during the entire games so we were definitely busy. After the games, it won't stop there, as time has already been set aside for a debrief with the coaches as well as time to reflect on how we have done everything during the last four years and, in what is a constantly evolving area of sports science, where we can improve for the next Olympic cycle."


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According to reports, finally, the much debated oil extraction from the Amu Darya Basin started. However, the level of production is not clear but previously Ministry of Mines and industry had told that in the first phase 5,000 barrel per day would be extracted and would increase multifold and reach to 45,000 barrel per day in the second phase.
Over the very issue, previously General Rashid Dostum, a highly influential member of Afghanistan National Front (ANF), a challenging coalition against President Karzai, was blamed for illegal use of force for banning of oil extraction. Some government officials called on Attorney General to persecute him, a problem which later on was resolved by direct intervention of President Karzai.
In his defense,Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostom clearly explained that he was worried of highly possible corruption. There was no transparency and moreover local people might benefit least.Local people are not employed rather employees are handpicked by government or particular circles having close links with key administrative and political figures from other parts of the country.
There is no data available to show whether his concerns were met and local people are recruited or not. The extraction has started and amidst mounting concern over level of corruption in civil and political establishment. It is widely suspected that rich mineral resources of Afghanistan might shrink rapidly with no palpable changes to common people's lives.Early, this month, economic adviser to European Union, Mehradad Emadi, wrote an article about mineral resources of Afghanistan.
Seemingly, he was amazed by recent acceptance of Afghanistan as observer of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the promises and willingness of Russia and China, the two key members ofthe organization, of financial support and large investment to rebuild Afghanistan.
According to his briefing, the main reason behind such amove was rich mineral resources which are key factors for fuelling economic growth and development. And both China and Russia are in needing order to maintain their currently high economic growth.
Anyhow, the total oil resource revealed yet talk about existence of around two billion barrel. In such a case and in simple calculation,assuming the each barrel at price of $100, the total price of oil minerals goes beyond $150 billion dollars which is an astonishing sum for country with GDP of just 11 billion dollar.
In another word, if the country increases its capacity to produce100,000 barrel per day, the oil resources will last for more than 50years.
Moreover, Afghanistan is rich in terms of mineral resources. The estimated total price is calculated by foreign scientist around a trillion dollars while officials in ministry of industry and mines put the number to three trillion dollars. The quality and kind of mineral resources is another issue to be discussed.
The mineral of lithium one of the rarest as well as highly essential elements is too large as some used terms of like "Afghanistan is the Saudi Arabia of Lithium". It is used in production of chargeable batteries of computers, cell phones and other highly prevalent and expansive technologies.
The mounting pressure by environmental activists and the global project for greening of the earth will more than ever push the price of lithium remarkably up. There are global efforts around the world to bring down the level of green house gases concentration in atmosphere through using clean energies for industries.
Many countries have already levied carbon-tax in order to appreciate industrial productions with least effect on environment and increase their energy efficiency. Presently, automobile companies compete with one another to produce cars with least effect on environment by making them more energy efficient. There are hybrid automobiles, using electricity and fossil fuels alternatively.
Annually, companies reveal new types of electric cars in order to prevent the global warming.
In such technologies, lithium is a key element. It is capable of saving the energy. Therefore, it is said that lithium is the oil of tomorrow. Such large and valuable underground resources are the cause of optimism and perhaps it is right that many countries are eager to invest in the field of mineral resources.
Meanwhile, it should be noticed that selling minerals without processing inside the country has no major effects on people's lives.
However, it is too large and can bring welfare to people if transparency be considered and level of corruption diminished. But there are potentials to change Afghanistan from currently poorest rank to a powerful economic power in the region, as Mehrdad Emadi wrote in his article.
The profit of Afghanistan minerals is that large that can attract global companies with huge capital if the security situation gets better and they become confident that their asset would not be lost here. What is far more important is not the extraction of minerals and creation of jobs for just few thousand Afghans.
If these raw materials be processed inside the country and the "surplus value" be added to them, the Afghanistan can be changed into an industrial country not in very long future. Adding surplus value to minerals, on one hand, can increase coefficient of total value, on the other hand, broadens job market.Is government capable of such measures? Unfortunately, the answer is no. the above things I wrote seem much more like fantasy or unreachable dream.
The security situation is terrible and no one is ready to take such high risk, but it is not clear what will happen after 2014. Would government make militants to lay down arms and let the country bounce to normality? It is too early to judge about this issue.