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Your support makes us move on!
Your support makes us move on!
You can do something!
Share our site
Tell People about the NGO list! Give us a Like on facebook. For anyone trying to earn a living via website/blog, the most important thing is "traffic". The more people who know about this site; use it, share it, and contribute to it, the more visitors we revive and so traffic. Which is important to get support for the NGO's and on the other hand volunteers finding there ideal places. And so, we are earning a little coin out of the deal.
The banners we present on the NGO list are for goods like: Better World Books; they ship worldwide for free and part of the proceeds go to fund literacy and libraries. HostelWorld; they offer a more diverse list of rooms & beds, with options of cheaper rates. Lonely Planet's; prowess as the best guidebook. So, if you click on of these banners we get some coins and you get what your looking for - win, win.
We have spent and continue to spend hours upon hours of our lives, creating this website. Of course, we do so in the service of a greater good. This site only stays alive, thanks to our Non-Governmental Organization which support us with a little commission. It covers our effort and costs. If you also want to support our mission, so this useful site can stays alive, please feel free give us a little donation starting from 1.- USD.


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Romanian artist Serban Savu has been short-listed for The Sovereign European Art Prize 2006/07, following the proposal made in 2006 by the Romanian Cultural Institute in London.
Serban Savu (b.1978) studied at the University of Art and Design, Cluj, Romania. He had personal exhibitions at Mie Lefever Gallery (Gent, Belgium), Cube Gallery (Venice, Italy) and H'art Gallery (Bucharest, Romania). His work was recently featured in a group show at Haunch of Venison Gallery (Zurich) and is currently shown at David Nolan Gallery, New York.
The Prize exhibition, featuring the work of the 30 short-listed artists, will be held from 28 February to 11 March at Club Row, Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES. The first prize will be awarded during the exhibition and will be complemented by a special prize voted for solely by the public who may vote directly at the venue or on-line.
The Sovereign European Art Prize was launched in April 2005 at London's Hayward Gallery, South Bank Centre. The selection committee is chaired by Sir Peter Blake (UK) and consists of European art experts and professionals.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pento: Rampant Inflation Tomorrow Necessary to Avoid Deflationary Depression Today! Got Gold?
Lorimer Wilson
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012
There is an all out assault on the part of global central banks to destroy their currencies in an effort to allow their respective governments to continue the practice of running humongous deficits. In fact, the developed world's central bankers are faced with the choice of either massively monetizing Sovereign debt or to sit back and watch a deflationary depression crush global growth. Since they have so blatantly chosen to ignite inflation, it would be wise to own the correct hedges against your burning paper currencies.
So says Michael Pento (www.PentoPort.com) in edited excerpts from an article* which Lorimer Wilson, editor of www.munKNEE.com (Your Key to Making Money!), has further edited below for length and clarity – see Editor's Note at the bottom of the page. (This paragraph must be included in any article re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.)
Pento goes on to say, in part:
It is a sad situation when everything the man in charge of our central bank professes to understand about inflation is wrong. Mr. Bernanke does not know what causes inflation, how to accurately measure inflation or the real damage inflation does to an economy. He, like most central bankers around the globe, persists in…[confusing] inflation with growth. The sad truth is that our Federal Reserve believes growth can be engendered from creating more inflation.
In reality, however, economic growth comes from productivity enhancements and a growing labor force. Those two factors are the only way an economy can expand its output. Historically speaking, the total of labor force and productivity growth has averaged about a 3% increase per annum in the U.S. Therefore, any increase in money supply growth that is greater than 3% leads to rising aggregate prices. That's why money supply growth should never be greater than the sum of labor force growth + productivity growth. Any increase greater than that only serves to limit labor force growth and productivity.Since Bernanke doesn't understand that simply economic maxim, he persists in his quest to destroy the value of the dollar. Perhaps that's why the Fed Head has decided to keep interest rates at zero percent for at least six years, despite the fact that the growth in the money supply is alreadynorth of 10%.
Maybe Bernanke believes that a replay of the entire productivity gains from the industrial and technology revolutions will both simultaneously occur in 2012. Or perhaps he feels that the millions of unemployed individuals laid off after the collapse of the credit bubble will all be re-hired this year. What he also fails to understand is that consumers are in a deleveraging mode because their debt as a percentage of income is, historically speaking, extremely high. So regardless of how much money Bernanke counterfeits into existence, it won't lead to more job growth or capital creation…just more inflation.
The Rest…HERE


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The future is here. Indian entrepreneur from Massachusetts who created 5-hour Energy drink, Manoj Bhargava, is now putting his assets into something extremely useful that could change the lives of millions of people. He has created a stationary bike which will provide a household with energy for an entire day after just an hour of pedaling.
The mysterious billionaire behind the caffeine shot you can get at every checkout counter has more money than he has need for. So, he has decided to put it to good use and invest $4 billion, his time and knowledge into a project called Free Electric. The idea was to make a stationary bike that would create energy to supply lights and basic home appliances by using it for an hour. This way he wanted to tackle one of the largest world issues – providing electricity for those that have very little of it or none at all.
Bhargava has finished this electric battery-equipped bike last year and he is calling it "the cheapest, most practical way to create electricity around the world". He presented the project in the documentary Billions in Change where he said that those who are wealthy have the duty to help those less fortunate. His motto:"Make a difference in people's lives. Don't just talk about it."
Living Essentials CEO, Bhargava, aims to make use of the human mechanical energy, as he explains in the documentary, something so amazing but rarely used. With this project, he aims to change the lives of millions of people and help in preserving our planet.
How does the bicycle work? It's simple. According to Bhargava, the person peddling causes the wheel on the bicycle to turn a flywheel which turns a generator. The generator then charges the battery which keeps enough energy for 24 hours for appliances such as lights, smartphones, fans and so on. The best part is that this bike is made of regular bicycle parts, which makes it easy to repair by any bike repairman in the world.
Coming from India, Manoj Bhargava wants to provide his home country with the bikes first, especially those in poor parts of India, the ones most in need of free electricity. "The real thing is to get the poor out of poverty, and one of the basics is energy," he says. He believes that a project like this will help many families improve their situations and living conditions. Therefore, the first batch of bikes is going to Lucknow, where Bhargava was born, Amethi and Raebareli.
The first supplement of 25 Free Electric bikes was shipped to India a few days ago, officially starting the pilot project. In a few weeks, these bikes will arrive at their destinations in poor households, schools and small business where it will be determined whether the project actually works in the real world.
However, while this first shipment of Free Electric bikes is free, the prices will vary depending on the income level of households. Those most in need will be able to get the bikes for free, while the price will go to $250 and even up to $1500 for those wealthy households that want "fancier" versions of the bike.
Businessman and philanthropist, Manoj Bhargava, is actually quite a mysterious person. Nobody really knows how much money he has and what exactly all of his business ventures are. What is known is that he was born into a rich family in India but they struggled when they came to America when Manoj was only 14. He even dropped out of Princeton because he thought it was "boring" only to pursue his own education and become a serious scientist and entrepreneur.
Now he is one of the richest people in the world who is more than willing to give back to the people. Apart from Free Electric project that already seems like a revolutionary idea bound to change the future, Bhargava is working on other projects that aim to make saltwater drinkable, provide limitless amounts of clean geothermal energy and enhance body circulation.
And when asked about his philanthropy, Bhargava refuses to see it as altruism, saying: "It's not giving back. It's what else am I going to do?"


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「 月別アーカイブ:2016年01月 」 一覧
Wedding photos in Kamakura! 色打掛で写真撮影 @ 鎌倉!
2016/01/28 Uncategorized
A casual vlog of our day in Kamakura getting our pictures taken in wedding kimonos! Special thanks to Studio Aqua http://www.studio-aqua.jp/english *This is not a sponsored video ▶ INSTAGRAM http://instagram.com/bilingirl_chika ▶ TWITTER http://twitter.com/Japanagos ▶ MY OTHER CHANNEL http://www.youtube.com/cyoshida1231 It might ...
Our Japanese Wedding Ceremony | 私たちの神前結婚式
2016/01/22 Uncategorized
Video of our Japanese wedding ceremony at the Hikawa Shrine in Akasaka! Check out my new blog for a bit more 🙂 "The truth behind the white wedding kimono" bit.ly/1OJWArY Akasaka Hikawa Shrine http://www.akasakahikawa.or.jp/ Make-up, kimono-fitting by Wakon Style http://www.wakon-style.jp/ ...
Visiting relatives in Nagasaki (subtitled) | Chikalog
2016/01/19 Uncategorized
Turn on CC for subtitles! Vlog of our trip to Nagasaki to visit relatives and to submit our marriage registration form 🙂 INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/bilingirl_chika I post in both English & Japanese! TWITTER: http://twitter.com/Japanagos Please keep in mind that Japan has ...
Filling out the Japanese marriage registration form! (subtitled) | Chikalog
2016/01/17 Uncategorized
Turn on CC for subtitles! Another casual vlog from my Grandmother's! We're filling out our marriage registration form, which we found out is quite a process! Enjoy 🙂 INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/bilingirl_chika I post in both English & Japanese! TWITTER: http://twitter.com/Japanagos Please ...
Buying cake and going to my Grandma's house! (subtitled) | Chikalog
2016/01/14 Uncategorized
Turn on CC for subtitles! Super casual vlog of me and my fiance (now husband) going to visit my Grandmother 🙂 I thought some of the conversations might help those of you learning Japanese! Download my app to connect with ...
New Year's at a bathhouse! (subtitled) | Chikalog
2016/01/03 Uncategorized
Turn on CC for subtitles! Happy New Year!! Just wanted to say hello and share with you how I spend my New Year's here in Japan 🙂 Photos of the bath area for those who are curious 😛 http://nifty.jp/1UoxSkj Super ...


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Forrest enters Alford plea, gets 120-day shock prison sentence in case where animals died and belongings were taken
Gainesville resident Amanda Forrest, 40, is ordered to report to the Ozark County Sheriff's Department Dec. 13 to be transported to the Missouri Department of Corrections, where she is to complete a 120-day shock prison sentence. Forrest will also have a five-year back-up sentence available for the court to impose or execute if she does not successfully complete probation without violations. She is also ordered to spend 10 days in the county jail and pay $2,000 in restitution.
On Nov. 7, Forrest pleaded guilty by Alford plea to financial exploitation of an elderly or disabled person before Circuit Judge Craig Carter. An Alford guilty plea, also known as a "best interest plea," means that Forrest asserts her innocence but believes the prosecution has enough evidence that a jury would convict her of the charge. Defendants who plead guilty by Alford plea can be sentenced as if they had submitted a straight guilty plea.
Forrest also submitted a straight guilty plea to animal abuse, a class A misdemeanor.
The charges were filed in connection with allegations that Forrest made a "false promise" in December 2017 to care for the animals and property belonging to an 80-year-old man who was reportedly in an incapacitated state in a long-term care facility.
Multiple cats dead, two dogs near death from lack of food, water
The probable cause statement in the case, prepared by Ozark County Sheriff's Deputy Cpl. Curtis Dobbs, says that on April 20, Dobbs responded to a report of people loading items into a truck at a residence on County Road 511.The person who reported the incident to deputies said a 1999 Buick Regal and a 1995 Ford Explorer were missing from the property.
Dobbs learned that the owner of the residence had been hospitalized in Mountain Home, Arkansas, from January to March and then was transferred to a long-term care facility in Willow Springs, where the social services director told Dobbs the resident had been "in an incapacitated state" since his arrival there, and a Guardian Ad Litem had been appointed for him in April.
When Dobbs arrived at the man's residence on April 20, he saw tire tracks at the back of the house "and drag marks where someone had recently drug a heavy object and loaded it into a vehicle," he wrote in the probable cause statement. He also saw that a window had been broken out on the side of the home.
While Dobbs was at the house, Forrest and two other people arrived. The two passengers in the truck told Dobbs that Forrest had "promised them money in exchange for helping her load and haul items to another location where a person was waiting to purchase them." Both passengers reportedly told the officer that Forrest told them she had permission to be at the residence.
Forrest admitted to Dobbs that she had taken items from the home but said she had the owner's permission in order to pay for feeding the cats and dogs, according to the statement.
On March 24, an individual had discovered several animals in the residence that were dead or near-death; the person reported the situation to the sheriff's office, the statement says. An Ozark County Sheriff's Deputy responded and found between six and nine dead cats inside the home and two dogs that were near death.
The individual who reported the animals and other witnesses told Dobbs that Forrest "may have had permission ... to feed the animals but not to sell any of the items" belonging to the property owner.
Dobbs wrote in the report that he found no evidence indicating any money received from the sale of the items ever benefitted the owner or was used to feed his animals.
"The animals left in her care were abandoned and locked in the home where most died from lack of food and water," he wrote.
Unpaid bills, missing vehicles
When asked about the two missing vehicles, Forrest told Dobbs she had wrecked the Explorer and sold it to someone in Arkansas for $200.
Dobbs showed Forrest photos of the household items and appliances reported as missing, "which appeared to be on her Facebook page. ... Ms. Forrest was attempting to sell these and other items for cash on Facebook sites such as Mountain Home Online Yard Sale," Dobbs wrote.
Forrest said she sold the items in order to pay the elderly resident's bill at Gainesville Veterinary Clinic. Dobbs contacted the clinic staff, who reportedly told him the resident did have an outstanding balance but that a payment had not been received since the charges were accrued in December.
On April 23, Dobbs contacted a person in Mountain Home who had posted a Facebook advertisement offering cash for old cars. The man told Dobbs that Forrest had contacted him, and he drove to the victim's Ozark County residence and purchased the two vehicles from Forrest, paying $200 for each vehicle. The actual value of the vehicles was in excess of $1,000 each, Dobbs wrote. The man said he had already crushed the Buick, but he still had the Explorer.
In the charging document, allegations include "promising performance that the defendant did not intend to perform or knew would not be performed and thereby knowingly obtained control of two motor vehicles, household appliances and furniture ... with the intent to permanently deprive Confidential Victim of the use of the property."


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Friday, February 10, 2012
Three Sheets to the Wind
16 comments:
Love rag rugs!! And your's is looking great! Glad you got out some frustration on those sheets!!! Just can't believe how terrible some people are to others.... to prey on the elderly is just so low and the act of a coward.... They will be dealt with in the end....ReplyDelete
On that note, have a very happy Friday, and a great weekend!!!
Good Morning Traci-ReplyDelete
I'm glad you let some frustration out on those sheets. They are turning into a Beautiful rug. I Love the colors. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I love that rag rug! I can't wait to see the bunnies.
Thanks so very much for the birthday wishes!
Hugs & Stitches
Wish I lived closer!! I'd be hitching a ride to the auction!!ReplyDelete
Have a wonderful weekend~Becky
What a great rug. One like that would be so pretty in my kitchen. Thanks for the idea. Thanks for the button to. I tried to make my own, but I like yours better. -Steph-ReplyDelete
Love your rag rug. My grandma made them all the time, and they wore like steel. I have made a little one, generally, I just make mats. Have a good weekend.ReplyDelete
The auction stuff has me drooling! The horse lightning rod to die for.Hope it goes cheap for you.I go to auctions on occasion but I like instant gratification.Frustrates me to wait all day only to be outbid...smile.. Hugs!~AmyReplyDelete
Traci, how did you do all of that so fast? I saw the most fascinating show on how the factories make braided rugs.ReplyDelete
Whew! I like the hand made ways. The rug is beautiful. Was
it hard to do?
I am behind in my reading so I have to go back and find
out what the person did to you to upset you so. I'm sorry
for whatever it is.
Wonderful rug, and I like those colors.ReplyDelete
Good for you, always the creator, to inspire the rest of us!
Another giveaway? MMMMMM Yes!
I just read your last post and can't believe she is only getting a slap on the hand for this..our judical system sucks..she should have to wear that scarlett letter and be in jail..maybe then she will think twice about doing it again..tough love I say..you do the crime you do the time..have a great weekend.;)ReplyDelete
Traci, I can't believe that is all she is getting is probation...I'm sorry that happened to your MIL...Thanks for sharing your craft ideas...I love your rag rug. What size hook did you use and do you just attach rows together or is it a pattern? I would love to try one...MaryReplyDelete
Oh heaven's sake. Well, you certainly would've had reason to hit the bottle, but I'm so glad you didn't and went to the sheets instead :o) I wanna make a rag rug too. I love them and think I can do it as I do know how to crochet. Love your colors and good fabric you chose.ReplyDelete
Beautiful Rug!!!!111Have a great weekend!Hugs michelleReplyDelete
I love your rug! Nice colors too! I can't crochet but momma can. She is busy though! Can't wait to see the finished project!ReplyDelete
It's good to vent Traci, You are right she does have to look in the mirror each day, she lost her job and it will be hard for her to find a new one for now.ReplyDelete
Awesome rug!!! I Love the colors!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Prim Blessings
Those that harm the elderly and young children will be dealt with harshly. Thank goodness that you are able to be your Mother in law's advocate!ReplyDelete
Your rug is beautiful!


text: Your Jaguar fuel pump resides inside the gasoline tank of your car, truck, or SUV. The Jaguar fuel pump is an electric motor that is constantly running as it serves to deliver fuel to your engine. Since your Jaguar fuel pump is working whenever your engine is on, this part is particularly subject to heat damage. The Jaguar fuel pump is located inside the gas tank because the fuel itself serves to cool it down and keep its moving parts working. When your Jaguar fuel pump is not at the top of its game, you may experience hard starting, misfires, stalling, and sluggish acceleration. You may have heard that you should keep your gas tank at least one-quarter full at all times. This is not a preventative measure in case you run out of gas; rather, it is an important step in maintaining your Jaguar fuel pump. In addition to the loss of cooling power when your gas tank runs toward empty, you also risk allowing your Jaguar fuel pump to suck up the sediment that often collects at the bottom of your tank as rust and corrosion form with age. This can clog your Jaguar fuel pump and render it inoperable. There are often a number of warning signs that your Jaguar fuel pump is about to fail. These include starting difficulty, poor engine idle, and loss of power. Unfortunately, the Jaguar fuel pump cannot be repaired. If you are experiencing problems with your Jaguar fuel pump, you will need to install a new pump. Browse our online catalogue for the replacement Jaguar fuel pump that is made for your vehicle and restore your car, truck, or SUV to its former power levels.


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Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rom 12:14 Continue reading
Month: June 2016
Declare God!
For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts. Ps 10:3-4 Continue reading
Jonah Days
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Jonah 3:1-3 Continue reading
He Supplies!
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19
God is able to supply that which you need. Sunday was a great example. Continue reading
Two types of days
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Rev 22:4-5 Continue reading
Jesus said to them, my wife…
"Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." Rev 21:9
A few years ago, a Harvard University Divinity School professor introduced a scrap of papyrus to the world. The Coptic writing and material seemed to be of an ancient origin. Continue reading
Judgment in Condemnation
Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt 7:1
I saw something different in this scripture today. Continue reading


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Last update: Thursday 6/25/15I posted a note on this blog ("Pass the MOOCs") recently that informed readers that I am currently taking a series MOOCs that will enable me to reenter the workforce with newly acquired skills in machine learning, data analytics, data science, etc, etc, etc. The main point of my previous blog was that dabblers drop out of MOOCs, but job hunters stay the course. In my case, I dropped out of a couple MOOCs that I had previously taken to satisfy my intellectual curiosity.
But this time around I'm a serious job hunter, so I'm going all out for completions and maximum knowledge. All of my current MOOCs provide verified digital certificates upon successful completion that can be posted on Linkedin where they can be viewed by prospective employers or by prospective consulting clients. And all of them charge a modest fee for the certificates.
The purpose of this note is to share a couple of insights that I have experienced thus far in my quest for new knowledge delivered by the new online media. Please note that the knowledge I am seeking is not only new to me; but the combinations of tools and techniques covered by these courses were only developed in the last 10 to 15 years, so they are also new to just about everybody. I was surprised by the insights that I'm about to share. Suspecting that my insights may surprise some of my readers, I am publishing them because I haven't seen similar comments in any of the education news publications or blogs that I usually read.
The MOOCs that I'm taking are sophisticated blends of statistics, computer programming, and funky hacking tools. At the time of this writing, I have passed and received verified certificates for three MOOCs, one from M.I.T. (via edX) and two from Johns Hopkins University (via Coursera). From what I've read, most MOOCS offered by the nation's leading universities cover STEM subjects. In this sense my courses are "typical. But most of the MOOCs offered by most top universities still have an academic orientation, i.e., knowledge for its own sake that pays off in the long run. By contrast, the MOOCs that I'm taking are offered in the same spirit in which I am taking them, i.e., they are career-oriented and promise short to mid-term financial gains.
Don't Believe the Hype!!!
I am referring, of course, to the prerequisites that edX and Coursera declare for their courses and the hours of effort per week they say will be sufficient for successful completion. Consider these excerpts from their Websites:
- Data Analytics Edge (M.I.T.)
"Basic mathematical knowledge (at a high school level). You should be familiar with concepts like mean, standard deviation, and scatterplots. Mathematical maturity and prior experience with programming will decrease the estimated effort required for this class, but are not necessary to succeed." ... Hah!!! ... LOL ... :-)
Effort: 10 to 15 hours per week ... Hoo-Hah!!! ... ROTF ... :-)
Nevertheless IMHO, like the Gates of Hades, the course Web pages should clearly warn those who would enter that if their math skills are only at high school level and if they really have no prior experience in programming, they will also have to possess an IQ that's off the charts to keep up with this course no matter how many hours they study each week. For example, the programming language used by the course -- called "R" -- is powerful, object-oriented, and functional; but it also has a well-deserved reputation for being "quirky" -- which disqualifies it from anyone's list of computer languages for beginners.
Whereas the M.I.T. MOOC is a single course that lasts 12 weeks, each of the 10 courses that I'm taking from Hopkins is a 4-week mini-course. Each mini-course awards a verified certificate upon successful completion, but the big certificate in "Data Science" is only awarded when students complete all 10 mini-courses. The M.I.T. course was offered by a large team headed by a senior professor with the support of platoon of graduate assistants; whereas the Hopkins mini-courses are offered by three young professors, i.e., by hotshots who really know their stuff. M.I.T's course provides an introduction to the field, while Hopkins offers coverage at an intermediate level.
- Data Science (Johns Hopkins University)
"Some programming experience (in any language) ... Working knowledge of mathematics up to algebra (neither calculus or linear algebra are required)" ... What? No prior introduction to inferential statistics? ... LOL ... LOL ... LOL ... :-)
Effort: Ranges from 1 to 4 hours each week (overview of program) up to 7 to 9 hours each week (R, Statistical Inference, Regression Models) ... ROTF ... LMFAO ... :-)
In summary, my first unexpected insight is that some top-rated universities are deliberately understating their prerequisites and the level of effort required for successful completion of their career-oriented MOOCs. So no one should be surprised by low course completion rates.
My Tentative Answer: They have to fib in the context of current expectations about MOOCs because they are top-rated universities.
Before I explain my answer and before I also say why I expect most top-rated universities to stop fibbing in the not-too-distant future, I will have to take the reader on a brief side trip to Udacity in Part 3
Related notes on this blog
- Pass the MOOCs -- Part 5 (Rumsfeld's Three) ... January 2016
- Pass the MOOCs -- Part 4 (STEM vs. Humanities) ... July 2015
- Pass the MOOCs -- Part 3 (Udacity) ... June 2015
- Pass the MOOCs -- Part 1 (New Job) ... June 2015
- Confessions of a MOOC dropout ... January 2013


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Media & Education
BATS Magazine
Volume 20, Issue 4, Winter 2002
Bats Go Postal
A BCI Member Wins a Place for Bats on U.S. Stamps
By Robert Locke
Americans have been sticking postage stamps on envelopes for 155 years - yet not one official U.S. stamp had ever borne the image of a bat. As a likely measure of bats' historic image problems, consider that the last time they were proposed for a commemorative stamp, bats reportedly lost out to a snake. Then rancher Carol Adams met history professor Virginia Noelke at a West Texas dinner party.
Adams and her husband Baxter are longtime members of Bat Conservation International and unabashed bat enthusiasts. Their Love Creek Ranch at Medina (northwest of San Antonio, Texas) sports a number of successful bat houses that often draw friends and neighbors for bat parties. We have, Adams says, "been big in bats for years."
Noelke, it turns out, is not only a professor at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, she is also chair, for almost 30 years, of the U.S. Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. At a party given by mutual friends in San Angelo, Adams says she discovered Noelke's role on the stamp committee, and, "I guess because I'm a bat lover, I asked her, 'Why haven't you ever done bats? They're wonderful, they have precious faces, and they need the help.'"
That was about two years ago. On September 13, 2002, four stamps featuring bat photos by BCI Founder and award-winning nature photographer Merlin Tuttle were dedicated with considerable fanfare. Noelke confirms that the first-ever U.S. bat stamps grew directly out of that conversation with Carol Adams.
Each of the first-class (37-cent) American Bat Stamps in the four-stamp set bears the close-up profile of a different species: the California leaf-nosed bat (Macrotus californicus), the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), the pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), and the spotted bat (Euderma maculatum). With the new stamps, the United States joins at least 75 other countries that have celebrated bats on their postage stamps (BATS, Spring 1999).
The dedication drew some 1,500 people to Austin's famous Congress Avenue Bridge, home of the world's largest urban bat colony. Among attractions were live bats, a bat-house-building workshop for kids (sponsored by BCI, the National Wildlife Federation, and Home Depot), stamp collectibles including first-day covers signed by Merlin Tuttle, and, of course, the spectacular evening emergence of some 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis).
Tapping this unique opportunity to teach new audiences about the true nature of bats and their critical role in the balance of nature, BCI joined the National Wildlife Federation in producing bat-education pamphlets that were distributed with U.S. Postal Service assistance to some 300,000 educators and others. Those flyers dispelled dangerous bat myths for many people and produced several hundred new BCI members.
While bat stamps aren't likely to eclipse the 1993 Elvis Presley commemorative that became the Postal Service's all-time bestseller with more than 124 million stamps, they are proving popular. And their release during National Stamp-Collecting Month - a decision Noelke attributes to their expected fascination for children - is likely boosting sales.
As Carol Adams notes, bats on stamps are "just wonderful PR," but that opportunity is rare indeed. Out of tens of thousands of proposed stamp subjects, Noelke says her committee recommends only about 20 topics (including multi-stamp sets) each year to the Postmaster General.
The competition is fierce. An Internet search for Noelke's name finds thousands of individuals, organizations, fan clubs, even whole states that are urging email and letter-writing campaigns to convince her to choose some favored subject or another for a U.S. postage stamp.
"We as a committee are the target of any number of campaigns for certain stamps," Noelke says. "Sometimes a group even hires a PR firm to organize their campaign. If an idea piques our interest, it goes forward. Sometimes it does and sometimes not."
Two years ago, when Noelke asked Adams why bats might belong on stamps, Carol had the right answer: "I showed her a poster from BCI. ... Once she saw the pictures and heard the story about the Austin connection, she seemed interested."
Noelke says she's never been much of a fan of bats, but "I asked around and found a lot of people were interested in [bat stamps] as a general conservation topic. In Washington, I talked to our art director and he became very excited. It turns out they are very interesting and very photogenic. And on top of that, we thought kids would really enjoy it. ... We take seriously the idea that we can educate people with these stamps."
The Postal Service eventually contacted Tuttle about artwork for the stamps. He said the four bats were chosen for their attention-getting appearance and for their diverse geographic distribution. "We wanted the bats to represent every part of the United States," he said.
The process from dinner party to postage stamp was long and uncertain, but, Tuttle says, the stamps' educational value is immense. The wait was well worth it.
ROBERT LOCKE is Managing Editor of Bat Conservation International.
All articles in this issue:
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BCI relies on the support of our amazing members around the world.
Our mission is to conserve the world's bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.
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"As an Early Childhood Professional myself, I was very impressed with her engaging and animated manner and her use of encouragement with the girls in the class. Miss Natalie certainly does Kinderballet proud!" - Elizabeth
"We will definitely be back! Thanks for such a positive experience, Amelia and I both had a ball." - Kathryn
"I love Kinderballet's age appropriate concepts and the magical journey each lesson takes my daughter on" - Julie
"I thought the class was excellent. The teachers were very professional, and it melted my heart to see Poppy with the other 'dancers'! Thank you, and congratulations on running such a professional and lovely class. It is worth every cent!" - Rachel
Kinderballet is starting NEW classes in Everard Park on Tuesdays and Saturdays!
And to kickstart our brand NEW classes in Everard Park , we are running Special Promotional Classes on Tuesday 30th of July & Saturday 10th of August!
There'll be free gifts for everyone who attends and if you do subsequently enroll, you will receive a FULL BALLET OUTFIT* - Ballet shoes, Tights and a Skirted Leotard - Valued at $57.85 - FREE - including postage!*Conditions apply
We will be running TWO different classes each day:
This is a great opportunity to come along and enjoy the Kinderballet experience.
With revised programs and new music, there's never been a better time to start Kinderballet!
"Seriously the best think I have ever done for my daughter was put her into Kinderballet. Thank you a million times over." - Elyse
If you enjoy the class and would like to enroll after the Special Intro Class then you will recieve a FULL BALLET OUTFIT* - Ballet shoes, Tights and a Skirted Leotard - Valued at $57.85 (including postage)!
This only applies if you enroll into a course on the same day and at the same location as the Promo class, within one week of the Promo Class until the end of Term 3 and you pay your fees on or before the due date.
This offer cannot be combined with any other offer.
Once we recieve your payment, a voucher code will be emailed to you to order on our online store.
If you attend the Special Intro Class and do not enroll straight away then you will still be eligible for a free pair of Ballet Shoes whenever you do eventually enroll - anytime in 2019.
So if you enjoy the Special Intro Class, let us know as soon as possible to secure your place in the class and your BONUS FULL BALLET OUTFIT!


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Lakers survive comeback, advance to conference finalsMay 17, 2008 - 7:17 AM By Chris Bellamy PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- It took six games, but home-court advantage finally cracked.
Behind Kobe Bryant's 34-point effort, the Los Angeles Lakers stole one at the toughest home floor in the NBA, ousting the Utah Jazz from the playoffs with a thrilling 108-105 victory in Game Six of the Western Conference semifinals on Friday night.
What looked like a blowout for most of the night turned into a nail-biter for the top-seeded Lakers, who had just enough in the final minutes to stave off the Jazz and avoid a Game Seven.
"This is a big step for us," Bryant said. "I think the important thing is coming on the road and winning in this building, a place where prior to tonight they lost five games all year. It shows a lot of character on our part to come out of here with a victory."
Deron Williams' 3-point attempt that would have sent the game into overtime and capped off a huge Utah rally rolled around the rim and slipped out just before the buzzer sounded to save the Lakers victory.
With the win, the Lakers not only became just the second road club to claim a victory in the entire second round but, more importantly, advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004.
Bryant, looking fully recovered from the back spasms that have ailed him since Game Four, led his team to one of its most impressive offensive showings of the postseason.
"It feels good. It feels great. We're excited about (going to the conference finals)," Bryant said. "It's been a great journey so far, and we want to keep it rolling. We're proud of what we've accomplished, but we believe we can accomplish much more."
After having to fight off the Jazz in a hotly contested Game Five at the Staples Center on Wednesday night, the Lakers didn't have much to sweat until the closing moments of the fourth quarter when the Jazz, finally facing the very real prospect of elimination, started to battle back.
After being ice-cold from the floor all night, the Jazz got hot at just the right moment. The Jazz hit 3-pointers on five consecutive possessions including two huge ones within 12 seconds from an unlikely source, Andrei Kirilenko, the one-time All-Star not commonly known as a perimeter shooter.
"They made some run at us at the end of the game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "I had confidence we would make the right play at the end of the game. I just felt (the Jazz) made some incredible shots. Obviously, five 3-pointers down the stretch is pretty remarkable in itself."
That brought Utah to within two points, at 105-103 with 16 seconds to play, forcing the Lakers to try to win the game at the free-throw line.
"It's just tough. The thing that hurt us in the first two games in L.A. was our starts, and it hurt us again," Williams said. "You can come back, but it's hard to get over that hump, and that was the case tonight. Tonight, we just couldn't take the lead back."
Despite being automatic for the most part, the Lakers gave the Jazz one last window when Derek Fisher missed one, giving the Jazz a final possession with a chance to send the game into overtime.
But Utah misfired on two opportunities to tie the game. After Mehmet Okur's attempt clanked off the rim, Williams grabbed the offensive rebound and found his way back behind the arc for his own try. His shot was tantalizingly close to extending the Jazz's season at least an extra five-minute period but just missed.
"I didn't know how much time was left so I rushed it a little bit too much. I probably could've taken my time because Kobe wasn't gonna risk fouling me. I could've taken my time a little more," Williams said. "But it was a great look and I just missed it."
Despite facing a team that lost just four times at home during the regular season, the Lakers steamed ahead from the start and never relinquished the lead.
By the five-minute mark of the opening quarter, they already had a double-digit lead a far cry from the series' first two games in Salt Lake City, when the Jazz led for nearly the entirety of both contests.
Bryant did his usual damage, posting up the perpetually outmatched Utah defenders and finishing with turnarounds and drives to the hoop. He was 8-of-10 from the foul line over the first two quarters of play.
Fisher capped off the lopsided first half with three free throws on a controversial call at the buzzer. Controversy or not, Fisher buried all three to put the Lakers up by 62-43 at the break.
"We came out and they got after us, and that's what experience can do. It can come out and get in your face a little bit, and get after you, and I thought they did that," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "It looked like if we could get a little run going, put a little pressure on them, then I thought we could get back in the ballgame. But we couldn't calm down."
The Jazz, one of the most efficient offensive clubs in the league throughout the season, shot just 33 percent (14-of-42) from the field in the first half. The frontcourt tandem of Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur was ineffective, despite a strong presence on the boards.
Boozer was repeatedly double-teamed by the Lakers' quicker, longer big men, frustrating the three-time All-Star who led the Jazz in scoring this season but has struggled to find his offensive game in the playoffs. He fouled out in the fourth quarter after just a 12-point effort.
"I'm disappointed in my play," Boozer said. "I feel like I let my teammates down. I could've played a whole lot better."
Okur, meanwhile, was just 1-for-7 from the field in the first half before catching fire down the stretch.
The Jazz hardly made a dent in their deficit until midway through the fourth quarter, and even then it wasn't nearly enough of one.
With Boozer taking up the attention of the Lakers' interior defense, Williams found reserve Paul Millsap instead.
Millsap, a second-year forward from Louisiana Tech, scored eight straight points in the fourth quarter to spark the Jazz's comeback. He finished two fast breaks with dunks including one while facing heavy traffic in the paint and had 12 points and seven rebounds in the fourth quarter alone.
"He was just very aggressive offensively; defensively, he was very active. He provided us with a big spark of energy," Williams said of Millsap. "He was running the floor hard, and I wanted to get the ball to him."
But the Lakers had their answer and, as usual, it was the league's Most Valuable Player. After a pair of Matt Harpring free throws pulled Utah to within seven, Bryant pulled up for a 3-pointer to extend the lead back into double digits.
Moments later, he extended it even further, starting with his back to the basket on Harpring and quickly turning around for an off-balance fadeaway that dropped in off the glass, plus a foul.
"I went to the 'Black Mamba,'" Bryant said. "I just had to take advantage of the opportunities. It's my role to kind of be patient and just pick my spots. Then when that moment comes, it's my responsibility to this ballclub to make the right plays."
The Jazz's flurry of 3-pointers late in the period brought them back to within striking distance yet again, but they never got any closer than a two-point deficit.
"Surprisingly enough, I think the best looks they had may have been at the end of the game when they missed two open threes," Jackson said. "We'll remember most of all the fact that we played with some sense of urgency and determination."
Williams led the Jazz with 21 points and 14 assists. Okur added 16 points and 10 boards but shot just 6-of-18 from the field.
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Lakers vs. JazzMay 16 1:53 PM
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With Customer Communicator you can be sure your staff has the skills, motivation, and positive attitude needed to serve every customer with poise and professionalism.
Here's how it works:
Every month, each of your reps receives their own copy of Customer Communicator. Each issue includes information they can use right away to improve their phone skills, handle difficult customers, listen effectively, handle stress, manage their time, and more.
Your staff will read Customer Communicator right at their desks, at convenient times, and at their own pace. Then, they'll download the monthly Web Extras. These include articles, checklists, reminder cards, and more.
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text: SteffenWi 103 Posted November 6, 2019 35 minutes ago, Doktor Oswaldo said: No he said private airfreight is out of question. It still is sent by airfreight as far as we are informed! Sorry, the word 'private' in that place doesn't make sense to me in that context. From your post I'm guessing there is a difference between airfreight and private airfreight...? I just saw the Twitter post and since it is a statement and not meant as a reaction to another post, I figured it was a clarification on how stuff is delivered. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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It's showtime in Manhattan and fancy felines by the dozens are converging on the city, ready to strut their stuff in Madison Square Garden Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13-14, at the fifth annual CFA-Iams Cat Championship.
Forty-one Cat Fanciers Association breeds, ranging from lean and lanky Cornish Rexes to plump and pretty Persians, will star at the event–aiming for trophies, ribbons and those al-important championship points. The show, which is attracting entrants and interest worldwide, is one of the most prestigious of the 2007 season, according to ailurophiles (cat lovers).
San Antonio's own Pam DelaBar, CFA president, predicts some claw-sharp competition.
Along with the usual judging against breed standards, a number of talented kitties will participate in agility trials, scurrying through tunnels, jumping, running mazes–hey, it's going to look a lot like a dog show, if you'll pardon the expression. But it'll be minus the barking. And drooling.
If you're headed to the Big Apple this weekend, don't miss out on the action and the chance to meet members of the CFA, which was founded in 1906 and is the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. Otherwise, take a look at the Cat Fanciers Association Web site, www.cfainc.org to learn more about show cats and check out www.cfa-iams-cat-championship.org where New York show updates will be regularly posted and winners announced.
On the home front: Be sure to attend the Texas-size kitty extravaganza sponsored by the Alamo City Cat Club, which is coming up at the Live Oak Civic Center on Oct. 20-21. We will be reporting on the local CFA-sanctioned event in depth and maybe even spotlighting some of the most impressive furry ones on display.
Watch this space.


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Zero Punctuation: Crysis 2
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I beat the end bosses to this game by massing the melee until they died. It was as epic as that one time I murdered a spider crawling on my wall. Only the spider was more scary and more challenging.
..... why?
While I'm thinking about it, that group before the huge section with the things you punch to break right before the very end, did anyone try to fight that one out? I was fighting guys for like 30 minutes before I gave up and stealthed through. Were there not several sections(another big one is the section where you're breaking into that lab at the very beginning) where you get constant forever respawns and *have* to stealth?
That was what I liked least about it.
Because it was funny, and because he did it on a site with a good number of PC Elitists, which takes balls.
cheers Yahtzee.
Sooo... it's like the first Crysis but slightly more linear and possibly a bit more Halo-y?
I'm good with that.
*submits Amazon order*
I'll know tomorrow. :D
New York is a popular target because it's arguably the most important city in the world, at least at the moment. It has strong signifigance not just to Americans, but to people in most countries whose livelyhoods depend on it. I think this is definatly changing, but it still rings true for the most part.
The US is not only the most powerful nation in the world, but has also been the biggest market in the world, and the most profitable. While other countries have surpassed us in some respects, we're still the marketplace of choice where people bring their goods before anyone else.
New York City has perhaps the most impressive natural harbour in the world, and is where a huge portion of goods entering the country go, for distribution and sale in other parts of the country.
If New York City goes down, so does it's marketplace and all of the infrastructure located there, not to mention things like Wall Street. We're talking chaos beyond the city itself and the USA, but an international crisis where national economies will collapse, fortunes will fall, and people will be scrambling to try and create alternative infrastructures out of nothing given that Wall Street is pretty much the #1 spot for international business administration.
A lot of people might not like this, and think it's "American Arrogance", but the point is that New York will resonate with people because it represents a lot to them as well as the US, and has for a long time. As the world changes, so will this, but that's where we are now.
In comparison other cities like LA, London, Bangkok, Paris or even Hong Kong are big deals and recognized internationally, and can be used in a similar capacity, but they tend not to resonate the same way New York does. Less people have a vested interest (globally speaking) in the survival of London Or Paris than in New York for the moment.
It also doesn't hurt that New York has a huge TV and film industry, right up there with Hollywood, and a pretty big infrastructure. That means it's very easy to use to develop visual media if you have the money. What's more it's important along with it's heavy use means that a lot of people are familiar with it, and familiarity helps generate the right feel when they see things destroyed.
This is one of his better episodes, and one of the few I agree with. I've watched it 6 times
What did Nathan Drake ever do to you, Yahtzee? Besides being unabashedly American with a can-do attitude, and a happy disposition towards murdering people regardless of their skin color or nationality.
I agree about the pacing. That is the main reason I liked Crysis 2, it wasn't doing the Blackops and MW2 of constantly trying to out do itself. As a piece of entertainment it was pretty good, but I'm not sure how good a game it actually was since I too mostly just stealthed through a lot of it.
To all those who read the Metacritic user scores:
I fucking told you all it wasn't shit :D
Well, like Monsters vs. Aliens said, UFOs only ever land in the USA.
But you'll find in alien invasion/major disaster stories, it's always the same places being levelled. New York City is a popular one because it has more landmarks recognizable to both an American and an international audience than most (of course, the reason for this is probably because of how often NYC's been used in this capacity). San Francisco, Washington DC, London, Paris, Rio, Sydney, Tokyo and Moscow are other common choices, as are other famous landmarks like the Great Wall, the Great Pyramid and the Taj Mahal.
I mean, you could blow up the St. Louis Gateway Arch or the Reichstag, but how many foreigners could actually identify them?
Its because New York doesnt really exist. Its just some meme of a city that gets destroyed over and over, and you get props for destroying it in more creative ways like Red Faction.
Its just some famouse fictional city someone wrote about a long time ago, noones actually BEEN there.
No... I mean whats the difference between a console and a pc elitist?
Because you are just being a console elitist.
Lol!! Yeah I still have not picked it up but I am definitely looking forward to it. Sounds like a blast. I think the reason that NYC is depicted so much is because the devs know that is a city to which a lot of people can recognize. I mean considering that a lot of Americans probably have not been to London, or Paris, or some other major world hubs, it stands to reason that the devs would be more inclined to choose a city that the majority of its' audience can relate to... right?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that seemed like a positive review... SHOCK!
In all seriousness, I quite liked the first one, and from what it sounds like the 2nd one is more linear but still fun. Good. I don't hate linear in fact I quite like it sometimes. So maybe I need to check this mo fo out.
Yeah, but then he made the same complaints that PC gamers made i.e. simpler linear levels, lazily developed AIs, less visual 'wow' factor...
So yeah...
I recall Yahtzee's praise of the spaceship for Crysis 1, and it was weird because that was hands down my least favorite part of the game. In fact, whenever I play Crysis 1 nowadays I typically get to that part and call it a day. Missing out on a short primarily turret based escape mission and running around a cramped Carrier are worth missing if I don't have to navigate that completely unintuitive ship.
Anyway, pc power is preventing me from playing Crysis 2, but I look forward to it. It's a shame Prophet died, but then he had all the character of a potato chip, so I guess it's alright. That's probably why they switched to Psycho for Warhead. But then his accent got a bit obnoxious so they'll probably kill him off too, who knows.
Crysis was also paced well (warhead a tad less so), so I'm glad to hear the trend is continuing. I actually liked the quieter more open ended early levels as opposed to the more linear stuff that came further on down the line.
Also a shame (or not) that they didn't balance stealth. It was OP as anything in the first games, and apparently remains such. I beat Crysis 1 and Warhead both without killing anything not listed specifically in objectives with just the stealth function.
Put a smile on my face, entertaining as always.
I was actually surprised by the overall positive attitude throughout the review, Crysis 2 seems to have been a huge disappointed for everyone else and their cat (in the reviewer landscape anyway).
I can't agree on two things tho:
Thanks for your work.
A good review. Through my Yatzee hate-filter, Ive interpreted this as fairly glowing recommendation. And I enjoyed it to. I am refreshed that he didn't call it a brown and grey shooter because that's what he decided it would be before playing. I was wrong about that prediction, and I tip my hat to you Yahtzee.
Id celebrate by going to play Crysis 2 but, lets be realistic here...Portal 2 was just released.
Hmm, I guess I'll rent it on PS3...considering they don't seem to care about PC gamers anymore anyway.
Guy from Germany reporting in. From my perspective, New York is a important city, but just as important as about every other capital city of big known countries around the globe and I personally get tired of games taking place in the same city over and over again. There's nothing inherently wrong with doing that, but when considering the possibilities you have...
NY may be important, but I have no emotional connection to it whatsoever. It would be the same if any other major city was affected, that even holds true for Berlin. So while it wouldn't matter to me which big city they pick, I'm uncomfortable with picking the same one again and again because it gets repetitive - but I guess it's easier to "write what you know", many developers have done NY before and such doing concepts is altogether easier. Doesn't make it better for me tho.
It's true NY has a lot of popular landmarks not only known by natives, but people all around the globe, but just keeping on riding this horse means that won't change in the future and we won't get to see landmarks of other cities. And to be honest, despite me knowing those landmarks, I have no emotional connection to their destruction just because it happens. Assassin's Creed 2 and counting does it better with their ingame dictionary that is both informative and fleshes out the world with a bit of snarky humor.
Wait, how is Half Life about "OmgLookAtAllThisDeathWarIsTerrible"? Don't you spend almost the whole game kicking alien ass? I mean, it has its dark moments, but I didn't spot any "war is terrible" messages, more like "our oppressive alien overlord regime sucks" messages, if anything.
Check your keyboard dude.
Um... What? How did I give an indication that I am a console elitist? All I said was I liked a particular part of the episode, you asked me why, and I explained why I liked it. I never gave any indication that I thought of PCs or PC gamers as "lesser", nor did I try to lift console games up on a podium as inherently better. I just explained my opinion. Where exactly are you getting this from, and what exactly was the question that you originally asked me (since it seems I might have missed the point)? I think I am missing something here...
My personal guess is that a) you're either on the "PC side" or on the "console side", b) finding it funny when someone makes fun of PC gamers puts you on the console side by default, c) how dare you?! (He's on the "PC side")
It's silly, but that's my guess.
Neat review, Yahtzee
"...Inconvenient erections in a Calvin Klein advert..."
"...It reminds me of HL2 in a good way. Except without the powered suit... oh, wait. I mean except without the alien invasion... oh, wait..."
"I may be remembering that wrong."
Top quotes. Otherwise, I'm looking forward to the game giving my next tower upgrade a hernia.
I was disappointed by the throwing as well and wondered why the developer made such an "easy to spot" design error?
That... and how all the secondary actions come from the same energy well.
What! I can have 1000 different kinds of weapons (each with their own type of ammo) but I can't have 2 different bars for stealth and run?!
Played through the campaign twice and Iv'e seen the ai behaving like that litrally twice, both on the second playthrough, so your either unlucky or exadurating
good review, a fair one i suppose..
to me, crysis 2 is a love/hate game for me. it has its perks (combat is phun), but it also disappoints me in many aspects (nano powers, suit voice, GRAPHICS, linearity, less-realism, game features, etc).
good game, but imo, still inferior to the first ones.
I just didn't have it in me to get excited about this game.
It's all very functional and competently executed but when all is said and done it's just yet-another-bloody-shooter. The story was a pile of arse sprinkled with techno-babble. The characters were paper-thin and utterly forgettable.
However, I do agree with Yahtzee regarding how Alcatraz was completely messed up and only being kept alive by the suit. That worked well.
Not well enough to carry the game though.
Great review,describes it perfectly.
One of the better episode of ZP in a while, really liked it :D
Huh, I thought he would review Portal 2....
Great review though!
Good humor, and I enjoyed myself watching it.
Lemming here? Noooooooooooo, no, no, no.
If feels a cheap cloak option, is fucking the game play, maybe he shouldn't use it.
If using short cuts in a game cheated you out of 90 percent of the game, its your fault for using them.
"But Magog I like being sneaky!" than you can't complain when the game delivers it to you properly and you realize "wow this isn't as awesome as I thought it was."
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NEW YORK — [artist id="1231768"]Kelly Clarkson[/artist] is looking to put all this Ryan Tedder drama behind her.
For the uninitiated, much was made earlier this summer when people noticed the similarities between Clarkson's "Already Gone" and Beyoncé's "Halo," similarities that seemed more than coincidental, considering both songs were written by the same guy: OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.
So many people began to talk about it that eventually Clarkson weighed in, saying she had no idea about Beyoncé's song when she was recording hers, but that, when she heard it -- and noted how similar it was to hers -- she immediately called Tedder and asked him, "Why would you do that?"
Tedder responded, calling Clarkson's claims "hurtful and absurd," and then, both artists' respective camps must have clamped on the muzzles, because we haven't heard a peep from either one since.
So when MTV News caught up with Clarkson on the "VH1 Divas" red carpet, we asked her if she had settled her differences with Tedder or if she would advise her fellow "American Idol" alumni against working with him in the future as a result of the controversy.
"Oh no. I have a lot of songs that I've done with Ryan, and they all sound very different. It's just, unfortunately, in that situation, they sound exactly the same," she laughed. "But our melodies are different. Beyoncé and my melodies are different [on the songs]."
Clarkson did say that she'll be performing a different version of "Already Gone" on her upcoming tour, which launches October 2 in Connecticut, but that she made the change because she wanted to try a new, appropriately diva-fied spin on the tune.
"Unfortunately, it comes out where a lot of songs sound similar and, I don't know, I want to sound a little authentic, so we changed it," she said. "It's a little acoustic, and then it breaks out into this big, beautiful, diva-esque thing."
And the new version of "Gone" won't be the only change on her tour. She's also throwing a new cover or two into the mix, one of which is sure to delight her (many) indie admirers.
"I'm going to do a Black Keys song this time out," she said. "I don't want to give away which one, though. It's a soulful, bluesy one, which is all their songs, really."
If you missed "VH1 Divas" on Thursday night, don't fret: Tune in to VH1 on Friday (September 18) at 7 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. or Sunday at 1 p.m. to see the Divas in action.


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I live in the south. But as an English trainer, I often find myself in the west; in Saint Paul, Le Port and La Possesion, or even in the north, in Saint Denis. I always seem to drive home at rush hour (a term I find deeply contradictory, as it's the only hour in the day that I am NOT rushing).
While progressing slowly through Saint Paul, I, and thousands of other motorists, come across three ominous words written on the side of a bridge: "Still Life Kills". This graffiti has been in Reunion longer than I. Where did it come from? Who was the artist? What did they want to get across? Being stuck in gridlock, I have lots of time to contemplate the answers.
I also wonder if this sentence is badly constructed. As if the artist is warning us that even though we live in relative luxury, "life still kills. » I however, prefer to interpret the sentence as: "Still life, kills." As in to stay alive and happy, you must keep moving. "A rolling stone gathers no moss." This is great advise for our time. It is difficult, however, to be a rolling stone while stuck behind 5km of traffic!
Rush hour – heure du pointe
Deeply – profondément
To rush – se dépêcher
To come across – trouver par hazard
A bridge – un pont
Get across – communiquer
Gridlock & Traffic – le bouchon
To warn – prévenir
Luxury – le luxe
Sentence – une phrase
Keep moving – continuer à bouger
A rolling stone gathers no moss – Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse


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As the largest surface area of freshwater on earth, the Great Lakes have long been a source of drinking water for millions of Canadians and Americans. This dependence on the Great Lakes calls for stringent care to secure the quality of water into and out of the region's drinking water systems.
However, the sustainability of the Great Lakes is under constant physical, chemical and biological stresses. Most of these stresses are due in part to our collective behavior as a society. As new and emerging challenges present themselves, the public grows skeptical of the quality of drinking water. In wake of water quality incidents like Ontario's Walkerton tragedy in 2010, the ongoing water crisis in the city of Flint, Michigan, and the Toledo Ohio water crisis of August 2014, the integrity of the Great Lakes water basins as a source of drinking water has never been more important. Legislation, science and governance are critical to restoring and protecting the quality of these binational waters. This includes commitments by the Canadian and US governments to ensure waters of the Great lakes are fishable, drinkable and swimmable as outlined in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Incidents in history have served to reaffirm the importance of the condition of drinking water at the source. In May 2000, a large storm event hit Walkerton, Ontario, and washed cattle manure into a town well that leached into the groundwater table. A total of 2,300 residents of Walkerton became ill from drinking the water and seven died from the worst-ever outbreak of E. coli bacteria in the history of Ontario. Justice Dennis R. O'Connor was appointed commissioner of the Walkerton inquiry and made sweeping changes to the safeguarding of Ontario's drinking water by establishing the Safe Water Drinking Act of 2002. This act features the recognition of source protection as the first barrier of the multi-barrier approach in providing safe drinking water.
A decade and a half later Flint, Michigan, switched the city's source of drinking water from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River. Officials decided against adding an anti-corrosive agent to the water treatment process. This proved to be a mistake, as highly corrosive water from the Flint River caused lead to leach from transportation pipes into the drinking water supply. Elevated levels of lead were found in the blood of the Flint community and residents had to resort to drinking and bathing with bottled water during the transition back to the old water supply in October 2015. A state-commissioned report from Flint-based engineering firm Rowe Professional Services lays out a multi-decade plan that is expected to cost at least $216 million to restore Flint's water supply infrastructure. More than a year after the contamination was discovered, many Flint residents are still unsure of the safety of their water supply and continue to use bottled water to drink, bath and cook.
In 2014, Toledo, Ohio, issued a "do not drink" warning for three days to about 400,00 water users when a toxic algal bloom arose close to a water intake pipe. The type of algae that the bloom contained produced a toxin called microcystin. Since the incident, governments working to put the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement into action have made significant strides to cut down the amount of algae-feeding phosphorus that gets into Lake Erie's tributaries, notably the Maumee River.
The Ontario Approach Relying on the Great Lakes as a source of drinking water demands that stringent care be taken. Today through development of comprehensive safety mechanisms, drinking water standards are maintained from source to tap. For more than a decade in Ontario, more that 99.9 percent of water quality tests have continued to meet the province's strict health-based water quality standards. This is due in part to protection at the source, maintenance throughout the transportation process, diligence in the treatment of water, and security in making it available to the public.
Water for Ontario residents is drawn mostly from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. There is a multi-barrier approach to protecting the source water, including designated intake protection zones, well head protection zones and drinking water intake protection zones --- all with protection plans developed in part by local committees.
Water is treated on a multi-tier basis. It's tested for parameters such as microbiological, chemical and nutrient concentrations, trace metals and pH (acidity). Each water treatment plant in the province is equipped with primary, secondary, and tertiary courses of treatment to address these parameters.
This method of treatment reinforces the notion of how policy and the scientific process ensure that the system of treatment supports the larger structure of how water is handled nationwide. However, policy surrounding water quality is one only side of the coin. Taking action on a local level through engagement in the community is another.
Written into Ontario's Clean Water Act was the opportunity for community and public consultation on water quality. Through forming a Source Water Protection Advisory Committee, local communities can identify potential risks or threats to their water and plan and implement actions to reduce or eliminate these threats.
Source Protection Authorities across Ontario sought public comments on draft source protection plans in 2011. During 2012, comments were taken into consideration and plans were finalized and implemented from 2013 to 2015. These source protection plans will be updated depending on individual risk assessments carried out by source protection authorities, who are mandated to seek public comments during that time.
A holistic approach to water quality management can prevent incidents like Walkerton, Toledo, and Flint from happening again. Getting involved in the discussion surrounding water quality in your community can help to keep waters fishable, drinkable and swimmable.


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Baby Girls Haircut is a part of Toddler Girl Haircuts pictures gallery. To see this Baby Girls Haircut in High Resolutions, right click on the image and choose "Save Image As" and then you will get this image about Baby Girls Haircut.
This digital photography of Baby Girls Haircut has dimension 3872 × 2592 pixels. You can see a gallery of Toddler Girl Haircuts below. Get segments interesting article about Toddler Girl Haircuts that may help you.


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Creating the perfect style combination of high-quality materials, finest craftsmanship and expertise.This is exactly why Taji partners with the leading brands in every area of menswear.
With more than 40 years of experience under its belt, Bresciani is an international household name in producing the finest cotton, wool, cashmere, hemp, silk and linen socks.
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We were recently introduced to Five Sisters Zoo by Lisa and Andrea, an animal-loving couple we're very good friends with. The zoo is significant for its focus on animal rescue. Its latest rescues are two bears who had been saved from a life of circus performance, and a lynx who had been living in a small enclosure at a rescue centre that could no longer provide for him. The zoo had gone to enormous trouble to build spacious naturalistic habitats for these animals. I approved of its sense of priority: it provides proper hiding places for every creature, and visitor visibility be damned.
Thus the bears were out of sight, hibernating in underground hollows among the trees. Buster the lynx was wide awake, though. Here he is, looking a bit unsure of himself in his new surroundings. He had climbed to the top of one of his climbing frames in his woodland enclosure. The zoo owner told us he likes to watch the comings and goings in the car park from this vantage point. I blinked at him in the slow way that cats do to smile at each other, and he blinked slowly back.
The more long-term zoo inhabitants were busy, happy and curious. They enjoyed looking at the visitors and trying to poke us through the bars. Various species of lemur tried to lick my camera lens, and this one succeeded.
Some of the birds spoke to us with such charm, it was difficult to walk away from them.
I loved the scents of the different animals: the foxy meerkats, the goaty-horsey reindeer, the lemony raven. The skunk was, sadly, snoozing in a hole, so I didn't get to satisfy my curiosity on that score.
Andrea adored the monkey house, particularly the tamarins who all crowded up to her, some of them hanging upside down, to scrutinize her closely. Lisa was immensely popular with all the animals, because she happened to be carrying a crackly bag. Animals have a special affinity for crackly bags. One otter went berzerk, rushed around squeaking, then climbed to the top of a tree and loudly berated her for not sharing her tuna sandwiches. Until then, I hadn't realised that otters could climb trees.
Major renovations were being carried out at the zoo during our visit. New and better enclosures were going up, but in the interim some animals were unavailable to view, and a lot of the housing had incongruous signage.
We had each paid a little extra for a "handling session", because who would pass up an opportunity like that? At the appointed time we made our way to the reptile house, and presently the head keeper appeared and began setting out chairs. The chairs were very, very small. As more visitors entered the building, we realised that everyone else waiting to handle the animals was half our height and a tenth of our age. A cluster of parents looked on proudly from behind a barrier as the four of us squatted on the tiny chairs among their infants.
Head Keeper Lynn introduced us all to a python, a tortoise, and a giant hissing cockroach. She gave a talk about each one – where it came from, its habitat and body structure, and how to hold it safely. We listened meekly and did as we were told.
The looks of wonder on the children's faces was a joy to behold. We loved that they had been given this experience, but we couldn't imagine why their parents had chosen not to take part too. Nor could we understand why the zoo (with its tiny chairs) expected this. We thought about other people we knew, and realised that, for most people, animals are a form of children's entertainment. If an adult buys a pet, then it's a dog or a cat or a fish. All other pets are bought for children. Even when adults go to feed ducks, it's generally because they have kids with them. This delight in animals displayed by Lisa and Andrea somehow gets lost when people reach adulthood:
Happily for the future of conservation and this blog, there are still many people who don't grow out of it. For Bunty and me, the best part of visiting the zoo was that it didn't have to end. We arrived home to our own zoo, which welcomed us back with a crescendo of squeaks and meows and grunts and binkies, the moment Bunty crackled a bag.


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A hybrid carbon-fiber Euro yacht is set to debut in North America.
Adler Yacht is a name that might seem foreign to American boaters. That's probably because the company is based in Switzerland and its yachts are designed by Italy's Nuvolari Lenard and built in Italy, and because its new 76-foot Suprema model will make its North American debut at the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show this month.
Suprema is a full carbon-fiber yacht that uses a Hybrid Marine Solutions (HMS) hybrid engine system. Those two features make it a unique yacht in that it's the first yacht of its size to have either feature, much less both. Its twin CAT C-18 1,150 hp diesels provide the power needed to reach its top speed of 30 knots, but those big CATs are paired with twin ATE 100 kw e-units that can push the yacht to 10 knots. At 8 knots, the e-units can last up to an hour, and they recharge in just 60 minutes. They come in handy during docking maneuvers too.
The basic plan calls for three staterooms, with guest rooms fore and aft and a full-beam master amidships, but buyers can select three, four or five staterooms. There's room for two crew too. The main deck is one level from the cockpit through the dining area, salon and galley to the helm, which includes six LCD touchscreens that can control the entire yacht. An iPad can be used as a control, too, even when the owner is away from the yacht.
The flybridge is big — one of the biggest in its class, the builder claims — and includes twin settees aft of the helm, which houses three big MFDs and is surrounded by lounge seating, and a bar and grill aft of all that. The aft third of the bridge is covered by a hardtop.
Added touches include under-floor heating on the main deck and in the belowdecks heads, showers on the flybridge and swim platform, infrared heating in the cockpit and chilled cupholders.
1,375 gal.
|75 ft., 10 in.
|19 ft., 8 in.
|5 ft., 8 in.
|Displacement (Dry)
|98,000 lbs.
|230 gal.
|Twin CAT C18 1,150 hp diesel and twin ATE high-efficiency e-units
|Adler Yacht, Zug, Switzerland; adleryacht.com


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At a certain time in this short life, one gets to experience different incidents, opportunities, chances, or even accidents. Acquiring the chance to meet a lot of different nationalities in a very short time (a matter of around 2 weeks) that I don't recall I have experienced such a number of different faces through my entire life at large. Proudly, That was made possible by being admitted to the Fulbright program and the auspicious Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, USA. Continue reading
What is exciting about the news?!
Every morning, and on my usual commute to work, I'm intriguingly informed of what is happening around me in this world, locally and internationally. Isn't it amazing how this source of information saves a lot of time and effort?! I can not imagine how the old folks used to get news around at that time At least there weren't any musical short breaks in between the news!
Having said that, I also have to point out a very important flip of thought that passed through me the other day; how fair and neutral is the news? What I came to realize is that news reporters are meant to be a sort of "transference" of news from around the globe.
The usual morning-news (in particular) tends typically to start with a news brief, proceeded by a follow-up with the news reporter at that event spot. This is done to ensure a live, truthful and reinforced transference of news. But isn't subjective-thought transferred through, as well?
I think it's food for thought. I always tend to think that they struggle to be legitimate and subjective-free reporters. Although most of on-the-spot reporters are country-natives, so they can't help but to include what they "think" is happening; with available evidence at hand of course.
Putting radio, and other devices aside, I, most frequently, "hear" news from around me, by a word of mouth. Where I live, word of mouth is considered to be the most reliable and truthful source of information. It's actually built-within this culture. You would most frequently hear things like: "hey, what the news, pal? Haven't you got any news today? I haven't got any news, what about you? It's actually a form of greeting as well! It's entertaining to exchange news, after all, isn't it? Although some of the folks might "diverge" a bit to make the story interesting, much more entertaining, and full of suspense. When this happens, then, unmistakably, the level of reliability goes down. I really wonder why would some on struggle to make the news sound interesting and fun? The news is news anyways; sometimes it's good, some times it's bad!
When people transform the story into an entertaining one, they would, inevitably, need to implement false information, an addition, a subjective thought, or even just a wrong information. That's why a bunch of people just love to listen to the news; not for the sake of being informed, but, merely, to entertain themselves!


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CJR praises librarians, criticizes reporters
Rob Lopresti writes "Columbia Journalism Review has
an article about the media's general failure to cover Homeland Security issues. Author Trudy Lieberman points out that government secrecy and laws such as the "critical infrastructure information" provision are making it harder for reporters to tell us what's going on.
She compares the apathy of reporters with the activism of - guess who?
"Librarians participated in rallies, challenging Attorney General John Ashcroft when his road show promoting the Patriot Act came to some towns in the summer of 2003. They expect to collect one million signatures by the end of September to support amending the act.
This from LIBRARIANS. Where are the journalists?"


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Stay Up to Date
Receive Bicycle Friendly America news delivered straight to your inbox every other week.
October 23, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiWhen we announced our latest round of Bicycle Friendly Communities last week, we focused on major U.S. cities -- like Los Angeles, Nashville and Miami -- making the ranks.
October 22, 2012by Darren Flusche
October 22, 2012by KatieAs a bike shop owner, your bottom line is high on your priority list. Keeping up sales means making sure you have great product, loyal customers and knowledgeable staff.
October 19, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiAs we highlighted yesterday, our latest round of Bicycle Friendly Community awards includes some big names -- including Los Angeles, California.
October 19, 2012by Alison DeweyEver wonder how your local engineers determine how wide to make your bike lane?
October 18, 2012by Bill NesperEach new round of Bicycle Friendly Community awar
October 17, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiPat Cunnane
October 16, 2012by Alissa SimcoxThe demand for bicycle education is growing rapidly and, across the country, there are more than 3,700 League Cycling Instructors with the classroom knowledge and street skills to get folks riding safely and confidently. But who's teaching the teachers?
October 15, 2012by KatieIt's only October, but we're already planning the
October 12, 2012by Carolyn SzczepanskiThanks to an Advocacy Advance Rapid Response Grant, advocates at Bike Delawar


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For those of you who have ever been a teenager or been unfortunate enough to have endured a teen "love story" movie, you will have inevitably witnessed a teen guy or girl "dancing it out" on their bed to some 80's or 90's hit track.
Dance with meDecember 16, 2012
The Dreamcatchers CruiseJanuary 3, 2011
It was 5am, I was standing on the deck of the cruise liner 'The Legend of the Seas' in the East China Sea, watching the sun come up and smelling the warm salty air which touched my face.
This was one of the only times I had to myself to recharge while on the tour of China, Japan and Korea.
The rest of my time I was giving all of myself to instruct, inspire and heal the many wonderful participants on the tour.
You can't beat a heart…December 16, 2010
So there I laid, projectile vomiting all over myself, and was scared but happy about it.
Perhaps I shall explain this a little further.
Let's take a little journey back a couple of decades or so…
Aaaargh Frustration!December 8, 2010
I'm stuck in a line at the supermarket behind a lady that seems determined to pay for her milk and eggs with handfuls of ten-cent pieces.
She has pockets of "shrapnel" an apparently no short term memory as she continues to lose count and have to start again.
Quantum Leap Your LifeNovember 2, 2009
I sit here with barely-bottled excitement, prepping for my Australian tour Quantum Leap Your Life with Mike Handcock (there is a way you can attend for free, more about that below).
I finally get to share some of the secrets I discovered the hard way along my journeys.
A Kung Fu PanderAugust 31, 2009
During a recent trip to LA, after filming my third appearance on Fight Science for National Geographic, I found myself an unexpected guest at the USA Wushu Training Centre.
The Sweet Breath of LifeAugust 11, 2009
Breath and proper breathing is incredibly more important than most of us realize.
There are multiple reasons why and this is a topic that needs and has its own books.


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We recently spent a few days with some friends up in the mountains. Sarah�s old high school friend Nina and her husband Ralph own some property and houses there and on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. They split the year between the two locations.
We recently spent a few days with some friends up in the mountains. Sarah�s old high school friend Nina and her husband Ralph own some property and houses there and on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. They split the year between the two locations.
I admire them for what they have carved out in these two very different, somewhat inhospitable locations.
But I envy them for something else: The popup trailer and boat they have parked under an awning.
Sarah laughs at me for my odd desire to acquire mobile habitable shelters. And it is an odd desire that goes back many years.
One day my dad decided he wanted a motor home, which launched a long search that never amounted to anything. But during that search, we saw all sorts of motor homes and camping trailers, from the simplest to the most luxurious.
I saw more Winnebago and Open Road vehicles than I could count, and in that search I formulated what I would buy if I was the one doing the buying.
It would be something light and simple � a popup trailer like Nina and Ralph have would be great � but it needs to sleep at least five if not seven comfortably (�comfort� being defined as not sleeping on the cold, bumpy ground). I don�t want something that turns a campground into a luxury apartment � not right now, at least.
I once had a practical reason for wanting something I could drag around and camp in. Earlier in my career, when I was a reporter, I often found myself far from home covering stories. Sleeping in my car, even those with back seats, never left me refreshed in the morning.
Over the years my desire sprouted flotation devices and grew to include a boat. A pontoon boat, to be specific. I don�t need to sail to Monaco, but I would like to spend a weekend exploring local waterways.
What�s holding me back? Well, other than money, I know enough people with these kinds of toys to know that they become maintenance headaches. I already have one of those, one that doesn�t have wheels or float.
Everyone has heard the definition of a boat: A hole in water, surrounded by wood, into which you throw money. A camper trailer doesn�t even have the benefit of a waterfront view as it slowly dissolves.
Maintenance costs aside, pulling a trailer to places worth pulling trailers to is time consuming and expensive. Ditto for boats. Sometimes throwing a tent and sleeping bags into the back of the car is more than enough.
A therapist might have some good material to interpret from all this: desire for mobility and shelter, hesitance to go through with it.
And the day might come when I simply say it�s too late, as my father did decades ago. But that time has not yet come to pass.
Meanwhile, I scan for the ad listing the perfect things for me, someone who wants to sell a popup trailer and a pontoon boat in mint condition for what a journalist with five kids can afford.
I�d also like a pony.
Thanks for letting me take up some of your Sunday morning.
Randy Foster is editor of the Sun Journal. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com or 252-635-5663, or follow him on Twitter @rivereditor.


text: \n<p> Kuwait intends to establish a business chamber in the Philippines to expand trade and investment in the country, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Friday.<br \/> <br \/> Kuwait ambassador to Manila Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh said his country, whose investments in the Philippines are mostly in agriculture-related enterprises, wants to explore more options to broaden its business exposures.<br \/> <br \/> In a recent meeting with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, the ambassador said Kuwait wants to take advantage of the "new era of investments" in the Philippines, particularly in energy development and tourism.<br \/> <br \/> Kuwait wants to forge partnerships with Filipino businessmen by setting up a local Kuwaiti chamber of commerce and industry.<br \/> <br \/> Dominguez promised to hook up Kuwait with Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President George Barcelon regarding the plan to set up a business chamber.<br \/> <br \/> The Duterte administration will propose legislative measures to cut corporate tax and relax constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership to attract more foreign investors into the county, according to the DOF.<br \/> <br \/> The ambassador said Kuwait is inviting President Duterte to visit the Persian Gulf state where an estimated 250,000 Filipinos live and work.<br \/> <br \/> Kuwait and the Philippines have signed agreements on labor cooperation, expanding cultural relations, strengthening ties in the areas of agriculture and fisheries and the waiver of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports between the two countries.<br \/> <br \/> Trade between the two countries totaled $779 million in 2015, with the balance of trade in favor of Kuwait as a result of importations of petroleum product, according to the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait. <br \/> <br \/> Kuwait investments in the Philippines include Negros Navigation, the Sabah Al Ahmad Global Gateway Logistics City in Clark Export Processing Zone, and the Intishar banana plantation in Davao. <strong>— VDS, GMA News<\/strong><\/p>