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$ 19.00
Italian Leather Bifold Cardholder Wallet with RFID Castello from the Romano series is made of choice leather with a dark matte finish. Castello's Articolo Collection features genuine soft leather wallets made of quality materials.
Italian Leather Wallet is available in colors Matte Black and Dark Chocolate Brown.
Italian Leather Card Wallet Features:
Castello L'arte della pelle (the art of leather) is always striving to improve the quality of life through innovative products. Leather Bi fold Cardholder is a super small wallet at just 4 inches wide, yet can still hold up to 17 cards. Bi-fold leather cardholder is perfect for the minimalist man.
Italian Leather Bifold Cardholder Wallet with RFID protections
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Castello Leather Products have been a proud leather manufacturer for over 30 years. With a list of repeated clients from Europe, North America and Japan, Castello offers a wide range of selections on fine leather products including wallets, handbags, briefcases, and premium gift items - all designed and manufactured to our clients' specifications. Castello believes that quality products can go a long way. Therefore, Castello's continued pursuit of high quality leather, along with precise finishing & excellent workmanship, are what set Castello apart from competitors.
$ 65.00
Keep your ID, cash and credit cards safe in this RFID blocking travel wallet by Baggallini. With 12 card slots, 3 bill pockets, interior zip, ID window, exterior zip, and...
$ 17.95
Daymakers RFID Microfiber Wallet has a clear ID widow and is a great all around wallet for globetrotting, golfing or sightseeing around town. What is RFID? Going In Style carries...


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Ten University of Alberta students and two Augustana Campus professors finished their course on Chinese economics and politics, capping it with a whirlwind three-week tour of China!
Dr. Jérôme Melançon and Dr. Varghese Manaloor led their AUECO 356/AUPOL 356 student from ALES and nine students from the Augustana Campus to Zhuhai and Beijing.
In Zhuhai, located in Guangdong province beside Macau and across from Hong Kong, they spent time with students and faculty from United International College, Augustana's sister institution, a like-minded liberal arts university. In addition to lectures and activities on campus, highlights of their visit included a visit to the Communist Party School, the High-Tech Development Zone and some of its factories, and the newly created Free Trade Zone pilot project. As a result, they had the opportunity to discover the origins of some of the products "made in China" over the last three decades.
The group also had the chance to visit cultural and historical sites in Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Macau, Guangzhou, and all the highlights in Beijing. Through this immersion, the lectures they received from their professors, and the informal seminars in which they took part, they were able to learn how to build on their experiences to further their understanding of economic development and of political change, and to develop a comprehensive understanding of contemporary China.
Our group was featured in an article on the UIC website: read it here!

subset: commoncrawl


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Jennifer Lawrence Set For Lead Role In Magic Mop Biopic
Actress confirms she'll star in new film about inventor Joy Mangano...
Jennifer Lawrence has finally confirmed that she will star as Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano in a new film.
After recent rumours she was involved in the project, J-Law admitted she'd accepted the role over text on US chat show Live With Kelly and Michael.
She explained that director David O Russell texted her at 4am to offer her the job.
"He was like, 'I think I want to make a movie about the woman who invented the [Miracle] Mop. You want to do it?'
"I was like, 'Yeah'. I can just imagine David looking at somebody mopping and being like, 'Yeah, that's my next screenplay.'"
She first collaborated with O Russell for Silver Linings Playbook - for which she won the best actress Oscar - and teamed up with him again last year for the Oscar-nominated American Hustle.
There's no word yet on a release date, but keep it locked to MTV News to find out more about J-Law's new movie!


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Rally driver Ken Block has unveiled his latest Gymkhana video on YouTube.
The Monster World Rally Team member took part in director Ben Conrad's latest film Gymkhana FIVE: Ultimate Urban Playground; San Francisco.
Conrad filmed Block drive around empty streets of San Francisco over the course of four days, featuring some incredible stunts and precision driving.
Block's own company DC Shoes sponsored the film, which also sees his friend and dirt bike rider Travis Pastrana make a cameo appearance.
The video has already been viewed over 9 million times since it was uploaded to YouTube two days ago (July 9).
Ken Block has previously appeared on Top Gear in the UK on a number of occasions, including taking James May on a Gymkhana-style drive at his stunt course at Inyokern Airport.
Watch Ken Block on Top Gear below:


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CMS issued proposed rule, CMS-1590-P, on July 6, 2012 that includes a proposal to collect data on patient function related to physical and occupational therapy, and speech language pathology services. Section 3005(g) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act (MCTRJCA) requires CMS to implement, beginning on Jan. 1, 2013, "… a claims-based data collection strategy that is designed to assist in reforming the Medicare payment system for outpatient therapy services subject to the limitations of section 1833(g) of the Act. Such strategy shall be designed to provide for the collection of data on patient function during the course of therapy services in order to better understand patient condition and outcomes."
The proposed rule will appear in the July 30, 2012 Federal Register. CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule until Sept. 4, 2012, and will respond to them in a final rule with comment period to be issued by Nov. 1, 2012.
If all goes as proposed, therapists in outpatient settings will begin adding new codes to a Medicare patient's bill or payment claim form on Jan. 1, 2013. These new codes will be related to and describe the patient's functional impairment for which treatment is requested; the status of that impairment at beginning, during and the end of care, and the goal to be achieved in treating the impairment. Without a classification system in place, CMS is attempting to capture and understand the Medicare beneficiary population that uses therapy services, how their functional limitations change as a result of therapy services, and the relationship between beneficiary functional limitations and furnished therapy services over an episode of care. All this in preparation for developing an alternative to Medicare's currently capped therapy fee for service payment methodology.
For many therapists, this sounds simple enough as it mirrors existing clinical practice of assessing a patient's functional status, identifying and measuring the problem, setting treatment goals, and documenting progress towards discharge outcome. The difference will be in how the process gets documented and reported. Specific codes to be known as G Codes will be assigned for each of these steps in the process. G Code sets will eventually be created specifically for diagnoses/conditions and functional limitation categories.
Applying and reporting the appropriate codes will be the new learning requirement that will significantly impact practice and clinical operations. However, more importantly it will begin a stream of electronic data to feed the analysis of therapy use and effectiveness that will ultimately determine payment. Now is the time to become informed and voice your opinions to these proposed changes. The comment period is underway; you may access the proposed rule here on the CMS website.


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Gianni Ferretti was born in Tivoli (Roma) and studied piano, harmony and composition with M. Cleoto Silvani, while at the same time being interested in the study of synthesizers and their programming.
Gianni's first job was the programming of the synth sounds and the programming of the sequences of a jazz-rock record by Gianfranco Coletta, in which Roberto Gatto, Cesare Chiodo, Antonello Salis and others (1990) also played. He also worked with Alessandro Cipriani for the composition of the music for the sound of the Italian stand at the Telecom Expo in Geneva.He has played with various groups, as a keyboard player, including Gianni Davoli Orchestra, Tutania, Bianka & The Fire Funky, Madamix, AAA Vendesi, keyboardist of the Latte & Miele, and of the S-Band. He also collaborated with the producer Pippo Spampinato and the Lengimusic, Sicilian music label, as arranger and composer where he arranged the single "Whispers In The Night" by Ego and the whole CD of saxophonist Daniele Raro "Daniel Sax", both for Lengimusic.
Gianni was one of the founders of Creuza De Ma ', a group that intends to offer a tribute to Fabrizio De Andrè proposing some of his most famous songs, such as "La Canzone Di Marinella", "Via Del Campo", "Creuza De Ma '"," Princesa ", etc. His first CD was released by Lengimusic, produced by Pippo Spampinato, which is titled "Johnjohn"; the album includes ten songs, of which nine are instrumental and one is sung, entirely composed and played by him and by his usual musicians.
This is what Gianni Ferretti had to say:
What Musical Genre Do You Feel Best Describes Your Music And How Would You Describe Your Sound?
My music is merely instrumental pop and rock music. I like to think that you can write catchy and catchy songs even without text, but that have their strength in the melody and atmosphere they create. I try to stir emotions not with words, but only with sounds (I have also written songs, but very few, believe me ...). My dream is to hear someone whistling a piece of mine because he likes it, even if he does not know what kind of piece it is! I try to follow a typical sound of a rock band, much more focused on keyboards, of course, inserting when you need new colors, such as violin, accordion or soprano sax. Clearly the piano is at the center of the project, but I really like giving space to the others of the band.
How Did You Get Your Name? Is There A Story?
My name is Giovanni (and I'm proud of it, perché è lo stesso nome di un magistrato italiano, Giovanni Falcone, un eroe, assassinato dalla mafia). But since I was a child, all my relatives called me Gianni, and it's like that even now. All my nicknames are present in my musical history: my first album is called "Johnjohn", which was the nickname with which my school friends called me (and still call me). My band is called "the Fero's friends band" because my colleagues call me Fero, which is a mispronunciation of my surname, and in Roman dialect means "Iron". Two of my albums also refer to this nickname, "Feropedia" and "De Ferum Natura".
What Are or Have Been Your Musical Influences?
Thanks to my older brother, I grew up being able to listen to the great rock bands of the 60s and 70s, Pink Floyd, Genesis and so on, and I was quite intrigued by their long instrumental siutes. For me it was great to listen to "Atom Heart Mother", or "Supper's ready", and get lost behind those sounds. Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman were my heroes, spending whole afternoons looking at the inside photo of the album "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", in which Wakeman was surrounded by a tide of keyboards.I really like too the softer part of rock, Eagles, Simon & Garfunkel. I loved Mike Oldfield, his "Tubular Bells" was my sacred musical book! Then I discovered electronic music, Vangelis, Jarre, Kraftwerk, and I became interested in synthesizers and sound programming. An artist who has influenced me a lot is Andreas Vollenweider, a Swiss harpist who has managed to bring the sound of a classic instrument in pop and rock music. Last but not least, Matk Knopfler and his Dire Straits, in my opinion one of the greatest musicians of the century.
What Are You Working On Now? Any Future Collaborations We Can Look Forward To?
I have just finished re-elaborating and rearranging an ancient Macedonian lullaby commissioned by the Macedonian Arts association of New York. I would like to say a few words about this project: it was designed to help them raise money to establish a college fund for young girls in Macedonia, and I joined more than willingly. In addition to this, I started writing new pieces for a future album, but without haste, my nature of sloth does not make me do things too fast; I believe the work will be ready for the autumn of the next year.
What Is Your Ultimate Goal In The Music Industry? What Is Your Plan Of Action?
My main goal is to give dignity to instrumental music; I am Italian, and here in Italy we have a very strong tradition of opera and bel canto, everyone knows Verdi and Rossini, is not it? Moreover, here a very important music festival is dedicated to only sung songs, and almost always instrumental music is relegated to a corner, for sound and synchronization. But I believe that there can also be space for emotions expressed without speaking, but represented only with instrumental sounds and melodies. I am well aware that this is a very Italian problem, but I see that the trend is rapidly expanding to the rest of the world, and this worries me a lot.
What Is Your Favorite Track To Perform Live and Why?
As they say, all my songs are my children, and I love them all the same way; however, in fact, the sensations that some pieces give me on stage are more profound: "Alba rosa", for example, is my musical manifesto, the song that gave rise to all this. "Dita sorridenti" is another particular song, difficult to play but very funny. or "Gonna lunga e piedi scalzi", with its particular 5/4 rhythm. "Come lacrime nella pioggia" is the main song of the last album, and its energy sometimes overwhelms me. But the strongest emotions are when I play "Paolo, Giovanni e the gli altri", dedicated to the victims of the mafia, a practically only piano, moving and elegiac piece. But in general, every time I play my songs, I always feel strong emotions and fun.
What Has Been The Biggest Challenge In Your Career Thus Far?
In reality, every time I get a music commissioned, this is a huge challenge for me. As long as I write for myself there are no problems, I know how to move and what to do. When there are patrons, however, there are variables to consider, and do you always think "will it be good?", "Is this exactly what they want?", And therefore nervousness increases. Fortunately, until now, things have always been good. As a performer (sometimes happens) the challenge is to translate into music what others have thought, it is not easy, but with the experience and the craft now I can overcome well these obstacles.
What's Your Typical Songwriting Process?
I do not have a unique composition method. Sometimes, in fact, almost always, an idea comes when you're doing something else, maybe while you brush your teeth or are cooking. For example a piece of the second album, entitled "Voice of Spring", I composed it almost entirely on a bus, returning home, and not having the pentagram paper with me, I took a newspaper, I drew the five lines on a white part and I wrote my idea. Then, when I got home, I played it, I corrected it where it was needed and the song came out ... The only method I systematically apply is to write a melody, a riff, create an atmosphere, and then leave it for some time, days, weeks, and then resume it to see if I still like it, if it works, and possibly continue the work or discard it. So I turn on the computer, load my sequencer (I can say I use Cubase), I work on the arrangement, and when this is finished I send the parts to my musicians, so when we record then we already know all what to do. Often then something changes in the studio, I like listening to the other musicians and their advice, I love teamwork.
How Has Social Media Influenced Your Career As An Artist?
Little and nothing, but it's my fault. I do not have much time to take care of my pages, nor do I really like spending a lot of time on Facebook or other social media, I clearly prefer to create music. However, the fact that even here record companies are invading the ground, as already on Youtube and the rest of the Web, I know for sure that many numbers of views and likes are fake, bought to better promote a product. But I realize the importance that especially in these temp can have these things, I should treat them more. In fact, I make a solemn promise: from tomorrow I will deal with a lot more than social media and my pages. From tomorrow, though, because tonight I prefer to play the piano …
What Are Some Tracks and Artists Currently On Your Playlist?
I realized that in fact I do not listen to new music at all; I usually listen to music in the car, or when I jog, and usually it's old music, or material that I have to study for some project to be made. But I have two twin daughters in their twenties, and I know the music that is produced now. Generally I do not like it, because I find it not very original and without an artistic value for most of the cases, practically all the songs slip away without personality, they do not remain. I often get the impression that artists look a lot alike, as if it was not necessary to look for and find their own stylistic measure. In recent times I have appreciated a couple of songs, not new, but that have caught my attention, and that I have remained in mind: one is "Be mine", Ofenbach, and the other is "No roots", of Alice Merton, both pieces that I immediately remembered, pleasantly. However, if I really have to listen to music, I always go to my favorite artists, there is always something to learn.
What Did You Do Before You Started Making Music?
I graduated in Literature, with a thesis on the History of the Greeks. My parents did not like my passion for music, they wanted me to do something else, and so in order to be a musician I made a deal with them; I take a degree but I continue to make music. I studied literature and history and at the same time I continued to study piano, harmony and composition. While preparing the thesis I worked as a manager of music software for an Italian company, and this allowed me to deepen the knowledge in the field of music on the computer. But then, as soon as I graduated, I began to be called to work as a musician, and I never stopped.
Any Advice For Young People (Men or Women) That Want To Succeed In The Music World?
Be yourself, do not imitate other people. Almost all artists now remember others, or resemble each other. But a true artist with his own personality, different from that of others, only in this way can one impose his talent. Work a lot on your own, create your own language, do not let others impose things on you. Like a wise uncle I would tell you: live your life, not that of another.
What Would You Change In The Music Industry If You Were A Top Music Executive?
If it were possible, I would change everything. I grew up in a world where if you wanted music you had to look for it, you only found it on vinyl, and you had to have a record player to listen to it. Listening to music was a ritual, we often gathered among friends to listen to an album in absolute silence, and then maybe we discussed it. However, music was a very strong element of aggregation. Then came the tapes, the CDs, the walkman, the mp3s, the music became a gadget to be attached to magazines, and all this because of completely myopic record policies, without thinking ahead. Today a boy subscribes to Spotify, and with an absurdly low amount he can listen to all the music in the world as often as he wants. And in all this the work of those who create music has been totally debased, it would take a New Deal for music, re-discuss the rules, make new arrangements, but I do not think that will happen, unfortunately.
How Do You Feel About Originality?
It is my first commitment. When I write some new pieces, the first question I ask myself is "Does it look like some other song?". I think it's a moral duty of every composer to try to be original, to bring out something new. Today's music has just this problem, in my opinion: it lacks originality. I do not even like covers ...) yes, it's true, in my second album there's a cover of "Oxygene IV" by Jean-Michel Jarre, but it was a request from the record company, Mr. judge, I do not I wanted, must believe me ...). Perhaps if all of us composers tried to impose more our own ideas in the end, everyone would listen to better music.
Is There Anything Else We Should Know About You Or That You Would Like to Add?
Let's see .. I'm a vegetarian, animalist, environmentalist ... I think these things can be felt in my music too. Once a magazine describing my music called it "non-violent" music, I hope in a positive way ... Anyway I think that the person that I am is reflected in the music I compose, when you write music you can not lie, it's a an action that starts from our most hidden self: "writing music is a need of the spirit" (as Salvatore Sciarrino, a great Italian composer of the 20th century) said.
One last thing: I would like to tell the guys to listen to a lot of music, always, even the one that maybe there do not like it, be always hungry for music !!
Websites or Social Media Pages:


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Guest Artists-in-Residence, Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp
Faculty Quartet-in-Residence, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
ERIC CHIN, violin
JOSEPH MAILE, violin
PEI-LING LIN, viola
JEREMIAH SHAW, cello
The Telegraph Quartet was formed in 2013 with an equal passion for the standard chamber repertoire and for 20th and 21st century chamber music. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape" and "powerfully adept . . . with a combination of brilliance and subtlety," Telegraph was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award. Past prizes include the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The quartet has gone on to perform in concert halls, music festivals and academic institutions from Los Angeles and New York to Italy and Taiwan, including Carnegie Hall, San Francisco's Herbst Recital Hall and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Kneisel Hall, and the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy. In 2016, the Quartet was one of a handful of emerging professional string quartets invited from around the world to the Biennale de quatuors à cordes to showcase at the Philharmonie de Paris for major concert presenters of Europe and Asia. The Quartet is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as their Quartet-in-Residence.
The quartet's notable musical collaborators have included cellist Norman Fischer, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, violinist Ian Swensen and Germany's Henschel Quartett. A fervent champion of contemporary and 20th century repertoire, Telegraph has co-commissioned John Harbison's String Quartet No. 6, and given its West Coast premiere in the fall of 2017 on San Francisco State University's Morrison Artists Series. The quartet also gave the premiere of Robert Sirota's String Quartet No. 3 Wave upon Wave at Weill Recital Hall for their Carnegie Hall debut, sponsored by the Naumburg Foundation. The quartet will release its debut album "Into the Light" in 2018, featuring works by Anton Webern, Benjamin Britten, and Leon Kirchner.
Beyond the concert stage, the Telegraph Quartet seeks to spread its music through education and audience engagement. In the fall of 2017, the quartet traveled to schools and communities in Mid-Coast Maine with Yellow Barn's Music Haul, a mobile performance stage that brings music outside the concert hall to communities across the U.S. The quartet has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Collegiate and Pre-College Divisions, through the Morrison Artist Series at San Francisco State University and abroad at the Taipei National University of the Arts and National Taiwan Normal University.
While the Telegraph Quartet is indebted to numerous mentors and teachers, their primary musical guidance and support has come from Mark Sokol, Bonnie Hampton and Ian Swensen of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The Telegraph Quartet is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Photo: Matthew Washburn


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Ideal location, close to Community Park, less than a mile to the train station, and within walking distance to shopping & dining. Open flow home design offers 4 bedrooms, 3 baths (including 1st floor full bath), a spacious kitchen featuring lots of cabinet space, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a fantastic bonus space to use as a playroom, storage area or home office, 2nd floor laundry, 2 car attached garage and more! (Photos & 3D Tour are general representations of the previously built Greenscape Homes Models. Features, Options, & Colors will vary).
View 3D Tour - https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=Vzd2BNV7N2s


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This product does not include shoe tensioner as shown on images
No products
This product does not include shoe tensioner as shown on images
|Art. nr.
|Dark Grey
|Nappa Leather
|Lining / Insole
|Off White Calf Leather
|Rubber Off White
|Off White
This fragrance contains notes of the sweet iris and tuberose flower, carefully mixed with various spices. By adding notes of wood, rum and even leather the Iris Wood 08 gets its unique and distinguishable scent.
A fragrance for men that is not too sweet and not too robust, a perfect balance.
This fragrance draws inspiration from the Iris Wood 08 by having similar ingredients like iris, wood and leather. However, the Iris Wood 09 creates its own unique identity by containing a different mixture of various spices and by adding notes of vanilla and bergamot.
A fragrance for women that is sweet and fresh, but still keeps its edge.
All the sneakers in our Essentials line have a clean and basic feel to them with minimal use of colors. The Essentials line consists of two high quality types of sneakers: the J1 and the J2.
These two types differ in use of fabric and finishing details. We believe the sneakers of our Essentials line are essential to have in any collection.


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GWS S125 1/2T 2BB Sail Winch Servo
The GWS S125 1/2T 2BB Sail Winch Servo is a unique servo that has a wider rotation range than typical hobby servos. It rotates 180° over the standard 1-2 ms servo pulse range output by many RC receivers (typical hobby servos turn 90° over this pulse range).
|Specs (9)
|Pictures (2)
|Resources (0)
|FAQs (1)
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- What are the three wires coming out of my servo?
Most standard radio control servos (and all RC servos we sell) have three wires, each a different color. Usually, they are either black, red, and white, or they are brown, red, and orange/yellow:
- brown or black = ground (GND, battery negative terminal)
- red = servo power (Vservo, battery positive terminal)
- orange, yellow, white, or blue = servo control signal line
Please check the specs for your servo to determine the proper power supply voltage, and please take care to plug the servo into your device in the proper orientation (plugging it in backwards could break the servo or your device).


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2013 Spy Valley Pinot Noir, Marlborough
Score: 87/100
The newly-released 2013 Spy Valley Pinot Noir is sourced from the Johnson Estate and Outpost vineyards in Marlborough, New Zealand.
The grapes were hand-picked before being fermented in open vats, the traditional containers for fermenting Pinot Noir. Fermentation was let to start with 'wild' yeasts (no inoculation with selected yeasts). The wine was aged in oak barrels for 12 months.
Find out more with the full 2013 Spy Valley Pinot Noir technical sheet.
So what is this NZ Pinot Noir wine worth?
The answer is in the tasting notes:
Appearance: light-medium ruby red colour. Bright and shiny. A touch a purple.
Nose: very intense, extremely bright and lean aromas. Shiny red-berry fruit aromas: blackcurrant, blueberry accompanied with sweet spices. Just a touch of juicy herbaceousness, mellowed in Cointreau-like sweet citrus/orange notes. The whole is surrounded by leather and ash characters giving the nose depth and complexity, beyond the dominant fruit aromas.
Very clean, precise and appealing.
Palate: Dominated by acidity, complemented with ripe fruit notes and sweet spices that mellow it up. Herbaceousness more present than on the nose, as well as slight touches of oak flavors, vanilla. Tannins are quite soft, with a bit of a grip on the finish making it interesting. The finish feels quite hot.
Overall, the wine is aromatically very intense, and showcases an interesting array of aromas and flavours. The dominant red fruit and citrus aromas are bright and clean, making for an enjoyable wine even without food. Spices, herbaceousness and leathery characteristics complement the experience well, and ideally ask for being paired with food.
Drink now and within the next 5 years.
Awards & Accolades:
Silver Medal – Decanter World Wine Awards 2015
Silver Medal – Melbourne International Wine Competition 2015
4 Stars – Winestate Magazine
4 Stars – Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
Read the full Spy Valley Producer Profile:
Learn more about Spy Valley Winery on their website Spyvalleywine.co.nz
Find this wine to buy online on Wine-Searcher.


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Take control of the heroic duo against elite enemies and classic villains alike.
Posted By Ravi Sinha | On 31st, Jul. 2013 Under News
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment have confirmed that the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins, a prequel to Arkham Asylum/City in development by Warner Bros. Montreal, will feature an online multiplayer mode to play alongside friends and fight competitively. It will apparently blend the traditional gameplay of the Arkham series with third person shooter mechanics and is currently in development at Splash Damage.
You'll essentially play as Batman or Robin and fight against opponents, controlled by other players. They can also take the role of Super Villain Elites, working alongside Bane or the Joker. They can even call on the classic villains to aid them in fighting and ultimately turn the tide of battle.
Batman: Arkham Origins is set to release October 25th 2013 for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC, and will see the Dark Knight battling Black Mask and a cavalcade of assassins such as Deadshot, Deathstroke and many more.
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Join the fun and sign up any child age 14 and under for our Kinder Club membership for free! The membership is great for families with kids and will provide special benefits both at the Christkindlmarket and at home as well as useful tips and information.
The sign up is our FREE treat for you!
Special benefits will be available both before and at the market. Sign up today to enjoy our Kinder Club membership and get all news and updates about deals in our newsletter!
If you would like to unsubscribe from this newsletter, please click here.
We are committed to ensuring that we use your and your children's information only in the ways allowed by the law and by your personal preferences. If you would like to learn more about how we will use the information we are requesting, please explore our privacy policy.
Free Admission - Open Daily
Sun - Thu 11Am - 8Pm
Fri - Sat 11Am - 9Pm
On Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop (between Dearborn, Washington and Clark Street)


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You can stay connected in several ways: sign up for our monthly eCircle electronic newsletter, receive our annual Circle Alumni Magazine, attend our annual Golden Alumni Brunch, or even agree to share your experience with a current student.
Information on degree/portrait frames, transcripts, and UAlberta graduate benefits.
Augustana graduates succeed in a wide variety of professions. Read short profiles on some of those graduates.
Augustana Campus educates a remarkable group of undergraduate students in the liberal arts and sciences. Support from our donor community ensures the impact of the Augustana experience.


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Jio chat, the recently introduced instant messaging app by Reliance Jio infocomm has been signed up by Jaipur Pink Panthers as the principle sponsor in the star sports Pro Kabaddi League 2015.
By winning the Kabaddi tournament in 2014, Abhishek's team has become one of the most popular team of
Pro Kabaddi League & is catching the attention of fans and potential sponsors. The new jerseys of Pink Panthers will have a logo of Jio in the front.
While launching the jerseys, Junior Bacchan said "I am happy to partner with Jio Chat as our principal sponsor, who like us are going all out to support Kabaddi in India. The Pink Panthers are ready to defend their championship. We have some amazing talent here today as the Jaipur Pink Panthers get ready to roar at the games."
BTW, Jio chat is running an exciting contest 'Create Your Own Kabaddi Team Contest'. To participate all you have to do is invite your friends on Jio chat (at least 6 friends) & you might get a chance to meet Bachchan and Jaipur Pink Panthers Team.
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The EPIKGO board pushes the boundaries with its new design, technology, and safety certifications. With our main concern being the safety and user experience of our customers, we did a complete overhaul focusing on the hardware and software within our boards, making the EPIKGO Self-balance board 100% certified for safety.
This board can hover smoothly over all terrains. The EpikGo can travel at speeds up to 10mph for 10 miles on a single charge; allowing you to travel to your destination quickly, safely and in style.
All EpikGo models are UL2272 Certified.


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Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Letter 119: God bless the EU for offering the Coalition help clearing up the deprivation that it's causing.
"Dear Dave AND Nick,
I read this evening that you've rejected access to a £2.5billion European Union fund to subsidise that Coalition policy success story - the rapid escalation of the foodbank. Why refuse help? Anti EU ideology, or something a little more difficult to admit? Hey - you're embarrassed! Surely not? You're right, it's ridiculous that wealthy old UK is being offered European Aid to the Most Deprived. It's the State, instructed by the Government of the day, that should be looking after it's people.... Unless of course that Government's ideological plans to reduce the Benefits safety net are so harsh, that alarming numbers in the UK now find themselves in deprivation and our european neighbours have started to notice.
Gosh, how shameful. Someone's called the social worker in on the middle class family, and rightly so.
Yours, etc
P.S. Nick,
If you want people to think you're not tainted by all this unpleasantness, ask Danny Alexander to forgo any future photo ops opening new foodbanks. Especially when he's claimed over £8500 of taxpayer's money between 2011 and 2013 for his own children's travel.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Letter 118: The Tory led Coalition bring Dickens to life with fuel & food poverty at an alarming high
"Ff's sake! As in fuel and food that is. It would appear that the UK is starting to live Dickens as well as watch it at Christmas. Zero hours, the bedroom tax, falling wages, increased personal debt and for the first time since the Second World War, the British Red Cross launches a campaign asking for food donations for the UK needy. We are the only G8 country where the Red Cross is providing emergency food aid in 2013. Are you as alarmed as the voters and charities yet? You're probably still holding onto the idea of an economic recovery that as Ken Clarke noted, nearly all of us have yet to experience. It's hard to see what people struggling to make ends meet should focus on; having £50 back from the Big 6 or the fact that £50 is still less than half of the increase imposed last month.
It doesn't quite add up does it? A country as affluent as ours where there's an estimated 5 million Britons living in extreme poverty while the City enjoys a boom in pay and bonuses. A measly £50 per year off fuel bills for us and £6000 for some MPs heating expenses while energy companies get to keep their profits. And a Prime Minister at the Lord Mayor's Banquet, having tucked into a champagne reception, starter, fish course, fillet of beef (all with accompanying wine), dessert, coffee and a choice of dessert wine, port, brandy or whisky then stands up to tell people: "We need to do more with less. Not just now, but permanently" Tell me, who actually is the "we" in all this?
Yours, writing with the heating off,"
Monday, 2 December 2013
Letter 117: By erasing their pre-election pledges from the internet the Tories undermine democracy
Dear Dave,
Sorry not to have been in touch recently... I've been in the library! The British Library. SO much to see, you really ought to visit. I've always thought it was an amazing place, but now that I've learned they've archived so many of those speeches that the Conservative Party have attempted to delete, it's my favourite destination. I might even spend my next holiday there, looking at pre-election pledges and celebrating democracy, transparency, accountability and people power. Isn't it reassuring that even when your Party doesn't back your promise to be the "most transparent government ever"or your intention to "fix broken politics", the British Library is there, working hard to make sure we don't live in a Brave New World?
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Letter 116: So David Cameron's a feminist now? It's just a token of his General Election affectation
Thank you for your reply to my letter on Joan's half million. Apologies for not yet replying, but I've been taking my time to think over your letter. And then today, just as I was about to put pen to paper, I heard the good news. All I can say is HURRAH! You're a feminist now? How does this manifest? Let me count the ways...
Cuts to Legal Aid... cuts to Working Tax Credit and SureStart... changes to Child Benefit... the scrapping of your equality duty ... cuts to the Public Sector and now cuts to Housing Benefits for under 25s on top of the trebling of tuition fees. Did you realise that 44% of under 25 Housing Benefit recipients are single mums?
Hold on...I'm not sure I like your kind of feminism. Frankly, it lacks integrity and feels a bit... unequal. You know, it might be worth computing that, as dogs aren't just for Christmas, neither is feminism just for party political conferences and General Elections.
Yours, etc"
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Letter 115: It's not the NHS that's failing the elderly, Jeremy Hunt.
"Dear Dave,
Naughty Jeremy! Trying to distract us from cuts to the NHS and the increasing concerns about the A&E crisis. But well done to RCGP for challenging him, pointing out there's no evidence that the NHS is failing the elderly. You know what might fail the elderly though? Privatising £1billion worth of their health and social care provision in Cambridgeshire. What IS it with your desire to sell everything off? Apparently the BMA are very worried about the unfair advantage some of these large non-NHS providers might have. Is it true that quite a few of those tendering have already had problems with their outsourcing already? What concerns me (and should concern both Jeremy and yourself), is that the duty of a private company is to make as much profit as possible for it's shareholders. Let's hope your outsourcing doesn't mean you have to kiss "patients first and foremost" bye bye.
With best wishes, etc"
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Number 10 replies to my letter on #Joanshalfmillion
Looks like a nerve was touched....
"Dear Ms O'Donoghue
I am writing to you on behalf of the Prime Minister to thank you for your recent correspondence, regarding the will of Ms Joan Edwards.
The solicitors for the deceased, acting as executors, informed the Conservative Party that it was a beneficiary of the will. However to put matters beyond doubt, we have decided to pass the money on to the Treasury.
As with all donations to the Exchequer, the money will be used to reduce the national debt
Yours etc"
"Dear Ms O'Donoghue
I am writing to you on behalf of the Prime Minister to thank you for your recent correspondence, regarding the will of Ms Joan Edwards.
The solicitors for the deceased, acting as executors, informed the Conservative Party that it was a beneficiary of the will. However to put matters beyond doubt, we have decided to pass the money on to the Treasury.
As with all donations to the Exchequer, the money will be used to reduce the national debt
Yours etc"
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Letter 114 If the Coalition confuse a gift to the nation with Party donation it's time to overhaul Party Political funding
Well, it would appear we have reached a new low on the issue of political party funding, gentlemen. Where in Joan Edward's will did she say that you should carve up her bequeathed money for the benefit of the Tory and Lib Dem Parties?
You BOTH campaigned at the last General Election on a cleaner politics ticket. Your interpretation of this money as a Party donation is a perfect example of why we need to overhaul Party Political funding.
Now might be a very good time to get your chequebooks out; that money was a gift to the nation, not your Party coffers. Only a cad would see it any other way.
Yours etc,
PS Stuck for ideas where the money SHOULD go? Try these: Shelter, Help for Heroes, NSPCC, Oxfam, Help theAged, Make a Wish Foundation, Lucy Faithful Foundation, CAB, Unemployment Centres, Youth Centres, NACRO, a community grants pot, Credit Unions, training nurses...
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Letter 113: Housing crisis & housing bubble, potentially fuelled by Help to Buy
Do you like camping? All that fresh air, sitting out under the stars, greeting the dawn - kind of romantic. Unless of course, you don't get to go home. Then the damp and no real access to home comforts start to get a bit tedious. Well, more than tedious, pretty soul destroying, I would imagine. Which brings us to an awful story I came across whilst catching up on the UK's current housing crisis. It's hard to believe, but there are homeless people in Stockport who are reduced to living in caves. How disgraceful in a country as rich as ours. Someone ought to do something to help them, however difficult it is right now, with homelessness reaching a five year high. Just not a Help-to-Buy scheme, eh? That would be madness, in so many ways. And let's not count the ways, seeing as Graeme Leach, Albert Edwards, Vince Cable and Fitch Ratings have been so eloquent in their condemnation. Surely the real problem we have is the number of houses there actually are, rather than the difficulty people find in buying one (or two).
Yours, etc
PS, One final query: how do you think the re emergence of sub prime mortgages (in the wake of your Funding for Lending scheme) will help the homeless, housing market and taxpayer?"
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Letter 112: Cameron and Lynton Crosby's Lobbying Row Upstages the Royal Birth
"Dear Dave,
I have not watched the Andrew Marr interview this week, where you were repeatedly questioned about Lynton Crosby and plain packaging, but I have been reading the papers. Despite good news of royal births and the questionable changes to the internet proposed by you, the lobbying issue hasn't really gone away. There, Lynton and yourself are, standing centre stage, issuing denials (or not, as the case may be) while Sheila Gunn, former spin doctor to John Major expresses the opinion that all is not what it seems. Very confusing. To make matters worse, it's been uncovered that Mr Crosby has also advised private healthcare providers on the best ways to exploit perceived failings in the NHS. And what's this about his connections to lobbying on behalf of the fracking industry?
As I have previously mentioned, you have been described as:
"A man who has made transparency not just a political philosophy but a personal credo over the last few years", but I remain unconvinced. If what I've read is true, your plans for a register of lobbyists would allow Lynton Crosby to keep his clients secret.
So how about you put your money where your mouth is? In honour of that transparency you claim to cherish, and in order that we can rule out any conflict of interest, might now be a good time to
publish your Australian strategist's FULL client list?
With best wishes, etc"
So how about you put your money where your mouth is? In honour of that transparency you claim to cherish, and in order that we can rule out any conflict of interest, might now be a good time to
publish your Australian strategist's FULL client list?
With best wishes, etc"
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Letter 111:Privatisation and NHS; lock everything up, the Tories are in charge.
"Dear Dave,
So you've finally done it, sold off our NHS plasma supplier (or 80% of it) and sneaked the announcement out just as Parliament went into recess. So much once again for transparency and for "no decision about me without me".
Is this how you think the trust of voters is earned? By selling such a precious, integral service to Bain Capital, a US private equity firm co-founded by Mit Romney which has a reputation for aggressive asset stripping? According to Dr Lucy Reynolds who works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, your deal undervalued the company. Earlier this year she wrote an academic paper strongly arguing against the sale of PRUK. She has said:
"Plasma supplies have a long record of being operated on a not for profit basis, using voluntary donors where all the necessary checks take place. The difference with a commercial firm is that they will want to have as many donors as possible and be looking to secure large profits first and foremost.This amounts to the government abandoning UK blood products users to the tender mercies of the cheapest supplier."
Is she correct in saying that there isn't any mechanism to protect the interests of UK users from harm caused by the change of ownership? Did Lord Owen's advice mean nothing to you?
Of course, this is entirely predictable. Your Government scapegoats doctors and nurses on a weekly basis for funding and organisational failures within the NHS. Isn't that also an attempt to undermine public confidence, running down the service so it can be outsourced or privatised more easily? The orthodoxy that Tories can never get ahead of Labour on the NHS has too many strands to it, to be simply brushed away by Jeremy Hunt using Sir Bruce Keogh's review as a political football, attempting to smear both the Opposition and the NHS in Parliament this week. But there's too much distrust for Jeremy to scapegoat away, full stop. Voters love the NHS and with good reason, so to trust the Tories with it seems idiotic, especially when 13% of your Party funding comes from the Private Health sector. Or when so many Tory MPs stand to gain financially from the outsourcing of NHS services to the private sector. If you factor in A&E waiting times, the possible unsustainability of the NHS 111 service, and the expansion of privatised services in NHS hospitals, it's clear:
Much, much louder.
Yours, etc"
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Letter 110: Transparency, gone up in a puff of smoke
Dear Dave,
Dearie me. First Andy Coulson, now Lynton Crosby. Pure coincidence I'm sure, but once again, it does appear that money talks for your Conservative led government. How worrying that the interests of big business takes priority over the health of our children.Whatever happened to your pre election promise of cleaning up politics?Transparently, it's disappearing like a puff of smoke...
Yours, etc
List of ingredients found in cigarettes:
Acetone (solvent)
Methanol (used as rocket fuel)
Naphtalene (moth repellant)
Nicotine (used as a herbicide and insecticide)
*Cadmium (used in batteries)
Vinyl chloride (used in plastic materials)
Carbon monoxide (found in exhaust fumes)
Cyanhydric acid (was used in gas chambers)
Ammoniac (detergent)
Toluane (industrial solvent)
Arsenic (lethal poison)
*Polonium 210 (a radioactive element)
DDT (insecticide)
*known carcinogenic substances "
Friday, 12 July 2013
Letter 109: MPs salaries, even without a rise are an embarrassment of riches.
Ever shopped in Iceland? Aldi? Scoured the supermarket's reduced aisle, not because it's fun to nab a bargain, but because you were down to your last quid, days before the next paycheque? Or have you visited a food bank because Sam had to forgo breakfast, dinner or supper (or even all three) so that your children had enough to eat? No... that would be silly, your wife earns a very good income as do you.
I can see IPSA's suggestion that MPs salaries should increase by 11% is more than a little embarrassing, especially when you realise that in the three months since your Government's welfare changes took place the number of people being fed by foodbanks has increased by 200%. Are subsidised forks ever put down in Westminster long enough to consider that there may come a time when people will have had enough of the inequality? In just one foodbank, (Sparkhill, Birmingham), ONE TON of food is required by the desperate PER week, some of whom are working people, referred for food parcels because their wages cannot meet family need. Not surprising, with food costs up 27%, gas/electricity up 15% and wages rising at only 1%. Maybe in George's spirit of "all being in this together", MPs would like to share their £5.7m taxpayer bankrolled "hardship fund" with some of these families?
What to do though and which to tackle first? PR, posturing, or public concern? I have watched with wry amusement as MPs, yourself included, speak of personal discomfort accepting an 11% pay increase in such hard economic times. But you miss the point, made most ably in this article:
which I suggest you read, despite how much it may make you squirm.Why not print it off and nail it to one of Westminster's many subsidised dining rooms walls for the hell of it? Then MPs can see what voters know. Your pay does not need to be increased, and noble suggestions to manage within the current system ring very hollow. Most people rightly feel that the gravy currently flowing freely on the Parliamentary train should be most definitely rationed, rather than rationalised as IPSA suggests. MP's salaries, even without a rise, are an embarrassment of riches, especially as foodbanks mushroom on your watch in a way even Labour can't take credit for.
Yours, etc"
Monday, 24 June 2013
Letter 108: Does money from Tax Havens shore up the Tory party?
"Dear Dave,
I've read somewhere that nearly three quarters of top Tory donors are linked to tax havens. Is that true? How disappointing for tax paying voters if so. Have your donors not heard that you've been incredibly busy this week promoting "the Three Ts" at the G8? Maybe they don't care. Will you MAKE them care, telling them you don't want their donation unless they stop using tax havens? Or maybe you could point out that there'd be no need for those unpopular austerity measures - if only everyone would pay their taxes evaded or avoided. In full. Here. Without resort to creative accounting.
And if that doesn't work, George and yourself could always point out that though using and benefitting from tax havens is legal, it's hardly ethical....
With best wishes, etc"
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Letter 107: Though Dave says NHS is safe in his hands, he made no promises about your confidential records...
"Dear Dave,
Is nothing sacred?
I don't recall giving consent for my confidential NHS records to be sold to private healthcare companies. When did you ask me for it?
You'll be telling me next that private companies will be making their shareholders richer on the back of blood donation... Oh! Wait a minute - looks like they will as long as the NHS is safe in your hands.
It's worth remembering that you may find by introducing a profit motive, blood donors might dry up. Surely that's not just bad for shareholders, it's bad for patients too? I'm not sure I'd want that on my conscience...
Yours, etc"
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Letter 106: Toxic, how the Nasty Party froths on Europe & gay marriage, ignoring how Welfare Reforms burn
"Dear Dave,
Sorry to see the Tory Party infighting has become so relentless of late. Well if I'm honest, like most reasonable people, I'm not so much sorry as bored witless watching your Party eat itself as it kowtows to Ukip on Europe or resists equality and same sex marriage. It's mystifying that backbenchers are unable to concentrate on issues that voters really worry about, such as the Economy, inflation and unemployment. Surely that's what they are paid to do after all!
Talking of something really worrying, is this true? That your Spare Room Subsidy/ Bedroom Tax is costing taxpayers more as demand for emergency handouts has increased by 338%? How long has it been in place now, six weeks? Wow! That suggests quite a DWP cock up. Why aren't your backbenchers focussing on that?
With best wishes, etc.
P.s. If that's not bad enough, it looks like Welfare Reform is also costing more than Iain Duncan Smith anticipated. Since you came into office, the Taxpayer has had to fork out nearly £500 million to cope with more than 1.2 million appeal cases for disability and unemployment allowances. With costs forecast to hit nearly £1 billion by the end of this Parliament, maybe it's not just the Bedroom Tax that looks like a false economy...."
Monday, 13 May 2013
Letter 105: Maybe the Coalition believe dishonesty is the best policy?
"Dear Dave,
As you are so keen to establish that yours is a Government of transparency and morality, I thought you might want to address some disappointingly poor standards within your Cabinet of late. In the last few days, not one, but two of your Ministers have been caught out either being deliberately misleading or "economical with the truth", when arguing in favour of policies that they need the public to get behind. That's not just embarrassing, it's also very troubling.
Maybe at your next Cabinet meeting you might like to discuss the following:
What does it say about the Secretary for Education when he demands rigour of teachers but not of himself? What kind of example is he setting pupils? It takes one to know one on making false Benefit claims. How credible is Ian Duncan Smith's Benefit cap when he needs to rely on dishonesty to back it up? And where the Jiminy Cricket is your Cabinet's moral compass taking you?
With best wishes, etc"
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Letter 104: Some sensible solutions for the UK housing crisis
"Dear Dave and Nick,
My daughter Bern, writes to you weekly. However, she has been in hospital recently and she asked me if I could to write to you in her stead. As I have 30 years of working for the community I'd like to concentrate on some of the news that has come out in the last few weeks in relation to housing issues in Liverpool and elsewhere.
First, some history; in the 1980s Liverpool City Council built new houses with money borrowed from Japanese banks. The Thatcher government decided that this would never happen again, and they decreed that from then on, all monies for house building would be given to the Housing Corporation, and in 1987, 47 Councillors were expelled.(Google 47 Liverpool Councillors for information).
It would appear that in Liverpool the wheel is turning full circle. With 70% of all housing in the lowest council tax band there, before his successful election Mayor Joe Anderson's Manifesto included a promise to build 5,000 new houses with a large number of Brownfield sites earmarked for the project. (www.liverpool.gov.uk). Compare this to the situation in some boroughs in London which are being forced to decamp whole families away from neighbours, jobs, schools etcetera, I understand even as far away as Stoke on Trent due to the twin evil of high rents and the bedroom tax.
In another development, the Mayor is also offering a pilot scheme, where the people of Liverpool can make application to buy a house for one pound. The successful bidder will be expected to take on a house in a run down area, bring it up to a good standard, and will be required to live in the house for three years. Initially it only covers 20 properties, but can be developed further (www.liverpool.gov.uk) Mayor Anderson cannot take all the credit for this project, as it has already been tried in Stoke on Trent, but for derelict houses there (www.insidehousing.co.uk/finance/stoke-offers-%C2%A31-empty-homes/6523118.article)
My question to you is, why, (with the cost of borrowing lower than it has been for many years) your government is not taking the opportunity to borrow monies at this rate to build the new houses that are so desperately needed (not only in London) in order to alleviate the extremely serious shortage of affordable housing all around the country?
Allies to that, you may give serious consideration to dealing with the issue of high rents in the (private) housing sector
Yours sincerely, etc"
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Letter 103: On £10 million, unemployment, minimum wage & funerals for the rich and poor
With everyone in the Cabinet attending Baroness Thatcher's funeral, you might have missed the news that unemployment figures are up by 70,000 today, hitting 2.56 million. Ouch! Couple that with pay rises for those IN work raised by just 1%, plus inflation running at 2.8% and people on lower incomes are experiencing a further squeeze in living standards. Do you think that could be why one in four were opposed to taxpayers footing the bill for such a lavish funeral? Or is it as the Bishop of Grantham said "asking for trouble" to spend close to £10 million on such pomp and ceremony when Margaret Thatcher's legacy is still considered to be so divisive? No-one would begrudge a significant politician their dignified farewell, but it does seem quite outrageous to spend so much on one person, Prime Minister or no, especially when there has been such a sharp rise in pauper's funerals. Embarrassingly your Government rejects nearly half of the applications for funeral payments. Did you know that £10 million could buy 11,111 public health funerals?
Maybe it's best to think about something else until you publish the breakdown of the cost for today...
How about we imagine all the luxuries that my daughter will be splashing out on with that extra 12p an hour she'll receive if she's still on the Minimum Wage in October? I can't say it's what either of us hoped for as she diligently worked her way through GCSEs, A levels and good degree at a prestigious Russell Group uni...
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Letter 102: Welfare reform will brew a perfect storm of misery
What terrible weather we've been having. And hasn't it been a turbulent week for your welfare reforms? Described by housing experts as creating"the perfect storm", there is a widely held fear that your policies will result in vulnerable and blameless people becoming destitute.
I'm curious...have you ever worked with people living on benefits or in poverty, Dave? I mean worked alongside, as opposed to through the prism of a spread sheet, think tank or SpAd? I have - and shock horror - some of my friends and family members are poor and/or on benefits.
Maybe like me, one of you will have worked with families where one or more adults turns out to be disturbingly dysfunctional? No? Well, it's been my experience that the need and receipt of benefits does not cause dysfunction. But, what would I know? Maybe my opinion, having worked in Social Services, is less valuable than that of the man booed by 80,000 people in a Paralympic stadium...
Talking of which, was it "the cynical act of a desperate chancellor" or just crude political opportunism that to link Mick Philpott's terrible behaviour with your need to cut benefits? Bad enough having the strivers v shirkers rhetoric being ramped up by ministers cutting through the Easter break in concerted defence your reforms; but to use the tragedy of the deaths of six innocent children for political gain, by either a newspaper or such a senior Minister as George (with your backing I now see) is frankly beyond the pale. It is in my opinion not only dishonest, but socially irresponsible to encourage misinterpretation and attempt to capitalise on public anger.
And "bedroom blockers" Nick - was that article written with your approval? Dearie me, you may want to distance yourself from the distasteful use of the Philpott tragedy, but the direction that both sides of Coalition are willing to take the debate, appears to reinforce prejudice against people caught in a system of politician's making. Have a look at your LibDem constitution. Do you detect some dissonance?
On one thing though, George is right: there is a need for a proper debate on Welfare spending. Only this time instead of ambushing the deaths of six kids at the hands of their dangerously abusive father, how about you look at the real issues? Spare room subsidy? Surely you mean landlord subsidy? The shortage of appropriate social housing, combined with lack of rent control, means far too much money goes on extortionate private rents. You could introduce a private rent control, build more social housing, reducing the homeless number, under occupancy and Welfare costs all at the same time.
Striver or skiver? You talk of "lifestyle choice" deliberately ignoring there are not enough full time jobs. Many are very badly paid, resulting in people being forced to rely on benefits to survive. If you brought in a living wage, Welfare costs would again be reduced - plus taxpayers would no longer subsidising the inadequate wages that you allow unscrupulous employers to offer.
Were you really brave, we could take an honest look at how Welfare breaks down. At 42.3% of the total, OAPs count for a huge chunk of taxpayer's money. Your unerring protection of pensioners would be commendable were it not that older people are more likely to vote Conservative.
Philpott aside, let's look at two people claiming taxpayer's money who might open themselves to further scrutiny:
Firstly Iain Duncan Smith. If as he says, he can live on £53 per week, why then are his expense claims alone an average of £105,305 per yr over an eight year period?
Secondly, George could explain why he claimed expenses for a paddock which had no horse. Was he considering riding to Westminster? And what is his understanding of the eligibility requirements for disabled parking? Are the rules different for those who make them?
Yours, etc "
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Letter 101: Will David Cameron personally benefit from the 50p tax rate cut?
"Dear Dave,
Big day tomorrow, Budget Day. You'll be understandably nervous... How about we take your mind off it for a few minutes? How about I ask you a question or two about PMQs? You could you help me with something I am struggling with. Namely: what is PMQs actually for? My understanding (forgive me if I'm wrong) is that you are called on a weekly basis, to answer questions put to you by all sides of the House. That is supposed to be what happens, isn't it?
Why then are you so coy? For a man supposedly keen on transparency, week after week you duck and wriggle, avoiding directly answering uncomfortable questions. So what is the point of PMQs? One question I've noticed you continually avoid answering directly and openly is:
Yes or no? That's what voters really want to know. Your evasive answer that you intend to pay all taxes owed is not enough - it seems like another dive. So please, no more sophistry, we are nearly at April and it's time for a straight answer to a simple question:
Best wishes, etc"
Friday, 15 March 2013
Letter 100: Red Nose Day and Cameron: let them eat cake
"Dear Dave,
Has anyone in your PR team realised yet the irony of your involvement in Red Nose Day? The need for you to focus on changing direction (welfare reform, plans for growth, austerity, bank bonuses) as opposed to One Direction, for example? Or your wife even, photographed baking cakes as part of the Comic Relief Bake Off, when food banks are applying for grants from Red Nose. Maybe it will all be recorded in the Defra inquiry commissioned because Government officials are so concerned about the increase of food banks, soup kitchens and school breakfast clubs.
Maybe you should cut out the middleman and take her cakes round to the food bank closest to your lovely kitchen.
With best wishes, etc"
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Letter 99: @Loftspace Writes to Dave about Lewisham Hospital A&E and Maternity Units
@Loftspace and I both had our children at or with the support of Lewisham Hospital, so it was with great appreciation that I travelled up to London recently to join the march in protest against the closure of the A&E and Maternity units there. As a guest on DearDavenandNick,@Loftspace has now written to Dave to tell him how she feels about Coalition plans for her family's hospital:
"Dear Dave
Today's my birthday; I really should be enjoying my gift, a spa day. But I need to write to you about Lewisham Hospital. Just over a year ago my son was born at their birth centre. The care we received couldn't be rivalled. As I cradled my newborn and marvelled at his miraculous journey I was humbled by the passion and dedication of my midwife. I couldn't believe my luck, having such a fantastic facility on my doorstep.
But you Dave, to my dismay, your Governments henchman wants to all but close Lewisham's A&E and Maternity units and deny 750,000 residents access to emergency care. And more than 4,000 expectant mothers a decent birth. Instead you expect them to trek to another hospital, one that is understaffed, resourced and struggling. Mad, isn't it? Surely there's been some mistake. Maybe you're planning to install bunk beds, because the alternative is Dickensian: women giving birth in the streets of South London.
Dave you promised not to close any hospitals if the people support keeping them. I guess you've confused the people of Lewisham taking to the streets twice, to peacefully protest to save their hospital as support for your crackpot closures.
Sorry, I know how muddled you must get, what with all your U-turns. You must be dizzy Dave?
Best wishes
p.s. Talking of U-turns, looks like your NHS-privatisation-by-the-back-door plan has hit the skids. Section 75 regs being rewritten. Don't worry, there are at least 240,000 people who signed the petition asking for its withdrawal who have your back. Best read the small print this time."
"Dear Dave
Today's my birthday; I really should be enjoying my gift, a spa day. But I need to write to you about Lewisham Hospital. Just over a year ago my son was born at their birth centre. The care we received couldn't be rivalled. As I cradled my newborn and marvelled at his miraculous journey I was humbled by the passion and dedication of my midwife. I couldn't believe my luck, having such a fantastic facility on my doorstep.
But you Dave, to my dismay, your Governments henchman wants to all but close Lewisham's A&E and Maternity units and deny 750,000 residents access to emergency care. And more than 4,000 expectant mothers a decent birth. Instead you expect them to trek to another hospital, one that is understaffed, resourced and struggling. Mad, isn't it? Surely there's been some mistake. Maybe you're planning to install bunk beds, because the alternative is Dickensian: women giving birth in the streets of South London.
Dave you promised not to close any hospitals if the people support keeping them. I guess you've confused the people of Lewisham taking to the streets twice, to peacefully protest to save their hospital as support for your crackpot closures.
Sorry, I know how muddled you must get, what with all your U-turns. You must be dizzy Dave?
Best wishes
p.s. Talking of U-turns, looks like your NHS-privatisation-by-the-back-door plan has hit the skids. Section 75 regs being rewritten. Don't worry, there are at least 240,000 people who signed the petition asking for its withdrawal who have your back. Best read the small print this time."
Letter 98: Jakey writes to Dave about the NHS, mediocrity and competition
As I said in my last letter to Dave, I'll be laid up for a while following an operation. I've been told to take it easy if I want to make a speedy recovery, so I've enlisted the help of a few respected people to stop Dave connect with what the electorate, rather than than think tanks and the Cabinet think. Here's the first letter sent to him :
"A word-processing programme;
Edge of the Big Society.
8th March 2013
Dear Dave
I know Bern O'Donoghue wrote to you last week to tell you that she was just going into hospital and that "some friends" would be taking over the letters for while. I'm one of those friends
Like Bern, I've recently been in a NHS hospital. I had an accident and was quite badly injured. I was looked after really well and met with nothing but real care and compassion. Despite all the horrible things we've been hearing about Mid-Staffs and despite all your government's efforts to force 'compulsive competitive markets' on the NHS, I really believe that pretty well all its staff want to care for their patients and respect their dignity. They didn't go into clinical care to make a lot of money, to skive, shirk or give poor value. The people who looked after me were working really hard with unfailing good grace. They don't do this be part of a market making profits for other people either. (And by the way, quite a lot of those standing to profit seem to sit behind or alongside you on the green benches.)
And now we've got Jeremy Hunt, your Health Secretary, attacking "mediocre hospitals" who "cruise along" rather than "striving for world class levels of excellence". Don't you think that there might be something a little shaky about those levels being set by politicians?
Despite your promise of no more "top-down re-organisation", the Coalition has plugged into the same stream of targets, directives and commercial re-orientation as previous governments. You've also reduced nurse numbers by 5000. Isn't is likely that all this combines to distract and divert front line staff from their core functions?
So I hope you'll find time to reflect on the recommendation from Robert Francis' report that there should be "a common patient centred culture which produces at the very least the fundamental standards of care to which we are all entitled, at the same time as celebrating and supporting the provision of excellence in healthcare." Enabling those basics seems to make a good deal more sense than pushing hyperbole about trying to be the best at everything.
Hope you keep well,
Best wishes,
Jakey (Bern's friend.)"
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Letter 97: NHS Privatisation and Handing over to some friends
"Dear Dave,
I really shouldn't be writing to you right now. I should be getting my bag ready, but I want to let you know I'm going into hospital and I might not be well enough to write. Don't worry though, I've asked a few friends to get in touch with you, over the next few weeks.
And don't think I'll be taking it easy - I'll be watching from my NHS bed, especially since I've heard about your sneaky plan to extend competition and force"compulsory competitive markets" on the NHS.
I'm sorry that that I haven't had time to draw you a picture. I did have time though to sign the 38 Degrees petition requesting a full debate and vote on your plans in both Houses of Parliament. After all, it's not as if you have a mandate for selling off our precious NHS - imagine how well that would have gone doen at the last General Election!
With best wishes, etc
p.s.Wow, so far 186,024 signatures on the petition! We really do love out NHS, don't we? Actually that number has just gone up again, quite alot..."
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Letter 96: UK AAA rating is lost and George will start the blame game
"Dear Dave,
So we've lost our AAA rating - the prize by which George dared his critics to judge his economic policy. Blame Labour. Blame Nick Clegg. Blame the snow, blame the rain, blame the leaves. It's too hot, it's too cold, blame the disabled, blame the unemployed, blame the shirkers,blame the fecund, blame the civil servants, blame the Euro, blame the immigrants, blame the teachers, blame the nurses, blame the poor. Go on. Blame anyone and anything except what we all know - your austerity measures are the problem.
Plan A is not working. Seriously, what's it going to take for you to change direction?
With best wishes, etc"
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Letter 95:Workfare, whether geology or shelf stacking, should pay properly
Dear Dave,
Is Iain Duncan Smith well? I ask because I saw him on the Marr Show this morning on BBC 1. He was SO ranty, I thought he must be either unwell - or afraid.
I've heard his salary is £134, 565 and his expenses average £102,000 per year over a ten year period. He said that "most young people love this programme" when asked about Cait Reilly's successful court challenge. Imagine how much more they'd love it if they were remunerated properly
With best wishes, etc"
Friday, 15 February 2013
Letter 94: Work Programme and Work Experience, shredded.
There has been so much in the news this week about
it must have been quite disheartening for you. Good for you, having Maria Miller on Question Time, extolling their virtues and benefits. But I'm not sure that would be enough to convince the public (or me and my daughters).
Here's an idea...
What about you publish a list of all the Coalition MPs who have encouraged their unemployed offspring into Work Experience at Poundland so they can get a head start?
Best wishes, etc"
Friday, 8 February 2013
Letter 93: If Gove can admit his mistake, what about the rest of the Cabinet?
Fair play to the man. If Gove can admit his mistake and shelve the English Baccalaureate, surely you can shelve the top down reorganisation of the NHS, the bedroom tax, the Work Programme, your current welfare reform and Plan A. After all, every single one of these policies have been criticised by experts in the field and if Michael Gove can man up, do a u turn and survive political embarrassment, surely others in the Cabinet can so do too. And let's be honest, that's one MUTHA of a borrowing figure George has managed to grow for us
Britain will have borrowed £64 billion more than expected by the time of the next General Election
(Sorry but there's no way of making that look pretty)
Best wishes, etc"
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Letter 92: The Work Programme. It's not the claimants who are the "lying thieving bastards"
Never mind, now the voting is lost and over, might we move back to important issues? It is said that the moral test of any society is how it treats the weakest members. If "Panorama The Great Disability Scam?" is anything to go by, British society is in a very bad way. In office, as Coalition, you work for us and I am ashamed of what you are doing to vulnerable disabled people under the guise of finding them work.
Please - stop telling us that this payment by results system is working. Like the assessment process itself, it is deeply flawed.
Please - stop private companies taking public money for poor performance. Was A4e not enough?
Please - do something NOW to stop the bullying of sick and vulnerable people. Anyone with a shred of decency can see that a culture where claimants are nicknamed "LTBs" or "Lying Thieving Bastards" is one which needs serious overhaul. Problem is, employees of private companies who use this kind of language take their orders and their cue from Ministers at DWP, which suggests that it's there the problem lies.
The sick are not scroungers. They are SICK, often having complex needs and unpredictable days of good and poor health - which your Programme seems to deliberately ignore. Such health patterns and the fact that employers are often unwilling to employ disabled people makes them hard to place NOT fraudsters. The use of an overly harsh system to harass ill people is making many of them sicker - and worse. This is both cruel and unfair - and starting to feel like your policies are driven by ideological zeal rather than a desire to help, as you claim.
You might not be hearing this enough, so I need to make it plain:
What you are doing is wrong. You do not have this voter's blessing to put people, obviously too unwell to work, through such bullying. These people deserve our respect and support. They also have a morally justified right expect and receive protection, appropriate care and decent benefits from the State.
I hope you remember that sick people vote, as do their carers, families and friends. And that many of the not-yet-disabled are as sickened as I, to see these people being victimised.
With best wishes, etc
* Parking: a practice used by private firms employed by the DWP to run the Work Programme (allegedly) to keep the hardest to employ on the books, thus allowing firms to still claim they are being worked with and collect a generous fee for doing so. Out of the 68,000 ESA claimants put on the Work Programme so far, just 1,000 have found a job lasting three months or more. It would appear that you are looking in the wrong place for fraud in the benefit system, Dave."
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Letter 91: The Historic Speech & Dave's In/Out Referendum Are Just Too Iffy
"Dear Dave,
Is it terribly disappointing to hear that I didn't tune in to your historic speech this morning? I just couldn't bear it, after the interviews and articles and speculation. So much of it had already been fed to us over the past few weeks, there didn't seem much point. And besides, you weren't really making it for me, were you? (Heck, most of us realised a long time ago that despite all that talk of "national interest" and "giving the British people a choice", you really were only speaking to your own party and UKIP today).
Don't get me wrong - a discussion about the EU and our role within it is important, but right now your call for one seems neither genuine nor necessary. And crude attempts at blackmail won't help our standing at all.
I heard you speak last Monday on the Today programme, about why and when you'd be calling for a referendum and that was enough for me. You see, though I listened really carefully, I was left feeling very confused as to what your position really was. Thank goodness for Nick Robinson; two minutes and he'd cut through all that sophistry. He said that what YOU were really saying was that you've ruled out an in/out referendum for the UK and the EU for the present. In fact he was right, because now I see the date you've given for it taking place is... 2017.
Hang on though, that would only happen IF you won the next general election without the Lib Dems. I see what you're doing there - a little bit sneaky, Dave. Surely people should see your full term before they decide to vote for you? After all, surely you want to be judged on getting down the National Debt, reducing the deficit, bringing overseas business here to get the economy moving and making the UK a fairer better place for all, don't you?
Anyway, back to the IFs. IF the Conservatives won the next general election, IF you can persuade the other EU countries, particularly Germany, that they need or want treaty change, IF Britain can get what it wants in negotiations and IF you can win a referendum, then there WILL be a referendum. This would suggest that what you are really saying is :
'We'll have a referendum in 2017, possibly, but only in certain circumstances.'
Which anyone with half a brain would see as probably not happening, as there are just too may IFs, aren't there? And why I couldn't be bothered to tune in at 8.00 am this morning. It all felt a bit too much like trying to work out which cup the ball was under for 50p on the High Street. And to be brutal, you've made lots of promises in the last two years and broken them, so why should having a proper referendum and grown up debate (which I suspect you'll promise with all your heart) be any different?
If I'm honest, I don't understand why you gave the speech at all. It seems like you have a very unpleasant party spat on your hands, rather than something the rest of the country cares about. Couldn't you have sorted it out at Party headquarters? Then you could have focussed on areas of REAL national interest, such as those 200,000 extra children who will be forced into poverty as a result of your changes to tax credits and benefits. Or the damage to social cohesion that your new bedroom tax will bring. (Has Lord Freud really got EIGHT bedrooms? Nice to know he understands the problem).
If these issues don't interest you, how about you address the inequality of your austerity measures? Are you aware that of the £18.9 billion worth of cuts announced in the Coalition's emergency Budget of 2010, £13.2 billion, or 70% is coming from women's incomes? Or that, in 17 NHS hospitals, due to cuts there are now dangerously low levels of nursing staff? Or that for the sixth month in a row, Government borrowing has increased? Now these problems are of interest to us all, not just your party Eurosceptics. And if you want a real referendum to hear the nation's voice, try calling one on the top down reorganisation of our NHS you're engineering. That would be more useful right now.
Best wishes, etc"
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text:
Tired of diets that don't work and keep you constantly hungry? Not sure how to avoid cravings? Don't worry, help is at hand. Read our weight loss tips that work from Cosmo Nutritionist, Shirley Ward (Check out her website at downtoearthnutrition.co.uk)
Shirley explains "if you choose foods wisely, the good news is calorie-counting becomes far less important for weight loss"
Choose the "Right" Healthy Foods for Sustainable Weight Loss
Start by choosing foods that provide both energy & high levels of fibre, to ensure balanced energy release. Their fibre content ensures energy is used more efficiently, so less is available for fat storage. These act as an appetite suppressant by keeping you fuller for longer, so reducing the risk of cravings, they also contain a range of "fat burning" vitamins and minerals
Choose: brown rice, wholemeal bread and pasta, oats, sweet potato, beans and lentils, fruit and vegetables
Avoid Foods Linked with Weight Gain
These foods contain little fibre, so their energy is released and used up quickly, creating energy highs and lows. Regular consumption works against weight loss, as their excess energy is stored as fat, plus cravings for fatty, sugary, salted foods can occur from energy lows
Don't Choose: white rice, white bread, white pasta, white flour products, biscuit, cakes and soft/fizzy drinks
Balance meals
Ensure you balance these "right" foods with protein, which is needed to produce hormones for satiety and appetite control. Choose easily digestible protein sources, which use up less energy
Choose: fish, game, free-range/organic chicken & turkey, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, miso, hummus and un-salted nuts
Fats help weight control
Balancing meals with "essential" fats ensures food is fully digested, helps reduce levels of saturated fats and can help improve sleep and appetite patterns; all crucial for achieving weight loss and management
Choose: oily fish, free-range/organic chicken/turkey*1-2, avocados, un-salted nuts, seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame, flax and olive oil, green leafy vegetables
* studies confirm these contain significantly higher levels of "essential" fats and lower levels of saturated fats
Eat regularly for weight loss; Yes, really!
"Graze" throughout the day by choosing small, light meals; eating regularly avoids your body going into "starvation" mode. If you're busy at work, do you forget to eat for long periods? Don't, as when you do eat, you'll store more food as fat for future energy reserves. A mid-morning and afternoon snack will help. If you're not a major breakfast fan, at least have a snack in the morning, in order to reduce this risk
Eat slowly and chew well
It sounds obvious to eat slowly and chew food well, but it's common to eat on the run during a busy working day. Eating quickly without chewing properly stresses the digestive system, which stores more food as fat and reduces feelings of fullness. Avoid this by taking time away from your desk to eat, so you can concentrate on your food
Water for weight loss
Various studies confirm water's weight loss and appetite suppressant properties3. As well as being needed for efficient food digestion, water also helps by producing feelings of fullness. Drinking regularly throughout the day is such an easy, cheap way towards your weight loss goals
Making the above dietary changes is a really good start towards weight loss and control for the coming year, but don't forget this needs to be combined with regular exercise to be effective
References cited:
1. A 2002 Italian study published in the journal Meat Science, found that organic chicken contained 38% more omega-3, than non-organic chicken. It also found that the free-range behaviour of organic chickens "reduced their abdominal fat [by 65%], and favoured muscle mass development (protein)"
2. Lopez-Bote, C. J., R.Sanz Arias, A.I. Rey, A. Castano, B. Isabel, J. Thos (1998). "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology 72: 33-40
3. American Chemical Society (2010, August 23). Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from sciencedaily


text:
Today I will bake. I say that a lot. I mean A LOT! There's just something about making something by hand and sharing it with the ones you love. It makes my heart smile, and what's life without taking a "whisk" once in a while?!? My love of baking started as a child. I remember my Grandma Bernice and Great Aunt Dorothy baking delicious treats for every holiday. There were crispy fried Rosettes and homemade fudge for Christmas, traditional Kolaches for Easter, and delicious pies with crust made from scratch for Thanksgiving. There were no refrigerated, pre-made pie crusts or cookie mix, just add water recipes for this family. I was in awe of the way simple ingredients could work together to make incredibly tasty treats.
Nothing says HOME like the smell of baking.
The summer of my twelfth year, my beloved grandmother passed away. The family dynamic would never be the same but our love for the holidays and tradition pushed us forward in our new normal. Our house became the home that our extended family would now spend the holidays. Together my mom, dad, brother, and I would meticulously decorate every nook and cranny inside and out and transform our house into a holiday wonderland. Mom and I took on the role of holiday bakers. We started out simple. Our fudge wasn't completely made from scratch; I remembered my Grandma saying that fudge could be tricky. If you don't allow the sugar to dissolve completely, you end up with a grainy, soupy mess. Slightly intimidated, I decided to follow the recipe on the back of the marshmallow fluff jar. That first batch of fudge turned out so well, I still follow that same semi-homemade recipe! Our first few years of baking included simple things like sugar cookies, (the ones my brother decorated always resembled something like the Swamp Thing) peanut butter kiss cookies, and seven-layer bars. Over the years our simple, annual holiday baking day morphed into an all-day baking marathon with new recipes (some successful, some not) every year! This is a tradition I carry on with my own daughters to this day!
When I married my husband Mark, I found to my delight that I had married into a family of bakers! Mark's grandmother Frances took great pride in baking all kinds of culinary treats for her family! We connected over our shared love of baking. It was always a treat to receive a care package of baked goodies from Grandma Toots, a nickname given to Frances by her father. The name seemed to suit her sunny personality. Toots loved her family and was delighted to present visitors with a batch of her latest creation. A family favorite was Toot's Raisin Spice Cookies. I've always been more of a chocolate chip cookie girl, but one bite of Grandma Toot's special raisin cookies and I was hooked! They are soft and spicy and soooo delicious! I bake them often, hoping to do the recipe justice and have come to refer to them as The BEST cookies you'll ever eat!
With permission and blessings from her daughter Francy, I share with you Grandma Toots Raisin Spice Cookie recipe! Follow the recipe exactly, don't over bake, and be sure to sprinkle generously with love and good wishes! Happy Baking! xo
Grandma Toots Raisin Spice Cookies aka the best cookies you'll ever eat!
4 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I like it a little more spicy so I use 2 tsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 C water with 2 tsp instant coffee mixed in it (1 C cold coffee also works)
2 C raisins
1 C shortening (in a pinch I have used butter, but shortening works best!)
2 C sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 C chopped nuts (optional)
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Put water with instant coffee granules and raisins in saucepan and boil for about five minutes until raisins are plump and liquid is 1/2 cup. Allow to cool. (Grandma Toots did this the night before she baked the cookies).
Cream shortening and add sugar, blending until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. Add vanilla, nuts, and raisin mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients and blend well.
Drop by small ice cream scoop onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheet, being sure to keep all cookies similar in size.
Bake at 400 degrees 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies should be light in color and soft.
Store tightly covered. Let's be honest, they're so delicious you won't need to store them! Enjoy!


text:
Hello @ifletcher,
welcome back to the Polycom Community.
Please ensure you always check the FAQ's and/or utilize the community search before posting any new topics or follow up post's.
Jan 17, 2017 Question:How can I troubleshoot simple Skype for Business, LYNC or Office365 issues?
Resolution: Have a look => here <=
Please ensure to provide some feedback if this reply has helped you so other users can profit from your experience.
Best Regards
Steffen Baier
Polycom Global Services
Thanks although that is still confusing, i have run some tests &:-
From my home, Skype logs in & everything works & the phone is great, however in the office it fails on the Skype login, so there must be a setting on the network which is preventing the phone from logging into Skype.
Does the attached help?
Hello @ifletcher,
The VVX500 you are using is not a Skype for Business SKU so in order to keep using this for Skype for Business you must either purchase a Polycom per device Skype license or provide proof of such existing license.
Please be aware of the following when utilizing UCS 4.1.0 or later:
The use of Polycom UC Software versions 4.1.X ("Software") requires the purchase of a separate Software license for every device that will use the Software in a LYNC / Skype for Business environment. You may not install, access, or use the Software in a LYNC / Skype for Business environment on more devices than are listed on your license until additional licenses have been purchased and authorized by Polycom. These licenses should be purchased from the same company from which you purchased the devices. You may operate devices against a LYNC / Skype for Business server for trial purposes for up to 30 days without purchasing a license. Use of the Software is subject to the terms and conditions of the End User License Agreement.
Polycom reserves the right to audit your deployment to verify that you have sufficient licenses to match the number of devices being used.
Information in regards of License Part Numbers can be found here
For your actual issue the first suggestion in the Skype for Business FAQ
002151.584|nisvc|2|00|<\NIModuleKey00:1,time taken(1)>
No Time on the Phone = Phone not able to validate the certificate or establish a SSL connection.
Please follow the FAQ guides and if you still struggle open a service ticket.
In order to raise a support ticket you need to work with your Polycom reseller as they need to do this for you.
End Customers are unable to open a ticket directly with Polycom support.
Our records show that SCANSOURCE COMMUNICATIONS sold this back in 06/07/2017
As the unit is no longer within warranty please be prepared to Pay Per Incident / PPI. This is all outlined in detail here
Please ensure to provide some feedback if this reply has helped you so other users can profit from your experience.
Best Regards
Steffen Baier
Polycom Global Services


text:
"Hello Akka, Hi Akka, ni peru eniti?" (Akka, what is your name?)
Enquired a multitude of voices, within minutes of my arriving at Her VOICE Disha camp, at Telangana Social Welfare School in Kammadanam. Having only recently moved to Hyderabad from Mumbai, I couldn't understand then what these girls were asking me – little did I know then, that I would be tutored and coached by the most spirited young girls!
About six months back, I chanced on Voice 4 Girls' handle on Twitter and found myself completely intrigued. So much so, I applied for a job, even though it meant moving to a different state! As luck would have it, a few months later, I found myself in a rural district of Telangana, for my first experience at VOICE camp!
The 10-day camp definitely changed my life and opened my eyes!
Kammadanam was one of 9 locations in Telangana where VOICE was conducting the Her VOICE Disha Camps. At 'my' location, 380 campers (students), 11 counsellors (trained college students) and a field coordinator have come together for one larger goal – to equip teenage girls for their future. I was all set to join the movement – to learn and share all that I could!
"I will be strong and make my future bright!" The voices, filled with enthusiasm and conviction, resound in every corridor of the school, perfectly synchronized and giving me goosebumps! After the affirmation (they have a new one for each day), girls are ready to start the day on a high note.
This is a government school, and girls here come from very underprivileged backgrounds. In addition to all the pressures these girls face, they lack basic knowledge about things like health, safety, and rights – putting them at risk of violence, discrimination, low literacy, early marriage, teen pregnancy etc.
Looking at their beaming faces and the hope in each of their eyes, I felt more driven than ever to do something for them.
Over the next 10 days, I came to understand the content that VOICE is delivering at these camps. The content of Disha focuses on subjects like – physical and mental health, the importance of education and careers, future and family planning, negotiation, and even gender diversity. I thought it would be extremely overwhelming for these girls to learn so much about such complex issues, some of which are even considered taboo. But the campers proved me absolutely wrong. They listened to their Akkas (counsellors) eagerly, especially since these sensitive topics are dealt with through activities fun-based games.
I think the most challenging day for the counsellors was Day 6. Campers explored more their identities and learning about various feelings that they might experience as they grow up – closeness, commitment, and attraction. Campers also explored aspects of gender identity and sexuality in this chapter.
Initially, I could sense some reluctance in the classroom, but soon, the counsellors were deftly fielding a barrage of questions. It was very tough to handle this intense curiosity, but at the end of that day, girls left with widened horizons. It was indeed an amazing session!
It had become a routine for me and kids to meet after their classes. Every day, they would ask me, "Thinnava" (Have you eaten?). From them I have learned so many Telugu words. A girl said to me, "I would always wonder, 'Why do these girls cry on the last day of the camp?' Now, I can relate to them." That is what a VOICE camp does to you. The bond that I formed with these campers will be something I will cherish always. The faith, trust and love I received has determined me to work harder for them and their futures.
Before we knew it, it was the last day of the camp. The air around our campers was thick with excitement (girls were ready to put up a show on the last day) and tinged with the sadness of leaving their Akkas behind. The final performance beautifully showcased the amount of knowledge, confidence, and courage girls have gained in these 10 days. They were full of energy while performing their sets and each performance was spectacular!
As I set out to leave with the counsellors, girls surrounded us with their final goodbyes and long messages. Two girls came to me and gave me a card that was drawn and decorated so creatively. I was overwhelmed with love and affection. As I looked back, I knew that nothing would keep me away from these camps!
The author of this blog entry is Saleha Paatwala, who recently joined the VOICE team as Content and Communications Officer.