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Since 1994 the Citizens Flag Alliance has consistently tracked public opinion in an effort to determine and document continued support for a flag amendment.
Independent pollsters, most of national prominence, have conducted more than 30 individual surveys in nationwide and state specific studies. Findings, from the first to the most recent surveys, consistently show that roughly three-quarters of voters across all demographic and geographic subgroups support a flag amendment
Of the polling results posted, the survey undertaken by the New Jersey based Opinion Research, Inc. was conducted in the Spring of 2006 and is the most recent national poll to be commissioned by the Citizens Flag Alliance. The survey undertaken by the Alexandria, Virginia based Market Strategies, Inc. was conducted in 2002 and is the most extensive of recent surveys.


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Hillary Clinton was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. Rodham married Bill Clinton in 1975. She was first lady 1993-2001 and a U.S. Senator 2001-2009. In early 2007, Hillary Clinton announced her plans to run for president. During the 2008 Democratic Primaries, she conceded her nomination when it became apparent that Barack Obama held a majority of the delegate vote. After winning the national election, Obama appointed her as Secretary of State.
Senator, lawyer, former First Lady. Hillary Diane Rodham was born on October 26, 1947 in Chicago and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, a picturesque suburb located 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
She was the eldest daughter of Hugh Rodham, a prosperous fabric store owner, and Dorothy Emma Howell Rodham. Hillary had two younger brothers, including Hugh, Jr. (born 1950) and Anthony (born 1954).
As a young woman, Hillary Rodham was active in young Republican groups and campaigned for Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater in 1964. She was inspired to work in some form of public service after hearing a speech in Chicago by the Reverend Martin Luther King and became a Democrat in 1968.
Rodham attended Wellesley College; she was active in student politics and was elected Senior Class president before she graduated in 1969. She then attended Yale Law School, where she met Bill Clinton. Graduating with honors in 1973, she also attended one post-graduate year of study on children and medicine at Yale Child Study Center.
Hillary worked at various jobs during her summers as a college student. In 1971, she first came to Washington, D.C to work on U.S. Senator Walter Mondale's subcommittee on migrant workers. In the summer of 1972, she worked in the western states for the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern.
In the spring of 1974, Rodham became a member of the presidential impeachment inquiry staff, advising the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives during the Watergate Scandal. After President Richard M. Nixon resigned in August, she became a faculty member of the University of Arkansas Law School in Fayetteville, where her Yale Law School classmate and boyfriend Bill Clinton was teaching as well.
Rodham married Bill Clinton on October 11, 1975, at their home in Fayetteville. Before he proposed marriage, Clinton had secretly purchased a small house that she had remarked that she liked. When he proposed marriage to her and she accepted, he revealed that they owned the house. Their daughter, Chelsea Victoria, was born February 27, 1980.
In 1976, she worked on Jimmy Carter's successful campaign for president while husband Bill was elected Attorney General. He was elected governor in 1978 at age 32, lost re-election in 1980, but came back to win in 1982, 1984, 1986 (when the term of office was expanded from two to four years) and 1990.
Hillary joined the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock and in 1977 was appointed to part-time chairman of the Legal Services Corporation by President Carter. As First Lady of Arkansas for a dozen years (1979-1981, 1983-1992), she chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, Legal Services and the Children's Defense Fund. She also served on the boards of TCBY and Wal-Mart. In 1988 and 1991, The National Law Journal named her one of the 100 most powerful lawyers in America. During the 1992 presidential campaign, she emerged as a dynamic and valued partner of her husband, and as president he named her to head the Task Force on National Health Reform (1993). The controversial commission produced a complicated plan which never came to the floor of either house. It was abandoned in September 1994.
During this period, she and her husband invested in the Whitewater real estate project. The project's bank , Morgan Guaranty Savings and Loan failed, costing the federal government $73 million. Whitewater later became the subject of congressional hearings and an independent counsel investigation.
In 1998, the White House was engulfed with the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Though she publicly supported her husband, Mrs. Clinton reportedly considered leaving her marriage. He was impeached, but the U.S. Senate failed to convict and he remained in office. With her husband limited to two terms in the White House, Mrs. Clinton decided she would seek the U.S. Senate seat from New York held by Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He was retiring after four terms. Despite early problems, and charges of carpet bagging, Clinton beat popular Republican Rick Lazio by a surprisingly wide margin: 55 to 43 percent. Clinton became the first wife of a president to seek and win national office and the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from New York. She easily won re-election in November 2006.
In early 2007, Hillary Clinton announced her plans to strive for another first—to be the first female president. During the 2008 Democratic Primaries, Senator Clinton conceded her nomination when it became apparent that nominee Barack Obama held a majority of the delegate vote.
Shortly after Obama won the U.S. presidential election, he nominated Clinton to become Secretary of State in his 2009 cabinet. She accepted the nomination, and was officially approved by the senate on January 21st, 2009.
From : www.biography.com

subset: commoncrawl


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National Night Out is an annual event designed to strengthen communities
nation-wide by encouraging neighborhoods to engage in stronger
relationships with each other and with their local police department. A wide
array of activities and displays are planned for adults and children all at no
THANK YOU to all our SPONSORS:
C.E. Barnes Store
Food Lion
FSC Ranch
Riverwood Golf Club
Rainbow Child Care


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Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]
circa 1823-1939
Gilchrist Family
Extent: 2 boxes
A small but interesting collection of letters and the diaries of Grace Gilchrist Frend from 1907 to 1939. Family members include Anne Burrows Gilchrist, wife of Alexander Gilchrist and mother of Percy Carlyle Gilchrist (scientist/engineer), Beatrice Carwardine Gilchrist (physician who committed suicide), Herbert Harlakenden Gilchrist (painter who also committed suicide later in life), and Grace Gilchrist Frend (would-be singer). The family were intimates of Thomas Carlyle and many pre-Raphaelite painters. Anne was a champion of Walt Whitman; Alexander researched the life of William Blake (a posthumous publication compiled by Anne).


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Monday Morning Club
February 10 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Come and join one of my monthly clubs. A club is a monthly get together where we learn techniques and the mechanics of card making. Whether you are new to the craft or an expert in the field, we create some very amazing projects.
During the course of your club, you will be required to put in a monthly order. You will be a hostess once during that rotation where you will receive all the hostess rewards. Remember to bring your Grab and Go Bag with your supplies each month.
The cost is a $15 minimum order.


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Michaël Samyn has made numerous attempts to explain what Bientôt l'été is. Through his development blog the co-owner of Tale of Tales (Auriea Harvey is hard at work on the game: 8) has tried to convey the intricacies of his vision. Not because the work is ambivalent, but because he knows the audience can be capricious at times; nestled cosily in 'more of the same'. The future of the videogame, for many, must be imbued with the familiarity of traditional ideas, thankfully, Michaël questions that conformist attitude. With inspiration from the novelist Marguerite Duras and her work in Moderato Cantabile he asks us to think and feel.
Bientôt l'été is a program that simulates a fictitious beach on the French Atlantic coast. An empty beach for reflection amidst ocean rhythms, where ideas are crafted and relationships are contemplated. This cogitation manifests into a collection of feelings which you can keep or discard as you wander. Sauntering the stretch of sand uncovers the underlying fabric of the program; data structures and a view of interplanetary firmament. Day and night cycles dramatize the setting, accentuated though an emotive soundtrack by Walter Hus. Set back from the shoreline is a single café which houses metaphors for communication through the internet; that our bodies exist externally of it but our minds forage resolutely inside. A conversation transpires; loaded words shrouding their true intent revealing myriad interpretations and torrents of ambiguity. The cycle of visiting the beach and café continues ad infinitum albeit with subtle changes, but what you do in Bientôt l'été however is almost insignificant next to what you feel and what you can find internally.
I asked Michaël about the minutiae of this current project and what he hopes to achieve with it.
Your development blog explores design concepts that you have wrestled with in bringing Bientôt l'été into fruition, I felt it has given me an extra layer of depth to the experience. How much does your audience need to know about the concept before they play it?
I hope not much. If only because I don't know exactly how to introduce Bientôt l'été to a potential player. I'm not sure if reading the blog would be equally helpful to all. Some players might enjoy the piece more knowing nothing. Others, of course, may not connect to it without some help. And yet others would enjoy it more deeply if they knew more about the concept and/or the creation process.
Given the references to Marguerite Duras, I can imagine that people familiar with her novels, films and life would enjoy recognizing some elements in the game. Or they might be disappointed that Bientôt l'été is not as good a work of art as the material it draws inspiration from.
There is no perfect way to optimize the enjoyment of everyone. I hope people give Bientôt l'été a chance, perhaps multiple times, in different moods.
The development blog is intended only for people with a more than average interest in this sort of work. I'm hoping that they can function as evangelists of the piece towards people who are less inclined to such deep involvement but who might still enjoy the experience.
It seems very much about the user's perception of their surroundings; you do not present distractions but opportunities to create feelings. Has this been hard to achieve, are there concerns that the user is usually too busy to notice the space they inhabit?
The creative technology that has emerged out of the combination of computers and games, still has some growing to do. If you make games in this medium, there is a lot of excellent material that can serve as reference. A history from early arcade games to contemporary console blockbusters, but also card, board and folk games that have existed as long as man has, and of course puzzles and sports. But if you try to make something artistic or expressive with this same technology, it's a lot more difficult to find references. It's much easier to make a computer version of chess, than it is to make something along the lines of The Birth of Venus or Die Walküre.
Given the medium's heritage of games, and also some of the inherent quality of interaction probably, one of the major problems when doing the kind of work that we do is to avoid creating opportunities for rules-driven play. One of the tricks you can use for that is the notgames method: reject all game conventions. But this sounds easier than it is. First of all there is a certain doubt about the player's capacity to enjoy themselves if we don't give them a task to do or a goal to move towards. And then there is also the inclination that humans seem to have to turn just about anything into a game.
Humans like competition and they like the feeling of achieving something. But the kinds of activities that lead to such emotions can be detrimental to the experience of beauty. Playing tag in the Louvre is not exactly the best way to enjoy David's paintings. Collecting as many tickets as possible will probably not help you enjoy a concert much.
So I'd say that this has been the hardest part of the design of Bientôt l'été: to design forms of interaction that complement the mood and the atmosphere without stimulating game-like behavior. One the major revelations that I have had during the development of this piece was that the answer to the question "What should the players of artistic interactive pieces be doing?" is simply "Nothing." If you create a world and characters and an atmosphere that are intriguing and attractive, people can enjoy them for what they are. Sometimes doing an activity can enhance the feeling of presence in this virtual world. But I think one should be very careful when implementing such activities. And always keep in mind that nothing is probably ideal.
You have said that you have felt uneasy about introducing collectibles into Bientôt l'été. Has there been a desire to deliver your ideas through a Trojan horse so as not to alienate the user?
The problem was actually that it was all too easy to introduce collectibles! The collection activity was part of the early ideas about the design. What has been difficult is removing it. And I haven't succeeded completely.
We have tried the Trojan Horse approach with Fatale I guess and it didn't really work for us. Gamers are not fooled by random game-like structures or references. I think they appreciate our work much more if we don't compromise, if we strive for a sort of purity, if we really go all the way and deliver something that one cannot call a game anymore, in the strict sense of the word. After all, most gamers also like other things than games, don't they?
The game references are also impossible to appreciate for people who have no experiences with videogames. And we still cherish the dream of creating videogames for people who do not play them.
Ultimately, if Bientôt l'été is a Trojan Horse, the player will have to bring their own Greeks. Because I didn't put any in it. Bientôt l'été is what it is. There is nothing behind the curtain.
I believe you want us to ultimately fall in love, but in what way? I felt attached to the idea of love through the beach, the holodeck and the soundtrack in addition to the stranger in the café.
I don't really want that. It was just something I said early in the development. Something, perhaps, I aimed for in the beginning. Not for the player to actually fall in love, but to play with the avatar in such a way that it perhaps falls in love. But I have more or less given up on that tangent. Because I feel the theme of love is approached from many different directions in Bientôt l'été. It's not just falling in love, it's also breaking up, or not feeling love, or being confused by love, or desiring love.
Ultimately I don't have any concrete expectations of how the player will end up feeling through playing. Even though the words and music are carefully chosen to create a rather specific mood, what Bientôt l'été ultimately means to a player will depend more on their own life experiences than on anything in the game. Bientôt l'été is a system, a device, a tool that gives opportunity to look into one's own heart, to reminisce memories, to consider existence.
As in Marguerite Duras' novels, you place an emphasis on what is 'not' being said in-between the conversations the user has. Is the unspoken supposed to manifest on the beach as more ideas to take back into repeated visits to the café?
That's a nice interpretation. The text that appears on the beach is all sorts of things to me: distracted musing, doubts about what to say, memories of what has been said or of former relationships, etc. The kind of messy thinking that the violent winds at the Atlantic coast cause in one's head. Reality still very much happens in between what is being said. This is how amorous conversations seem like a kind of games. You can only really do symbolic moves and hope that your partner understands the emotions behind the gesture and responds in a way that pleases you. When Marguerite Duras refrains from saying something explicitly, I don't think she is being coy (not most of the time, at least). I think she deeply believes that the not saying or the saying of something that doesn't seem directly related, more correctly expresses the emotions, the intent, the desire, the love. She was obsessed with precision. Her words are the closest possible expression of the feelings, even if they seem imperfect, incomplete, inadequate or absurd.
If nothing else, her words, and hopefully the way I use them in Bientôt l'été, make one aware of the fact that the literal meaning of what is being said covers only a small part of what is going on. It is a very sad state of affairs if we believe that language is our only connection to reality. To accept only the existence of things that can be said is sad and potentially dangerous. In that sense, pointing out the charming inadequacy of language, pays tribute to the richness of existence. And what nobler goal is their for art?
From following your blog I cannot separate the creator from the creation. I view Bientôt l'été as: An artist creating a love story through the means of his audience creating a love story. Have you thought about your role as a creator within your own vision? All of the elements the audience generates emotion with, have been created by you.
I see my work as a form of sharing. Since we are all human here, I assume that there will be some overlap between my life and that of the players. So I hope that they recognize certain emotions or concepts. But they will no doubt also invent new ones, that I may not share with them. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the experience of the player. Bientôt l'été is not a tool to help understand its creator. It is not an expression in that sense. I see it more as an investigation.
I think that is one of the reasons why I like this medium so much. It puts creator and appreciator on an equal level. And the artistic experience really only happens when we collaborate. I make something and you do something and it is through your energy that the work gets electrified, so to speak, that it becomes alive and beautiful and meaningful. This is true of every art form, but much more concretely so for realtime pieces running on computers.
There is a strong autobiographical basis to Bientôt l'été in the sense that I met the love of my life on the internet, and we have done many attempts to meet each other "in cyberspace". I am also very familiar with the kind of seaside portrayed in the game as my family lived near the North Sea in Belgium and we visited often when I was young. But I don't see Bientôt l'été as an expression of these events and experiences. I don't have anything to say about them. They simply come natural to me. They are more material than content.
So even though many elements in Bientôt l'été come directly out of my own life experience, I do not feel that the work is about me in any way. I feel very impersonal as an artist. I don't feel like an individual. I feel more like a conduit for things that happen outside of me, a channel. I believe Elizabeth Grosz expressed it well when she called art a sort of framing of chaos (which is the word she uses to describe raw existence, encompassing everything, far larger than anything in the human scale – hence the need for frames).
Would you be interested in creating an augmented reality version of Bientôt l'été? The user could use real world elements such as walking on an actual beach with the projection of the phrases and the holodeck through AR glasses.
In principle, no. Because I think we already look at reality far too little. Reality is amazing as it is. I don't want anything to cover it up. I would like my work to inspire a new way of looking at reality. But preferably in sequence, not simultaneously.
It's a cute idea, though. I think it would also be interesting to use the audio of the game to respond to your position on a real beach. It might be a nice thing to do next to playing the game or walking on the beach. But I would be horrified if it would replace the latter.
It's also quite essential for me that the scenery in Bientôt l'été is synthetic. It is presented as a holographic projection. I would not want to reduce actual reality to such a charade. And I think the game is more meaningful with this layer of falsehood present.
What do you think of the terminology we use to describe this medium you work in? Game, fun and play seem quite limiting to convey the ideas you are exploring here.
I do use those words. There is a game-aspect in all art. And fun could be used to describe all sorts of enjoyment, if a bit irreverently. Play is a very useful word because it has been far less tainted by the games industry than the word game. We can still easily imagine many forms of play. But you are right that these words would not suffice to convey the ideas behind the creation of Bientôt l'été or the concepts and feelings explored in it. This is why I am half-considering asking journalists not to review Bientôt l'été. There doesn't seem to be much point to talk about it in conventional game terms. Not that I think it is so immensely different. I think many videogames have suffered from the minute vocabulary that the games press generally employs. The players have missed a lot of great experiences as a result of this, and the developers have been pushed into a Metacritic corner where they lack the energy and the courage to emphasize anything other than what can be reviewed as graphics/mechanics/sound effects/narrative or what have you.
The medium I feel I work in is not video-games, in the sense of games made with computers. My medium is that technology that video-games also use. And its (potential) audience. The more mainstream videogames are deviating from strict game structures and fluctuate towards a more general entertainment medium, the more overlap starts to exist between what we do and what they do. Our work has probably more in common with contemporary mass market blockbuster videogames than with hardcore retro games or clever puzzle games.
It's a bit annoying that we are stuck with the word "videogames" for this medium, but we will just have to get over the literal meaning of that word and embrace the broad reality that it already represents. That will take time and effort.
Do you think the medium needs more diversity in themes and content? We know how to effectively build zombies and soldiers etc. but what about the things we do not know how to build, who is exploring those and are they important?
The zombies and soldiers that the games industry creates rarely convince me. Most often they are just pawns or tokens on a virtual game board. They do not really function as the creatures they represent because they are created as visualizations for otherwise abstract tokens in a game system. I don't know a single videogame that was actually built around the idea of what a zombie really is, or could be imagined to be. They just use the poor zombies as something to shoot on.
I wouldn't want to encourage everyone to try to use videogames as an expressive medium. If people are drawn to creating games, they should just do that. They shouldn't feel pressured into making art. I do find it a problematic that some of these games use realistic looking presentations. Because it is easy to mistake such games for actual expressions. They look like art. And that is confusing and misleading.
But I do hope that people who really feel the need to actually investigate certain topics or create beauty for others get more opportunities to use the medium of videogames for this. And I think the games industry would be wise to open its arms for such people and create methods that allow such people to do their work. Because they will enrich everything, open up videogames for all of humanity and establish that coveted respect that videogames will never earn if juvenile action hero fantasies remain the central output.
I am still hopeful that at some point the console makers or the big PC game distributors will get their act together and understand that they should pour massive support in this project. Just imagine AAA budgets for videogame productions that are not about playing with guns or dolls! Mind-boggling! Revolutionary! I don't understand why the videogames industry does not see the massive potential of such a venture. If one of them realizes this, the impact will be huge. In the mean time, we can keep an eye on what the small developers are doing and simply support them as players. If they don't end up infusing the larger industry with more diversity, they will simply become their own thing at some point. And probably grow so big that all but the hardest core will forget about that thing that was once called games-industry.
You have stated that you want to stop being an artist and to produce for other people rather than yourself. Don't you think that you have already been creating for others; even inadvertently, through realising your own ambitions. What you have been doing is important to the advancement of the medium.
I feel flattered that you think so. And I know that there have been a few occasions where our work has inspired the design of videogames that reached a much larger audience. But I would like to see if I can't make something on that level myself. I've always more or less accepted that I'm simply too weird to ever make something for anyone outside of a small elite. But through the work on Bientôt l'été, which I consider one of the most extreme cases of elitist game design I have been involved with, I have started to think of overcoming my handicap as a sort of challenge.
Maybe I'm finally old enough to be mild and kind now. Maybe I'm just sick of rebelling. Maybe this is just a phase. Or it's simply a form of vanity. This change in attitude may not make much of a difference to anyone but myself. I just want to make something nice now. Try to avoid my contrary nature and make something that people find pretty and fun, something that moves them without having to be very erudite or jumping through all sorts of ambiguous hoops. If only for a change.
I guess I also feel that I can do this now, because there's so many more developers now than ever who are exploring this medium in sincerity and with ambition. Only a few years ago, it probably felt like a holy duty to me to make these kinds of experimental videogames. But now there's several very interesting developers exploring the underwater part of the proverbial iceberg, from many different directions. So I can relax a bit. It's very exciting!
Through the output of Tale of Tales both Michaël and Auriea have certainly earned the right to relax. Bientôt l'été however you interpret it stands as a testament to two innovators who fell in love through the internet; whose lateral thinking is often the subject of misconstrued sentiments. In my search for neoteric thinking I have not yet found the Howard Roark of videogames, but Michaël Samyn exudes many of his qualities. When we look back on the history of this medium and of the people who helped advance it, it would be nice if those who fought conventions were encouraged rather than vilified. Please support Bientôt l'été and purchase it.
For further insight view the excellent blog and Tumblr archive (excerpts below)
Footage of work in progress:


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In Fusion Middleware 11g you'd normally set your Java memory arguments by specifying the USER_MEM_ARGS variable (in the <DOMAIN_HOME>/bin/startWeblogic.sh for example). The effect of this is that whatever magic happens in the scripts like setDomainEnv.sh, in the end the memory settings will be set like you've set in USER_MEM_ARGS.
Is it just me, or does this not work anymore in a SOA Suite PS5 install? (Or didn't I pay attention in the older versions? :)) The script <DOMAIN_HOME>/bin/setSOADomainEnv.sh reaves havoc regarding the USER_MEM_ARGS by simply overwriting it.
I was fed up with this, and hacked the setSOADomainEnv.sh. If you want the USER_MEM_ARGS to be the one and only memory setting, change the following:
Add in the beginning
if [ -n "${USER_MEM_ARGS}" ] ; then SAVED_MEM_ARGS="${USER_MEM_ARGS}" fi
to store any set USER_MEM_ARGS into a new variable SAVED_MEM_ARGS. Then the script will start doing all kinds of magic with all kind of settings.
Then add at the end, for example line 220 the following:
if [ -n "${SAVED_MEM_ARGS}" ] ; then USER_MEM_ARGS="${SAVED_MEM_ARGS}" fi
to restore the USER_MEM_ARGS.
Setting the Java memory arguments in OFM 22.214.171.124.0,


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Rung Yen Resort | Dansai, Loei, Thailand
It's the best kept secret in Thailand's Loei province. Surrounded by natural beauty, Rung Yen Resort is tucked into the green hills of northern Isaan near the famous Mekong River. iTravel Channel recently got the chance to stay there during a stint in Thailand's northeast. The property boasts a breathtaking garden, filled with lush flowers and greenery. It's a typical Thai family resort, with bungalows with comfy beds, quiet verandas and even fireplaces in some of the rooms. While Rung Yen has old world charm, it also boasts all the good perks of modernity including free WIFI, private parking and recent renovations. There's no better way to get away from it all than deep in the Thai countryside. If you're planning to make your way through northern Isaan anytime soon, be sure to check out this little treasure.
Plan your Dansai, Loei Vacation, Holiday or Getaway
Use our wealth of knowledge and experience through our video travel guides to plan your next vacation or holiday. Be sure to watch all of our videos on Loei, Thailand, for a complete overview of this fabulous city.
Don't want the stress of planning a trip to Loei yourself? If you'd like, visit our friends at gotodestinations.com where we have fantastic and exclusive tour packages customised just for you.


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Jacqueline Sewell reached above the doorjamb of the charred remains of the Millrift, Pa., log cabin where her son died.
Jacqueline Sewell reached above the doorjamb of the charred remains of the Millrift, Pa., log cabin where her son died.
She wondered if the spare key was still in its hiding place after so many firefighters had been through there, battling an intense fire on Jan. 17, in the middle of a snowstorm, in the middle of the night.
She pulled down the melted key and was amazed to find it had formed into the shape of the tool of his trade: an anvil.
Gregson Sewell, 47, was a farrier — a blacksmith specializing in horseshoes — for racing horses. He died in the accidental fire, as did his two basset hounds.
He was well-known as "the village smitty" in horse stables along the East Coast and throughout the harness-racing world. The nickname is etched on his gravestone in Franklin, Mass.
"He was brought up in the horse-track life," his mother said. His father, Robert Sewell, had a stable, raced horses and was a trainer.
At one time, Gregson worked at the Meadowlands Racetrack in Rutherford, N.J., but in recent years traveled to farms throughout Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to work on horses' hooves.
But he loved returning to his dream house in Millrift, perched above the Delaware River. With its brown fence and covered wagon in the front yard, the log cabin was a landmark.
Now, Jacqueline Sewell is staying in a trailer on her son's Millrift property and handles the yardwork "for the neighbors" so they don't have to look at an overgrown yard.
She fixed the fence where firefighters broke through in their rush to douse the flames, and plans to rebuild a home there.
The fire scene is a painful reminder for a wife and mother all too familiar with sudden loss.
Gregson's brother, Robert Sewell Jr., a horse trainer, died in a 1989 car crash at age 27.
Jacqueline Sewell spent summers with Gregson in Millrift and winters in Florida.
Following the death of her son Robert, she isolated herself and grieved for a long time. This latest loss is different, though.
"I'm not doing that with Greg. I'm older now," Sewell said as she zipped around the yard in a golf cart, pointing out memories like where the family pets are buried, drinking a peach margarita and shooting at bumblebees with a can of Raid stored in the drink caddy. She vacillated between laughter and tears.
"I've learned you don't try to get over it, because you can't. You just have to get through it," she said.


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FFPC High Stakes Leagues
Live Drafts in Las Vegas or Online. Entry fees from $750 to $10,000 per team.
The FFPC High Stakes Leagues are individual, stand-alone leagues which are not part of any national contest. These leagues are offered in many various formats, some of which may be familiar while others are unique and different from anything you may have participated in before. All High Stakes leagues will be held as live, in-person drafts at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas during the FFPC events in September but some can also be drafted remotely, either online or by phone. So, how does drafting without a cheatsheet in the Bare Knuckle Challenge sound? Does bidding for your draft slot with real money in the Off-The-Grid league peak your interest? Then you're in the right place, friend!
Live Auction
Big Payback & High Society
Bare Knuckle Challenge
Live Best Ball


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APEX, NORTH CAROLINA, OCTOBER 23, 2012 - When music is the goal, the new Constellation tube preamplifier is a perfect choice. The Constellation uses the excellent 6SN7 tube running in Class-A triode mode that is coupled to a fully-regulated power and heater supply. The transformer is a custom R-core power device designed to our own specifications. The preamplifier was built using premium parts, and a simple signal path was designed with sonic purity in mind.
The Constellation was developed to offer the absolute best in sound quality without adding all the bells and whistles. Whether enjoyed in an existing system or coupled with the new Hercules power amplifier, the Constellation will be a source of years of musical enjoyment for you without breaking the bank.
The Constellation preamplifier is currently available for purchase through Audio Electronics by Cary Audio's online store or through your local Cary Audio dealer.
Weight: 22 lbs.
Dimensions: 13" L x 14.25" W x 7.5" H
Retail price: $1,495
About Audio Electronics by Cary Audio
A product line designed and manufactured by Cary Audio, Audio Electronics has a long history of delivering high-end performance products at very modest prices. The Audio Electronics products are built in the Cary Audio factory in North Carolina and proudly wear the Made in USA label. Visit www.caryaudio.com for complete product specifications and additional information.


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Styling Your Up-do Hair
Hair worn up used to be for formal occaissons or a simple ponytail for working out but not anymore.Up-do styling is commonly seen in everydaywear with the main change being that it can be worn as an "undone "do.
As attitudes have changed to workpace hair it is ok to have a half backcombed ponytail or slicked back sides and bouffant or pompadour style on top.
The key to doing an up-do is in prepping the hair correctly,once this is achieved then the hair can be formed into a style.
It is best if the hair is washed a day prior to putting it up.Dry hair types should use A-list shampoo and A-List conditioner to give the hair moisture and flexibility and enable it to be put up easily.Finer hairtypes should use Big Scene shampoo and conditioner for body.A-List Mousse should be blowdried into the hair for body or Supporting Role on finer hair.
Take sections of hair and add The director Multi hold Hairspray on M and run your hands over it to dry it onto the hair,next use a curlig iron or heated rollers to make curls .Repeat until all hair is curled all over the head.
From here on it depends on the desired stlye but most up-dos start with one or three ponytails (a chignon for example begins with one ponytail in the nape or off to one side).The ponytails give you a base to pin to,so then take sections form them into curls and arrange by pinning around the ponytail using bobby pins.
For more bouffant styles the hair may be backcombed at the roots then sprayed with The Director on Light hold before being smoothed (sometimes over a pad)with a Mason and Peason type bristle brush and secured with bobby pins.Use The director on High hold to finish the style and add Silversreen lightly for extra shine.If there are flyaways that need taming use Glamour Hair Polish lightly .
Big Scene
Center Stage
Red Carpet Treatment
Styling Products
Applause Bodifying Styling Cream
Famous Pomeade Wax
Performer Smoothing Gel
Key Grip Firm Hold Shine Gel
Supporting Role Volumizer
Editor Styling Paste
Playwright Hair Former
Director Hair Spray
A-List Serum
A-List Volumizing Mousse
Gallery of Styles
Short Hair
Long Hair
Curly Hair
Red Heads
Mens Hair
How to Style Your Hair
Short Hair
Long Hair
Trendy Hair
Culture Links
Music Videos


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TOGAF® is a framework for enterprise architecture which provides a comprehensive approach for designing, planning, implementing, and governing an enterprise information architecture. TOGAF® is the open Enterprise Architecture standard used by the world's leading organizations to improve business efficiency.
The TOGAF® 9 Level 2 (Certified) builds on this functional knowledge using practical scenarios, based more on practical application and analysis.
The exam format of TOGAF® Level 2 is as follows:
The TOGAF® (Level 2) course is recommended for anybody interested in learning more about Enterprise Architecture and Business Architecture, and achieving the TOGAF® Certified status.
The candidate should complete the The TOGAF® (Level 1) to attend the The TOGAF® (Level 2) exam.
The TOGAF® (Level 2) covers the following Topics:
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By John Gruber
Magic Puzzles: Three 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles with beautiful artwork and a magical ending.
Chris Ziegler, reporting for The Verge:
The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One.
It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession — most recently Jason Gordon, the company's vice president of global communications. Other fresh departures include global retail marketing manager Rebecca Rowland, director of digital marketing John Starkweather, and product strategy manager Eric Lin.
★ Wednesday, 22 May 2013


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A pair of top White House officials is pushing to broaden the war in Syria according to two sources familiar with the debate inside the Donald Trump administration.
Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director for intelligence on the National Security Council, and Derek Harvey, the NSC's top Middle East advisor, want the United States to start going on the offensive in southern Syria, where, in recent weeks, the US military has taken a handful of attacks.The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The Pentagon has publicly asserted it has no intention to fight Syrian Arab Army forces and their allies, unless provoked.Meanwhile, Trump's address in Saudi Arabia in early May made clear the United States was going to take sides in the Middle East's sectarian struggle, choosing to back some Arab parties in an attempt to isolate Syria's ally, Iran.In this respect, the Gulf monarchies and the Zionist entity have all welcomed Trump's vows to push back against Iran.Some administration officials have argued for expanding support for the Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen.
Like Syria, however, a larger US role in Yemen's war carries an array of risks, and experts say treating Yemen as a proxy war with Iran could backfire badly.
While officials argue in Washington over strategy and vie for influence in the administration, events on the ground in Syria are moving quickly, raising the potential of a conflict.
Relatively, US military officers made clear that they will not hesitate to carry out additional attacks in case American special operations forces are 'endangered.'"If our folks are on the ground and they're threatened, we will use air power, whether it's against regime forces or pro-regime forces," one officer said.
Source: Foreign Policy,
- Syrian army soldiers contact with Hashd Shaabi volunteer forces after reaching Iraqi border: al-Manar correspondent
- Syrian army reaches Iraqi border after liberating 25,000 km of Syrian Badiyah: al-Manar correspondent
- «Israel», Saudi Arabia Discuss Establishing Economic Ties
- First «Normalization Flight» from «Israel» to Saudi Arabia
- Iraq Captures Key Crossing near Syria from Daesh Terrorists
- Merkel Concerned About US Sanctions on Russia
- Trump Cuba Policy: Cuba, South America Allies Slam Trump's Rollback
Filed under: Al Qaeda, GCC, Iran, US Foreign Policy, USA, War on Syria, War on Yemen | Tagged: Deep State, ISIL, Mattis, SAA, Trump |


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Brie Schneider
Thank you so much for your professionalism and kindness. The house looks great, and we have received many compliments already. It was also so wonderful to know that you were so attentive to detail and to making our house a home. I will most definitely be posting a positive review on your Facebook page and you are welcome to use any testimonials of mine for advertising.
Thank you again, and best of luck in all future endeavors!


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This is a big day for me: the beginning of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and 17 days of international competition in sports I do not usually watch. For most of the next 17 days, I'll probably be glued to my television set rooting for our athletes.
Until recent years, Canadian athletes seemed to have underperformed as a group at the Olympics, leaving many of their best performances to the various, less prestigious, World Championships. And who can forget that our athletes failed to win a gold medal at our last Winter Olympics, Calgary 1988, when Canadian athletes won two silver and three bronze medals.
In past decades, European athletes dominated the Winter Olympics—not even the United States did particularly well. Canada's performance, though, has continually improved since 1988, with total medal counts increasing steadily in every subsequent games. From a 5-medal total in Calgary, we won seven in 1992 at Albertville, 13 in 1994 at Lillehammer, 15 in 1998 at Nagano, 17 in 2002 at Salt Lake City and a terrific 24 at Turin in 2006.
Our recent success owes much to the addition to the Winter Olympics of several new sports such as snowboarding, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing. The Europeans do still tend to dominate the traditional winter programs.
In the past several years, Canada has used the Vancouver Olympics as an opportunity to pump millions of dollars into many aspects of winter sports, and the funding is expected to pay off dramatically. Leading up to Vancouver, "Own the Podium" has been our battle cry. Own the Podium is a $117-million business plan that provides Canadian athletes in selected sports with elite coaching and enhanced training with paid travel. This program is the foundation of our most ambitious Olympic goal: First in the total medal count.
Canada was fourth at Salt Lake City in 2002 in both gold and total medals—the U.S., Germany and Norway were ahead of us. Canada slipped to fifth overall in gold medals at Turin in 2006, but our 24 total medals were good for third place overall—only Germany and the U.S. had more medals. USA Today forecasts that Canada will end on top at Vancouver with 34 medals—with Germany placing second with 32 and the U.S. third with 25.
We won't start expecting too much at these games, for who knows how fate may intervene. Canada's excellent performances at recent World Cup and World Championships, however, do give us reason to be hopeful.
Play on Canadian athletes, we'll be rooting for you win, lose or draw.
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© 2009 Russell G. Campbell
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Giving the silent treatment is one of the most common ways to avoid conflict in a relationship. Dealing with the silent treatment in marriage or any relationship is difficult because of its very nature! When your husband or boyfriend doesn't want to talk to you, how do you solve the problem?
"I love my husband, but he withdraws whenever we disagree about something big or little," says a She Blossoms reader on Why He's Not Talking to You – and How to Open Him Up. "I know this is a 'Men are from Mars, women are from Venus' thing. Men have their caves and they hide whenever there's a problem in a relationship. But what can I do? There must be some way for me to learn how to deal with the silent treatment in my marriage. I really feel like it's getting worse instead of better. We've been married 6 years. Any advice for me?"
If the silent treatment is taken too far, it's becomes emotional abuse. The silent treatment is one of the most common warning signs of relationship problems because it's so easy for couples to fall into the habit of doing. The tips in this post on how to deal with the silent treatment are geared towards couples in romantic relationships, but can be applied to all types of partnerships: work, school, family, or even neighbors.
The silent treatment is part of what's called a "demand-withdraw" pattern in a relationship. It happens when one partner pressures the other with requests, criticism or complaints and is met with avoidance or silence. Research from Paul Schrodt, Ph.D. at Texas Christian University shows that couples engaged in demand-withdraw pattern experience lower relationship satisfaction, less intimacy, and poorer communication. This research professor also found that the damage caused by the silent treatment can be both emotional and physical.
The silent treatment causes surprising physical and emotional health problems. Couples who often deal with the silent treatment are more likely to cope with anxiety and aggression, as well as physiological effects such as urinary, bowel or erectile dysfunction.
What is the silent treatment?
The silent treatment occurs when someone – your partner, best friend, family member – ignores you and refuses to speak to you. While the silent treatment is a learned pattern of communication that isn't easily discussed or resolved, it can be "unlearned." It's a hard pattern to break, but my tips for dealing with the silent treatment will help you get started. They'll also help you see your partner's behavior in a different light.
"Couples get locked in this pattern, largely because they each see the other as the cause," says Schrodt in What the "Silent Treatment" Says About Your Relationship. "Both partners see the other as the problem."
The most important tip on how to deal with the silent treatment in relationships is to take responsibility for your part of the problem. The only person you can change is you. You can't force your husband or boyfriend to stop giving you the silent treatment, but you can change how you perceive and respond to him. Research shows that in marriages with regular occurrences of the silent treatment, the wife is more likely to be the demanding partner. Wives more often complain that husbands are closed off, emotionally unavailable, emotionally distant or remote.
4 Tips for Dealing With the Silent Treatment
It hurts when someone you love refuses to acknowledge or talk to you no matter what you say or do. Dealing with the silent treatment is frustrating and hurtful; some therapists classify it as a form of emotional manipulation and control. Giving the silent treatment is an immature way to deal with hurt feelings. Remember that it is an immature coping strategy. Your husband or boyfriend hasn't learned how to deal with uncomfortable emotions in healthy ways.
The silent treatment originated from early cultures long ago, when ostracism or being expelled was a form of punishment. Even today, not being included in a group or community is a terrible thing to experience. In early cultures, being ostracized meant almost certain death because people couldn't live without the protection of society.
Today the silent treatment isn't about physical life or death, but it affects the length and health of your relationship or marriage. That's another reason learning how to deal with the silent treatment in relationships is so important.
1. Learn why he uses the silent treatment
Sometimes people can't express their thoughts or feelings, so they clam up. Other times their emotions – anger, hurt, fear – are so strong that they simply can't talk. Sometimes people feel that they aren't a match for their partner verbally, so they shut down. The silent treatment can be a way for your partner to protect him or herself. The silent treatment is a form of bullying, and it's often used to get what is wanted in the relationship. This type of passive aggressive communication might be all your partner learned as a child – it may be how your partner controlled his or her world. Why do you think your boyfriend or husband uses the silent treatment in your relationship? Understanding the reasons behind his behavior can help you deal with it.
2. Talk about the silent treatment with your husband or boyfriend
You can't deal with the silent treatment when your partner isn't talking to you, but you can bring it up after the storm has passed. Tell your boyfriend or husband how much you care about him, and how important he are to you. Share how it feels when you get the silent treatment and how it affects you. You might even share that you feel like the "clingy girlfriend" in your relationship when you get the silent treatment. It's important not to "give as good as you get" when you get the silent treatment. Shutting down increases hostility and negative feelings, and puts more of a wall in between you and your boyfriend or husband.
3. Accept his unwillingness to talk
I admit that I'm guilty of giving the silent treatment to my husband. It seemed like a good idea at the time – it seemed to be an appropriate way to deal with him! But it's not appropriate. It's actually very harmful to a relationship, even though it seems like "just" silence.
The reason I tend to fall back on the silent treatment as a way of communicating – and it is a method of communication, believe it or not – is because I'm too scared or insecure to share how I really feel. Something is threatening me. It may be real (eg, my husband has legitimately pointed out something I've done wrong) or perceived (eg, I mistakenly thought my husband was still attracted to his ex-girlfriend, so I was jealous).
One of the best tips on how to deal with the silent treatment in relationships is to ignore it (depending on the reason your husband or boyfriend is using silence). Try walking away and leaving him alone during an episode of silence. If you cajole, beg, whine or threaten your partner while he is giving you the silent treatment, he'll withdraw even more. It's better to let his anger run its course. Eventually he'll return, hopefully ready to start talking again.
4. Learn the pattern of the silent treatment in your relationship
Some husbands or boyfriends who give the silent treatment need their wives or girlfriends to make the first move. After you've given him time to cool down, maybe you have to be the first to apologize. It doesn't seem fair, but often the giver of the silent treatment needs to be approached.
What's the pattern of the silent treatment in your relationship? If you can identify it, then you're in a better position to deal with it. If your boyfriend or husband often needs two days to cool off, don't approach him earlier. If your partner refuses to talk until you apologize first, then you need to meet him where he's at if you want to stay in the relationship.
Quick tips for the silent treatment in relationships
Remember that getting more talkative or vocal when you're getting the silent treatment won't help your relationship. Here are a few strategies for dealing with the silent treatment with someone you love:
- Remind yourself that the problem can't be solved until your boyfriend or husband tells you what is wrong. It's not up to you to fix the problem
- Don't try to read his mind – it's impossible!
- Don't give the silent treatment back
- Let your boyfriend or husband know you care about him and want to know why he's upset
- Invite him to talk about what is bothering him when he's ready
- Don't engage. Don't play his game. Try not to get angry or frustrated
- Talk to a relationship therapist or marriage counselor about dealing with the silent treatment with your husband or boyfriend
These tips for dealing with the silent treatment in relationships are easier said than done. But if you can stay calm and cool-headed, you're more likely to deal with the silent treatment in healthy ways.
If it's time to start emotionally detaching, read How to Let Go of Someone You Love.
Help for Difficult Relationships
In Toxic Men: 10 Ways to Identify, Deal with, and Heal from the Men Who Make Your Life Miserable, Lillian Glass describes how to identify, handle, and heal from men who make you miserable. You'll learn tips for dealing with the silent treatment in relationships – plus how to handle all types of men, from the "Sneaky, Passive-Aggressive, Silent-But-Deadly Erupting Volcano" to the "Instigating, Backstabbing Meddler." Dr. Glass offers ten practical ways to deal with every type of toxic partner.
I list Lillian Glass' book below because it's incredibly important to learn how to deal with toxic relationships if your partner refuses to stop giving you the silent treatment. Learning how to communicate better or finding tips on dealing with the silent treatment in relationships won't help unless you know you're with a toxic person. Equip yourself with the tools you need to deal with difficult people, or think about breaking up with your partner.
You might also find How to Know if a Man is Emotionally Available for Love helpful.


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Justice for Our Neighbors is a network of sites across the country that provides free or low-cost immigration legal services for low-income immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers. JFON attorneys meet with clients at legal clinics in churches and community centers, through referrals and scheduled appointments.
Dreaming of JFON During the past years, many dreamed of having an Arizona Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON). A task force worked on the possibilities in 2012 and 2013. Many of those members were United Methodist Women, who with tremendous support and leadership from Billie Fidlin, began initial research but at the time the minimum budget seemed astronomical. The early dreams were not able to get off the ground.
Coming to Desert Southwest Conference In November 2015 five members of the Immigration Task Force were revitalized at a General Board of Church and Society retreat in Des Moines, Iowa. They dreamed wide and prepared a draft of a strategic plan for an Arizona Justice For Our Neighbors. Ella Rawls joined our enthusiastic group last fall and with the full support of Bishop Bob Hoshibata in December 2016 the Immigration Task Force formed the Future Arizona Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) Board of Directors. We currently are blessed with twelve active board members with a passion to make our dream come true.
We had a soft launch on November 1, 2017 to prepare to offer immigration legal services. After much preparation and organizing we had our very first clinic on January 13th, 2018. We held 5 consultations and we have trained multiple volunteers. The atmosphere was very positive and noon snuck up on all of us!
Our current focus is on family-based immigration, however anyone with an immigration legal question is welcome to call ahead and set up a clinic appointment at 520-488-3201.We have multiple volunteer and leadership opportunities as well, if you are interested in getting involved please call our office or email us at .
We are located at 1130 E Bilby Road. Tucson, Arizona 85706


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As Democratic senators declared their support for the deal struck between Iran and six world powers–an agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action–corporate media coverage of this momentum is leaving out at least one crucial detail: the lack of evidence that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb.
A New York Times article (9/2/15) cited two main reasons for why many Democrats were persuaded to support the Iran deal: 1) the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has technology that "could catch even the most minute trace amounts of radioactive material, and help expose any cheating on the deal by Iran," and 2) the senators "heard from experts who said that a 15-year limit on fissile material, the makings of a nuclear weapon, would do more to slow Iran's production of a nuclear weapon than a military attack."
Reporters Carl Hulse and David Herszenhorn could have pointed out, as James Risen and Mark Mazzetti did on the Times' front page three years ago (2/24/12; FAIR.org, 2/9/15), that "American intelligence analysts continue to believe that there is no hard evidence that Iran has decided to build a nuclear bomb." Or quoted, as Seymour Hersh did (New Yorker, 6/6/11), longtime IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei's statement that he had not seen "a shred of evidence" that Iran was trying to weaponize its uranium. Or at least included, as basic balance, the fact that Iran had consistently maintained that it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon (FAIR.org, 9/30/13).
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None of this stopped USA Today's Erin Kelly (9/2/15) from describing the deal as an effort to "curb Iran's nuclear ambitions"–a phrasing that assumes such ambitions exist. Or to summarize the deal by saying it "calls for the United States to lift economic sanctions against Iran in return for Iran's agreement not to develop nuclear weapons"; if that were all Iran had to do, the agreement could have been reached years ago, as Iran has long insisted they don't want an atomic bomb. (The deal actually severely restricts Iran's ability to enrich uranium to levels that are useful for nuclear power and medical applications.)
The Washington Post (9/2/15) also had an uncritical reference to "Iran's nuclear ambitions." It said opponents objected to the deal because it "doesn't do enough to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and, at best, only delays its pathway to becoming an armed nuclear state." Again, there was no mention of the widespread doubts or Iran's vociferous denials that that nation is seeking a nuclear weapon.
When the Post turned to give proponents' view of the deal, reporters Karoun Demirjian and Carol Morello wrote: "But Obama and his proxies have argued that the deal is the best agreement they could have secured, that there is no alternative to it but war with Iran." In other words, if the deal with Iran fails, then the US must go to war with Iran, because war is the only means to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. So the entire spectrum of debate allowed by the Post accepts an Iranian quest for an atomic bomb as an article of faith–and the "left" edge of the debate endorses the legitimacy of preemptive war (FAIR.org, 8/20/15).


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Studies show that outdoor activities such as summer camp encourage youth to learn new skills, develop positive and healthy relationships with their peers, and allow them the opportunity to participate in group decision making activities. We want to send underserved and low-income youth in Orange County, California to camp so they can participate in hands-on interactive learning experiences by attending day camps and overnight residential camps.
Many of today's underserved youth spend most of their developmental years in urban or suburban areas and rarely have the opportunity to acquire an appreciation for nature. Many of the youth in underserved, vulnerable or low income backgrounds in Orange County seldom get opportunities to supplement their in-school learning with outdoor educational activities. We want to provide scholarship support to youth that otherwise would not be able to attend day or overnight residential camp experiences.
The Orange County Council, Boy Scouts of America provides day and overnight affordable programs year-round with activities that focus on leadership, education, service and adventure. These activities are located at four outdoor facilities: Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center (IROEC), Oso Lake, Schoepe Scout Reservation at Lost Valley (SSRLV) and Newport Sea Base (NSB) as well as day camp opportunities during the summer throughout Orange County.
By focusing on underserved and low-income youth, we are assisting in eliminating barriers that would otherwise limit them from participating in youth development and group activities based in an outdoor setting. By providing these youth the opportunity to learn new skills and to participate in group decision making activities, they will develop positive and healthy relationships.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).


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5 Rules For Building True Friendships
It may not surprise you to hear that a new friend can help you live longer, but did you know friends can be worth $134,000 of happiness?
I'm not making this up. One behavioral economist at the University of London calculated that an increase in social involvement does just as much for you in terms of life satisfaction as landing a $134,000 increase in salary.
The world's longest-lived people already understand this. Among the places in the world where people live the longest, socializing with friends is an important part of life. Okinawans have moais, groups of people who travel through life together. Sardinians finish their days at a local bar, chatting with friends they've known all their lives. And Adventists pot luck.
All this socializing has a measurable result on health. In fact, researchers at Brigham Young University recently discovered that people with stronger social relationships have a 50% greater chance of survival than those who don't. This should come as no surprise, since both ancient wisdom and modern happiness research agree: strong friendships are key — maybe the key — to having a happy life.
Here are some tips from New York University psychologist Irene S. Levine, author of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup with your Best Friend:
1. Put it in your calendar.
Friendships are built not just on shared interests, but on time shared together. Levine suggests scheduling time for friendship just as you would any other routine that is important for health and well-being.
2. Find time for face time.
It's important to make time for phone calls, as well as in-person chats, coffee dates, and shared walks, Levine writes.
3. Remember big moments.
Celebrating milestones like birthdays and anniversaries with a phone call or card also supports friendships.
4. Build traditions.
Establishing rituals with close friends — an annual trip to the lake cabin or the beach, a monthly movie date perhaps — can also strengthen bonds.
5. Focus on quality, not quantity.
Remember, it's the quality of friendships that measurably impacts well-being: supportive, encouraging friends help boost health; draining relationships hurt health.
Then there's the frenemy: the guy who throws great parties and is a lot of fun to be around, but who can't seem to stop competing with you.
Studies have shown that these mixed-bag people raise your blood pressure even more than purely negative people. In fact, researchers at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, found that having a high number of ambivalent relationships is actually a predictor for depression and cardiovascular problems.
Given that finding, it might be worth considering whether it's time to move on from any of these kinds of friends. That way, you'll have time to focus on deepening those friendships that really benefit your health.


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Since the Nineties, it seems that our perpetual look ahead to unhealthy issues to occur, increased exponentially. Just imagine a world the place we not have to use our palms to text others while driving or multitasking. This relationship has been replicated across many different social media sites over time. This analysis is dominated by questions such as the degree to which users are allowed to work together with online newsrooms/online journalists by means of emails; the extent to which online information websites supply discussion boards; and whether or not customers are allowed to comment on stories or in other methods be involved in the production course of.
I am not conscious of any local (as in South African) cell broadband ISPs that present limitless data. Sign up for a free Medical News At the moment account to customise your medical and health information experiences. A cellphone tester is somebody who will get to test out mobile phones, cell phone applications and new options on cellphones before these are actually released to the general public. Maintaining with all the current events generally is a challenging activity, particularly when there may be a lot occurring on the planet right now.
Social media sites inform and empower people to vary themselves and their communities. Jankowski and van Selm (2000) investigated 13 on-line information sites in the United States, The Netherlands and Canada and found similar results. This paper has considered how the primary experiences of a information occasion at the moment are coming from people on the scene in the form of a a hundred and forty-character message. Not solely are youngsters becoming hooked on expertise reminiscent of video video games and mobile phone apps (and Facebook, after all) however our establishments now have satellites orbiting Earth, rockets and missiles being shot into house, mobile phone networks and infrastructures which would all be adversely affected if one thing devastating was to happen to the expertise.
These consumers are much less probably to use their mobile devices for information about local visitors, public transportation, normal news alerts or to access retail coupons or discounts. The operation came again with reactive which I am very positive is caused by using cellphones. New Thunderbolt exterior and cell drives, dock and show adapters will be launched at CES subsequent month. You might be very proper.. but now a days that is something we can not keep away from, but we can make mobile phone technology safer for people.
In line with World Well being Organization, publicity to WiFi and cell phone radiation beneath worldwide guideline limits does not lead to any antagonistic health effects. This time round it was Apple's personal Phil Schiller, who tweeted a Cisco 2014 cellular Security report on twenty first January 2014, highlighting safety glitches in Google's Android operating system. Logan & Scolari (2010) define mCommunication because the convergence of the cell units and entry to the Web" (p. one hundred seventy). Your weblog is the proper place to get high quality information about gadgets and latest tech.


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One of our RADrabbits, Taylor Maltz of Washington D.C. gives us his favorite meal when he's gearing up for a big week of training. The best part about "Buddha" Bowl is the ability to swap different ingredients in and out to mix up the flavor profiles and keep you hungry for more goodness; enjoy Taylor's recipe below!
Farro, Sweet Potato, and Chickpea Buddha Bowl w/Avocado Basil Sauce
I'm heading into a couple big weeks of ultra training, and I can't think of a better meal to start my week than a delicious, nutrient-rich "Buddha Bowl." These colorful gain bowls have many variations, and are loved by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. The below vegetarian recipe is my go-to, but there are many variations you can make - it's hard to go wrong!
One thing to keep in mind, especially for all you rule followers out there! There are many variations of this dish, which is part of the reason it's one of my main staples. If you have a specific way of cooking any of the below – go for it! You can substitute cans of beans for bags, replace oil with water, and even add a meat – you've got the freedom!
Recipe - Makes about three big bowls
The Bowl
The Avocado & Basil Sauce
Instructions - Cooking
3. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and spread evenly. Place in the oven for 25 minutes. Once the timer is up, check to see if they are crispy enough for you! If not, place in for five more minutes. Personally, I like mine super crispy.
Sweet Potatoes
Avocado and Basil Sauce
Instructions - Assembly


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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ium-europe
Current version on Mac OS; pages return "Aw, Snap" error, but the same URL loads without a problem on Chrome.
Bloomberg.com won't load on Slimjet
Slimjet bug reports
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Re: Bloomberg.com won't load on Slimjet
Works fine for me on Linux Mint. Does it work for you in incognito mode? If so, maybe adblocker or an extension is the problem.
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You are cordially invited to our Annual Celebrating Success fundraiser on September 6th, 2019 from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at The For the City Center as we celebrate our 15 year anniversary. Every year, this event honors the achievements of our clients and their contributions to the local economy. This year we are especially pleased to announce we will be celebrating our 15 year anniversary. Created initially to improve the technology digital divide in our community, EGBI then evolved to help business owners better understand how to run a successful business. Since 2011, EGBI has provided assistance to over 2,000 individuals looking to start or grow their small business. From 2011 – 2019, EGBI businesses have generated over $104 million in revenue and supported over 160 full-time employees.
As always, 100% of the services contracted at this event are provided by EGBI clients, from the food to the linens on the table. Celebrating Success luncheon also includes a business expo, where EGBI clients will have an opportunity to showcase and sell their products and services. We are so excited to bring this opportunity to our clients. We have been nurturing our family-owned businesses through education and resources. This is a great way to continue our support by connecting them with a number of community leaders, business consultants, professionals, and other entrepreneurs.
"EGBI is an organization that truly cares for small businesses. They listen, take the time to know you and your business to better understand your situation and provide the right guidance and resources according to your needs." Nayeli Gallegos, President at Red Carpet Productions, LLC and EGBI Alumni
"I am honored to work for an organization whose clients are trying to provide a better life for their families and their employees. Our clients are truly living the American dream." Barbra Boeta, Executive Director of EGBI
Sponsorship opportunities are available throughout the year. Your support helps us connect individuals to the resources and education they need to make them successful business owners. As you may know, although Austin is an awesome city for small businesses, not everyone has equal access to great resources. We hope you view this as an opportunity that needs to be addressed, and that you join our efforts and help us create, grow and sustain successful grassroots businesses, contributing to Austin's economy and the prosperity of their families.
Please click here to view our Sponsorship levels, fill out the form and contact Monica Peña, firstname.lastname@example.com (512-928-2594) with any questions or comments. You can also do it online, just clic aquí!
If you are an EGBI client and would like to participate in this year's event, please contact Monica Peña (email@example.com).
If interested in purchasing tickets early bird pricing before August is $35 and $50 regular price. To purchase your ticket, click AQUÍ. Tables are $500. Please contact Monica Peña, firstname.lastname@example.com (512-928-2594).
Platinum Sponsors
GOld Sponsors
Silver & Bronze Sponsors
Angel Oak Home Loans, LLC.* Outlaw Testing*
Austin Community College Party Impressions*
BB&T PepoleFund
Brillante Services* Red Carpet Productions*
Brown Distributing Company Regions Bank
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority STAR Windshield Repair*
Capital One Tamale Addiction*
City of Austin Small Business Program Team Sol Wilson Foundation
Conway Fleming Allstate Agency Signama Austin
Design by Mary* The Critical Update*
Dig One Services, LLC.* United Heritage Credit Union
Eliza May University United Methodist Community Microlending
Joe and Lupe Morin Woodforest National Bank
Jose Salas Yolanda Davila
MTZ Brothers Drywall and Painting*


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Enhanced e-books will be a boon for non-fiction. Video, interactive diagrams, the ability to update in the light of new information or research. The possibilities are endless.
Fiction…umm…not so much.
I can see hypertext novels coming back into fashion, though they will have to do away with those bloody irritating links — not very conducive to immersion having every character name and artefact highlighted. I can see illustrations becoming prevalent, though there is a point beyond which the novel becomes a graphic novel. I can even see interactive databases for the more extreme world-building; think of Tolkien's appendices as a searchable database.
All that I can see being useful for storytelling.
But I've read a few posts recently, on blogs and writing news aggregation sites, where high muckity-mucks in the publishing industry also mention 'Alternate Endings' as an enhancement.
Why? How does betraying the story count as an enhancement?
There are essentially three forms of storytelling now current in our culture. Interactive games, the media (films, television, graphic novels, radio, audio books) and text (novels, shorts, twitter, blog-stories, and so on. There are slight differences in distribution, but the medium is still text-based).
In games, alternate endings are a great idea. The player is the protagonist in the game, he or she is the one making decisions about how they play, so it's not a bad idea to make those playing decisions affect how the game ends.
Play the game through, shooting everything with the biggest gun you can get. Not a bad way to play a game for the first time: while you work out how the game engines work. Play it through again, but being kinder to the game environment and to all those realistically detailed creatures you can kill. Some people claim to play Grand Theft Auto while going out of their way to avoid running down the virtual pedestrians the game designers place all over the virtual streets. I have no idea why you would do that, it isn't supposed to be a simulation of driving in the city, but some people are just strange.
Between those two extremes, there are a multitude of possible choices that the player can make and each choice could affect the ending of the game. All good. All useful. All enhancing the experience and making you want to play the game again. If only to collect all the endings in the same way you used to collect gold rings when playing Sonic the Hedgehog. Obsessive, yes, but games can make you a tad obsessive — that's part of their appeal.
In the media, mostly films it must be said, alternate endings are sometimes DVD extras. Twenty-Eight Days Later is the one that immediately springs to mind. No spoilers, for those who have not seen it, but I preferred the bleaker ending. I remember watching the film and feeling cheated by the ending they actually used. It felt forced. Please note this is before I even knew the alternate ending existed; once I found that on the DVD, I was even more irritated by the Hollywood ending they chose.
But, and this is important, films (and I suspect TV) are created in the editing suite. They are not created during principal photography. The actual filming simply gives the director options when the film is finally cut together. So much so, that many fine movie actors deliberately avoid giving the same performance in every take. They 'wilfully' (as Ian McKellen said about Ian Holm — when making Lord of the Rings) vary what they do to give the director options in the cut.
This is where the alternate endings that end up on DVDs come from. From this exact same process. The director may film more than one ending, because they don't know how the story is going to play out, they don't know if the pacing will work, they don't know if the producers will accept a bleak ending, they don't know until they have made the film. And since the ending is filmed and done and dusted, well you may as well stick it on the DVD as an extra. That's a no-brainer.
In text — well novels really, yeah…look, I know these publishing execs have a great deal of experience and are, obviously, very smart people, but…um…have they any idea about how a novel actually works?
Just in case they need a heads-up, I'll explain.
This is how a novel works. Every scene, every scrap of dialogue, every piece of action, every bit of fore-shadowing, every character interaction, every bit of weather, every setting, every damn thing that survives the editing process and ends up in the finished novel does service to the plot and make the ending of the story emotionally satisfying to the reader. That is a novelist's duty. We don't always manage it, but that is our aim.
Alternate endings will destroy what we have tried to create. They will make whole sections of dialogue nonsensical or irrelevant. They will make action scenes seem trite and unrealistic (because if we need alternate endings we can't kill off characters that need to be killed off because we need them for the alternate ending). They will make foreshadowing a series of red-herrings that are never explained. They will make character interactions bland and boring (because everything will have to be left open to allow for different endings). Even the weather may have to be moderated so there are no extremes just to help keep the ending open. And of course settings will have to be rendered either very sketchily indeed or in so much detail that every single possible interaction between the character and the environment is possible.
Most importantly of all, we will be breaking our trust with the reader. Clever is not the same as honest. A writer seeks honesty, honesty to the prose, to the plot, to the characters. We seek to show the truth through the prism of our own understanding. Readers know this, that is why they read books instead of watching a film or playing a game.
Alternate endings are clever, even philosophical profound. Hmmm. Would they be nihilistic, existential, or solipsistic? I suppose that would depend on the author.
I'm not saying that a genius writer at the top of their game could not write a novel where the different endings actually enhance the story, where they alter the way it is read, where they change the way the reader understands the world. But I seriously doubt there will be many novelists of that calibre alive at any one time.
So, publishers, please, for the sake of the art-form I love, and the craft I have learned, and for my own sanity, stop talking about alternate bloody endings for novels.
Unless of course, you want to write the damn thing yourself.
PK's Caveats: Caveat 1: I may not know what I'm blathering about. Caveat 2: There are no rules about writing, there are just things you can get terribly wrong. Caveat 3: If people apply the words never or always to storytelling techniques, ignore them.
First posted to 'of Altered States': http://www.ofalteredstates.com/blog/


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PrefsInCloud : Using NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore with iCloud
|Last Revision:
Version 4.0, 2015-10-22
Updated to provide OS X equivalent project.
(Full Revision History)
|Build Requirements:
iOS 9.0 SDK or later, OS X 10.10 SDK or later
|Runtime Requirements:
iOS 7.0 or later, OS X 10.9 or later
A set of simple iOS and OS X applications that demonstrates how to use iCloud key-value store to share a single piece of data, its background color, with the same app on other iOS devices. It uses NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore to achieve this by storing a simple NSInteger representing a chosen color index. The user changes the background color of the app by choosing between 4 known colors.
Copyright © 2015 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Updated: 2015-10-22


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Then a facebook friend posted a picture of his bandaged hand following surgery for Dupuytren's contracture. I Googled the condition and there was picture of a hand looking just like mine!
Wikipedia picture
My hand
Dad's hand
(sorry about the colour - iPhone in low light level)According to Wikipedia:
- "It is an inherited proliferative connective tissue disorder" - tick! like father like son.
- "The ring finger and little finger are the fingers most commonly affected." - tick! both Dad's ring fingers show it, now my right hand, I expect the left is a matter of time.
- "Dupuytren's contracture progresses slowly and is usually painless." - phew! certainly true in Dad's case so here's hoping.
At least I know what my hands will look like in 27 years time.


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Chris' work in museums — and other cultural institutions — has focused on educational, interpretative, and public programming initiatives. The following is a sample of the duties and responsibilities he has had.
- crafting age-appropriate worksheets and in-class activities for Mission US: Flight to Freedom, an interactive simulation on resistance and runaway slaves (WNET/PBS)
- designing and leading two weeklong summer "camps" on architecture and photography for middle school students (Nantucket Historical Association)
- writing the educational script for school groups visiting Revolution!: The Atlantic World Reborn (New-York Historical Society)
- redesigning the tour of the Hadwen House, a nineteenth-century Greek Revival mansion (Nantucket Historical Association)
- co-curating a supplemental education gallery on the American Revolution for secondary social studies groups (New-York Historical Society)
Research & Collections
- photographing and cataloging hundreds of new acquisitions (Nantucket Historical Association)
- conducting census and archival research for "In Pursuit of Freedom," an exhibit about Brooklyn's antislavery history (Brooklyn Historical Society)


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Chutzpah – or "You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing, but what you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself." - Alan Alda
Climbing the tree was the easy part. The hard part was not allowing herself to stop and sample the fruit. The aroma was stronger here than in the shaded lawn below, but not unpleasant. In fact the scents of apples and peaches mingled seamlessly into an essence all their own. Three months earlier it had been cherries, which blended in with the pears toward the end of their season. She had marveled at this tree for the last twenty years but never had the chutzpah to climb it.
Chutzpah. She was thinking of words like that. Had she said it out loud? Her day was becoming as remarkable as the tree.
Obviously it had been grafted, several times if the variety of fruits the tree bore was any indication. She had never heard of such a thing. Nor had she considered it unnatural during the many years she had lived in the house at the edge of this grove. Or copse? If a tree had chutzpah, would it live in a grove, a copse, or a woods? These thoughts were really becoming annoying. She concentrated on pulling herself up to the next branch.
She had watched the tree grow and flower, drop petals, fruit, and leaves in a perpetual cycle for these many years. A part of her had always loved the tree. When she looked at its outline in whatever season, she always thought, "That is the perfect tree." Especially in winter. Its branches rose gracefully, in perfect balance with each other. She had often thought about drawing the tree during winter, the way the art teacher had taught her in fourth grade. Starting at the roots, you drew a tree the way it grew – from under the ground up to its branches, the many branches forming a thicker trunk with each line. One line of the living tree had a beautiful curve where it forked away from the trunk. It occurred to her that she had been watching this tree from the bedroom window in her house at the edge of the woods for so long that she knew it as well as her hand – each swollen knuckle and age spot. The image of the tree blended seamlessly into the history of her life in this place.
She paused to get her bearings. It seemed she had been climbing for hours, but that couldn't be true. She moved a small branch aside to try and see how far she was from the ground. But the leaves were so thick she could see neither up nor down through the breathing green around her, broken sporadically by a red apple or glowing peach. It was so relaxing to be here, with no sense of in or out, East or West, come or go. She knew only that she was above the earth and below the sky, feeling her hands and the soles of her feet meet and nearly embrace (if they could not encircle) the living bark of the tree. And suddenly she was aware of the house. The tree house she had glimpsed from her house just this year.
The house had been her goal at the start of her climb, but she had become so enthralled by the fruit and then her thoughts that she had almost forgotten about it. Now that she was here, she remembered why she had come – or climbed. She knew that the house was nearly at the top of the tree, so she must be at least 40 feet in the air.
"Thirty-seven, actually." A face appeared at the window of the house. "Thirty-seven feet, dear. Very tall for a fruit tree, don't you think?"
She jumped a bit, and one foot slipped from the branch she was resting her feet on. She had already sat down – or against – one of the larger branches, thank God. She might have fallen, otherwise.
" Oh, so sorry I startled you. I was sure you knew I was here, or why climb this tree? The fruit is lovely, but it does fall when it's ripe – so climbing is truly unnecessary. I expected you wanted to have a visit, meet the new neighbor type thing."
"Yes. Yes, I believe I did want to see who was here – who built this house. It's been such a strange day I had forgotten that was what I was doing. I do that a lot lately. So, this is your tree-house, is it?"
"Tree, house, words are such malleable creatures. The two ideas seem as unlikely a combination as winter and branches, but they blend - seamlessly in this case – to form a new idea altogether. Have you noticed that about words?"
"Yes. Yes, in fact, I had noticed again, lately. I used to play with words nearly all the time. But I hadn't thought about it at all until recently." She suddenly realized she had been thinking about writing again, although she couldn't say when or how she thought of it at all. That, and she had just said "yes" more times in a minute than she had in a year.
"Well," her strange new neighbor said, "writing takes chutzpah, you know. I think you may be finding you have more chutzpah than you ever imagined."
"Yes," she replied, "I do believe I have chutzpah. And I may have learned it from this tree!" And then she realized that what she had said sounded absurd, but she didn't mind that at all. And she was smiling.


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Saturday Cinnamon Buns
My brother and I were some of the first latch key kids with both parents working out of the home. We were quite independent at an early age. With two working parents we made own lunches, saw ourselves off to school and did many of the household chores. My older brother focussed on the outdoor chores like mowing the lawn and shovelling snow. As the younger brother, I was relegated to the indoor chores like cooking, vacuuming and laundry. I am not complaining that is just how we were raised.
As our parents were away a lot, any time spent with our parents was special. When I was 7-8 years old I would help Mom make cinnamon buns as a special treat every couple of months. Under her tutelage I would carefully measure and mix the required ingredients. Then I would knead the dough until it was tough to the feel and squeaked as it was kneaded. The squeak was important, a loud mouse-like squeak as you folded the dough and punched your fist into the dough. She would smile at me when I got the squeak. Kneading the dough was quite cathartic, much more satisfying than a mix-master. I just Googled and the squeak comes from the air trapped in the dough which will ensure a light dough. The dough in its bowl was placed on the warming stove to rise.
After rising, the dough was gently pushed down and rolled out. Then on the dough we added the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and raisin mixture. We rolled up the dough to enclose the mixture and cut off the individual buns. These spiral swirls of dough and sugar were placed in buttered pans and baked. The sweet cinnamon smell filled the whole house for hours. Our stomachs churned in anticipation. The buns were finally removed from the oven and Mom would chastise us to wait for them to cool. But what was burnt lip or tongue, we could only wait so long. The golden brown stickiness called to us and soon our fingers and lips would be covered with it.
As I grew older and could make the cinnamon buns on my own, I realized something was missing. While I enjoyed the cinnamon buns my Mom and I made together, it was the time spent with my Mom that was really most important. Even more so when she died young at 43 years old with breast cancer after suffering many years with early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Enjoy every day with those you love and build lasting memories for the future is known to no one.


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Working To Help Small Business Succeed
Today we passed legislation I introduced that will establish a small business hotline at the Department of Economic and Community Development where businesses will be able to get the guidance they are looking for on state programs and funding opportunities – all from a live voice.
House Bill 5584 would further require the state Department of Economic and Community Development to staff the hotline Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hotline will provide information on starting and fostering small companies, and other services including networking opportunities and financial assistance resources.
HB 5584 has received the support of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), the state's largest business group.
I am proud to have introduced this legislation and will continue to support small businesses in Connecticut.
The legislation also requires the commissioner to submit a report on the hotline's operation to the Commerce Committee by January 1, 2019. The report must describe the hotline's services, summarize the most common types of assistance entrepreneurs and small businesses request, and provide statistics on the hotline's call volume. This information will help lawmakers develop additional strategies to assist small businesses.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. Its effective date is Oct. 1, 2017.