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My First AGD Scientific Session
It only took me 30 years to attend my first AGD Scientific Session.
"Where does the time go?"
I hear that expression all the time. When I was younger, I just did not get it. For the first 36 years of my life, my life changed every two to six years. Elementary school lasted six years; junior high, three years; and high school, four years. (We had Grade 13 back then!) It took me four years to earn my Bachelor of Science degree and two years to earn my master's degree. I spent another four years in dental school, three years in the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Calgary and then four years in an associateship. My life pattern was to move so regularly that the passage of time consistently was met with significant change. During those times, I just did not understand the expression.
Then, in May 1994, everything changed. I bought my dental practice from a wonderful colleague who was retiring. I settled in one place. I sold it in 2014, 20 years later, and worked in that practice another for three years. Twenty-three years in one place. Where did that time go? Now, I understand the aforementioned expression, from personal experience.
When I was a student at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, AGD had a small presence there. There were newsletters, and AGD reached out to the students. AGD's communication pieces about continuing education (CE) after graduation, which would extend beyond what my alma mater would provide, was fascinating. I was unfamiliar with learning outside the formal academic setting, as I was about to complete the equivalent of Grade 23 of my educational journey. When I told some of my clinical instructors that I had not really thought about where I would be receiving my CE (what do you mean I don't go back to the university for all my education needs?), I was encouraged to join AGD upon graduation — and I did just that. I am sure glad I did.
When I arrived in Calgary to begin my service to my country as a dental officer with the Canadian Forces at CFB Calgary, it was made clear that AGD is a significant organization, and I was strongly encouraged to join it. I was happy to say that I was already a member, and that was met with immediate approval. I learned early about the close ties that the various branches of the military dental corps in North America have with AGD.
It has always been my intention to work toward and attain my AGD Fellowship Award. I achieved two of the three main requirements (successive years of membership in good standing and more than 500 hours of approved CE) in fairly quick order. But after 23 years of school, I was finding every reason to avoid taking yet another examination.
So there I was, 30 years after graduating from dental school in 1987, sitting in a classroom in the middle of a ballroom at Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas, taking the Fellowship Exam Review Course, preparing to take my exam — and attending my very first AGD Scientific Session.
While it will be more than two months before I get the results of the examination (once I pass, whether now or when I retake it if I fail, I plan to write a blog post about the examination experience), I wish to take this opportunity to share my thoughts about the AGD Scientific Session.
I have never attended one of the "big AGD meetings." I knew AGD has more than 40,000 members worldwide. I also know that Las Vegas is a pretty attractive place to go. I had no idea how many of our colleagues would be attending the event. It was a really nice-sized group.
The result was that the lectures were accessible. The topics were broad-reaching and relevant. The class sizes were small enough that individual questions could be easily entertained, enhancing my personal learning experience.
And the exhibit hall experience was also much better than I expected it to be. It was large enough to have a really broad array of businesses present that help our practice and personal lives to be better, but the room was well laid out and inviting with wide aisles, and the vendors were friendly and helpful.
And the staff and volunteers? Top-notch. They were so nice, they'd fit right in as Canadians!
It took me 30 years to finally experience my first AGD Scientific Session, and with next year's event in June 2018 in New Orleans, it will only be 11 months before I attend my second one. I hope to see and meet many of you there!


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Student Tools:
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Although it was composed between June and September 2010, the sketches and harmonic material for this piece were generated during a 26 day bicycle journey I took with my partner Ruth in October 2009 from the top to the heel of Italy. The music has nothing to do with cycling or Italy, but in a somewhat pedantic way, at the end of every day's cycling, I spent time ritually working on sketches for music alongside the gps data for that day's journey.
This piece was jointly commissioned for Ensemble 10/10, the Contemporary Music Group of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.


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Contact Us
Welcome to Eli Motors, used car experts. We provide the best quality used vehicles across London.
Our aim is to provide the highest level of customer care and service. All of our staff are extremely helpful and friendly and are always on hand to assist you with any questions. If it's a Part Exchange Valuation, Test drive or even a question about how you can finance your new vehicle speak to us today and we will help you through each step.
We are always here for you when you need us, which is reflected in the fact that we are open seven days a week, giving you plenty of time to come and explore our current range of Approved Used cars.
For more details on the variety of services available at our dealership, contact our showrooms directly in location on 07950 250970. Alternatively, simply fill out an online enquiry or request a call back and one of will get back to you as soon as possible.
To book a test drive call us or visit one of our showrooms to arrange an appointment.


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Friday, 7th of July
Saturday, 8th of July
Spiskowcy Rozkoszy
Spiskowcy Rozkoszy means Conspirators of Pleasure, name borrowed from a movie. A nice place in the city center, with missions nearby, good beer, and something to eat. We are happy that we managed to reserve this place for you. Many of those who been there say it's like a second home (probably with more beer to be honest :P).


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Ravensburger 32,000 piece puzzle – Sections H and G
After completing the first half of the puzzle (the left half) on 18 March 2012, I moved onto the right half. I decided to start with the lower right hand corner (section H), followed by Section G. I started section H, on 25 March 2012, while on vacation and completed 18 days later on 12 April. I completed Section G only 5 days after that on 17 April. I'll describe how I bumped my productivity so much.
I started section H, by sorting into colors (as usual), but as this is the lower right hand corner, as I was sorting the white pieces, I was able to pull out the ones that had the copyright statement. These are shown in the middle of the picture below.
After sorting, I started with Orange and then moved onto yellow. In this puzzle, there were two shades of Orange and it was very noticeable, so I was able to sort the two colors out from each other at the very beginning. In the other puzzles, I could see different shades, but it was very hard to detect the slight differences during sorting since different lighting conditions made the subtle shades hard to distinguish. But on this puzzle light orange (the baby) and dark orange (the dogs) were very easy to distinguish.
Next came pink, which I completed on 4 April.
Next came Red (completed 7 April)
After Red, I moved onto Green. When I took the green pieces out of the ziplock bag and began organizing them by shape, I noticed something that helped quite a bit.
I noticed that there were thin and thick versions of each shape. It was most noticeable with the one-outy/three-inny pieces in the right of the picture and least noticeable with the three-outy/one-inny pieces. I always figure that the more I can sort the pieces into piles, so that I have fewer to search through, the better.
I finished sorting the green pieces this way on 10 April at 7:15 PM and finshed placing all the green pieces into the puzzle 45 minutes later at 8:00. That was much faster than any of the previous colors, so the extra sorting did help.
I completed sorting the white on 11 April and completed the section on 12 April
After completing section H, I moved right onto section G. But this time I tried something different and ultimately finished the section in 5 days, about half the time of the previous fastest section. This time I used a previously completed puzzle as a template from the very beginning. In prior puzzles I only used the previous puzzle as a template for the white pieces. I had seen in other people's blogs that they had done this so I decided to try it out.
Here it is after completing Blue and Yellow. You can see the red showing through from section E, which I used as a template. In this case the dog is actually red, so it doesn't look so bad. But in other areas, the underlying colors showing through can make your eyes go a bit buggy (see below). However when you are focused on the individual pieces, it is not bad at all. Its also a major productivity boost when you know what shape you are looking for.
After Blue, I moved onto Pink. I finished Blue on the 13th in the morning and pink later that evening (two colors in one day!)
I finished Red the next morning and green that evening
I finished Orange the next day and white (completing the section) two days after that.


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Top 25 Cost Analysis KPIs – 2018 Edition
The Top 25 Cost Analysis KPIs – 2018 Edition report compiles the most popular 25 KPIs used by global cost analysis divisions throughout 2016 and 2018. The methodology used to advance this report consisted in ranking the KPI examples documented and published on smartKPIs.com, based on the number of views acquired in the period mentioned.
Having reached their fourth edition since their first launch in 2011, the Top 25 KPIs Reports provide a complete hands-on experience in working with KPIs. The reports now contain not only 2 pages of detailed documentation for each KPI, but also interesting articles on best practices in terms of performance measurement.
By emphasizing the use of KPIs today, the Top 25 Cost Analysis KPIs – 2018 Edition is a valuable resource for any professional looking to refresh an existing performance measurement system or to promote the use of KPIs in the organization.
- Category: Research reports
- Product ID: sK0188481
- Publication date: September 2018
- File format: PDF
Section I
- How to Use This Report
- Report Structure
- Report Highlights
Section II
- About The KPI Institute
- smartKPIs.com Community Profile
- 2018 smartKPIs.com Functional Areas Taxonomy
- 2018 smartKPIs.com Industries Taxonomy
Section III
- KPI…Naturally
- About Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Advice on KPI Selection
- KPI Documentation Guidelines
- Target Setting: From Theory to Practice
- Data Gathering Dimensions
- Enhancing Performance Data Through Visualization
- Data Analysis
- KPI Reporting
Section IV
- Functional Area Description
- Top 25 KPIs of 2016-2018
- Template description: page1
- Template description: page2
Section V
- Appendix A: Related Reports
- Appendix B: Reference Collection of Books
- Appendix C: Performance Management Toolkits
- Appendix D: Performance Magazine
- Appendix E: Memberships
- Appendix F: Subscriptions
- Appendix G: Training Courses
- Appendix H: Skills Academy
- Appendix I: Advisory Services
- Appendix J: Audit
- Appendix K: Software
- Appendix L: Glossary of Terms
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It was a warm, wonderful welcome for former Winnipeg Jets hero, Teemu Selanne, at MTS Centre Saturday night. There was a feature on his career on the big video board. The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he came out for his first shift. The fans even started playing this silly game in which they would boo every Ducks player who touched the puck and then cheer when Selanne touched it.
"It was kind of comical," said Zach Bogosian, the game's first star with a goal and two assists. "Our fans always boo the other team's top players, but what we saw tonight is something I've never seen before."
It was fun and, in a strange Winnipeg kind of way, rather classy. In fact, it looked like "old jersey" night. Even Jets fans who owned new jerseys, broke out the old royal blue, white and red jerseys from the 90s. There were more Selanne Jets jerseys than Ladd Jets jerseys on Saturday.
"The emotion was very high," said Selanne after the game. "I tried to stay focused, but I was very emotional. It was just a great feeling. Even in the warm-up, just seeing all the signs and the No. 13, all the Winnipeg Jets jerseys. I felt like everybody was watching me."
They were.
Of course, by the middle of the second period, it didn't matter anymore, Anaheim's Dan Ellis should have been charged with impaired goaltending as he fanned on five shots and the Jets hung on to beat Selanne's Ducks 5-3.
The Jets weren't great last night, but Ellis was awful and the Ducks were exposed as one of the slowest teams to play at Winnipeg's downtown rink this season. Sure, Selanne might be a freak, but at 41, he's the fastest skater on the Ducks and that can't be good. He also played 19 minutes. While the Jets often struggled to get the puck out of their own end, goalie Chris Mason was good enough to keep the Jets in front and Winnipeg took full advantage of the chances they had.
Selanne picked up a pair of assists, on two goals by Corey Perry, but in the end, the Ducks were no match for a Jets team that probably got its best performance of the year from its checking line –Tanner Glass, Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn — a group effort from the goal scorers — Wellwood, Wheeler, Burmistrov and Ladd — the return of Tobias Enstrom and a solid performance from the 15,004 in attendance, a performance that was likely unmatched anywhere in the NHL this season.
"We would have picked Chris Mason as our first star," said Kyle Weelwood after the game. "He really was the story of the night at the end of the game. He made some great saves, especially in the third period, and he kept us in it."
Say what you will about went on down on the ice on Saturday night, the Jets crowd is becoming the talk of the NHL. Selanne even mentioned it before the game. He said he was excited to "be part of the atmosphere." While it was certainly fun for him, it wasn't for the rest of the Ducks. The crowd started before the advertised 6 p.m. CST starting time and seldom stopped cheering, chanting, singing or deriding Dan Ellis. Long-time Alberta journalist Bruce Penton compared it to a British soccer crowd. Jets fans start screaming before the anthems and don't stop until the Jets players give them the post-game salute at centre ice.
In fact, while the fans saluted the Jets at the end of the game, Tanner Glass cheered them right back.
Good for him. This Winnipeg crowd is incredibly important to this Jets team, a team that is now 15-13-4 this season and 11-5-0 at home (and a wonky 4-8-4 on the road). Winnipeg is in the midst of a huge December homestand. Starting Nov. 29, Winnipeg will play 13-of-15 at home and right now they are 6-2-0 in the first eight. After losing back on Nov. 29, they won five straight before losing 1-0 to Washington on Thursday. Saturday night's win over the Ducks had better start another home winning streak — the Jets play Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, go to Colorado on the 27th and then play back home on the 29th and 31st before heading off in January to play 15-of-the-next-19 on the road.
"i was happy we won the game," said head coach Claude Noel. "They are a big physical team. We struggled to handle their size and their pressure game. But we got some big goals and Mason made some key saves and battled his heart out. It was a hard game to play for our players. It was a big, tough physical game."
On a night when Teemu Selanne was the centre of attention, Chris Mason, Zach Bogosian, second star Andrew Ladd and that big, loud, tireless crowd was the difference.


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Come and visit our street stall at St Albans market.
Across the country local European Movement, Britain for Europe and Open Britain groups are holding action days to campaign for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal. Send a postcard to your MP to let them know you'd like a chance to vote and tell them your views on how Brexit is going.
Read about the People's Vote campaign launch and our action day last month in St Albans here.
Sign up to support the People's Vote here.
If you can help out on the stall, please sign up for a shift below.
UPDATE: We now have enough volunteers but our friends at Harpenden for Europe are short of a few helpers. They are meeting 9.30 - 11.30am on Harpenden High Street near the library. Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com if you can help.


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The Bianconeri saw a spirited comeback go up in smoke as Umut Bulut's last-gasp equaliser denied them all three points from this evening's Group B Champions League clash with Galatasaray at Juventus Stadium.
Faced with the challenge of overturning Didier Drogba's 36th minute opener, Antonio Conte's men rose to the task and saw their courage rewarded with two goals in the final 12 minutes from Arturo Vidal and substitute Fabio Quagliarella.
But there was to be further late drama in Turin, with Bulut stealing in at the dying embers to cruelly deny the hosts their first European victory of the season.
Conte elected to make just two changes from Sunday's Derby della Mole triumph over inter-city rivals Torino, restoring Andrea Pirlo to the heart of the Bianconeri midfield and giving Mirko Vucinic the nod as Carlos Tevez's partner in attack, with Claudio Marchisio and Sebastian Giovinco both making way.
Juventus started brightly, promptly setting about their opposition in an efficient manner whilst looking to deny the likes of Wesley Sneijder any time to pull the strings from his position behind the front two.
But for all the managerial upheaval surrounding the visitors in the previous seven days, they stuck to their task admirably and could have taken the lead when Didier Drogba drilled a low effort towards Gigi Buffon's near post on 19 minutes, with the goalkeeper getting down well to block the Ivorian's attempt.
Despite enjoying a positive introduction to the game, it was another striker, the returning Vucinic, who was forced to depart the action midway through the first half after pulling up when chasing a raking through ball over the top.
His replacement Quagliarella almost had the opportunity to make an instant impact within minutes of entering the fray, but found himself hounded out by a mass of Galatasaray shirts inside the six-yard box as he attempted to turn Tevez's cutback goalwards.
Yet for all Juve's endeavours to break down their opponents, it was the visitors who held firm before seizing the advantage, Drogba capitalising on Bonucci's loose backpass to round Buffon and roll the ball over the line to give them the lead on 36 minutes.
Not ones for licking their wounds, Juventus came out all guns blazing. Tevez had Fernando Muslera scrambling with a fizzing effort from just outside the box that arrowed into the side netting, while Kwadwo Asamoah and Quagliarella each drew saves from the goalkeeper on the stroke of half-time.
A spirited start to the second period saw the Bianconeri go close to finding their way back into the game on several occasions. Asamoah tried his luck with an attempt that rose just over the crossbar, while Tevez resumed his duel with Muslera, firing in a low effort which was comfortably gathered by the Galatasaray custodian.
Moments later it was Vidal's turn to crank up the heat at Juventus Stadium with two magnificent long-range piledrivers in as many minutes that had the crowd on the edge of their seats.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, Conte opted to increase his attacking options by bringing on Fernando Llorente in place of Bonucci. And the Spanish forward's introduction almost paid instant dividends when he towered at the back post to meet Asamoah's inviting cross from the left flank, only to plant his header over the bar.
But the one-way traffic eventually took its toll on the tiring Galatasaray defence when Quagliarella's quick footwork drew a foul from Nourredine Amrabat, prompting Viktor Kassai to award a penalty which was duly converted with aplomb by Vidal on 78 minutes.
Sensing the opportunity for all three points was there for the taking, Juventus bombed forward and saw their all-out attack approach rewarded when Quagliarella stooped to head Pirlo's pinpoint cross home with four minutes remaining.
Yet there was to be one further twist in the tale as, within two minutes of going behind, Galatasaray got back on level terms, Drogba feeding substitute Bulut to shoot past Buffon and secure a share of the spoils for the visitors.


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This week I started a PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University's Manchester Centre for Regional History. The subject? Angel Meadow.
I'll be studying the origins and persistence of the slum, and trying to find out more about the people who lived there. I'll use this blog to publicise some of my findings as I go along.
The book is now a key text for students on the Manchester and the City course at MMU and is on sale at Blackwells bookshop on Oxford Road.
I have a couple of talks planned as well in the next few months. I'll be at the Chorlton Book Festival in November and at Manchester Central Library early next year. Please keep following this blog for the latest updates.


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Kensington Palace: a place steeped in history and legacy. Right? Wrong. Or so I derived from the newly revamped estate.
After a tw0-year, £12 million refurbishment, Kensington Palace emerges as a kitschy kid's museum. The Palace is dedicated to its past residents, including Queen Victoria, Lady Di, George I and II, and Princess Margaret. There are sights associated with each, as well as two exhibitions.
That said, much of the additions are aimed at children, with strange learning devices like a projection of King William III's supposed dreams and a whispering gramophone in which you are intended to crouch around to hear. We'll see how efficient that will be come Olympics season. There are also few plaques labeling the artifacts. Thus, I learned little, instead wandering from one unmarked room to another wondering what I was looking at and of its significance.
However, the small room dedicated to Princess Diana proved to be one of the better exhibitions. Iconic gowns worn by the Princess are showcased (and clearly explained). However, as only five or six gowns are on hand, your best bet is probably to skip the steep price of the palace and enjoy a nice picnic in the surrounding Kensington Gardens. It is, after all, the most beautiful part of the expansive estate.
Price: £12 for students
Getting There: Take the tube to Gloucester Road. Head up Gloucester Road toward Kensington Gardens.
Hours: Open daily from 10.00-18.00. Last admission at 17.00
For more information: http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/
–Caitlin Sole


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'Upright' in the Bible
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was an upright man and without sin in his generation: he went in the ways of God.
And the Lord said to Noah, Come with all your household into the ark, for I have seen you to be righteous (upright and in right standing) before Me in this generation.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came to him, and said, I am God, Ruler of all; go in my ways and be upright in all things,
And Abraham came close and said, Will You destroy the righteous (those upright and in right standing with God) together with the wicked?
If by chance there are fifty upright men in the town, will you give the place to destruction and not have mercy on it because of the fifty upright men?
Let such a thing be far from you, to put the upright to death with the sinner: will not the judge of all the earth do right?
And the Lord said, If I find in the city of Sodom fifty righteous (upright and in right standing with God), I will spare the whole place for their sake.
If by chance there are five less than fifty upright men, will you give up all the town to destruction because of these five? And he said, I will not give it to destruction if there are forty-five.
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, Lord, will you put to death an upright nation?
Did he not say to me himself, She is my sister? and she herself said, He is my brother: with an upright heart and clean hands have I done this.
And God said to him in the dream, I see that you have done this with an upright heart, and I have kept you from sinning against me: for this reason I did not let you come near her.
For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
When Judah recognized them, he admitted, "She is more upright than I, because I never did give her my son Shelah." And he never had sex with her again.
Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, I have done evil this time: the Lord is upright, and I and my people are sinners.
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
Keep yourselves far from any false business; never let the upright or him who has done no wrong be put to death: for I will make the evil-doer responsible for his sin.
Take no rewards in a cause: for rewards make blind those who have eyes to see, and make the decisions of the upright false.
"Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright.
He made upright planks of acacia wood for the tabernacle.
I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
Who has counted the dust of Jacobor numbered the dust clouds of Israel?Let me die the death of the upright;let the end of my life be like theirs.
And what large and important nation has statutes and ordinances so upright and just as all this law which I set before you today?
And do what is upright and good in the eyes of the Lord your God, so that it may be well for you and you may go in and take for your heritage that good land from which the Lord undertook by an oath to your fathers,
Not for your righteousness or because your hearts are upright are you going in to take their land; but because of the evil-doing of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and to give effect to his oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
You are to make judges and overseers in all your towns which the Lord your God gives you, for every tribe: and they are to be upright men, judging the people in righteousness.
You are not to be moved in your judging by a man's position, you are not to take rewards; for rewards make the eyes of the wise man blind, and the decisions of the upright false.
You are to be upright in heart before the Lord your God.
Be upright in judging the cause of the man from a strange country and of him who has no father; do not take a widow's clothing on account of a debt:
If there is an argument between men and they go to law with one another, let the judges give their decision for the upright, and against the wrongdoer.
For all who do such things, and all whose ways are not upright, are disgusting to the Lord your God.
Flawless is the work of the Rock, because all his ways are just. A faithful God never unjust righteous and upright is he.
and the sun standeth still, and the moon hath stood -- till the nation taketh vengeance on its enemies; is it not written on the Book of the Upright, 'and the sun standeth in the midst of the heavens, and hath not hasted to go in -- as a perfect day?'
Give ear to the women laughing by the water-springs; there they will give again the story of the upright acts of the Lord, all the upright acts of his arm in Israel.
If then you have done what is true and upright to Jerubbaal and his family this day, may you have joy in Abimelech, and may he have joy in you;
Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, "The Lord has helped us to this point."
And his sons did not go in his ways, but moved by the love of money took rewards, and were not upright in judging.
'I, also, far be it from me to sin against Jehovah, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way;
He said to David, You are more upright in God's eyes than I, for you have repaid me good, but I have rewarded you evil.
Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
and he saith to teach the sons of Judah 'The Bow;' lo, it is written on the book of the Upright: --
How much more, when evil men have put an upright person to death, in his house, sleeping on his bed, will I take payment from you for his blood, and have you cut off from the earth?
I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
The God of Israel said, the word of the Rock of Israel came to me: When an upright king is ruling over men, when he is ruling in the fear of God,
May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed; behind my father David's back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he -- Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army.
And Solomon said, Great was your mercy to David my father, as his life before you was true and upright and his heart was true to you; and you have kept for him this greatest mercy, a son to take his place this day.
"Now as for you, if you commune with me like your father did, with an upright heart of integrity and doing everything that I've commanded you and keeping my statutes and ordinances,
For they made high places and upright stones and wood pillars on every high hill and under every green tree;
Take the best and most upright of your master's sons, and make him king in his father's place, and put up a fight for your master's family.
And in the morning he went out and, stopping, said to all the people there, You are upright men: it is true that I made designs against my master, and put him to death; but who is responsible for the death of all these?
More than this, Manasseh took the lives of upright men, till Jerusalem from one end to the other was full of blood; in addition to his sin in making Judah do evil in the eyes of the Lord.
And because of the death of those who had done no wrong, for he made Jerusalem full of the blood of the upright; and the Lord had no forgiveness for it.
I know, my God, that You test the heart and that You are pleased with what is right. I have willingly given all these things with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to You.
The combined wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood upright, facing inward.
Then the chiefs of Israel and the king made themselves low and said, The Lord is upright.
For he took away the altars of strange gods and the high places, and had the upright stones broken and the wood pillars cut down;
Take notice, please, that Amariah the Chief Priest is presiding over all cases that pertain to the LORD, Ishmael's son Zebadiah is presiding as ruler of the household of Judah with respect to all cases that pertain to the national government, and the descendants of Levi will preside over your other civil cases. Serve courageously, and the LORD will be with the upright."
But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
Hezekiah did this throughout all Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before the Lord his God.
And for a fourth part of the day, upright in their places, they were reading from the book of the law of their God; and for a fourth part of the day they were requesting forgiveness and worshipping the Lord their God.
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
Is not your fear of God your support, and your upright way of life your hope?
Now please think: Who has ever perished when they're innocent? Where have the upright been destroyed?
May a man be upright before God? or a man be clean before his Maker?
How powerful have been upright sayings, And what doth reproof from you reprove?
Does God give wrong decisions? or is the Ruler of all not upright in his judging?
If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
Whom, though I were righteous (upright and innocent) yet I could not answer? I must appeal for mercy to my Opponent and Judge [for my right].
That, if I was an evil-doer, the curse would come on me; and if I was upright, my head would not be lifted up, being full of shame and overcome with trouble.
I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.
What is man, that he may be clean? and how may the son of woman be upright?
Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.
Yet shall the righteous (those upright and in right standing with God) hold to their ways, and he who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger.
Is it any pleasure or advantage to the Almighty that you are righteous (upright and in right standing with Him)? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways perfect?
The upright saw it and were glad: and those who had done no wrong made sport of them,
Then an upright man could reason with Him,and I would escape from my Judge forever.
How then is it possible for man to be upright before God? or how may he be clean who is a son of woman?
He may get them ready, but the upright will put them on, and he who is free from sin will take the silver for a heritage.
(Let me be measured in upright scales, and let God see my righteousness:)
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was [rigidly] righteous (upright and in right standing with God) in his own eyes. [But there was a fifth man there also.]
My words come from my upright heart,and my lips speak with sincerity what they know.
[God's voice may be heard] if there is for the hearer a messenger or an angel, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show to man what is right for him [how to be upright and in right standing with God],
For Job has said, I am upright, and it is God who has taken away my right;
How may a hater of right be a ruler? and will you say that the upright Ruler of all is evil?
If you are upright, what do you give to him? or what does he take from your hand?
His eyes are ever on the upright, and he gives to the crushed their right;
He withdraws not His eyes from the righteous (the upright in right standing with God); but He sets them forever with kings upon the throne, and they are exalted.
Therefore the wicked [those disobedient and living without God] shall not stand [justified] in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God].
Because the Lord sees the way of the upright, but the end of the sinner is destruction.
For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor).
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the [uncompromisingly] righteous [those upright and in harmony with You]; for You, Who try the hearts and emotions and thinking powers, are a righteous God.
My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
God is the judge of the upright, and is angry with the evil-doers every day.
The upright are crushed and made low, and the feeble are overcome by his strong ones.
For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
If the bases are broken down, what is the upright man to do?
The Lord puts the upright and the sinner to the test, but he has hate in his soul for the lover of violent acts.
For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
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We said there are three questions one must always ask to understand a recession.
Last post, we gave typical answers to the first question, where did the money come from?
Today we will talk about the second question, to wit:
2. Where did the banks come from? By which I mean, why did the banks make these doomed loans in the first place? Don't they want their money back?
Nowadays, meaning since the creation of the FDIC in 1934, this question loses some of its sting when it comes to US banks. They can take any wild risks they want, and if they lose money, the US govt just gives it right back to them.
But what about entities besides banks, or foreign banks [that got a hold of the new money somehow] where there is no FDIC? And even US banks can't rely totally on the FDIC, because if they mess up hopelessly, the FDIC takes them over.
One answer is that they have to be duped in some way, such as the ratings agencies giving a AAA rating to the loan when it is sold off. Another is that they have some kind of govt assurance, not necessarily from the FDIC, that they can gamble all they want and the govt will pay them back if they lose.
One may ask, but surely in the 1600's when the Dutch had their Tulipmania there were no govts promises, or crooked ratings agencies saying one tulip is such a great buy, well worth the income of a skilled craftsman from 13 years of hard work?
Very true. So we dig deeper. Let's think about banks. Absent govt promises to cover their backs, banks are super worried about one thing: Will they get their money back? So they are very careful to lend money only to the most solid respectable borrowers, who show clear proof that they are very likely to be able to repay in full with all the interest.
That's what they do in normal times. But what happens if they get oodles and oodles of money, literally hot off the presses? There just aren't enough respectable citizens to go round. Those respectable citizens can only borrow so much money, and the banks feel stuck with the rest. So they decide to be brave and live dangerously. They lend the money to riskier types. Of course, they reward themselves for this courageous act by charging a higher rate of interest to the seedy type. The technical term for it is a risk premium.
When there is massive money printing, the banks get really worried. There aren't even enough seedy types to go round. Not only that, the smarter bankers realize that the money in their safe is a hot potato, because lots of money sloshing around the country means that, by the law of supply and demand, that money will lose purchasing power. By doing nothing, they lose. Better to find someone, anyone, who will borrow the money, pay them the standard interest rate plus a risk premium plus what the banks expect inflation will be, and pray that he comes up with the money.
Sounds pretty foolish, but that's what they do.
Of course, being only human, they are also subject to manias, meaning sudden idiotic ideas that infect almost everyone in such times. "Housing prices can only go up." "Internet stocks can only make money." "Tulips are so worth it, at least that's what everyone else thinks."
One last thing, not to get too technical. The great Ludwig von Mises and other brilliant Austrian economists went into great detail to prove that lower interest rates [which come with money printing] cause people to draw wrong conclusions about the feasibility of their various business schemes. I think it's way beyond the scope of these humble posts to go into that.
As for our recent housing bubble, this little audio at the thirty minute mark [recorded years before the bubble burst] spells out the answer to our question 2 in great detail.


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Donald Trump's new era of isolationism in the United States will not be like the 1930s.
The U.S. is now too entangled in international institutions and alliances — most of them fashioned by Washington — to be able to disengage without the disastrous unraveling of its own society.
Even so, if Trump pursues only the most easily attainable items on his "Little America" wishlist, the world is in for a rough ride.
Just how rough is impossible to predict. Trump's outpourings during the campaigns for the Republican Party nomination and the election debates with Democrat adversary Hillary Clinton were — like most of what came out of his mouth — inconsistent, grossly ignorant or merely naïve.
But some messages have been clear. From Trump's campaign pledge to halt all immigration of Muslims and stop the entry of Syrian refugees, the Islamic world has concluded that he is an enemy. Trump will have no influence in the Middle East and the wider Islamic world, and there will be no pressure from Washington for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
His anti-immigrant stance against Mexico and his promise to "build a wall" has sent a message throughout Latin America that the 'Ugly American' is back. Trump will have to please his supporters by ramping up federal enforcement action against undocumented immigrants — though full-scale mass deportations would cause widespread public anger and will be avoided. A consequence of this may well be a resurrection of left-wing populism and demagogy in Latin America, where it has been in retreat for two decades.
In general, European leaders are appalled at the prospect of the Trump presidency. His overt racism, misogyny and crude nationalism run counter to the values that most European leaders try to espouse and promote. But economies churned by globalized free trade, and societies shaken by unregulated immigration and the refugee crisis, are challenging those values.
Trump's election is giving succour to right-wing demagogues in Europe. Nigel Farage, who led the United Kingdom Independence Party on its successful quest to get British people to vote to leave the European Union — a campaign much admired by the new U.S. president — is musing that he might become Trump's ambassador to the Brussels establishment.
In France, Trump's victory has heartened the leader of the ultra-right-wing Front National, Marine Le Pen. She said today she is now sure she can win next year's presidential election. In Hungary, the dictatorially-inclined Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was one of the few world leaders to endorse Trump's campaign and to disparage Hillary Clinton, on Tuesday night posted the following on his Facebook page: "What a great news. Democracy is still alive."
The rest of the world is peering into the prospects of the Trump presidency with a mounting sense of dread. Trump has clearly signalled that Washington will no longer be the (usually) reliable friend to its allies it has been since the 1940s.
However, once he gets his knees under the Oval Office desk and sees the reality of Washington's international networks, Trump is unlikely to follow through on his complete 'unfriending' program.
Trump successfully portrayed himself as the anti-establishment candidate — in fact, he's about as establishment as they come — but he'll soon find his rejection of conformity overwhelmed by the ceaseless daily gnat bites in the Washington swamp. And with the Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, he is going to have little ability to discipline his own party, which is already well stocked with alligators.
The big beneficiaries of Trump's isolationist presidency are likely to be expansionist authoritarian states: Russia and China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin can expect Trump's Washington to be far less interested than Barack Obama was in pushing back against Moscow's efforts to secure its borders against the encroachments of Western Europe in Ukraine, the Baltic States and the Caucasus. Trump also is likely to let Putin prop up the regime of Bashir Assad in Syria and concentrate U.S. efforts on defeating the Islamic State group in the east of the country and neighbouring Iraq.
China initially will feel the shock of Trump's determination to bring back manufacturing jobs to the U.S., and to block Beijing's manipulation of trade deals and its currency. But Beijing also will relish Trump's apparent desire to disengage from Washington's Asian allies.
The Chinese regime of President Xi Jinping is already bent on weaving its neighbours and acquiescent countries in Africa and elsewhere into a network of vassal states, providing the imperial master with resources and markets for its manufactured goods. That process will accelerate if Trump is true to the views he expressed during the campaign.
But most alarming, perhaps, are the implications of Trump's opposition to the deal reached with Iran last year by which international sanctions are being lifted in return for limitations on the country's nuclear development program.
When this is coupled with Trump's statements suggesting the withdrawal of Washington's nuclear umbrella over allied states such as Japan and South Korea, a new age of nuclear weapons proliferation seems on the cards.
If Iran gains the ability to make atomic bombs, then Saudi Arabia and probably other Middle Eastern states antagonistic to Iran, such as Turkey, will want their own nuclear deterrents.
Asia already has a significant nuclear weapons club — China, India and Pakistan. But the overt withdrawal of the "Pax America" from the region would force Japan, South Korea and perhaps even Taiwan — which in the 1970s had an active atomic bomb research program — to reconsider the nuclear option.
For Canada, Trump's aversion to free trade agreements probably means that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead. That will dismay Canadian international traders, but it will please the anti-globalization community that equates free trade with lost jobs and growing wealth disparity.
Trump's vow to junk the North American Free Trade Agreement — "the worst trade deal the U.S. has ever signed" — would not be so easily accomplished, however. The economies of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are now so interwoven that unilateral withdrawal by Washington would cause substantial economic disruption in all three countries. That doesn't mean that Trump would not opt out of NAFTA, but he would probably only take that step if talks on re-working the agreement in America's favour bog down.
Trump's Washington is also unlikely to go further with the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with Europe. Canada's signing last month of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement was seen in part as a stalking horse for the Washington-Brussels agreement. With that off the table, Canada could find itself in the fortunate position of being a tariff-free entrepot between the EU and the U.S.
Canada can also expect to feel the effects of Trump's determination that Washington's allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization contribute the two per cent of the gross domestic product towards mutual defence that membership requires. Most, including Canada (funding at just one per cent), now fall far short of that target.
Many Canadians may welcome the end of the free ride on national security this country has enjoyed since its founding. But there will also be public resistance to Ottawa making substantial increases in defence budgets and arms procurement.
There will also be cheers as well as consternation over Trump's likely reversal of President Obama's veto on construction of the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico.
And Canadians will not be alone in being alarmed at Trump's scepticism about man-made climate change and his rejection of the December 2015 United Nations Paris agreement on limiting greenhouse gas emissions. His commitment to provide jobs for blue collar whites is also likely to involve loosening regulations on the U.S. coal industry.
In the past, Canada and many other countries have found themselves at odds with the current occupant of the White House. Yet ways have always been found to manage those relationships and disagreements with minimal lasting damage. The Trump administration, though, gives every indication of being the most difficult test yet for those who would prefer to stay friends with the U.S.
The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author's alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.


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Mental Illness and Weight Gain January 14, 2010Posted by Crazy Mermaid in Hearing Voices, mental illness, Weight Gain and Mental Illness.
Tags: Hearing Voices, mental illness, Psychiatrist Visits, Weight Gain and Mental Illness
4 comments
Fat Fat Fat
Getting enough meds in me to keep sane and yet relatively un-blimpo is quite a balancing act.
Most mood stabilizers and antipsychotics are well-known weight gain drugs. The "big names" like Lithium, Lamictal, Risperdol, and Seroquel are all famous weight gainers. I was on three out of four.
Because I was on major quantities of Lithium (900 mg) while at the hospital for my three week "vacation", Dr. K, my new (at the time) psychiatrist, went to work on the weight gaining aspect of my medications immediately after I left the hospital, weaning me off the massive quantities of Lithium and onto Geodon, the only anti-psychotic that doesn't cause weight gain. The process took months to accomplish. Because I had to be relatively stable in order to accomplish the switch, the process took longer than it "should" have, having to arrange itself around my various "falling-down" eposides. Saying the progress was not uniform is an understatement. There would be forward progress, then an incident that caused back-peddling, then forward progress, then backpeddling. Back and forth for months and months, until finally, *we got entirely on the Geodon. All was well for several months.
But about 6 months into the "complete" Geodon regimen, I heard what we called "break-through voices", which means in layman's language that the Geodon failed to work. So Geodon was out. And Lithium, though very effective for voices, has too many terrible side effects, so we didn't want to return to that, although there was no doubt that it would have gotten rid of the voices. That left some brand new drugs with fewer side effects, but those newer drugs had price tags in the $500 a month and up range (all out-of-pocket), so my husband and I decided that they were out for financial reasons. That left Risperdol, which was an older, effective, but weight-gaining, drug.
So I was weaned off the Geodon and onto the Risperdol, which took time. You don't just suddenly stop taking one drug and get the effects out of your body immediately or start taking one drug and get it up to full strength immediately. Most mental illness drugs don't work like that. It took several months for the Risperdol to build up enough in my system so that we could begin reducing the level of Geodon. Again, there would be backsliding while the switch was being made. Finally, over a period of months, I was weaned entirely off the Geodon and entirely onto the Risperdol. Then it was a matter of finding out whether the Risperdol was going to work. That was a matter of watching and waiting. Or in my case listening.
For months, the Risperdol worked just fine. It worked so well, in fact, that we were able to reduce my dose from 1 mg down to .5 mg, and then to .25 mg, with the intent of eliminating the drug altogether in the relatively near future. But before that could be accomplished, I had a little "bump in the road" incident a few months ago. So instead of discontinuing the drug as planned, we raised it back up to .5 mg. That was supposed to be a temporary thing.
Before we could lower the dose back to .25 mg, I had a major setback about a month ago. Suffice it to say that the voices came back so strongly that it was back to the Haldol (the nastiest drug in the universe) as we contemplated a return to the mental hospital. That's how bad the symptoms were. (Note: There was a major trigger to the incident, so it wasn't that the drug was failing. It was that the trigger was too strong). But as Dr. K and I talked it over, we decided that instead of continuing on Haldol (which I despise) or hospitalization, we would triple my dose of Risperdol and see if that worked before trying hospitalization or more Haldol. So I went from .5 mg to 1.5 mg virtually overnight. As it built up in my system the past four weeks, the voices have gotten quieter and quieter, finally tapering off entirely about a week or so ago. That's all to the good. But there's a down side to the Risperdol: Weight gain.
Until my Risperdol was tripled, I had come to relative terms with my appetite, despite the fact that I was on all of those other weight-gaining meds, including Seroquel, Lamictal, and a smaller dose of Risperdol. I was taking Welbutrin in an effort to combat some of those pesky appetite-increasing side effects, and it was working fairly well. But then the triple dose of Risperdol kicked in, and I gained about 4 lb in about 4 weeks. Not good. I saw Dr. K yesterday, and I told him how out of control my appetite is. I can't stop thinking about food food food. When's my next meal? How much can I eat? How many calories have I had already? And on and on and on every second of every minute of every day. He was concerned, as am I. Concerned enough that we brainstormed solutions. I talked about how well phen/fen worked for me back in the mid 1990's. He doesn't like SSRI's for me because they might flip me to mania, so we settled on Topamax, at least for now. So now, we've added Topamax to the mix in an effort to get the weight gain under control.
Dr. K's not thrilled about adding another drug to the mix (this will be #5), and yet we're caught between a rock and a hard place. Trying to reduce the Risperdol and/or the other meds invites a return of the voices in full force. Leaving the drug levels as is tips the scales to diabetes and all of the problems it entails. So it all comes down to this: which is the lesser of two evils: Voices or substantial weight gain?
In the end, we decided that adding that 5th med is better than risking diabetes. So that's the way we're going. The caveat is that instead of seeing me in 6 to 8 weeks, he's seeing me in 2 weeks. We'll see how we do.
* I use the term "we" because Dr. K and I work together as a team. It's not just "I" or "Him". It's "us" and "we". It's been that way from the very beginning almost 2 years ago. I consider myself very, very fortunate.


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The free music festival is back and scheduled for Sept 23-25 on Captiva and Sept 30-Oct. 2 on Fort Myers Beach. The headliners were announced this week and it looks like Maren Morris (It's My Church) will be appearing as well as Bob Dipiero( Southern Voice), Even Stevens ( I love a Rainy Night) and Frank Myers ( I Swear). Make your plans to visit one of these venues.
If the trip to Captiva has you thinking Captiva or Sanibel Real Estate, check out our website at www.chuckandrews.com, or give us a call at 239-849-3396 to discuss Sanibel Real estate.


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Veliky Ustyug (Russian: Вели́кий У́стюг) is a town in the northeast of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Sukhona and Yug Rivers. Population: Template:Ru-census2010 33,419 (2002 Census);[8] 36,202 (1989 Census);[9] 36,000 (1970).
Veliky Ustyug has a great historical significance and in the past was one of the major cities of Russian North. Whereas it preserved some of the past urban structure and many of the architectural monuments, it was completely deprived of its leading role, and is currently merely a tourist attraction. It is served by Veliky Ustyug Airport.
Veliky Ustyug is located close to the confluence of the Sukhona (flowing from the west) and the Yug (from the south) Rivers. Downstream from this confluence the two rivers form a single waterway known as the Northern Dvina, sometimes referred to as the Little Northern Dvina. The historical center of the town is located on the left (high) bank of the Sukhona, and, in contrast to many historical Russian towns, there is an embankment along the Sukhona. Dymkovskaya Sloboda and Troitse-Gledensky Monastery are located on the right bank of the Sukhona. New parts of the town, mostly industrial areas, face the Northern Dvina. The only bridge in Veliky Ustyug is across the Sukhona and is located upstream of the town center.
Previously, Gleden was a fortress, and the left bank of the Sukhona was a posad—a territory outside the fortress populated by craftsmen. In the 15th century, the fortress was destroyed in an attack by Vyatka army, and the new fortress was built in the former posad area. The fortress was eventually demolished when it became apparent than no military threat to Veliky Ustyug exists.
The first recorded settlement in the area was the monastic settlement at Gleden (Гледен), founded near the confluence of the Yug and the Sukhona, where now Troitsko-Gledensky Monastery is located. The name Ustyug means "the mouth of the Yug". By the late 15th century, the name changed to Veliky (Great) Ustyug.
The town of Veliky Ustyug was first mentioned in a chronicle in 1207.[7] In 1212, Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Monastery was founded. It was a part of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality (in contrast to the neighboring lands, most notably Totma, colonized by Novgorod). Thus Veliky Ustyug created the only obstacle to Novgorod's trade with the North, as the Sukhona and the Notrthern Dvina were the main waterways connecting Novgorod with the White Sea. Clashes between Novgorod and Ustyug became regular, especially throughout the whole 14th century.[10] In 1328, Ustyug was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
The town was not immediately affected by the Mongol invasion of Rus' in the 13th century; however, its rapid growth in the second half of the century was due to influx of refugees from Central Russia.[10] In the 15th century, Veliky Ustyug became notable for the war between Vasily II of Moscow and his cousin Dmitry Shemyaka, which left Northern Russia deserted. Shemyaka took Veliky Ustyug in 1450, drowned in the Sukhona those citizens who refused to accept him as a prince, and made the town his residence for two years, until he was driven off by the forces of Vasily.[10] In the 15th century, the town had a great military importance and became the base for the operations against the Finno-Ugric peoples. In 1613, during the Time of Troubles, Veliky Ustyug was besieged by Polish troops but never taken.[10] Located at the junction of important trade routes, the town turned into a significant commercial and industrial center in the 16th and 17th centuries. Veliky Ustyug area was the birthplace of the explorers Semyon Dezhnyov, Yerofey Khabarov, Vladimir Atlasov, and of St. Stephen of Perm. Veliky Ustyug lost its key role as a river port with the diminishing importance of the Sukhona River route for trade between China and western Europe, which started with the foundation of Saint-Petersburg in 1703, whereby the trade was diverted to the Baltic Sea.
The 16th and 17th centuries were also the time of the highest rise of the culture in Veliky Ustyug, in which the town acquired a national-wide significance. The town is known for its remarkable handicrafts, such as silver filigree, birch bark fretwork, decorative copper binding, and niello. The town developed a distinct manner of icon painting, Ustyug icon painting. In the 17th century, Veliky Ustyug was a major producer of tiles, which are still visible on many Ustyug churches and also were sold to neighboring towns of the Russian North.
In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, Veliky Ustyug was explicitly mentioned as one of the twenty towns included into Archangelgorod Governorate. From 1719, it was the center of Ustyug Province, one of the four provinces of the Governorate. In 1780, the governorate was abolished and transformed into Vologda Viceroyalty. The latter was abolished in 1796, and Veliky Ustyug became the center of Velikoustyugsky Uyezd of Vologda Governorate. In 1918, the town became the administrative center of the newly established Northern Dvina Governorate. In 1924, the uyezds were abolished in favor of the new divisions, the districts (raions).
In 1929, Northern Dvina Governorate was merged into Northern Krai. The krai consisted of five okrugs, one of which, Northern Dvina Okrug, had its administrative center in Veliky Ustyug. In July 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were directly subordinated to Northern Krai. In 1936, Northern Krai was transformed into Northern Oblast, and in 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Veliky Ustyug remained in Vologda Oblast ever since.
Veliky Ustyug, in contrast to the majority of historical Russian towns, managed to preserve almost all of its architectural and cultural monuments. This was in a great part due to the efforts of the local intellectuals grouped around the Regional Museum, and most notably of Nikolay Bekryashev, the museum director from 1924 to 1938. This group managed to convince the authorities that the churches and old buildings have a historical significance and must be handed in the museum rather than demolished.
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Veliky Ustyug serves as the administrative center of Velikoustyugsky District,[3] even though it is not a part of it.[1] As an administrative division, it is, together with the town of Krasavino and the work settlement of Kuzino, incorporated separately as the town of oblast significance of Veliky Ustyug (one of the four in the oblast)—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[2] Within the framework of municipal divisions, Veliky Ustyug, Krasavino, and Kuzino are separately incorporated within Velikoustyugsky Municipal District as, correspondingly, Veliky Ustyug Urban Settlement, Krasavino Urban Settlement, and Kuzino Urban Settlement.[4]
There are a number of timber industry enterprises in Veliky Ustyug, as well as the shipyard, food industry, and a number of enterprises serving the tourist industry; in particular, the jewellery production plant.[11]
Tourism is an important branch of economy in Veliky Ustyug. It started in the 1960s and got a further boost in 1990s when Veliky Ustyug started to be marketed as the residence of Ded Moroz.
A number of roads connect Veliky Ustyug with other towns. The road to the north runs to Krasavino and further to Kotlas. The one to the south runs to Nikolsk and further to Manturovo, where it connects to the road to Kostroma. The road to the southwest connects Veliky Ustyug with Vologda via Totma. It was built in the beginning of the 21st century, and before this road was opened, the only way to get from Veliky Ustyug to Vologda was via Nikolsk and Totma. All these roads are paved. An unpaved road, originating from Kuzino (which is connected with Veliky Ustyug by a ferry crossing) runs to Luza and continues to Lalsk and further to the Komi Republic.
The railroad connects Veliky Ustyug with Yadrikha railway station on the railroad connecting Konosha and Kotlas. The passenger service to Veliky Ustyug has been discontinued in 2005.
The Sukhona, the Yug, and the Northern Dvina are all navigable in Veliky Ustyug, but there is no passenger navigation except for a number of ferry crossings.
Veliky Ustyug is served by Veliky Ustyug Airport with occasional passenger service to Vologda.
Veliky Ustyug preserves much of its past architectural heritage and has one of the best preserved architectural ensembles in Russia. The town contains 152 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage by the Russian Federal law, and additionally 25 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local importance.[12] The town of Veliky Ustyug is classified as a historical town by the Ministry of Culture of Russian Federation, which implies certain restrictions on construction in the historical center.[13]
Most of the architectural monuments are located on the left bank of the Sukhona, and many of these are the living houses. The exceptions are Troitsko-Gledensky monastery and the Dymkovo Sloboda, both located on the right bank of the Sukhona. Troitsko-Gledensky Monastery is located in the village of Morozovitsa, in Velikoustyugsky District.
The principal architectural ensembles of Veliky Ustyg are
The monuments of civil architecture are mostly concentrated along the Sukkhona, along Sovetsky Avenue and along Krasnaya Street.
Some of these buildings belong to Velikoustyugsky Museum of History, Art, and Architecture.[14] The museum was open in 1909 in the premises of Mikhaylo-Arkhangelsky Monastery. In 1918 it was transformed into the Museum of the Northern Dvina Culture. Between 1924 and 1938 the museum director was Nikolay Bekryashev, an artist, who devoted his energy to extending the museum to the old buildings, mostly churches, of the town, which thus were saved from destruction. In particular, a big collection of icons and objects of applied arts survived. Despite the efforts of Bekryashev and other museum employees, some of the buildings were destroyed by the authorities.[15] The museum currently serves as an umbrella institution which organizes permanent and temporary exhibits in the former church buildings.
Since the 1990s, Veliky Ustyug was marketed as the residence of Ded Moroz, a fictional character somewhat similar to Santa Claus. In 1998, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov proposed to officially locate the residence of Ded Moroz in Veliky Ustyug. The residence, which is a resort promoted as the Votchina (Russian: Вотчина, Estate), of Ded Moroz, is a major tourist attraction.[16] It is actually located 16 km from the town, on the premises of Velikoustyugsky District. There is a dedicated post office there which answers children's mail to Ded Moroz and has already answered more than 1.2 million letters.
The population of Veliky Ustyug was steadily growing until the second half of 20th century. Currently it is on decline, as it is pretty much everywhere in Russia outside the big cities.
Leo Tolstoy, Jerusalem, Bible, Asceticism, Russia
Russia, Mansi people, Azerbaijan, Khanty people, White Sea


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Unwed PM says gay marriage not needed
Julia Gillard has used her de facto relationship with partner Tim Mathieson to justify her opposition to gay marriage.
Appearing on ABC TV's Q&A program last night, the Prime Minister said it was her own experience that it was possible to be in a loving and committed relationship without marriage.
"I of all people - and I think people in this room and beyond this room know a bit about my personal life - I of all people would sit before you and say I think you can have a relationship of love, and commitment and trust and understanding that doesn't need a marriage certificate associated with it," Ms Gillard said.
"That is my life experience and I'm speaking from that life experience.
"It then becomes a question if you believe as I do that people can have deep and committed relationships without a marriage certificate."
Ms Gillard gave the answer when confronted by Vietnam veteran Geoff Thomas, who demanded to know why his gay son should not be allowed to marry his long-term partner.
Mr Thomas asked a similar question in 2010 of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott when he appeared on the program.
Parliament is set to debate legislation later this year that would allow gay marriage.
Ms Gillard has given her MPs a free vote on the issue but Mr Abbott has vowed to fight the legislation.
"I've taken a particular view about it. It's a view that some might look at me and think that it is an odd one for her to hold but it is one that I hold very deeply," Ms Gillard said.
She would not be drawn on the attacks senior ministers launched against Kevin Rudd to in the run-up to the leadership ballot that helped her to a resounding victory. "Colleagues told the truth from their perspective about how they believed it was the best way forward for Labor and Labor colleagues made up their mind," she said.
"The leadership contest is done, it's finished, people made their contributions during it. It's not my intention to re-canvass those contributions."
With the Government and her own approval languishing in the polls, Ms Gillard she had been "driven to do some really big things" such as introduce the carbon tax but acknowledged that "politically it's been difficult days" for Labor.
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League Updates & MoreUpdatedThursday February 23, 2017 byJerry Lovedtt.
NJHFL Welcomes New Member
The Northeast Jr High Football League would like to announce and welcome its newest member, the Goffstown Jr Grizzlies. By a unanimous vote of approval by the membership of the NJHFL, the Jr Grizzlies, a former member of American Youth Football, will begin play for the 2017 season. The Jr Grizzlies will have teams in each of the leagues 3 divisions, Youth, Junior and Senior. NJHFL Chairman Arthur Pino said the addition of the Jr Grizzlies helps to not only strengthen the league overall, but also provides more competition and games for its members.


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In public appearances, Heitkamp has detailed her objections to a budget-cutting plan offered by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which potential GOP Senate rival Rick Berg has supported. Ryan's blueprint would reduce tax rates, including those for high-income Americans, and end guaranteed Medicare benefits for younger people once they reach retirement age, Heitkamp said.
It suggests ending some tax breaks, without being specific, Heitkamp said. "None of these (budget plans) are detailed. The problem is, they're all political documents. They're not real budgets. That needs to end, and we need to have a discussion," Heitkamp said. "I will tell you specifically what I think in the budget can work and what can't work."
I signed into law House Bill 1047, legislation that provides nearly $500 million in property tax relief and income tax relief during the 2011-2013 biennium.
|2016 Presidential contenders on Tax Reform:
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Donald Trump(NY)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
2016 Third Party Candidates:
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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Kapuso actress Kris Bernal is trying into a unique venture with her new unli-Korean barbecue grill, House of Gogi with her non showbiz boyfriend, who's also her chef and her supplier of the raw materials.
The dry run of the House of Gogi began in June. It is located in Banawe, Quezon City, featuring unlimited, eat-all-you-can pork and beef with various Korean dishes.


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Check it out! Chowhound, every foodie without a budget's favorite website has some good cheap eats for the Triangle area of NC in this post.
Maybe I'll have to start listing pricier restaurants to compete?
Nah. . . .
Let's stick with good and cheap in America on Dave's Cheap Eats.


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Here's How the Military Wasted Your Money in Afghanistan
Unfinished projects, unnecessary equipment, rampant corruption
Uncategorized December 3, 2014 Matthew Gault 0
American taxpayers have spent more than $100 billion on thousands of reconstruction projects in Afghanistan—everything from new prisons, bases and barracks to weapons and airplanes for Afghan security forces.
The idea was that the U.S. would leave Afghanistan in a better state than it found it. The reality is that military and civilian officials wasted billions of dollars in reconstruction funds on incomplete, botched and unnecessary projects.
The Pentagon blew $7.6 billion fighting a war on opium, but today Afghanistan's poppy crop is bigger than ever. The U.S. Air Force bought half a billion dollars worth of transport planes—then scrapped them for six cents a pound.
The Pentagon spent five years and $20 million renovating a dilapidated Soviet-era prison. The project still isn't finished and the contractors now face corruption charges.
And the list of wasteful projects goes on.
It's the job of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction to tally, audit and inspect America's various projects in the country. SIGAR warned the State Department about the sad state of American-funded reconstruction in Afghanistan way back in 2010. The inspector general checked in again in 2013 and—surprise, surprise—discovered that no one had done anything about the waste, fraud and abuse.
"State never finalized the draft 2010 U.S. anti-corruption strategy for Afghanistan," SIGAR found. "And—according to agency officials—the draft strategy and its related implementation plan are no longer in effect."
With billions of dollars on the table and little oversight, the Pentagon, the State Department and the government of Afghanistan went wild. SIGAR is still sorting through the mess.
Half-ass construction
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built thousands of buildings for the Afghan military. And in most of the structures, contractors used low-quality insulation—a kind of spray-on polyurethane foam that's highly flammable.
So flammable that international building codes prohibit its use.
Contractors sprayed the stuff in 1,600 buildings. SIGAR called out the error and Corps and its contractors promised to stop using the stuff … and to go back and replace the faulty insulation.
Then Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre—the man in charge of USACE in Afghanistan—overturned the decision. Because, Eyre argued, the occupants could simply sprint outdoors if their structures caught fire.
"The typical occupant populations for these facilities are young, fit Afghan soldiers and recruits who have the physical ability to make a hasty retreat during a developing situation," Eyre wrote in a 2014 memo.
At least one of the buildings had already burned to the ground before Eyre penned his memo. That particular project cost $1.5 billion dollars. It would have cost around $60 million to fix the insulation.
Camp Leatherneck sits on 1,600 acres in Helmand province. The U.S. built the base to house some of the thousands of troops who surged into Afghanistan in 2009. Now they've all left, leaving behind a brand-new, 64,000-square-foot command center.
The command facility can comfortably accommodate more than 1,000 people. It's got a war room, a briefing theater and an expensive air-conditioning system. It cost $36 million.
No one has ever used Camp Leatherneck's command center for, you know, commanding anything.
In February 2010 the Army asked Congress for the money to build the Leatherneck HQ. In May, the Marine Expeditionary Force tried to cancel the project. But construction went ahead. Three years later, contractors finally finished the command center. But by then, the Americans were leaving.
SIGAR is still trying to figure out why the military blew $36 million on a building it knew it didn't need.
Camp Leatherneck also has a garbage problem. The Pentagon dropped $11.5 million installing four fancy incinerators at the base. The machines were supposed to operate around the clock burning tons and tons of refuse.
But the military never hired anyone to actually run the machines. So the base has idle incinerators and heaps of trash. The military's solution—an open-air burn pit.
That's a fancy way of saying that troops dug a shallow hole, tossed in the garbage and set it on fire. It's a practice that's hard on people's lungs, worse on the environment and a direct violation of Pentagon directives.
Camp Leatherneck is far from the only American base with this problem. Forward Operating Base Sharana in Paktika province has faulty incinerators worth $5.4 million. It also burns its garbage.
Shindad air base's incinerators broke down and the soldiers there burned their trash, too. They kept right on using the burn pit even after contractors repaired the machines.
Forward Operating Base Salerno has $5-million incinerators that it can't use—and which now sit in a pool of stagnant water.
As part of a 2006 agreement between the U.S. and Afghan governments, the American military agreed to " improve governance by enhancing the administration of justice and rule of law."
One element of that agreement was the construction of a $60-million prison and a $2.7-million justice center in Parwan, near Bagram airfield.
Contractors finished the prison, but not the justice center with its offices, housing, meeting hall, laboratories and courthouse. Contractors built less than half of the courthouse before the military stopped the work "for convenience," according to the military's paperwork.
SIGAR inspected the site and uncovered loads of shoddy workmanship. The project's contractors are part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Turns out they might be corrupt. We're as shocked as you are.
Pointless planes and idle ammo
The U.S. Air Force wants to make sure that the Afghan air force can take over once the Americans leave for good at some point in the future. To that end, the Pentagon has promised to give Kabul four C-130 Hercules transport planes.
The Air Force has already delivered two of the four-engine aircraft. Total cost so far is just under $80 million. The military should deliver the other two Hercules before the end of 2014.
The problem is that the Afghans are barely using the two planes they already have. It's possible they won't have the spare parts or pilots for the full fleet of four C-130s.
SIGAR asked the Pentagon what it was thinking. The response—an official, collective shrug.
Afghanistan's current crop of planes and helicopters was old and falling apart. The Pentagon promised to spend close to $800 million on 48 shiny new aircraft for the Afghan Special Mission Wing.
It'll be really hard for the Special Mission Wing to maintain and fly that many planes.
As of 2013, the group had just 180 personnel—less than a third of its full roster. Only seven of the group's 47 pilots are fully qualified.
The Americans have taken up the slack, sending its own people to join the Special Mission Wing. But the U.S. military is leaving Afghanistan at some point.
That hasn't stopped the Pentagon from continuing to purchase dozens of new planes for the Afghans.
In 2010, the Pentagon ordered eight patrol boats at a cost of $3 million. The idea was to give the boats to the Afghan police to help the cops patrol the border with Uzbekistan.
Nine months after the initial order, the Defense Department cancelled the project. But someone didn't get the memo. The boats arrived. They currently sit unused at a Navy facility in Yorktown, Virginia.
SIGAR investigated the boats. No one's talking and most of the records are missing. There's no concept of operations, no review of the operational requirements and no documentation explaining why the Pentagon canceled the purchase.
Three million bucks may seem like small change, but all these little transactions add up to billions of dollars in waste.
Between 2004 to 2013, the Pentagon ordered $370 million worth of spare parts to repair the Afghan National Army's vehicles and equipment. But neither the Afghan army nor the Defense Department agency assisting it are tracking the parts.
Around $230 million worth of spare parts is missing.
Yet the Afghan Army said it needed more. So the Pentagon ordered parts worth an additional $138 million worth of parts to replace them.
The U.S. military has also donated 747,000 weapons to Afghanistan's security forces. That's $626 million in pistols, rifles, shotguns and grenade launchers.
The Pentagon and Afghanistan's military use two different software systems to track the weapons. That's led to more than a few problems. Some 25,000 guns have duplicate serial numbers. Some serials seem to belong to three weapons simultaneously. All that overlap means guns can go missing without anyone knowing.
The majority of Afghan cops get paid electronically. But a fifth of police live in remote regions or don't use banks. These officers receive their cash via a "trusted agent." SIGAR found that these trusted agents aren't very trustworthy.
The cops typically get just half of what they're owed. The agents skim off the top. That's $45.5 million missing from police pay in 2014 alone. And guess what happens when cops don't get paid.
Meanwhile, America is on the hook for $1.4 billion dollars in fuel for the Afghan police. That's enough gas to keep them on the road through the end of 2018. But as with the guns, neither the Pentagon nor Kabul have any idea where most of that fuel is going.
The agency in charge of supplying the gas acknowledged the potential for waste, fraud and abuse. Then it went ahead and approved $243 million for gas in 2014.
Worse, the vendors seem to know that no one is watching. They're charging exorbitant prices for the fuel. SIGAR identified $1 million in over-payments in just two months due to supplier price-gouging.
The Pentagon keeps paying the tab. This has led to some police headquarters receiving more diesel fuel than their buildings are physically able to store.
What happened to all that extra gas? That's a good question.
The waste we've listed here is just a small sampling. There's also the $34 million the U.S. Department of Agriculture spent trying—and failing—to establish a market for soybeans in Afghanistan.
SIGAR found a storage facility in Gereshk worth $3 million dollars. No one is using or maintaining it. The U.S military denied SIGAR entry, citing security concerns.
The list goes on. America's longest conflict is ending. U.S. troops are leaving. More and more it seems that America's legacy in Afghanistan will be one of waste, fraud and abuse.


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