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Line of Scrimmage: Time right for Titans, Dolphins to sink or swim
Philadelphia, PA – Matt Hasselbeck couldn't hold a candle to Brett Favre during the now-cagey elder stateman's younger days as a backup to the NFL's most deliberate decision-maker, and there's really not much of a comparison to the situation that the two former Green Bay Packers teammates have experienced in their silver years as a player.
Detractors of Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak's supposedly debatable decision to begin the 2012 season with the green but potential-laden Jake Locker instead of the battle-scarred but declining Hasselbeck at quarterback like to use the example of Aaron Rodgers' slow apprenticeship under a reluctant Favre during the reigning league MVP's first three seasons in Green Bay.
Much like it happened with Hasselbeck some seven years earlier, the Packers' patient approach with Rodgers yielded a top-shelf quarterback able to lead his team (a different one in Hasselbeck's case) to a Super Bowl.
Green Bay's judgement to sit Rodgers in 2007, in essence made by Favre's drawn-out choice to play one more season (at least with the Packers, that is), would reap rewards both for that year and the ones to come. A re-engerized Favre bounced back from two straight mediocre campaigns to lead Green Bay to 13 regular-season wins and a trip to the NFC Championship Game at age 38, while Rodgers would pilot the Pack to a remarkable playoff run culminating with a victory in Super Bowl XLV three years later.
The 2012 Titans don't seem to bear much of a resemblance to the 2007 Packers, however. For one, there's very little to suggest that a late-career renaissance a la Favre is on the horizon for Hasselbeck, who'll turn 37 in September. The follicly challenged three-time Pro Bowl performer's play has receded nearly as much as his barely visible hairline over the past four seasons, in which Hasselbeck has recorded a lackluster 50-to-58 touchdown-to- interception ratio and missed 13 games due to injuries.
Hasselbeck put together a nice rebound in 2011, with the longtime Seattle gunslinger throwing for 3,571 yards and 18 touchdowns while starting all 16 contests in both his and the then-rookie Locker's first seasons in Nashville. While that solid performance may have garnered some NFL Comeback Player of the Year consideration, it still didn't get the Titans into the playoffs.
The truth of the matter is that the Titans aren't a realistic Super Bowl contender as presently comprised, regardless of whether it's Hasselbeck or Locker taking the snaps. That's why octogenarian team owner Bud Adams' unsuccessful sales pitch to the beloved former Tennessee Volunteer Peyton Manning back in the spring wasn't solely based on sentimentality, and why Munchak is making the right move in having the future become now for the organization.
Will Locker face-plant during a brutal four-week opening stretch that contains home dates with defending AFC champ New England and upstart Detroit and road tests at San Diego and AFC South favorite Houston? Quite possibly, especially if the talented youngster's first regular-season starts are as shaky as his first preseason one, when he mustered only 21 yards with an interception on 4- of-11 passing in nearly a half's worth of work Friday at Tampa Bay.
But the Titans aren't necessarily guaranteed a better chance of surviving that apparent rough patch with Hasselbeck's wisdom and veteran savvy than with Locker's clear advantages in arm strength and mobility. And it's not as if Hasselbeck, who was picked off twice in his return to Seattle during Tennessee's preseason opener, has proven himself without question to be the superior option during camp.
So if all other factors are relatively equal, why wouldn't Munchak go with the player the Titans expect to be their franchise face for the next decade instead of one who's nearing the end of the line?
Meanwhile, the first critical call of Joe Philbin's tenure in Miami turned out to be a much more transparent one to make in comparison to Munchak's. What had been touted as a three-man derby for the Dolphins' No. 1 quarterback position that would linger deep into the preseason wound up being not much of race, with fast-rising rookie Ryan Tannehill convincingly beating out favored veterans Matt Moore and David Garrard just halfway through the exhibition schedule.
Tannehill benefited from some luck (Garrard's knee surgery that will sideline the brittle vet for all of the preseason) and an inherent advantage (his college coach, Mike Sherman, is now Miami's offensive coordinator -- not to mention Hasselbeck's former head coach in Green Bay and the one who traded him to Seattle in 2001). The heralded 2012 first-round pick also made the most of his golden opportunity, however, by easily outplaying an erratic Moore over the first two games.
Tannehill's 11-of-23, 100-yard effort during the first half of the Dolphins' 23-17 loss at Carolina on Friday may not have been Marino-esque, but the comfort and decision-making he exhibited in his initial encounter with a first-team NFL defense was quite impressive for one entering the league with just 20 collegiate starts.
And with Miami seemingly still a ways away from truly contending as Philbin -- another with Packers' ties -- becomes the next to be put in charge of the team's latest rebuilding project -- throwing its promising passer right into the fire certainly makes sense after Tannehill proved he belonged against the Panthers.
"I think he's very much acclimated himself to the speed of the game at this point, and I don't think that's an issue," Sherman said afterward.
Incidentally, both Tannehill and Locker are 24, which just happens to be the same age Rodgers was when he finally inherited the Packers' starting job following Favre's drama-filled divorce from the team during the summer of 2008.
Here's the rundown of the New York Jets offense with Mark Sanchez at quarterback in this preseason: Eight drives, six punts, one interception, one stopped on downs, 103 total yards in 41 plays and zero points. No wonder why Rex Ryan's been uncharacteristically quiet over the past few weeks, and why the Jets aren't allowing the media to divulge any "secrets" about the Tim Tebow- driven Wildcat formation. It may be the team's best (and only) way to move the football.
Though neither injury turned out to be serious, witnessing Michael Vick get hurt twice in 12 plays over the Eagles' two preseason outings has to be pretty nerve-wracking for Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid, no matter how good rookie Nick Foles has looked against second-stringers. It's hard to understand just why the general public views the Eagles as the favorites in the NFC East with Vick such a perpetually brittle player, especially when there's another quarterback inside the division with two Super Bowl MVP trophies and who hasn't missed a game in eight professional seasons.
Saturday's head-to-head showdown between rookie sensations Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III may be the most captivating matchup of this year's preseason, and Griffin's upcoming regular-season debut might have gotten a bit more interesting as well due to the rash of recent injuries that have befallen the Washington Redskins' Week 1 opponent, New Orleans. It's possible the Saints will have to face the incredibly elusive young quarterback without all three of their projected starting linebackers, all of whom got hurt in Friday's game against Jacksonville. Strongside candidate Chris Chamberlain tore his ACL and is done for the year, while noted free-agent additions Curtis Lofton (high ankle sprain) and David Hawthorne (knee surgery) both are questionable to be back from the opener. The Saints did acquire veteran Barrett Ruud in a trade with Seattle on Monday, but he missed a good portion of offseason work battling knee and shoulder injuries.
The outcry for the NFL to end its lockout of the Referees Association grew progressively louder following an unsettling overall performance by the replacement crews this past weekend, but don't expect a resolution to be imminent. As much as the league is losing credibility by continuing to use the substitute refs, it's still yet to take a hit in the wallet over the situation. The television revenue is guaranteed by contract, and fans aren't going to boycott attending games because their favorite official won't be working them. As long as its bottom line isn't being threatened, unfortunately the league can still dig in for a while and hope the referees eventually cave.


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Yesterday Renata and I went to do a bit of shopping in a local department store. It didn't take long for us to appreciate that we had unwittingly joined the throngs heeding the tempting Siren call of Black Friday sales. And so we enter once again into that fabled season of 'holiday shopping', four frenzied weeks marked by sappy sentimentality and tinselled winter inauthenticity, a Valhalla of manufactured mark-downs.
Long before Christmas fell into the hands of commerce and claimed pride of place among our annual festivals, this Holiday Season was known as Advent and was marked not by a focus on shopping and indulgence but on preparation and reflection. On making sure that not only our pantry was stocked, but our hearts too were full; full of expectation to receive and participate in a new work of God in the world. Advent is forward looking; a season of anticipation, of expectant waiting.
Reflecting this ancient tradition, the prescribed scripture readings in most mainline churches for the four Sundays of Advent are apocalyptic in nature. An apocalypse (Greek: "uncovering") is a disclosure of something hidden. The biblical texts, Jewish and Christian, are full of examples of this literature, written primarily to reveal an action of the divine and to give hope and assurance to people in the midst of trials. These scriptures are a reflection of the already-but-not-yet nature of the faith experience. In the Christian context, already we bear the name of Christ and are given the Holy Spirit. But not yet are we, or our world, made whole.
Apocalyptic literature asks us to do two things that seem contradictory: we are asked to take a realistic, sober look at what is happening in the world around us, and at the same time maintain our hope and expectation for the future. In trying times many of us find it easier to do the opposite, to look at the circumstances that surround us and move toward despair and cynicism. But no, to be people of genuine faith we must keep our heads out of the sand and remain hopeful that the fabled arch of history really is bent toward justice. We are called to respond to events, no matter how dire, not by retreating in fear or seeking self-preservation, but rather with hopeful acts of love and self-sacrifice. Our lives in trying times are to be a foretaste of a new era, a new order.
And until it comes, we wait.
Waiting is not fun, is it? We don't like it. I heard recently that it is estimated we spend fully 1/7 of our waking hours waiting for one thing or another. It's all terribly inefficient.
I remember waiting in a post office in Tangiers once, for well over an hour before I was served. The tourist in the queue next to mine didn't last that long. He became more and more agitated, looking at his wristwatch, shuffling his feet, sighing loudly, and finally – at about 30 minutes – making a vociferous exit, complaining loudly about what a backward country he was visiting. The rest of us just looked on in amusement, thankful for the distraction as we continued waiting.
Why do we wait? Why, when we visit the airport do we find thousands upon thousands of people – eager as they are to arrive at their destination – yet "stuck" in departure lounges? Why? Because, even though there are airplanes aplenty at airports, these many individuals lack one or both of two essential qualities: they lack either the ability or the authority to bring an end to their waiting. Few are qualified aircraft pilots; they do not have the ability to change their situation, even if they wanted to. And the handful of waiting passengers who do have their pilot qualifications, do not have, in that moment, the authority necessary to wander onto the flight deck of a waiting jet and take it away.
Advent is an exercise in miniature of the waiting we all experience in life and faith. It is a recognition that sometimes for the necessary to be done, we have to wait on someone who – unlike us – has both the ability and the authority to change our situation. Very often, and certainly in an ultimate sense, that someone is God. We are waiting for God to appear in our lives again, to do what only God can do.
Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama, says this about waiting:
"Waiting means 'I need you". If "I don't need you" why should I wait at all. As long as we live human life in human community 'waiting' is inevitable. And if waiting means 'I need you' it can be a beautiful experience!
"I need you" – this is the most inspiring thing one can say to someone. To say "I need you" to God is faith. But, as we have seen, "I need you" implies "I wait for you". Somehow we know from our life experience that "I need you" and "I wait for you" are inseparably related. Christian faith is to live on the basis of this combination. "I-need-you-I-wait-for-you". Waiting is another name for faith."
As we enter this Advent season, as we wait again for God to make a move in our lives – individually or corporately – let us turn our waiting into a declaration of faith.
"I cannot do this on my own. I need you, therefore I wait for you."

subset: commoncrawl


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Yay! My tea plants (Camellia sinensis) got here today. I originally ordered one, but the guy said he could fit two more similar-sized plants in the same box for the same shipping cost. Twist my arm, I got two (plus another plant for a friend).
These are the 'Sochi' variety, which is apparently one of the hardiest tea varieties. They still wouldn't survive outside here without some serious winter protection, but at least it gives me some leeway when it comes to bringing them inside in autumn.
Because I really need more large houseplants in winter.
Of course, I know it won't let me stop buying tea to drink (I'm addicted to tea), but growing tea is something I've always wanted to try. I've tried growing plants from seed several times, but never been able to get past the seedling stage. I've read they don't do so well as houseplants, but you never know until you try. I imagine the reasons are light and humidity, but my tropicals come through winter just fine in a south-facing bay window and with some humidifying tricks.
Other than that I think the trickiest part for me is the soil. As a species of camellia, I imagine they'd need rich, friable, and acidic soil…right now I've got them potted in a mixture of topsoil, vermiculite and worm compost, with a dusting of sulphur. Peat moss is the standard soil acidifier, but I personally don't think it gets harvested sustainably, so I try not to use it. I know the aluminum sulphate people use on hydrangeas damages rhododendrons and azaleas, so I'll avoid that. Need to think about this.


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These are scary questions that many aircraft owners or service providers may not have considered. In order to continue this discussion, I must ask you one more question. Are an aircraft's maintenance logbooks considered part of the aircraft? This question must be answered before we can establish insurance coverage or responsibility in the event the logbooks disappear or are destroyed.
Although the Federal Aviation Regulations have absolutely no bearing on insurance coverage or policy definitions, it is interesting to obtain a view from different segments of the industry.
According to the Federal Aviation Regulations Part 43, Part 91.417 and Part 91.419, an aircraft's logs must be transferred with the ownership of an aircraft but in no way do the FARs state that an aircraft's maintenance logs are a part of an aircraft. If fact, they remain quite silent on the subject. The FARs are quite long and detailed, and a definition may be hidden somewhere in the recesses of the regulations, but our investigation turned up nothing. So, if you are the studious type and choose to research this topic further, give me a call should you find conflicting documentation.
I did not stop with the FARs. My staff and I researched the aviation insurance industry on the subject in an attempt to try to define an aircraft's maintenance logs as a part of an aircraft. We reviewed three of the industry's broadest aircraft hull policies. There we found the definition of aircraft, but could not tie the maintenance logs in as a part of the aircraft.
"Scheduled Aircraft" means the aircraft described in Item 4 of the Declarations and any newly acquired aircraft, including the propulsion system and parts and equipment installed in or on the aircraft (1) while installed and (2) while temporarily removed until replacement has commenced: also tools and equipment in the aircraft which have been designed for use with the aircraft and are ordinarily carried in the aircraft."
"What is an aircraft? Your aircraft includes your airplane or rotorcraft and any operating, navigating or radio equipment that's usually attached to the aircraft. Parts of your aircraft that are temporarily removed are also included even if replaced by similar parts. Any tools and repair equipment standard for your type of aircraft are also included. In addition, we will cover personal property, carried in your aircraft, which is used in the operation of your aircraft. If you have other insurance covering a loss to a replaced part or personal property, this coverage shall be excess of the other insurance. And, personal property does not include
wearing apparel and other personal property not used in the operation, communication or navigation of your aircraft."
"Aircraft means the aircraft described in Item 4 of the Declarations (and when appropriate any aircraft qualifying under the provisions of Special Insuring Agreements I, II, or III) including the propulsion system and equipment usually installed in the aircraft (1) while installed in the aircraft, (2) while temporarily removed from the aircraft and (3) while removed from the aircraft for replacement until such time as replacement by a similar item has commenced; also tools and equipment which are specially designed for the aircraft and which are ordinarily carried therein."
After more than thirty years in this business, I have committed many of the most frequently used aviation policies to memory. I must admit, however, I still have to go back and read and study when searching for a small policy detail. Since these three policies quoted above are considered to be among the broadest in the aviation insurance industry, my rationale is if something is not covered in the industry's broadest policies, it stands to reason it won't be covered in the more restrictive policy forms.
Therefore I think it safe to say, again, the maintenance logs are generally not considered part of the aircraft.
Although your maintenance logs are actually not a part of the aircraft, they sure are important. They are important but under-appreciated until they are lost. Although many aircraft owners are very careless in the security of these logs, they may be the single most expensive and vulnerable unofficial part of your aircraft.
Have you ever thought of the consequences if your aircraft's logs were lost or destroyed? A number of aircraft dealers have told me that without a complete set of maintenance logs an aircraft could suffer diminished value of as much as 20% to 50%. Some dealers have estimated the loss at a much higher cost.
The fact is, many aircraft owners, chief pilots, and service centers do not properly secure an aircraft's maintenance logs. I have seen them stored in cardboard boxes, plastic bags, on open shelves in hangars, and any number of storage methods unacceptable to a treasure worth $10,000 to $1,000,000 dollars. How much is your aircraft worth? If my dealer's estimate of value is correct at 20%, how much are your logs worth? Does this justify at least a fire safe? Should your maintenance facility or service center store your logs in a cardboard box or would a fire safe be in order there as well?
Insurance is not always the answer to the risk of loss. Often times, a strong risk management program is a far better and a much cheaper solution. Proper storage helps to reduce the exposure to such perils as fire and theft. This is not the only exposure. Transporting your records to the maintenance facility is inviting catastrophe. Where will your books be stored while in the care of the FBO or maintenance facility?
"But the FBO is insured." Yes, that may be true, but for what? Service centers usually purchase hangarkeeper's legal liability insurance to cover their acts of negligence for AIRCRAFT in their care, custody and control. We have established that the aircraft's maintenance logs are not a part of the aircraft. And even if they were, if your records are in the care custody and control of the FBO and a windstorm, fire, or some other "act of God" destroys your logs, the hangarkeeper's legal liability coverage purchased to cover this property may not answer. Since hangarkeeper's coverage is liability coverage, the FBO must be negligent before a hangarkeeper's liability policy will answer. It might be said that the FBO is negligent because they did not use proper storage. That assumption might require a court battle to achieve satisfaction.
Some underwriters interviewed about this subject indicate they would accept such a claim under the hangarkeeper's liability policy but would only offer to reconstruct the books. Reconstruction is what the FAA requires to regain the aircraft's standard airworthiness certificate. Or is it? If your aircraft has timed parts, and all aircraft do, it may be necessary to replace all parts that are undocumented and are in question. It is assumed that all timed parts are the same age or number of cycles as the oldest documented part. A quite expensive proposition don't you think? And if we are dealing with a "Part 135" aircraft, the requirements are more rigid and as a result more expensive. Will the insurance company pay to replace these parts? Not unless we can establish that maintenance logs are a part of the aircraft and so far we have been unable to do that.
Of course, if the FBO or maintenance facility does not return your logbooks with your aircraft, you would have grounds to question. Just because the FBO's insurance company doesn't respond doesn't mean a court would not hold the FBO responsible.
An FBO's or service center's insurance company may respond in a variety of ways. The company may claim that the logbooks are not part of the aircraft and, as such, do not fall under the hangarkeeper's policy. They may try to compromise and offer to pay for the reconstruction of the books. The one thing they will resist is reimbursing you for the loss of value of your aircraft due to the missing logs.
A reconstructed set of maintenance logs that are properly documented may satisfy the FAA but does it satisfy that potential aircraft buyer to whom you may sell your aircraft? The true loss is in market value or market acceptance. Diminution of value is just as real with incomplete logs as it is in an aircraft with damage history. After all, why should a potential aircraft buyer pay you an average retail price for your aircraft with missing or reconstructed maintenance logs or damage history if he can buy another aircraft that is clean and complete? So a discount is expected. How much? It depends upon the age, value, make, model, and availability of the aircraft. If the market is saturated with like aircraft, you may have to discount your aircraft drastically in order to make it attractive to a buyer. So the 20% diminution of value estimated by my dealer friends may be very thin.
If the FBO's hangarkeeper's legal liability coverage does not give us satisfaction, will my aircraft hull policy cover the loss of my logbooks? It would if we could establish that the logs were a part of your aircraft. But we have already determined that they are not.
I interviewed a number of the most respected claims people in the industry in preparation for this article. I sent questionnaires to all the major companies. Some chose not to respond. I guess this is a hot potato. Maybe they thought they would be setting a difficult precedent. Some gave me great answers. The best responses came from USAIG and Phoenix Aviation Underwriters.
There is a difference between what an insurance company is required by contract to pay and what they will actually do.
One claims attorney said that although the logs were not technically a part of the aircraft, he would consider them a component and would pay for reconstruction under the aircraft owner's hull policy. (There is no coverage for diminution of value in the hull policy.) If covered under a hangarkeeper's policy, he would reconstruct and make some contribution for diminution of value. He would not pay for the replacement of a timed or cycled part.
Others have said they would pay for the reconstruction of the logs but would allow no contingent coverage such as diminution of value or loss of use.
Those mean "ole" insurance companies. Pay when they don't have to? It does happen. For some, I would expect them to follow the strict word of the policy. I had one response that they would expect to pay for the replacement of your logbooks. This may mean, to some adjusters, simply replacing the books themselves. You got it. Just the books left blank with nothing inside. No reconstruction, just the books.
Of course, if replacement doesn't include complete reconstruction of your records they haven't done much to help.
Reconstruction, as you know, is a hit and miss proposition. The older the aircraft is, the more difficult it is to reconstruct the records. Aircraft that have had numerous owners are a real challenge. If your aircraft has been owned outside the United States, reconstruction may be impossible.
If insurance is not the answer, what can we do? Remember, insurance is just one aspect of risk management. Let's go back to the basics. Let's develop a good RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN.
Proper storage is the place to start. Find a good place in your home, office or hangar for a high quality fire resistant safe or fire resistant file cabinet. This removes a part of the risk. Put your logbooks inside. I have seen some aircraft owners purchase secure storage units and procrastinate on putting the logs in their new homes.
With today's technology, records can easily and economically be scanned or copied and stored on a compact disk or on paper. A professional data storage company that specializes in the duplication of records can accomplish this. It can be done at your home or office if you have access to a copy machine or a scanner and compact disk burner. With today's technology, records can easily and economically be scanned or copied and stored on a compact disk or on paper. A professional data storage company that specializes in the duplication of records can accomplish this. It can be done at your home or office if you have access to a copy machine or a scanner and compact disk burner.
Corporate Flight Management, Inc., a Smyrna, Tennessee aircraft maintenance facility and one of my clients, offers a duplication service for their customer's maintenance logs. Of course a charge is made for this service. What a great idea and a great customer service!
This is a catch-up and then stay-up scenario. Once you have a complete copy of your maintenance logs, you must keep up with future maintenance done on your aircraft. Don't forget. One missing page constitutes an incomplete set of logs.
You would be amazed at the number of intelligent business people who back up their computers and then store the back-up disks or tapes in the same room of the same building that houses their computers. Don't make this mistake with your maintenance log copies.
Find a second location to store your copy. Logically, the second location should be in a separate building, preferably in a separate part of town. Purchase a second fire safe. You will have a lot of work and money invested in the back-up copies themselves. It would be a shame to go to this effort and expense only to have the copies destroyed.
Good risk management is always the sermon that my staff and I preach. The duplication and proper storage of your aircraft's maintenance logbooks is a risk management practice and your best insurance against loss. During my 31 years in aviation insurance, the one mistake that I see repeated most often is the lack of good management practices. All too often, business people try to make insurance the solution when good risk management practices are a cheaper and better road to avoiding the threat of loss. In this case, few aircraft owners and maintenance facilities demonstrate the kind of security procedures that an asset the value of your maintenance logbooks deserves.
Contact us today and one of our highly experienced agents will be happy to listen to your needs and act on your behalf to help you get the right coverage at the right price.
You can reach us through our contact form here or by phone toll free at: (800) 999-1109.
Copyright © - All Rights Reserved
Many thanks to Beechcraft Heritage Museum, Bob Burns and Thomas Hoff for their beautiful photos.


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Click on any of the links below to download the relevant document in PDF form. If you are struggling to download the link, right click on the link and choose "Save as" to save to your computer.
New South Wales
Application Form Exempt Development Certificate
Application for Occupation Certificate
Application Form Crown Certificate
Cert Application & Appointment of PCA & Notice of Commencement


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Luminous-Lighting and Sound System by Mohammad Hossein Namayandegi
Mohammad Hossein Namayandegi Shares The Luminous Lighting and Sound System
Mohammad Hossein Namayandegi , the author of the awarded work Lighting and Sound System:Luminous by Mohammad Hossein Namayandegi explicates, Luminous designed to offer ergonomic lighting solution and surround sound system in a single product. It is aimed to create emotions that the users desire to feel and utilized a combination of sound and light to achieve this goal. The sound system developed on the basis of sound reflection and simulates 3D surround sound in the room without the need for wiring and installing multiple speakers around the place. As a pendant light, Luminous creates direct and indirect illumination. This lighting system provides a soft, uniform, and low contrast light which prevents glare and vision problem..
Luminous-Lighting and Sound System by Mohammad Hossein Namayandegi Images:
End of the article, click here to go back to previous page, or alternatively go back to Toward Design Magazine homepage.


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Summer Bridge, UA faculty help Cody Pope achieve home ownership
By David Miller
Rosemary Ingram didn't want to hear it.
For 17 years, she'd cared for her grandson, Cody Pope, who has Down syndrome. Roughly 12 years ago, they moved from Thomasville to Tuscaloosa to enroll Pope in independent living and educational services offered at The University of Alabama and through Tuscaloosa County's Park and Recreation Authority.
Shortly after Pope completed his second Summer Bridge at UA – a college-preparation program for individuals with intellectual disabilities – program coordinator Dr. Amy Williamson was convinced Pope could live independently.
"Cody took advantage of all the Summer Bridge had to offer, and as time went along, Amy would say, 'Cody can live by himself and have his own apartment,'" Ingram said. "It worried me some because it was exactly what Cody wanted to hear. I'd always felt like [Pope] would be right here with me. I didn't know what might be when I wasn't here."
Pope was determined to reach the milestone of independent living after completing his second Summer Bridge program 2017. When he returned home, he did every chore, on schedule, the way he'd learned at Summer Bridge. He was empowered and motivated, and his social skills had improved tremendously, Ingram said.
"Cody grew a lot, but so did I," Ingram said. "I allowed him to do the things he was wanting to do. I backed off a little.
"Now, here we are."
"Here" is Pope's first home, a cozy townhouse in Tuscaloosa, where he's lived on his own since December. He maintains his home and deals with the unforeseen issues that accompany home ownership, like a bathroom leak just a day before his housewarming party this month.
His favorite part of the house is, "everywhere," but if he had to pick a place, it would be his living room, where he can kick back and watch comic book movies or hang out with his girlfriend, Heather.
Buying a home is stressful, from securing financing to home inspections, and it can be especially daunting for first-time homebuyers. But Pope has met each challenge like anyone in 2018 would: by searching the web.
"There was nothing about moving here that worried me," Pope said.
Home ownership is part of the American dream, but it's the ultimate milestone for a graduate of CrossingPoints, a partnership among UA and the Tuscaloosa City and County school systems that helps students with significant disabilities develop skills necessary for successful adult functioning. More than 100 students have graduated from CrossingPoints, many of whom work on campus or at businesses in Tuscaloosa.
Pope graduated from CrossingPoints in 2008 and has worked as a lab runner at University Medical Center for nine years. During that stretch, he's leaned on the services of PARA's Therapeutic Recreation division, where he's learned to cook, clean and further develop independent skills, like paying for things on his own.
"We all got together in my office and made a plan," Williamson said. "There are certain hurdles Cody faces because he has Down syndrome, so we made a list of things he needed to learn, like when to answer the door or how to hang up on a telemarketer, things that many people might take for granted, but these are things Cody's never done before.
"Many people have played a part in helping Cody get to this point."
Williamson said Pope's transition to living independently is a "dream come true" for the instructors at CrossingPoints.
"We've all sat around and dreamed about what could happen, but when they start to come true, it's a different feeling," she said. "Cody, his grandmother and uncle have said they were willing to create a manual on how other students can achieve this goal. You have to have that foundation and support from somewhere. We teach positive choices in school, but when you're living in a house on your own, those interactions and choices look different than when someone is there to support you. "
The University of Alabama, the state's oldest and largest public institution of higher education, is a student-centered research university that draws the best and brightest to an academic community committed to providing a premier undergraduate and graduate education. UA is dedicated to achieving excellence in scholarship, collaboration and intellectual engagement; providing public outreach and service to the state of Alabama and the nation; and nurturing a campus environment that fosters collegiality, respect and inclusivity.


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From our colleagues at Lower Cape TV:
EASTHAM, MA - The US Air Force Band joined the Cape Symphony for a night of Broadway, Sliver Screen, and star-spangled summer song during the Symphony's third annual free outdoor concert at the National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitors Center newly refurbished amphitheater in Eastham.
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Astronomy bottlenecks…Posted: December 22, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: astronomy, programming, topcat 5 Comments
[tweetmeme only_single=false service=wp.me source=allinthegutter]
Guess what's the largest hurdle impeding scientific progress in astronomy? Lack of money? Governmental disinterest? Nope, according to a paper published yesterday it's our bad programming skills.
Modern astronomers are much more likely to be found in front of a computer these days than behind a telescope. We spend our time analysing our data and to do so we need to write computer programs. Some of these are pretty simple (`read table, make graph, join dots'), but often they're much more sophisticated (`read table, decipher Universe' etc). However, whilst we generally received some basic programming training during our degrees, we tend not to be proper software developers. As the authors of the paper point out this can mean that our programs:
…often contain the goto statement every 10–20 lines; names of variables do not
follow any conventions, i.e. a1, a2, aa1; the code is unreadable: no or bad indentations,
very long function bodies and/or source files. There is a lot of hard-coding of file and
device names, file system paths.
When the author is
returning to the same program after several months or years, he/she often finds that the
existing procedure/function calls do not satisfy his/her needs, however is not willing to
modify them to keep the backward compatibility. Then, a wrapper routine is created
which is calling some underlying procedures/functions in a slightly different way.
These aren't the only flaws they highlight but they're the ones, I'm embarrassed to admit, I might, perhaps, maybe inflict on my own code (though not the GOTO statement – I don't do that)!
(GOTO as seen by Futurama from this page of programmer's jokes)
So, is hiring software developers to code `properly' for us the answer? Nope: our programs might be inefficient and unwieldy but
…at the end the program does what it is supposed to, because the author
knows exactly what it should do. Even though it may sometimes crash during run-time
or have very poor performance,
whereas a programming professional could write pretty code but might not spot an obvious flaw in the output. It's not all bleak though, as they also give some examples of well-written pieces of astronomy software such as the excellent TOPCAT which Niall has guest-blogged about before over at AstroBetter.
The authors' solution to the problem is to introduce mandatory undergraduate courses in these skills and to wean us all off the obsolete programming languages (in their opinion) that we insist on using. This sounds like a good idea, especially as this problem will only increase in future as the amount of data we have to handle rises. This only leaves the question of what to teach everyone which, as xkcd points out, is another kettle of fish entirely.
Igor Chilingarian, & Ivan Zolotukhin (2010). The True Bottleneck of Modern Scientific Computing in Astronomy Astronomical Societ of the Pacific arXiv: 1012.4119v1
5 Comments on "Astronomy bottlenecks…"
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bora Zivkovic, Rita Tojeiro and Flipboard Science. Flipboard Science said: Astronomy bottlenecks… http://bit.ly/dXaBsF […]
Ignoring that the course work requirements for graduate students in the US vary from those in the UK or Australia, I think that the authors were imaging thesis panels and advisers to PhD students when they said, "advanced courses should be recommended to some of them."
Sure it would be great to say that any undergraduate who wants to go into science should take a set of scientific computing courses. Still, if we train(1) our graduate students in "observational" astronomy why not also train them in "computational" astronomy (2)?
(1) Barring the appearance of a horde of apprentices with pitchforks I will continue to use the word "train" in the same sentence as "graduate student" no matter how badly it seemed that I was shot down on astrobetter.com
(2) of course who would teach this course among the Fortran/IDL loving faculty of most astronomy departments, I don't know.
If you're trying to analyze the Universem you should simplify your program. How about using:
"What do you get if you multiply six by nine."
[…] Astronomy bottlenecks… […]


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Y'all, the shipment on my porch, I'm dying; the Amazon god of home delivery stopped by while I was out.
I cried for a minute and then I was crying from laughing. My sister warned me, "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how much children love to push buttons???" But it was such a space aged concept, have you seen them? The Amazon.com Dash Buttons? They are so cute, for products that you use regularly, you order this button, it's like $5 but you get that refunded the first time you press the button.
So I use Tide pods and so I got a Tide Pod dash button. Ideally, I would put the dash button, which is wirelessly connected to wifi, next to the washer and then when my supply diminished I would press the button and two days later, Viola! Tide Pods on my doors step. Alas, I agreed with my sister, vandals (our 3 and 5-year-old sons) do love buttons, so I hid the buttons in a cabinet, out of their reach.
[Tweet "Viola! @Tide pods on my doors step. @Amazon and #Jesus"]
I caught a manbaby standing at the cabinet with his tween-baby sister investigating. "STOP!" I yelped. They stood clicking away, "What are these?" they inquired in harmony. "STOP! STOP PRESSING THE BUTTONS!!!!" I snatched them and put them back in the little basket I thought I had cleverly hidden. The phone rang and I rushed upstairs for a phone interview, taking my dash buttons with me. I remember thinking, "log on to Amazon and see what they ordered when you get off the phone…"
I forgot.
We won't be needing the dash buttons for a while.
We have plenty of paper towels, trash bags, playdough, toilet paper, and yes, Tide pods. The box they arrived in can also be recycled as a casket when I die. Which honestly, being buried in an Amazon Prime box seems a fitting tribute to my life.
As I rearranged the pantry for my new stock pile, I noticed a plethora of other items I have plenty of. Some of it laughable… you might live with vandals if you have an obsessional collection of Goof-off. Also, six bottles of ketchup, 2 cases of goldfish, 97 mismatched socks, and a box that I was literally able to organize by throwing its contents, and the box away.
Habitually I buy, collect, store, and recycle a myriad of stuff; most of it… intentionally.
Still, I count myself in need of more or condemn myself as affluent, greedy, or ungrateful.
And I can guess what you think is coming next, "Americanized brat Christians… yada yada yada…"
This is the let Jesus be Jesus rant. He knows I am American. He knows where I live. He knows how much money we make and how much I hate egg salad, junk mail, and Day Light Savings Time. He saw the impending madness of the dash button.
[Tweet "Let #Jesus be Jesus"]
Suddenly I am less irritated by the fact that my children's legacy will be marked by their inheritance of paper towels, and more irritated by the constant hum of the rights and wrongs of affluence. Which, by and large are hummed by the affluent?
In a recent confrontation with an angry reader who accused me of promoting a prosperity gospel, I couldn't help but point out… she was prospering. Two incomes, two cars, two kids, two vacations, two 401Ks, and too much distress over what the American Christian sees as too much.
To be saved is to prosper.
Strong's #4982: sozo (pronounced sode'-zo) from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):–heal, preserve, save (self), prosper, be (make) whole.
And yes, a diluted message where Jesus is a genie in a bottle, and you behave or beg and plead and He blesses you more than your neighbor or the sinner next to you on the pew because you are more righteous or fervent, is not a good message.
However, neither is the message that He doesn't prosper and delight in you. Frankly, were it not for the prosperity of some, wouldn't there be many who would go without? To be saved is to be delivered, protected, healed, and preserved – which is to prosper.
Praise be to God.
As if He did not know that this was the reality that is my life? Perhaps, if instead of bashing one another and berating myself, I embraced this path that my feet have been steadied on.
Familiarity breeds contempt? Perhaps, if all I am familiar with is the self-condemning voice of my inner mean girl, who pompously judges my pantry and checking account. Or the memorized voice of the gospel of doom, whereby the preacher reminds me only of my worthlessness.
Familiarity with Jesus breeds a loving relationship. Too much? Maybe, but nothing can separate me from His love. Too little? Perhaps, but if my child asked me for a fish would I give him a snake instead? One of my children didn't drive until she was 17. One of my children was given a beat up Ford on his 16th birthday, and not a day later. Still another was in a season where a car had to wait a little longer than he might have liked. Do we love them more or less than the other? Certainly not. Are their individual needs, safety, and well-being a consideration in how we parent them?
The natural consequences of sin may interfere with my wants or grand plans, but I am whole in my salvation. Conviction is different than condemnation, of which there is none in Christ. Familiarity with my identity in Jesus draws me nearer to the truth of my inheritance. An inheritance that is so much more than paper towels.
The bounty (see what I did there) is the abundance of the Spirit. I can't quit pushing that button…
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
May your floors be sticky and your calling ordained. Love, Jami
You might also like: Why the general public hates Christians and Your Sister In Christ, A. Butthead
FRIDAY LINK UP! #MATT1020 And be sure and visit the Ladder to the Rooftop FREE Author PAGE!!! Angela Parlin has a newsletter that will help with everything from the Facebook Algorithm to how to launch your book!


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|Shawlands Kirk (Thursdays), Merrylea Parish Church (Fridays) , Glasgow South Side
|TinyTalk Glasgow South Website
|Facebook information can be found here
If you are looking for a fabulous, fun and educational activity to do with your baby then give TinyTalk Glasgow South a try!
These award winning baby signing classes run weekly in Shawlands and Newlands.
At my NEW sensory TinyTalk Baby Signing Classes:
• You'll experience bright and beautiful sensory toys, such as voile scarves, tactile rubber shapes, flashing balls, stretchy Lycra, bubbles, mirrors and lovely music.
• You'll sing, bounce and giggle along to a range of fun nursery rhymes and action songs.
• You'll learn a weekly theme of useful signs, related to words about the family, playing at home, going to the park, meal times, bedtime.
• You'll play instruments to accompany the songs and read books together, to have fun with the signs, introducing your baby to the magical worlds within literature.
• You'll have a 2nd half hour just for play time and refreshments, to recharge everybody's batteries - it's good to talk!
Baby signing is a great way to communicate with your baby, helping to reduce frustration and give an amazing insight into what your baby is thinking and feeling!
Book your taster session by emailing me at email@example.com or call me on 07703 316181
Classes run on Thursdays at 1.15pm and 2.30pm at Shawlands Kirk and on Fridays at 10.30am at Merrylea Parish Church, Newlands.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact. We take every opportunity to ensure the details for TinyTalk Glasgow South are accurate, please contact us at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk if any of the above information is incorrect.
Looking to reach new customers? We offer a variety of advertising options with prices starting from just £30 per month!


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As CCAD student vice president Chavilah Bennett recently pointed out, artists in training in Columbus don't get a lot of opportunities to sell their work.
As CCAD student vice president Chavilah Bennett recently pointed out, artists in training in Columbus don�t get a lot of opportunities to sell their work.
Between the emphasis on class assignments and the invisible borders that can separate campus communities from the city at large, Columbus may not see much of what its student artists have to offer until schoolwork is done, if then.
Twice a year, CCAD art sales help bridge the gap for local art lovers. The night before this year�s holiday edition brings another opportunity to connect, an exhibition that�s part of a new initiative to promote the work of students year-round.
CCAD Art Sale
Bennett is one of dozens of students and alumni setting up shop at the always-popular event, featuring work in every buyer-friendly medium. An advertising and graphic design major, she�s hoping to drum up commission work around her favorite pastime, portrait illustration.
To attract impulse buyers, she�s also selling girlish necklaces with 3D goldfish charms � part Asian art, part �Finding Nemo.�
Bennett will share a table with her boyfriend, Dion Utt, a conceptual jewelry artist whose work includes clean, contemporary pieces in sterling silver, polished wood and raw crystals.
Sale organizers have arranged for student vendors to be surrounded by alumni, according to Bennett, to encourage sharing of information and professional experience.
�Unofficially, we get to have mentors,� she said.
�No Place Like Home�
Earlier this year, CCAD student Ken Aschilman founded CCAD Spotlight Exhibition Group to promote art by students and prepare them for professional careers. Its first juried show, �No Place Like Home,� features 21 works interpreting the title phrase.
These include Nathan Moser�s portrait of homelessness, consisting of found materials and a corner of bare floor, and a rich tapestry of fabrics and teabags by Pallavi Sen that recalls the sensual experience of her youth in India.


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Ultralight backpacking and hiking is about a virtuous circle. If your backpack weighs less, you can hike at a faster rate and closer to your day hike speed. Additionally, you won't be as tired and sore. You can make 20 miles per day versus 10 miles per day if your pack is not killing you. If you can hike 20 miles per day, a 60-mile trip is a three-day trip, not a six-day trip.
If you do the trip in three days you only need three days food and fuel supply. The faster you hike the lighter your pack can be. Conversely, the slower you go, the more food and fuel you have to add to your pack – further bogging you down.
The goal is to start that 60-mile 3-day hike with a 25-pound backpack, not a 45-pound, 6-day pack. At 25 pounds your pack is not much bigger than many hiker's daypacks. You'll find you need less rest stops and are peppier the next morning.
Ultralight backpacking and hiking is a great equalizer. You don't have to be an accomplished athlete or young. Any walker or hiker can cover great distances in the mountains with ultralight backpacking and hiking techniques.
Where it all Started
Ultralight hiking is indebted to pioneers like Ray Jardine that figured it all out when ultralight gear was not readily available. To learn where it all started read Ray's book "Beyond Backpacking" . Pioneering ultralight hikers like Ray built and sewed their own gear to get the weight down and maintain functionality. Today, we have the good fortune of many inventive outdoor gear designers and manufacturers that are providing many options for lightweight and functional gear to meet every need. New materials are enabling new lightweight and strong designs of clothing, gear and stoves. It is much easier to find a wide variety of tasty prepared and bulk dehydrated foods.
Ultralight Backpacking Strategies
There are several key areas to learn about and focus on to perfect the ultralight backpacking style that fits and works for you:
- Ultralight gear – Every item of gear is important to consider and work on to achieve the minimal weight and get the job done. Carving your gear down to the essentials you actually use and need is vital also.
- Food – It will take experimentation to work out tasty foods that fit your palate, is dehydrated, easy to fix and not cooking intensive.
- Nutrition – It's important to have a balanced diet with the optimum amount of fat, carbohydrates and protein.
- Hydration and water – With heat, dry air up high and heavy exertion you will go through a lot of water. Most food is 70% water, so you have to factor in another big batch of water to rehydrate food. You need safe and clean water to stay healthy.
- Feet – Shoes, socks, blisters and more. Go light, breathable and learn what works for your feet by experimenting.
- Speed and endurance – Hike at 2 to 2.5 MPH like a turtle, throw in hiking poles and you can cover 20-25 miles each day.
- Planning the hike – Figure out where you are going to camp, get water and your miles per day. A plan will make your hike go smoothly. You will deviate, but the scenario planning really helps.
- Resupply – If you are going to do a big trail and cover more than 100 miles you will need a resupply plan and a shipment to meet you at each resupply point. Resupply ties into your hike plan.
- Electronics – A cellphone, Kindle type reader and cool hiking apps will be very helpful.
- First Aid – From blisters to sunburns and cuts – you need some preparation for things to go wrong, but you can't go wild on the weight.
- Training – You wouldn't run a marathon or do a triatholon without training. You need a training program that prepares you for a big hike. You need to become a fat burner, not a sugar burner for optimal endurance.
Becoming an ultralight backpacker will turn you into an endurance hiker. You will surprise yourself on how far you can go day after day. Learning ultralight backpacking will be equally useful for day hikes and endurance sports.


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Semi-automatic Crowner.
The semi automatic crowner mod. 2008-TC/1 is for use in small and medium manufacturing plants and is suit- able for the application of crown corks with a diameter of 26, 29 or 30.5. It can process cylindrical glass bottles with a diameter of 55 mm. to 115 mm. and with a maximum height of 375 mm. Its production is 600 bott/h.
It can apply standard crown corks, crown corks with bidule and twist-off crown corks.
The corks are loaded manually, using a little channel which can contain around 40, however, on request it is possible to apply a cork feeder that works automatically.
The bottles can be lifted pneumatically (using a cylinder which is lifted by compressed air) or mechanically (using a lever with a bearing that runs on a lifting cam), for more secure closure of the bottle using mechanical movements (due to champagne bidule cork problems).
The work cycle starts by putting the bottle on the specific plate and operating the machine using a two hand command; when the working cycle is completed, the machine stops automatically and no part of it remains in movement. The front guard makes the machinehazard-free, proteing against any possible accidents caused by breakage. The machine can be assembled on four wheels or on fixed feet.
Version available: Pneumatic operation or Mechanical operation (Particularly recommended for champagne production (crown cork+bidule) and for twist-off crown corks).


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Graceful Girls (Olivia Peniston-Bird, 2015)
Anyone who has ever participated in dance should appreciate Olivia Peniston Bird's debut feature Graceful Girls. On the contrary, if exaggerated smiles, sequins, and kids slathered in make-up is your idea of hell, you'd best look elsewhere for your cinema fix. Continue reading FILM REVIEW: Graceful Girls


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My name is Brandy Crowley and I am so excited to be part of the Legacy family! I am beginning my 11th year as an Assistant Principal in Loudoun County and my 8th year at Legacy. I was previously the Assistant Principal at Creighton's Corner. Prior to becoming an Assistant Principal, I was an Administrative Intern for two years at Tolbert Elementary in Leesburg. In addition, I have taught Pre-Kindergarten, First, and Second grade, both in Florida and Virginia.
I have always loved working with children and I look forward to getting to know all the wonderful students that will be filling the halls here each day!! Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything I can do to help you!!


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Abstract: Gas plasma is a powerful tool allowing for molecular engineering of materials to impart unique surface properties, without affecting the bulk properties. Considerations in creating a plasma include power delivery, gas or vapor composition, or unique chamber configuration and design. Plasma systems exist that enable both facile batch processing or in-line treatments.
The technology is a critical design tool for many industries such as aerospace and defense, life sciences, electronics, semi-conductor, and automotive. Use of the technology allows for increase in throughput at a reduced cost.
Mr. Tim Smith is the Vice President, Engineering and Operations, for Plasmatreat North America and is located in the Ancaster Ontario facility. Tim is responsible for, and manages Operations, Engineering, and Technical activities for Plasmatreat in North America. An Electrical Engineer, Tim has extensive experience in product design, automation, and implementation of atmospheric processes and is a key technical resource.
Mrs. Mikki Larner is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Plasma Technology Systems (PTS), a Plasmatreat company, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a developed technical understanding of surface modification manufacturing practices for the life science, aerospace, and electronics industries. Activities include active memberships in the Surfaces in Biomaterials Foundation, American Chemical Society (ACS) and Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE). She holds board positions with the Society of Plastics Engineers Golden Gate Chapter and the Golden Gate Polymer Forum.


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PowerShell : How SIRI answers your Query
Hello Readers, Today we'll talk about how does Siri Answers our query and from where does Siri gets all the information. Well Siri uses Many API's like Google, Yahoo!, Wikipedia and others to get all the information it has and its not possible to cover all the API's siri uses in a single blog post. Hence today we'll… Read More PowerShell : How SIRI answers your Query


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£775,000 (Sold)
- Number of beds: 2
- Number of baths: 1
- Number of reception rooms: 1
Net internal area (approx.): 74.69 sqm / 804 sq ft
A beautifully appointed first floor apartment located in a handsome stucco fronted Victorian terrace house with rear views and access to the communal gardens. The property comprises of two double bedrooms, well proportioned living/dining room and a separate kitchen and bathroom.The property is ideally positioned at the southern end of the road just moments from the superb array of cafes, shops and restaurants on Kensington High Street, whilst Holland Park Avenue and Westfield are also close by.
Tenure: Leasehold
Lease Expiry: 26/09/2183
Service Charge: £1,150 p/a
Local Authority: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
The area: Why we love Holland Park
Why we love... Holland Park
Holland Park, like its famous neighbour Kensington, is one of London's most prestigious areas and is a very desirable place to live and work. The Park itself covers acres of beautiful green space, with woodlands, gardens, adventure playgrounds and sports facilities. There is an open-air theatre and the Park plays host to art exhibitions as well as opera, theatre and private functions.
Sophie Gass Boutique
Belvedere Restaurant
Holland Road, Holland Park
For more information about this property or to arrange a viewing, please use our enquiry form to the right, call us on +44 (0) 20 7361 0400 or email us directly at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Alternatively, drop in and see us at Wilfords London, 6 Holland Street, W8 4LT.


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Dynamics CRM 4 has great capabilities in helping to keep a crm system relatively duplicate free by using duplicate detection rules. However, care must be taken when creating these duplicate detection rules. Each time a duplicate detection rule runs and a match is found, the matches are written to the 'DuplicateRecordBase' table. If the rules are poorly written this table can drastically grow in size thus causing large database growth, async service issues, and duplicate detection issues.
A few items to keep in mind when writing duplicate detection rules.
- Watch for blanks. For example, if 90% of your contacts do not have an email address, do not create a duplicate detection rule on email address as it will be triggered 90% of the time.
- Turn off duplicate detection rules during import.
- Do not create a ton of rules. Think careful about how you can possible detect duplicates and even examine the existing data before creating the rules.
So what do you do if you do encounter a large DuplicateRecordBase table?
The first step is to identify the rule that is causing the large growth. Run this query:
as NbrRows, rules.name, rules.duplicateruleid from duplicaterecordbase as recs , duplicaterulebase as rules
where recs.duplicateruleid = rules.duplicateruleid
by rules.duplicateruleid, rules.name
This query will list the Number of Rows, followed by the duplicate detection rule name and guid.
After identifying the culprit, fix or delete the rule. If your table is not super large, deleting the culprit rule will delete the matches from the 'DuplicateRecordBase' table.
However, if your table is massive, this will timeout. You now have two choices: the supported method, and the unsupported method.
The supported method:
Open a ticket with Microsoft as you aren't supposed to delete anything manually from the crm database.
The unsupported method:
First, drink a good cup of coffee and don't do this smack in the middle of business hours.
Second – identify the 'bad rule' by running the query above.
Third – delete away.
from DuplicateRecordBase
where DuplicateRuleId =
Good luck.


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Our After Work Cruises Party Experience!
You just got out of work and you're thinking, what is there to do or where should you spend your night. Sure, you can hit up your favorite local bar or the nightly hot spots, but where's the fun in that? You've probably been to the same places time and time again and you're definitely in the mood for something different. Well, to make things easier for you, we've got just what you need for your after work escape. Check out our after work cruises and take your night to the seas!
Your Night on Our After Work Cruises
Views of the City
When you sail on our after work cruises, you will enjoy views of your city like you've never experienced. Our cruises will take you on an adventure through your city as you enjoy breathtaking views. Take in the view of the city skyline and all of its landmarks for your after work experience. There's definitely no better feeling than taking a small break from the city and enjoying it from the outside in. Fill your eyes with beautiful views as the night sky reflects against the city skyline. While our after work cruises will be a sightseeing experience, you definitely didn't get onboard just for the views!
An After-Work Party Experience
Enjoy the views throughout the night and get ready to dance the night away with our live DJ onboard. Take over the dance floor on our spacious and comfortable ships and enjoy nothing but the hits of the year all night long. Listen and dance to your favorite hits from the Top 40, Pop, Hip-Hop, Dance and more charts! Move your body all night long and enjoy the perfect night out to forget about that workweek stress. While we know that you'll definitely enjoy the music onboard, we've got one more thing that will make the night even better.
Our after work cruises will have fully stocked bars onboard for you to get the drinks pouring all night! Sail and take in the views with your favorite drink in hand and enjoy the perfect night out after work no matter what day it may be. There's no better way to enjoy a night out in your city than with a relaxing sail and drinks. Grab your coworkers and friends because our after work cruises are definitely better with some good company! Check out all of our available after work cruise events and keep in contact with us for future events. Your perfect after work escape is awaiting you on the seas aboard our unforgettable after work cruises!
Contact Us:
If you would like to contact us about our events, please use our live chat window. To view all of our after work cruises here.


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Archive for Sep, 2011
Unconditional Love ~ The Simple Question
Posted by Stephen Robinson in Family, Health, Meditation, Mediumship, Philosophy, Psychic, Relationships, Self Improvement, Society, Spiritual on Sep 25, 2011
In this message, Harold W. Becker shares that in this present now moment there is a simple question each of us can quietly ask ourselves and by embracing its affirmative answer, we open a whole new reality of potential before us. For more please go to www.thelovefoundation.com
He continues this is most likely not a question you may have ever considered for yourself or one that you have heard discussed by others. It is perhaps even one that you may wish to ignore at this stage of your journey. Yet, this beautiful and amazing transformative power and potential remains ever present until such time you feel the strength and courage to ask and accept its reality in your heart.
Why ask ourselves this question? Long ago we drifted away from our innate loving wisdom and allowed our consciousness to embrace the notion that our outer reality of form was our source of life. We became mesmerized and subsequently reliant upon our creations and forgot the power within our own being. Over time, this separation led to a sense of self doubt and with it, the corresponding manifestation we call fear. Unaware of the ultimate effect of our ongoing outer focus, we handed down our beliefs, notions, perspectives and ideals from generation to generation, century after century, often without stopping once to go within and ask a single question as to whether what we believe or do is actually coming from our own personal truth.
We stand at the threshold of opportunity to reconnect with our heart and allow the fullness of our wisdom to once again guide us. In an instant, we reverse the ignorance of ages by a clear and genuine acknowledgement of ourselves. By our own choice, we release the boundless freedom and joy and accept the potential that heals not only ourselves, also each other and our wondrous planet we call home. Can such a simple question really make this profound a difference? Answer it honestly, willingly, with an open heart and without hesitation, and you may be surprised by your own undeniable conclusion.
Do I love myself unconditionally?
What could there possibly be not to love? Our size, shape, color, age, gender? Our supposed status and achievements in life or the lack thereof? Our choices, mistakes and behaviors from the past? Our lost hopes, dreams or physical connections with others? These outer conditions and garments are only the forms we use to experience and evolve through life – they are not who we really are. Long after the forms dissolve and the expressions disappear, there is one thing that will always remain – Love.
The unconditional acceptance you have for yourself right now is the unconditional love you naturally will have for all others and Life itself. Allow yourself to embrace the knowing of love held within your heart and you share it with the world.
The Love Foundation is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization with the mission of inspiring people to love unconditionally. Established in 2000, TLF has become the internationally recognized leading resource for understanding and applying unconditional love. Our vision is to assist people by building a practical foundation and experience of love within individuals and society as a whole, through our education, research and charitable programs. "The Home of Global Love Day each May 1st"
Harold W. Becker is Founder and President of TLF and is the author of various books including, Unconditional Love An Unlimited Way of Being
Created by a kind volunteer as a gracious gift for The Love Foundation.
Related articles
- What Does Unconditional Love Really Mean? (joannewellington.wordpress.com)
- What Does Unconditional Love Really Mean? (mediumsworld.wordpress.com)
What Does Unconditional Love Really Mean?
Posted by Stephen Robinson in Family, Philosophy, Relationships, Self Improvement, Society, Spiritual on Sep 24, 2011
Love and freedom are two of those words that are interchangeable. Freedom of choice is unconditional love- unconditional freedom. Choice is another of those words that are interchangeable with Love and freedom.
For the most part, humanity understands little of what the word unconditional means. Unconditional means… "NO CONDITIONS." This lack of understanding is what has divided man from man, and religion from religion throughout his sojourn in the physical reality. It is again man's ego trying to grasp the idea, and not being able to surrender to its meaning. It appears to be the nature of humanity to always add conditions to unconditional-let me demonstrate.
The one common thread that I have found weaving through man's many belief systems is that God is Unconditional Love. I have yet to have anyone tell me that this is not so, and it seems to be accepted by all belief systems that are centered on a creator. If you are in disagreement with this statement then there would probably be no sense in you reading any further.
Now it must be made clear in this example that unconditional means that there are no conditions to God's Love. Do you understand and agree, that unconditional means no conditions apply?" Be sure because it gets more difficult to differentiate as we move along.
Do you understand that if there was a condition to God's love, then God would be giving conditional love? Conditional love is not the same as unconditional love as described in the preceding paragraph. I have never heard or read anywhere that God gives conditional love, have you?
Love and freedom are the same; if there is a condition to freedom, then it is not unconditional. Freedom is given from unconditional love. Freedom of choice is the same thing as unconditional love-they are all the same thing. I know this is repetitive, but if you can follow this understanding, and accept it, then there is something further you need to understand.
The following concept is extremely difficult for most people to understand. Because love, freedom, and choice are unconditional, there can be no PUNISHMENT associated with them; once again-no punishments. Here is where the so called enlightened fall by the wayside. They cannot accept any of these things without the recourse to punishment. You can practice unconditional love, unconditional freedom, and unconditional choice with no punishments! God will never punish you! Retribution is a lie, it was all made up. Only Man will punish you. Anyone who tells you different, is not coming from unconditional love. They live in fear of you accepting these things. They do not understand what unconditional means.
Most all who have read the first half of this article will not have problems with it until they get to the "No Punishment" part. At this point man's ego takes over, and will try to reason his way out of agreeing with the concept of unconditional. He will begin to say, yes I understand what unconditional means-but! Then he will start; you cannot have people running around doing whatever they want. There is a price (condition) for freedom. You can not freely love anyone you want, that is immoral (conditional). Our choices are limited by are colour, sexual orientation, creed, age, sex, and geographic region (conditional).
If you buy into these conditions, then you are in direct contradiction with what you may have agreed with when you started reading this article. If you didn't agree to the first part, then you have read farther then you were supposed to. You were warned! For those who do not agree that God is unconditional love, and don't understand the contradiction; let me explain. There seems to be a paradox here. Can unconditional love and conditional love exist at the same time? The answer is yes, because we have forgotten our heritage, we have moved away from unconditional. God gives unconditional love; man lives in conditional love!
This is where the contradiction comes from. We understand the love of God, and we feel inferior to it. We can not except that unconditional love is who we really are, and therefore apply conditions to our love and freedom. We project our human emotions and feelings onto God, effectively insulating ourselves from the reality of unconditional love. We attach certain conditions to his love. If we do not follow his will, we will be punished by him as we would punish those that would not do our will. Man's love, freedom, and choice are conditional because we have always had freedom of choice, to choose and accept those conditions which are conditional. It is paradoxal and appropriate that humanity should set conditions for itself, in direct contradiction to what God represents, and expected from his creations-that life is free to live as it desires without limitation. It is the natural course of all living things to evolve to the next best version of itself, so the natural tendency is to survive, not destroy.
Who is it that is teaching us about conditional love? Who or what is actually separating us from the unconditional love of God? The clue has been in the Newspaper's recently and has been manifesting itself for weeks. I'm in Canada, and it is August 08, 2003-the date I have written this article. For weeks now there has been a major controversy about legalized gay marriages. Who do you think is at the forefront of all the objections? Who is it that is using fear tactics to persuade politicians and supporters to change their policies? Who has come out, and said that they fear for the souls of those supporters?
They are the same profits that have for centuries, taught us of Gods conditional, unconditional love. They have taught us that God's love is unconditional, and that it must be accepted as blind faith-and yet they have set down punishments for practicing unconditional-so in effect they have made unconditional, conditional. I don't blame you if you are confused here; who wouldn't be. They have used fear, punishment, and death to implant this lie into our belief systems. They have been as the false profit. The institute does not correctly reflect God's love, nor do the profits and teachers-they don't even come close to teaching it. Their interpretations reflect only their fear that they share with the rest of humanity.
As you reason these contradictions, listen to yourself. Are you coming from unconditional love, or are you reacting from fear? Whatever you now believe, you will have chosen it from unconditional love, because that is your true nature. It should be your reality. You have unconditional freedom to live conditionally, in conditional love without freedom of choice, if that is what you desire. There is no greater display of divine love.
At this moment try to imagine choosing to live unconditionally, try to choose between the two, conditional or unconditional. And if you chose the later, how would you condition yourself to accepting it.
Feel the unconditional love as you make a free choice. As you make the choice, you should notice that you are not being punished for it. That may come later, not from God, but from those who would denounce your choice, and who are living in the realm of conditionality. If nothing else, understand the contradiction. But also understand that who you really are is free. Do not fear for your soul, your soul can take care of itself, and of course that is exactly what it is doing. It is the BLIND FAITH (which is not surrender) that leads you into darkness, when you do not question it. Faith is never blind; it is an essential step in the process of knowing.
Not taking responsibility for your own salvation has given power to those who would use your vulnerability to keep you on the straight and narrow-not yours, but theirs.
The human ability to see black and call it white, is a real blessing in a world of contradictions that require us to make a choice, and believe nothing else. There is no one that is more blind than he who will not see. This has led us into the notion of right and wrong; you are wrong, I am right. We both cannot be right-right?
As you learn to accept the choices of others not being as your own, you will free yourself from the necessity of making judgments about them, and you will be practicing unconditional love. Your new found love for yourself and humanity will set you free. It will be another major step into expanding your enlightenment. To truly free humanity, mankind must see all aspects of itself as being free; as being created from absolute unconditional love. In the greater picture, all things are perfect as they are. It is not necessary to like someone as they are, but it is necessary to love them unconditionally as they are.
The bottom line is that you cannot live your life unconditionally because you live in a physical world that is conditional. However, it doesn't stop you from experiencing unconditional love. Absolute unconditional love is the very nature of the creator-which you are-and it is only when you are focused on yourself as Creator that you will experience unconditional love.
(revised 03/2010)
Roy E. Klienwachter is an ordained minister,light worker, writer and author of Spiritual New Age Wisdom books written in simple language with the eloguence of Zen wisdom.
CarolyAnderson – About the Author:
The Power of Empathy
Posted by Stephen Robinson in Family, General, Health, Psychic, Relationships, Self Improvement, Society, Spiritual on Sep 17, 2011
Re-post of origional article…
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sapient or semi-sapient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion. The English word was coined in 1909 by E.B. Titchener as an attempt to translate the German word "Einfühlungsvermögen", a new phenomenon explored at the end of 19th century mainly by Theodor Lipps. It was later re-translated (Germanized) into the German language into "Empathie" and still in use there.
Empathy is one of the most important aspects of creating harmonious relationships, reducing stress, and enhancing emotional awareness — yet it can be tricky at times. I consider myself to be quite empathic, but I notice that with certain people (especially those I don't like or agree with, and also with myself at times) and in particular situations, my natural ability and desire to empathize can be diminished or almost nonexistent.
I also notice that when I feel empathy for others and for myself, I feel a sense of peace, connection, and perspective that I like. And when there is an absence of empathy in a particular relationship or situation, or how I'm relating to myself, I often experience stress, disconnection, and negativity. Can you relate?
What Is Empathy?
Empathy is not sympathy. When we're sympathetic, we often pity someone else but maintain our distance (physically, mentally, and emotionally) from their feelings or experience. Empathy is more a sense that we can truly understand, relate to, or imagine the depth of another person's emotional state or situation. It implies feeling with a person rather than feeling sorry for a person. And in some cases that "person" is actually us.
Empathy is a translation of the German term Einfühlung, meaning "to feel as one with." It implies sharing the load, or "walking a mile in someone else's shoes," in order to understand that person's perspective.
What Stops Us From Empathizing?
There are a number of things that get in the way of us utilizing and experiencing the power of empathy. Three of the main ones, which are all interrelated, are as follows:
- Feeling Threatened: When we feel threatened by another person or a particular situation, it's often hard to empathize. This makes perfect sense from a survival standpoint (i.e., if someone is trying to hurt us, we want to protect ourselves rather than have compassion and understanding about where they're coming from). However, we often feel "threatened" based on our own fears, projections, and past experiences, not by what is actually happening in the moment or in a particular relationship or situation. Whether the threat is "real" or "imagined," when we feel threatened in any way, it often shuts down our ability to experience empathy.
- Being Judgmental: Judgments are a part of life, we all must make lots of judgments and decisions on a daily basis (what to wear, what to eat, where to sit, what to watch/listen to/read, what to say, and on and on). Making value judgments (the relative placement of our discernment) is essential to living a healthy life. However, being judgmental is a totally different game. When we're judgmental, we decide that we're "right" and someone else is "wrong." Doing this hurts us and others, cuts us off from those around us, and doesn't allow us to see alternative options and possibilities. We live in a culture that is obsessed with and passionate about being judgmental. And many of us, myself included, are highly trained in this destructive and damaging "art." When we're being judgmental about another person, group of people, or situation, we significantly diminish our capacity to be empathic.
- Experiencing Fear: The root of all this is our fear. Feeling threatened is all about fear. Being judgmental is all about fear. And, not feeling, experiencing, or expressing empathy is also all about fear. There's nothing inherently wrong with fear; it's a natural human emotion that has many positive aspects to it if we're willing to admit it, own it, express it, and move through it. Fear saves our lives and keeps us out of trouble all the time. However, the issue with fear is our denial of it, our secret obsession with it, and our lack of responsibility about it. We deem things, people, or situations to be "scary," when in truth there is nothing in life that is inherently "scary." There are lots of things, people, and situations that cause fear in us; however, we make it about "them" instead of owning that the fear comes from within us. When we allow ourselves to be motivated by fear, which often leads to us defending ourselves against "threats," being judgmental, and more, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to access the power of empathy.
Where in your life and relationships can you see that feeling threatened, being judgmental, and experiencing fear stop you from being empathic? The more willing you are to look at this, acknowledge it, own it, and take responsibility for it (with compassion for yourself), the more able you'll be to expand your capacity for empathy.
How to Become More Empathic
There are many things we can do and practice to increase our ability to feel, experience, and express empathy for others, situations, and ourselves. Becoming more empathetic is one of the best ways we can enhance our relationships, reduce our stress level, and feel good about ourselves and our lives in an authentic way.
Here are a few things you can do and think about to become more empathic:
- Be Real About How You Feel: When we're willing to get real about how we truly feel and have the courage to be vulnerable about it with ourselves and others, we can so often liberate ourselves from the negativity, projections, and judgments that mask what's really going on. When we're in a conflict with another person or dealing with someone or something that's challenging for us, being able to admit, own, and express our fear, insecurity, sadness, anger, jealousy, or whatever other "negative" emotions we are experiencing is one of the best ways for us to move past our defensiveness and authentically address the deeper issues of the situation. Doing this allows us to access empathy for ourselves, the other person or people involved, and even the circumstances of the conflict or challenge itself.
- Imagine What It's Like For Them: While it can sometimes be difficult for us to "understand" another person's perspective or situation (because we may not agree with them, haven't been through what they've been through, or don't really want to see it through their eyes), being able to imagine what it must be like for them is an essential aspect of empathy. This is not about condoning inappropriate behavior or justifying other people's actions; however, I do believe deep in my heart that no one does or says things that are hurtful to us if they aren't already feeling a real sense of pain themselves and/or haven't been hurt in many ways in their own life. Whatever the situation, the more willing we are to imagine what it's like for them, the more compassion, understanding, and empathy we'll be able to experience.
- Forgive Yourself and Others: Forgiveness is one of the most important things we can do in life to heal ourselves, let go of negativity, and live a life of peace and fulfillment. Forgiveness has to first start with us. I believe that all judgment is self-judgment. When we forgive ourselves, we create the conditions and perspective to forgive others. Forgiveness is one of the many important aspects of life that is often easier said than done. It is something we need to learn about and practice all the time. Sadly, we aren't often taught how to forgive, encouraged to do it in genuine way, and didn't, in most cases, grow up with very good models or examples of how to forgive. One of the best books you can read on this subject is called Forgive For Good, written by my friend and mentor Dr. Fred Luskin, one of the world's leading experts and teachers about the power of forgiveness. This book gives you practical and tangible techniques you can use to forgive anyone and anything. The more willing we are to forgive ourselves and others (and continue to practice this in an on-going way), the more able we'll be to empathize authentically.
Mike Robbins is a sought-after motivational keynote speaker, coach, and the bestselling author of Focus on the Good Stuff (Wiley) and Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken (Wiley). More info: www.Mike-Robbins.com
Your True Self
Posted by Joanne Wellington in Family, Health, Philosophy, Psychic, Relationships, Self Improvement, Society, Spiritual on Sep 16, 2011
What is your true self? In everyday life, we tend to be different people in different situations. We can be corporate at work, relaxed with our friends, formal with our family , firm with our kids. We wear many different hats. So who are you? What is your purpose? What is your mission on life? Have you wondered what makes you special out of billions on people on this planet? Are you just an ant in a colony following the leader? Why do you go to work? Why do you have friends? Why do you live in a house? Why do you drive a car? Have you stopped and wondered? Have you stopped and thought about what life should be like? Or have you just followed blindly?
Does society dictate who you are and how you should live your life? Is it progressive to have a job? What is society ? Are you here to live and die and nothing really happens in that lifetime. Are you here just to live, eat and just drift along for the best part of seventy years. Are you truly happy? By happiness I don't mean fleeting moments at the weekend or when you are in the company of a loved one but I mean when you are on your own, day in, day out. A place of contentment where external events have very little impact on your equilibrium. Is that contentment generated by an internal source? Can you be happy just being?
Do you think you have a purpose? What would happen if you actually stopped occupying yourself with the mundane tasks of your life and thought about what your true nature?
Have you thought about your soul mission, your divine purpose? Are you letting the life waste away? Do you have the courage to say enough? I choose to live a different life, I choose to be an individual, I choose to denounce society and follow my own rules.
I know some of you reading this will be up in arms at this point! This woman is living in cuckoo land but I am or are you? I understand life has been structured around society and we need money, for shelter, to feed ourselves, cloth ourselves etc. What I am saying is to denounce society is to use the current structure of what has been laid out to achieve what you want rather than the other way round. To take back control, I don't think it's feasible to go back to caveman days and live off the land but I am saying is to go back to making your decisions. You make think you do, but how many of us get influenced by our peers and by the media?
The media and big corporations know how to manipulate the masses so that we tied up in situations for the rest of our lives. For the current structure of society to work , they need workers. They need people like you and me to willingly to go into a four walled office and sit there for 8 hours a day without complaining because that enables us to buy the big screen tv, the ipad , a Mercedes , or whatever we think will make our lives easier. What is happening in reality is slowly we are getting ourselves trapped, trapped in a situation where we loose our true selves , where we forget pleasure, spontaneity , being who you are . In order to feed what we think we require for a happy life we dilute our true essence.
This blog isn't for the people who are happy in their current situations, who I am to tell people how to live but it's more aimed at people who think these thoughts but get beaten down by others. I have had these thoughts since a very young age and was told to snap out it and to "live in the real world" but what is the real world? Isn't the world what we create in our heads? Is isn't it all about perception?
I believe that we have all come to earth to achieve and learn certain lessons. All of us are on a certain rug of a spiritual ladder. Depending where you are on this ladder you will look at life differently. Some people will go through this incarnation never considering the questions mentioned above , never having the awareness. However what concerns me is the minority that do question and do have an awareness. They get caught up and lost and if they were happy doing that then this blog isn't for them either. However drawing from personal experience I know what happens when you deny your true self, happiness becomes a distant friend only visiting once in a while.
I wish I had a courage to follow my feelings when I was younger and take more of a spiritual path but also understand that I had to get lost in illusion (Maya) in order to seek the truth. Now that I have the awareness of the bigger picture, I still find it hard to live up to my true potential. As you go through life , you pick up attachments. Attachments to friends to family, some of them who may not be fully up to speed on these matters as you are. These attachments then serve to hold you back in realising your goals as they introduce threads of doubt and insecurity. I acknowledge that we are here to interact with fellow human beings and we have to sustain relationships in order to learn the lessons but to achieve enlightenment /Moksha we have to see beyond this and follow the path we were meant to follow not matter the consequences. This does not mean hurting people we love or being a loner who goes into the forest but just having the courage to stand up to your beliefs and explaining to your loved ones how you feel. If someone truly loves you , they will want you to be happy and if that happiness does not follow convention so be it. If someone is very against your plans than you can carry on loving them sending them your love and then carry on with your life purpose.
The greatest injustice you can inflict upon yourself is not be true to yourself. So who is you want to be, what is you want to achieve? What are you waiting for? Today is a good a place to start as any.
Article written by: Sneha Ramji
Article sourced: spiritguides.co.uk
Related articles
- How to be Happy (mediumsworld.wordpress.com)
- When You Need to Let Go (mediumsworld.wordpress.com)
- It's Hard to Be Happy When We're Scared! (joannewellington.wordpress.com)


text:
Sanoma's treasury operations are managed centrally by the Group Treasury unit.? Operating as a counterparty to the Group's operational units, Group Treasury is responsible for managing external financing, liquidity and external hedging operations.
Centralised treasury operations aim to ensure financing on flexible and competitive terms, optimised liquidity management, cost-efficiency and efficient management of financial risks. Sanoma is exposed to interest rate, currency, liquidity and credit risks. Its risk management aims to hedge the Group against material risks. Sanoma Board of Directors has approved the unit's guidelines in the Group Treasury Policy.
In the long-term, to ensure financial flexibility, Sanoma's goal is to reach a capital structure where net debt/ adjusted EBITDA ratio is below 2.5, and equity ratio 35% – 45%.
Financial risks can be mitigated with various financial instruments and derivatives whose use, effects and fair values are clearly verifiable. The Group used currency forward contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risks during the year.
For more detailed information on financial risk management, please see note 25 of the Financial Statements 2019.
Interest rate risks
The Group's interest rate risk is mainly related to changes in the reference rates and loan margins of floating rate loans in the Group's loan portfolio. In 2019 all loans were denominated in Euro. The Group manages its exposure to interest rate risk by using a mix of fixed and floating rate loans. Interest rate derivatives may also be utilised.
Currency risks
The majority of the Group cash flow from operations is denominated in euros. However, the Group is exposed to transaction risk resulting from cash flows related to revenue and expenditure in different currencies. Group companies are responsible for monitoring and hedging against transaction risk related to their business operations in accordance with the Group Treasury Policy. The majority of the transaction risk is related to the acquisition of programming rights denominated in US dollars.
The Group has adopted forward contracts as a means of hedging against major transaction risks. Derivative instruments are used to hedge future cash flows; hence changes in their value will offset changes in the value of cash flows. Nominal values of derivative instruments in the balance sheet include gross nominal values from all active agreements. The outstanding nominal value is not necessarily a measure or indicator of market risks. Sanoma has entered into netting agreements with all of its derivative instrument counterparties.
The Group is also exposed to translation risk resulting from converting the income statement and balance sheet items of foreign subsidiaries into euros. Business operations outside the euro area (countries in which the currency is not pegged to the euro) mainly consist of revenues in Polish zloty and Swedish krona. A significant change in exchange rates may have an effect on the value of the businesses in Poland and Sweden.? The Group does currently not hedge against translation risk.
Liquidity risks
Liquidity risk relates to servicing debt, financing investments and retaining adequate working capital. Sanoma aims to minimise its liquidity risk by ensuring sufficient revenue financing, maintaining adequate committed credit limits, using several financing institutions and forms of financing, and spreading loan repayment programmes over a number of calendar years. The Group's undrawn committed credit limits must be sufficient to cover its estimated funding requirements and loan repayments, and part of the outstanding commercial paper commitments. Liquidity risk is monitored daily, based on a two-week forecast, and longer-term based on calendar year. In addition, Sanoma Group Treasury Policy sets minimum requirements for cash reserves.
The Group's financing agreements include customary covenants related to factors such as the use of pledges and mortgages, disposals of assets and key financial ratios. In 2019, the Group fulfilled the requirements of all covenants.
Credit risks
Sanoma's credit risks are related to its business operations. The Group's diversified operations significantly mitigate credit risk concentration, and no individual customer or group of customers is material to the Group. The Group's operational units are responsible for managing credit risks related to their businesses.
The credit risk relating to financing transactions is low. The Group's Treasury Policy specifies that financing and derivative transactions are carried out with counterparties of good credit standing, and divided between a sufficient number of counterparties in order to protect financial assets. The Group has spread its credit risks efficiently by dealing with several financing institutions.
Capital risk management
The Group targets an equity ratio between 35% and 45% and a net debt/adjusted EBITDA ratio below 2.5 in the long term.
When calculating the net debt/adjusted EBITDA ratio, the following adjustments are made to the reported EBITDA: one-off items are removed, the effects of acquisitions are added and the effects of divestments are deducted, and the effects of the amortisation of programming and prepublication rights are deducted for the reporting period.
In 2019, the Group's equity ratio was 30.5% (2018: 44.7%) and net debt/adjusted EBITDA ratio was 2.7 (2018: 1.4).