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Dan Schwarzmann and Nigel Rackham examine the growing popularity of schemes of arrangement
For discontinued insurance business, schemes are becoming increasingly popular, but the question continues to be asked, what is the attraction?The answer is simple. Whether we are talking about a solvent company seeking to balance the interests of policyholders and shareholders or an insolvent company looking to achieve an early return to creditors, the objective is finality and the scheme provides the flexibility to tailor an appropriate solution.In the UK, a scheme (scheme of arrangement, under section 425 of the Companies Act 1985) is a compromise or arrangement between the company and its creditors or any class of them. It becomes legally binding on all creditors or any class of creditors if the necessary majority vote in favour of the scheme and it is approved by the High Court.The first type of scheme developed for an insurance company was of the run-off variety, and this generally became accepted as a better alternative for dealing with insurance insolvencies than liquidation. Solvent insurers are now increasingly adopting the scheme process to provide early crystallisation of the whole (or certain classes) of their discontinued business. Further, innovative use of the scheme has facilitated the development of cut-off schemes for insolvent and solvent re/insurers including those with long-tail liabilities (including employers' liability business) or significant reinsurance assets. Schemes are now also being used for complex books of business involving insurance pools and, more recently, for non-UK entities.The scheme's attraction is its ability to provide a solution that balances the needs of all the company's stakeholders, an essential element if the scheme is to be accepted in the market and meet its objective of finality.The various stakeholders could include, amongst others, policyholders, claimants, reinsurers, brokers, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and, where the company is insolvent, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Long-tail and insolvencyWhere insurance policies have been written on an occurrence basis, claims could arise indefinitely. As a result, it is very difficult to finalise the run-off of a company that has written long-tail business. To tackle this problem, a type of scheme has been devised which is effectively a commutation with all policyholders, allowing the company's ultimate liability to be estimated, a payment percentage to be set based on this estimation and a final distribution to be made to creditors.This is known as a cut-off or valuation scheme as, under the terms of the scheme, policyholders are typically required to submit claims by a certain date (the 'submission' type of cut-off scheme), called the 'bar date', following which the company will either agree the claims or submit them to independent adjudication. As claims cannot be submitted after this date, the process facilitates a wholesale estimation of all present and future claims with a view to making a final payment to creditors much earlier than would have been achieved under a long-term run-off scheme.An alternative model would be the 'allocation' type of cut-off scheme where instead of policyholders submitting their own claims, a scheme actuary would use the company's data to enable allocation of IBNR (incurred but not reported) to individual policyholders. Claims are then either agreed or, if necessary, can be adjudicated in the same way as the submission scheme. The most appropriate method adopted for valuing claims within a cut-off scheme will depend on the type of business written and the profile of policyholders.An example of a case where the valuation scheme methodology has been used is Andrew Weir Insurance Co Ltd. Andrew Weir became insolvent in November 1992 and a run-off scheme became effective in April 1994. This scheme provided for claims to be processed and agreed as they would in a normal solvent run-off, albeit creditors were only paid a percentage of their claims as and when they were agreed.Almost ten years later, a significant proportion of Andrew Weir's remaining $500m of reserves were in respect of asbestos, pollution and health hazard risks and it was considered likely to be many years before these liabilities fully matured.In addition, it was considered unlikely that the payment percentage could be increased for some time because of the company's low reinsurance cash flow. These issues meant that finality was not something the creditors could have expected in the short term. Following consultation with the creditors' committee, approval was achieved to trigger a valuation option contained in the original scheme. This option allowed for contingent liabilities to be valued as at a particular point in time. Andrew Weir is therefore currently in the process of crystallising its liabilities, and calculating and collecting its remaining reinsurance recoveries in order to pay a final dividend to scheme creditors and bring about finality for the estate. This means that the scheme will be closed and final payments made much sooner than would have been the case if the run-off were left to continue to natural expiry. This is one of the first such schemes, and the largest to crystallise a substantially direct book of business.
The 'double dip'In cases where there is potentially a significant reinsurance asset to collect, there is uncertainty about how reinsurers may react to the early crystallisation of inwards losses. Early commutation of the reinsurance asset may be considered risky and consequently practice has been to start with a run-off, rather than cut-off, scheme, and at some future date put in an estimation methodology to achieve closure.One solution to accelerate closure has been the development of the hybrid or 'double dip' scheme, so named because creditors have two opportunities to vote on the features of the scheme. Whilst it cannot bind reinsurers, this type of scheme provides a mechanism whereby they can more actively participate in the scheme process. In the first vote, the creditors decide whether to approve the scheme. Once sanctioned by the court, the company will crystallise its inwards book on a conditional basis and calculate reinsurance recoveries arising from this in order to progress commutation discussions with its major reinsurers. Following this, the reinsurers will be asked to indicate the sums they would be prepared to pay in settlement of their obligations should crystallisation proceed. Creditors then have a second opportunity to vote, this time on whether to accept the reinsurers' offers. Reinsurers will be aware that if their offers are not considered satisfactory, creditors will choose to revert to a long-term run-off which has the effect of removing the early prospect of certainty and finality for both the creditors and for the reinsurers.This scheme therefore enables reinsurers' participation whilst protecting creditors by giving them the ability to vote to revert to a run-off scheme if they consider this to be preferable based on the outcome of the discussions with reinsurers.
Employer's liability businessThe solution for long-tail liabilities has now been further developed to cater for insolvent insurers with protected policyholders eligible for compensation from the FSCS. The first example was for North Atlantic Insurance Co Ltd, a company with liabilities estimated to be in excess of $800m.North Atlantic's protected claims were largely professional indemnity and employer's liability business, and the first difficulty in concluding the run-off was that the FSA had strongly indicated its concern about the legality of any employer agreeing to commute a compulsory insurance policy such as an employer's liability policy because of the potential impact on third parties which might benefit from claims under the policy.Further, the IBNR reserve for employer's liability business is generally calculated on a class basis as it is impossible to determine in advance which policyholder will actually incur the loss in the future. This results in a difficulty in putting a present value on future claims from protected policyholders other than as a class.The fact that compulsory employer's liability business is protected by the FSCS made it possible to devise a solution which separated the cut-off of the estate from the run-off of the employer's liability business and other protected policies. This was achieved by placing a present value on all outstanding and IBNR claims in respect of the protected policies as a class. Dividends in the scheme will be paid to the FSCS based on this class valuation and protected policyholders whose claims are finally agreed at a later date within the scheme period will be paid directly by the FSCS at the appropriate protected percentage.Protected policyholders' claims that are finally agreed after the scheme period in a subsequent liquidation will also be paid directly by the FSCS whose obligations will be triggered by the liquidation in accordance with the FSCS rules.The first solvent schemes were for non-complex books of business. This methodology has now, however, been developed and applied for the first time to UK pools. Using a scheme for discreet portfolios rather than the whole of a company's liabilities is a further example of the range of scenarios that schemes can cater for.In this case, the members of an underwriting pool each effected a scheme for their participation in that pool. From a legal perspective, policyholders needed to approve each company's scheme, and this was achieved through having separate votes for each pool company at the same creditors' meeting.From a practical perspective, only one scheme document was required and once the scheme became effective only one 'pool-level' claim was required to be submitted by creditors.The scheme was able to simplify the complex arrangements and relationships commonly observed in pools, and formalise the sharing arrangement for the pool liabilities, enabling them to all be dealt with on a consistent basis.
Solvent schemesSolvent schemes have now been developed for a number of UK branches of overseas companies and companies deemed to have 'sufficient connection' to the UK, for example because of their policyholder makeup. There have also been schemes for companies domiciled in countries (typically Commonwealth jurisdictions such as Bermuda and Singapore) where section 425 Companies Act-type provisions are available.One such example of the application of solvent schemes for foreign companies was demonstrated recently for various subsidiaries of the ING Group. The schemes covered the international discontinued reinsurance business of four Dutch and one Australian company. All five schemes were presented in one scheme document, enabling the shareholder to adopt a parallel approach in developing, promoting and gaining the requisite support from policyholders.Whilst schemes may not be suitable for all types of business, because of legal, technical or commercial reasons, their flexibility means that they are growing in popularity for the very real benefits they deliver to all stakeholders.Dan Schwarzmann is a partner and Nigel Rackham is a director in the Solutions for Discontinued Insurance Business team at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Website: www.pwc.com/discontinuedinsurance. Email: email@example.com


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Last night in St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Voices of Music launched its 2016–2017 season with music for the holiday season. The emphasis was on virtuoso concertos by Antonio Vivaldi that featured deft and sparkling solo work by many of the group's performers. However a concerto by Georg Philipp Telemann was added to the mix, along with a collection of dances from Michael Praetorius' vast collection entitled Terpsichore. The spirit of the season was captured through a one-on-a-part instrumental rendition of Salamone Rossi's setting of Psalm 128 as a six-voice a cappella motet; and the entire program was framed by two "pastoral" selections, the final movement from the eighth of the concerti grossi from Arcangelo Corelli Opus 8 collection, usually called the "Christmas" concerto, and Telemann's "Ouverture a la Pastorelle" (TWV 55:F7).
While most of the concertos were by Vivaldi, Hanneke van Proosdij set the bar for virtuosity immediately after the Corelli "overture" with a thoroughly dazzling account of Telemann's TWV 51:F1 recorder concerto in F major. While the recorder is often dismissed as a "beginners'" instrument, Telemann's solo part demanded agility that far surpasses what was expected of any instrumentalists of his time (not to mention those of future centuries). Proosdij glided her way through all of Telemann's demands, every so often lifting her right leg to flex her knee in a style reminiscent of some of the more memorable rock guitarists.
The least conventional of the selections was probably the Vivaldi RV 564 in D major with solo parts for two violins (Carla Moore and Gabrielle Wunsch) and two cellos (Elisabeth Reed and Tanya Tomkins). This provided a relatively unique opportunity for give-and-take across register extremes, along with a richly thick texture of notes in rapid-fire succession coming from solo, duo, and quartet combinations. Similar low-register virtuoso work could be found in the RV 531 concerto for two cellos in G minor (with the same cellists). The final Vivaldi selection was the RV 565 concerto for two violins and cello in D minor. This was the eleventh of the twelve concertos published as Opus 3, L'estro armonico (the harmonic inspiration). It is also one of the two concertos from that collection that Johann Sebastian Bach transcribed as an organ solo (BWV 596, also in D minor). Moore and Tomkins were again soloists, this time joined by Lisa Grodin. In this case the energy of the concerto emerges from the abrupt tempo shifts across relatively brief movements, and the performance was distinguished by the crispness of the overall account.
The Rossi transcription, on the other hand, was another matter. This was but one sample of the composer's many efforts to provide Jewish liturgical sources with the same rich musical treatment accorded to the sacred texts of Christianity. The instrumental version translated the six voices into three violin parts (Moore, Grodin, and Maxine Nemerovski), viola (Maria Caswell), and two cellos (Tomkins and Reed), with continuo support from Proosdij on organ and Farley Pearce on violone. While this was an excellent introduction to Rossi's skills at counterpoint, the absence of the text detracted from the full liturgical impact of his music.
On the other hand the instrumental account of Praetorius' harmonization of the carol "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (a rose has sprung up) could rely on the familiarity of the music for that same liturgical impact. This served as a prelude to the livelier excerpts from Terpsichore. In this case all the Voices of Music instrumentalists were joined by percussionist Peter Maund alternating between hand drum and tambourine. Maund was particularly skillful in eliciting a broad range of sonorities from both of these instruments, making the performance sound almost as if the percussion instruments were adding their own melodic lines. Maund also contributed to the concluding Telemann pastoral selection, primarily in the movements based on dance forms. This lively approach to the Nativity perfectly complemented the introspective quietude of Corelli's Pastorale movement that opened the program.

subset: commoncrawl


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Photos of Lahore Allama Iqbal International airport: overview pictures of the airport, external and internal view of passenger terminals, apron, station square and other interesting places. Add your image of the airport to our database!


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Isa White Accent Chair
$399Was $499
Measurements28" W x 35" D x 34" H
72 cm W x 89 cm D x 87 cm H
20.4 kg
Available Colors
- Porcelain White
- Metal
- Steel frame
- Upholstered in polyester blend
- Foam padded seat and back
- Gun metal powder coated finish
- Engineered hardwood frame
- Heavy duty webbing for a strong foundation
- Padded armrest
- Stretcher support
- Loose seat & back cushions
- Deep, wide seating
- Modern design
- Comfort seating
- Polyester blend
- High density foam
- Steel
- Engineered wood
The Isa White Accent Chair is comfortably designed for your living room or bedroom with pearl white polyester blend upholstery with a soft feel to the touch and padded armrests. Your simple modern taste is met with the gun metal powder coated finish on the steel frame.
Care Instructions
In order to clean the polyester upholstery, use dry solvent based cleaners only. Do not use water.
Care: When you purchase upholstered furniture, you want to make sure it lasts a long time in your home for you to enjoy for years to come. In order to keep your pieces strong and prevent soiling, it is best to take care of your fabric with routine maintenance such as lightly brushing the fabric with a soft brush or vacuum. This helps remove the accumulation of dust and grime.
Sometimes life is not under our control. If you encounter a spill on upholstered furniture, do not leave it untreated for too long or else it will be absorbed into the fabric of the piece and will be harder to remove. Make sure the area is completely dry once you are done cleaning it.
Please keep in mind that the use of a professional cleaning service is always recommended if you do not feel comfortable cleaning an upholstered piece yourself.Warranty Information
On Display at Your Local Store
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Miami, FL 33135(305) 642-4355
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Coconut Creek, FL 33073(954) 428-7177
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Pembroke Pines, FL 33026(954) 436-7900
Wellington Boulevard160 South State Road 7
Wellington, FL 33414(561) 422-1922
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St Petersburg, FL 33710(727) 568-8300
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Fort Myers, FL 33901(239) 938-3400
Naples Boulevard2505 Pine Ridge Rd
Naples, FL 34109(239) 340-7385
Plantation Showroom400 S. University Drive
Plantation, FL 33324(954) 472-3200
West Palm Beach Boulevard1901 Okeechobee Blvd
West Palm Beach, FL 33409(561) 478-7807


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Baseball is a game of statistics.
At the professional level, armies of statisticians keep track of everything from an individual's batting average, on-base percentage and earned-run-average. The data surrounding each player can be both extremely informative and overwhelming.
To help in providing a much-needed human context, teams spend a lot of time and money on hiring the right professional scouts. In doing so, teams match both "Big Data" statistics with "Small Data" human context to make crucial decisions around each game.
I was first introduced to the idea of marrying both "Big Data" numbers with "Small Data" context in a recent New York Times article titled How Not to Drown in Numbers. The authors, Alex Peysakhovich and Seth Davidowitz, suggest that the key question surrounding Big Data today is not necessarily "what did I measure?" but instead "what did I miss?"
They argue that without providing human context to the 1s and 0s, companies and teams are missing a great deal of actionable insights living within their own data. The article left me with the question of, "how do companies and teams quickly and easily unify these two types of data sets to make sense of what they have?"
In speaking with both clients and prospective customers, this tends to be the question I get asked the most. With that in mind, I've worked to compile a list of five recommendations below that I focus on when answering this question.
Conduct An Internal Data Audit
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it seems like a majority of companies big and small are trying to capture as much data as possible without understanding what they already have at their fingertips. An internal data audit is critical before you start down a path of data unification.
"Google" Your Data
Once you have a grasp of the data you own and control, the next step is to figure out what you don't know. What questions are you trying to answer of your data? More often then not, companies are looking beyond the 1s and 0s and want to better understand the "why" behind certain customer behaviors or actions.
Assign Consumer IDs
When it comes to consumer data, each known consumer interacting with your digital site, purchasing at your physical store or filling out your old-fashioned paper survey should have a unique ID. Typically, this is an email address or purchase record ID. These are critical when it comes to matching and unifying records across the enterprise to create a single 360-degree consumer profile.
Plug and Play
Before you start pushing massive amounts of sensitive consumer data around, you need to understand how your current internal systems, 3rd party platforms and legacy databases plug and play with each other. Typically, they all speak a different language. Be prepared to ask tough questions on how to securely connect and push data together to make sense of it all.
Right mix of humans and machines
We're heading toward a world where machines will be able to do a majority of the thinking and hard work for us, but until that day comes, humans still have to play a pivotal role as "scouts." Do you have the right "scouts" on your team? Machines do a fantastic job of collecting and sorting Big Data, but humans are still needed to define, direct and contextualize the Small Data sets.
Scout your big and little customer data properly and the statistics will likely be in your favor.


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About PCS Coaching
World Class Mountain Bike Coaching in Australia
Progressive Coaching Systems (PCS) is the premier destination for mountain bike coaching in Australia.
World Class
PCS delivers world-class personal cycling coaching services to athletes of all abilities, across the complete spectrum of mountain bike disciplines. Using the concept of distance-coaching, PCS Coaching uses Today's Plan as a communication and analytics tool to exchange data files, handcraft training programs and provide personal feedback between athlete and coach to all corners of Australia. Each program is personalised to fit your individual lifestyle, work and family commitments.
PCS History
Founded in 2005 by Donna Dall as a sole trader trading as Progressive Coaching Systems. The business outgrew this model and Progressive Coaching Systems was incorporated in 2012 when 3 other coaches joined the team. In 2015, Donna came to realise that her own special way was simply that, her own and has gone back to her roots where it all began.
Donna, who is a self-confessed cycling mega-fan and pretty handy on a mountain bike herself has been coaching cyclists since 1999. Donna's turning moment as a coach came in 2002 when her protege Lisa Mathison won her first World MTB Championship in Austria. Lisa repeated the feat again in 2003 in France and cemented herself in the UCI history books. In 2017, Donna again produced yet another world champion when her athlete Cameron Wright won in Cairns at the UCI World MTB Championships.
Having also pursued a corporate career as a SAP Business Analyst meant working long hours and Donna found she was unable to devote the energy and time she wanted, to help the many athletes banging down her door for her coaching services. Donna has now found the "balance" and works part time as a professional cycling coach and is Mum to her 2 beautiful children.
Donna is fully qualified and endorsed by Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA), Cycling Australia (CA), the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) and is a Level 2 Cycling Coach accredited by the UCI and the UCI World Cycling Centre. The PCS Point of Difference can be characterised by the genuine care given to each athlete and the sheer enthusiasm, motivation and determination in preparing athletes to be their best and to reach their true potential.
PCS understands YOU!
PCS understands an athlete's struggles of juggling work and family commitments, lack of knowledge and the sheer frustration of spending many hours on the bike without seeing any real improvement. PCS takes the guesswork out of your training, devises a tailored solution and educates each athlete with the knowledge they need to succeed.
95% of our athletes see improvements in their riding in just 4 weeks of commencing a PCS training program.
"I trained 12 months to be a more competitive rider but after only 3 months on the PCS program I am now getting results I never thought possible! The PCS program is a real weapon!" Russ Tatlow – MTB Enthusiast
Read More PCS Success Stories.
Review our full list of Coaching Packages.
If you would like to find out more about how PCS coaching can take you to the next level, contact us or call Donna Dall TODAY on 0400 740 055 to guide you through the best option for your needs.
- Street: PO Box 2540
- Postcode: 4160
- City: Wellington Point
- State: Queensland
- Country: Australia
- Telephone: 0400 740 055


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As most of you know, I'm a professional pastry chef and I'm obsessed with the food industry. I'm constantly on the look out for new trends, great restaurants and amazing chefs. Instagram is my go-to guide to inspiration, without a doubt.
I follow almost twice the amount of people who follow me with at least half of them being food instagram accounts of people I don't know. I love waking up in the morning and drooling over delicious breakfasts, getting ideas about what to make for dinner or even inspire me to make something new at work!
If anyone is a self proclaimed foodie like myself, this is the post for you! Here are some of my top favorite Instagram accounts!
And of course, best for last… Me! Follow me to stay up to date about what I'm up to at the Taj Boston!
Thanks for reading and be sure to check back on Tuesday for another post!


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We really cant get enough of our copper trays - they really do have star quality with their sleek straight edged slate and contrasting copper handles. Good looking yet practical you can serve an assortment of treats to your friends in ultimate style.
With three different designs to choose from its difficult to pick a favourite!
Gift Boxed.
Food Safe.
Material: Slate and stainless steel handles with a copper finish
Care: Hand wash only
Dimensions: 48cm x16cm
© Copyright 2020 Farm and Household Stores | Registered in Scotland: SC33283 | eCommerce by CSY Retail Systems


text: We'll I found out what the strange noise was last night, although it wasn't the best way to figure out the problem. On my way home (about 60 miles) at 11:00pm, the temp light came on. Them temp gauge was about normal, so I assumed that it was low fluid level. The next exit was about 10 miles. I pulled over, shut off the motor, opened the hood. As I got the hood opened, the water pump let go, and the rest of the fluid just gushed out. Luckily I had a cell phone with me. The tow truck (flatbed of course) finally got there around 12:30am and I got home around 2:00am. My mechanic just called me. New waterpump, do the timing belt at the same time=$145. thanks, Shannon


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Modern Meadow
I've never been a finisher. I'd start projects with wild abandon and rarely would I see anything through. But at some point, something changed. I just got tired. Tired of the inspiration overload, tired of the intoxicating idea of something new, tired of buying fabric all the time. Rather than being fun and invigorating, it just got old.
I've spent the past year focusing more on finishing things. I hauled out all my quilt tops, all my wips. I prioritized, I made a plan for finishing quilts. My goal was to finish one a month, not really a challenge considering that all I have left to do on most of them is to baste and quilt.
So far, so good! Last year I completed 15 quilts, most of which were wips. In 2016 I have already finished 8.
This little quilt is one of my favorites (do I say that every time?) It started as a pile of Modern Meadow scraps that I got in a destash sale. I added in some of my own Modern Meadow scraps and sashed the whole busy, lovely thing with my favorite print (Dogwood, I think). It's backed in a Heather Bailey flannel, a perfect match for those Modern Meadow colors. Now it's at its new home and being snuggled by a lovely little girl and her new kitty cat.
Bit by bit, I am finishing all the things. And it feels great!


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In a remarkable meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, the Coal Industry appealed for fair and decent treatment from the EU, and went away empty-handed.
The event was the 16th Round Table on Coal, intended to allow a dialogue between legislators and industry. But in a packed room — thirty round the table and perhaps double that in chairs around the wall, or standing, or sitting on the broad window-ledges — I could count only three MEPs.
The event was chaired by Bogdan Marcinkiewicz, a Polish EPP MEP (Poland has a strong dependence on coal); prominent Green MEP Claude Turmes was invited as a speaker; and I went, in my new rôle as UKIP Spokesman on Industry & Energy.
The rest seemed mostly to be industry people from the coal or power sectors, though some will have been parliamentary staff. As a euro-realist swimming against the glutinous tide of europhoria in Brussels, I rarely expect approval, but on this occasion I was delighted to receive wild applause from this industry audience when I had chance to speak up.
The first speaker Mr. Alan Svoboda, of CEZ Group, made two key points. First, that "Carbon Capture & Storage" (CCS), long seen as the answer for fossil fuels in our CO2-averse age, seems to be on the back burner. Full scale commercial operation is unlikely to happen any time soon. Secondly, that the renewable technologies by which Brussels hopes to achieve its green policy targets would require conventional back-up, and that insufficient thought and investment had been given to that.
So far as I know, no serious thought at all has been given to it in Britain. But industry experts suggest that the back-up needs to cover around 90 to 100% of the projected capacity of intermittent renewables.
The second speaker Mr. Wolfgang Dirschauer of Vattenfall spoke of the work being done by the coal industry to deliver flexibility, to enable it to complement renewables. They hope eventually that coal will be as flexible as gas. But flexible operation of either coal or gas means higher costs and higher emissions per unit than if the plant is run efficiently and continuously. A couple of recent reports show that the combined system of wind-power-plus-gas-back-up may save little or no emissions compared to gas alone.
The third speaker, Mr Bogdan Janicki of CEEP (Central European Energy Partners, www.ceep.be) appealed to the talisman of CCS, but this had been so devalued by the previous speakers that it had lost its power and credibility. He showed a chart of the price-per-ton of CO2 emissions under the EU's ETS scheme, ranging from €8 to €28, and asked very reasonably how the industry was supposed to make an investment case to its banks for new plant when there is such huge commercial uncertainty.
ETS is described as "a market mechanism", but it's clearly not. It's set by policy-makers, who are quite prepared to tinker with it (as with George Osborne's "floor price" for emissions). So regulatory uncertainty is piled on commercial uncertainty. You can't make forty-year investment decisions with this uncertainty.
The EU institutions are so in love with their renewable dream that they have written off coal entirely — although it accounts for over a quarter of European generation, and will continue to do so.
Claude Turmes helpfully suggested that the UK need not worry about conventional back-up for our targeted 30% renewables, since we already have plenty of gas in place to offer the necessary variability.
Yes, Claude, but we're closing down something like 40% of our UK generating capacity — coal and nuclear — in the next ten years, so we need new capacity. We can't afford to use the gas plants just to back-up renewables.
And besides, Claude, if we already have enough gas to back-up wind — why bother to build the wind in the first place?


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Halo 5: Guardians Classic Helmet REQ Pack Released February 10, 2017Posted by Maniac in Game News.
You can now haz Recons in Halo 5: Guardians! 343 Industries has just released the Classic Helmet REQ Pack featuring nine of the most iconic helmets from across the Halo franchise all at once.
Thankfully there's no game update required to buy this REQ Pack, you can purchase it in the Requisitions Store for a very steep REQ points price or $10 US in real-world money.
Halo 5: Guardians is out now exclusively on Xbox One.
No comments yet — be the first.


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What languages are supported?
We are actively looking for feedback regarding any of the translated terms in our product. If you have a suggestion for a better translation, feel free to submit it to firstname.lastname@example.com. ~Thank you!
BigPicture is available in 8 different languages.
In addition to English, BigPicture's software interface, including all menus, commands and dialogs, have been translated into the following languages:
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
To toggle to a different language:
- Click on the Utilities icon in the BigPicture ribbon and select Application Settings. (See #1 in image below.)
- Choose the language of your choice via the drop down menu (#2), then click OK.
NOTE: A variety of example files have been translated. Other supporting material will be included in a future build of BigPicture.


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Even if someone has done something wrong to you, before getting into an argument about it, think of the outcome you are striving for. If there will be no practical benefit from your argument, avoid it.
"Outcome thinking" is wisdom. A wise person considers the outcome before speaking.
Be wise!


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G code automatic shutoff
Have questions or comments about Simplify3D, Slic3r, Cura, Reptier, etc? Or wondering about which CAD software to use...discuss it here...
Post Reply
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
G code automatic shutoff
I utilize Simplify 3D, and would like when the M2 is done running its prints for the night to automatically shut off. Maybe that is asking to much. However, is there a G code or something software related that could accomplish this?
Re: G code automatic shutoff
With modifications yes. Out of the box no.
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2 posts • Page 1 of 1


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FAYETTEVILLE — Designated hitter Krisjon Wilkerson's route to the Arkansas baseball program began in an unlikely place.
FAYETTEVILLE — Designated hitter Krisjon Wilkerson's route to the Arkansas baseball program began in an unlikely place.
Mississippi State's football practice field.
The record-setting high school wide receiver had aspirations of playing Southeastern Conference football. So he walked on as a wide receiver at Mississippi State in 2010, spending a year in coach Dan Mullen's program.
"It was tough. It definitely challenges you," Wilkerson said, looking back at his college football experience. "I did a full redshirt year there, got a lot stronger, faster, that kind of thing. It was a great experience."
But it wouldn't last. It didn't take long for Wilkerson – who also redshirted with the baseball program his first year – to realize his future was in another sport. The Mississippi native will get another chance to prove it this weekend, when he returns to Starkville, Miss., as Arkansas (16-8, 3-3 in SEC) begins a three-game series against No. 16 Mississippi State (18-9, 4-2) tonight at 6.
The former Bulldog has found a place in Arkansas' lineup during his first season with the program. Wilkerson ranks fourth in batting average (.295), fifth in on-base percentage (.386), and his homecoming performance could be key as the Razorbacks face a ranked opponent for the first time this season.
"I've definitely been looking forward to this for awhile," Wilkerson said. "It's a great venue for baseball, great fans. But it's going to be a great opportunity to go back."
Wilkerson went to Mississippi State after catching 109 receptions for 2,114 yards with 25 touchdowns as a senior at St. Stanislaus High in Bay St. Louis, Miss. His quarterback was Dylan Favre – former NFL quarterback Brett Favre's nephew — and the duo led St. Stanislaus to a state championship in 2009.
Wilkerson also played baseball in high school, but said football was his preference at the time. He worked through a redshirt year in 2010, then spent the spring with the baseball team. While there, Wilkerson realized he had a better future in the sport.
"I made that decision the summer going into my redshirt freshman year," Wilkerson said. "I talked to people close to me and that was the direction I wanted to go in."
Wilkerson was with Mississippi State's baseball team in the fall of 2011, but didn't see much opportunity for playing time after it ended. So Wilkerson made another decision, transferring to Pearl River Community College in time for the 2012 season.
Wilkerson hit .268 in his first season at Pearl River. He was named a JUCO All-American as a sophomore after batting .341 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI.
Wilkerson said junior college proved to be a "great step," leading him to an opportunity to return to the SEC at Arkansas. Once he arrived, it didn't take Wilkerson long to make an impression on his new teammates.
"He's a big, strong guy," Arkansas second baseman Brian Anderson said. "He gives you quality at-bats pretty much every day. He brings the same attitude every day. That's just something that you like. He's a really consistent threat in the lineup."
Said pitcher James Teague: "Throughout the fall and into the spring, KJ was a tough out. He had my number pretty well so I felt like he was going to have a good season."
Wilkerson had six hits, including a home run, during Arkansas' opening series against Appalachian State. He missed the second series with a minor injury, then had had to work through a slump the next few weeks. Wilkerson was 0-for-15 at one point before snapping out of it against Alabama last weekend.
In fact, his triple last Sunday proved to be the biggest hit of the series. Wilkerson eventually scored on a groundout and the run held up during the 1-0 win.
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn is hoping Wilkerson will continue to produce this weekend after attributing the struggles to nerves when SEC play began.
"Hopefully he'll stay calm," Van Horn said. "He got himself a little too wound up for the first series at Florida and it didn't go well for him. It's the SEC and he's always wanted to play in it. He grew up in SEC country down there in Mississippi. … I'm sure he's very excited to get back down there and see some friends and relatives."
Wilkerson said he was appreciative of the opportunity to play both sports during his year and-a-half at Mississippi State. He still has plenty of friends at the school, too. It includes pitcher Jacob Lindgren, who was his high school teammate.
Wilkerson watched with pride as Lindgren and the Bulldogs reached the College World Series final last season. Mississippi State fell short of the national championship, but Wilkerson said it was "amazing what they accomplished."
He won't be cheering for the Bulldogs again this weekend, though. Wilkerson may have fond memories at Mississippi State, but said his future is with the Razorbacks.
"Arkansas is a great place to play baseball," Wilkerson said. "Great teammates and I love the city, love the fans. … I'm a Razorback now."
Arkansas (16-8, 3-3 in SEC) at No. 16 Mississippi State (18-9, 4-2 in SEC)
When: Today at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Dudy Noble Field in Starkville, Miss.
TV: None
Radio: Razorback Sports Network
On the Mound: Today - LHP Jaen Beeks (3-2, 1.56 ERA) vs. RHP Preston Brown (3-0, 1.12 ERA); Saturday - RHP Trey Killian (1-3, 2.36 ERA) vs. LHP Ross Mitchell (4-1, 1.66 ERA); Sunday – RHP Chris Oliver (2-2, 1.74 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Fitts (2-1, 3.13 ERA)
At the Plate: Arkansas – 2B Brian Anderson (.330, 2 HR, 20 RBI), 3B/SS Bobby Wernes (.313, 6 RBIs), DH Krisjon Wilkerson (.295, HR, 7 RBI), RF Tyler Spoon (.289, HR, 20 RBI); Mississippi State — RF Demarcus Henderson (.352, 5 RBI), SS Seth Heck (.279, 12 RBI), 2B Brett Pirtle (.311, 13 RBI), 1B Wes Rea (.277, 3 HR, 23 RBI)


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- Templates
- Business
- Professions
- General
- File Formats
About to set up a new business? Confused about what to include in your Simple Customizable invoice template? There are some aspects which you can't just afford to ignore, while there is another set which only adds to the 'feel' of the whole thing. As a matter of fact both are almost equally important.
While one only suffices for the quantitative clarity, the other maintains the aesthetic integrity. The following are the essentials for your basic invoice; don't take them lightly, it can boost up your business right away!
There are certain golden rules that need to be followed:
Keep these three points in mind. Let your eyes take a quick glimpse of the following infographic and let your business flourish all the more.


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Today in our trip back to the 1980s, we join Nancy and her chums Bess (who is still chubby and eating a salad) and George (who has nothing to do with this but is occasionally leaving the room so we know she's still friends with Nancy.) The handsome Ned is nowhere to be seen nor heard, as literally all of the men in the book are describes as varying degrees of hotness.
(Seriously, the only thing that differs is the degree of sexy graying of their hair.)
The dastardly deed that has been committee this time involved Nancy's father, sexy widower Carson Drew who may or may not be getting it on with the housekeeper.
(Side note: I'm pretty sure Carson Drew was my first in a long line of widowers I was oddly attracted to, including Maxwell Sheffield, Captain von Trapp, Mac from CSI:NY, and well, my husband.)
(Too far?)
ANYWAY. Carson is being threatened and possibly prosecuted because he allegedly suppressed evidence of his client's guilt, which led to another person being convicted and then committing suicide- I don't know why that's also Carson's fault, but it is.
Carson Drew makes it VERY CLEAR to his teenage daughter that she has NO BUSINESS a.) messing around with his legal affairs, b.) messing around in an ongoing criminal investigation, and c.) messing around with HIS CAREER AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO EAT NANCY IF I DON'T WORK?? HANNAH ISN'T HERE FOR FUN. (Or is she?)
Nancy, once again, proves that she understands not only nothing of what comes out of her father's mouth, but also nothing of the criminal justice system.
But to be honest, it's not really her fault. Because in about ten minutes, she is given access to:
1.) Records from a closed investigation.
2.) Records from an ongoing investigation.
3.) Information from the first responders at a crime scene.
4.) The actual crime scene (where she finds stuff CSI missed- duh, she's Nancy Drew)
5.) An accounting firm
6.) Accounting records
7.) Nuclear launch codes (probably)
All of this while the various authorities (and adults) say things like, "I guess you can only help us- hope you can find something we missed!" Because goodness knows 18 year olds, especially those who have lost parents, are the most reasonable and responsible of people ever. I mean, seasoned police chiefs have nothing on them.
BUT WAIT. The criminal(s) are not going to let Nancy just waltz in and show them up (again.) No siree. First she's run off the road, when she jumps out of the car while it's moving. Then she's threatened with bringing evidence against her father (turns out she also doesn't understand how litigation works.) Finally her father is kidnapped (because he's as bright as she is apparently.)
None of which stops those meddling kids…sorry, I got confused for a second. Frankly, a dog would have made more sense than this book.
But never fear, because Nancy is able to confuse the criminals, get them to opine for like an HOUR on their entire plan and FINALLY the police show up to arrest the guy. (Apparently, River Heights is as big as NYC. At least given the response times.)
The book ends with Carson Drew finally admitting to Nancy how much he relies on her help because he'd be in prison without her.
I'd argue that any attorney in his fifties who relies on his 18-year-old daughter to keep him out of jail should be in a psychiatric institution anyways.
But no, Nancy lives to solve another crime- stay tuned next week when Nancy goes undercover at a college (because why would Nancy Drew need anything as pedestrian as college? Pssh.) to save the world from biological weapons.
Yeah, I literally just typed it and I don't understand it any better than you do, trust me.


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On Saturday, May 7 Broken Arrow Nursery will be here at Hollister House Garden selling plants for the spring garden.
On Saturday, April 30, 2016 the garden opens for the season. Our new hours are 10AM-4PM.
On Saturday, June 20 8 of Litchfield County's most beautiful private gardens will be open along with Hollister House Garden. For opening hours and directions to the private gardens please visit Garden Conservancy Open Days
Early Buying tickets, click for more information.
Don't miss this symposium featuring Rick Darke, Sheila Brady and Bill Noble.
Tickets on sale now!
Hollister House Garden opens for the season
It's a beautiful day to bring plants from our garden into yours. Join us!
Please donate towards Hollister House Garden's education and outreach programs.


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Media Bias
The term media bias is used when the media consistently presents one point of view in their reporting. The term refers to reporters and journalists, both in print and television, who select stories and events and report them with a bias on one side or the other. These journalists do not subscribe to open and objective reporting.
The most common type of media bias appears when the media attack or support a particular ideology, candidate or political party. A reporter with liberal leanings will either give preference to a liberal candidate or completely deny the other candidate any coverage at all. Some media stations are known for their political biases and will only report those stories that interest their listeners and readers.
There are other types of media biases. One type is corporate bias, when the opinions of the media bosses or owners determine the items that are chosen for reporting. The result of advertising bias is that items are chosen for reporting on the basis of what will please the station's advertisers. Sensationalism is another type of bias, which encourages the media to report sensational stories such as airplane crashes, murders etc. Other types of bias exist, whereby reporters will report negatively about a particular religious or ethnic group.
One commonly referred to bias in the United States is the liberal bias, which occurs when liberal ideology has an unwarranted influence on the news stories that are covered in the media. Many conservative critics complain that the major news channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN have a blatantly liberal bias in their reporting. This is also true in the print media such as the New York Times and Newsweek. This argument was bolstered when it was revealed that in 2008, 1,160 employees of the three major networks donated over $1 million to the more liberal Democratic Party, while a mere $142,000 was donated to the more conservative Republican Party by 193 employees.
In their book The Media Elite (1986), Stanley Rothman and Robert and Linda Lichter report on a survey they conducted of media and political reporters who worked for the major television stations as well as the New York Times and the Washington Post. The authors found that most of the journalists voted for Democratic candidates and that their attitudes toward topics such as abortion, gay rights and affirmative action were generally to the left of most Americans.
The authors specifically questioned the journalists about their attitudes toward school busing to achieve racial integration, nuclear energy and the energy crisis of the 1970s. The authors then reviewed what hot topics these journalists had reported and how. They found that the reporting reflected the journalists' personal opinions and attitudes typically considered to be liberal.
In today's 24-hour coverage and fast-paced news reporting environment, it is nearly impossible to avoid biases. With hundreds of commercial channels and dozens of news channels to choose from, television stations are fighting for viewers' attention. When news stories are reported, a single camera shot lasts for no longer than two minutes, which is the attention span of most viewers. During those two minutes, the reporter must report the story and talk about what he or she thinks is interesting or pertinent. There is no time to present another viewpoint. Whatever the reporter's ideology is, that is the way it gets reported.
Broadcast news is dangerous, not so much because of what and how it is reported, but because of what did not get reported. It is the reporter who decides what will get reported and what will not be reported. One redeeming factor in this controversy is the Internet, where one can find all sides of news reporting without having to listen to a reporter providing just one interpretation of a story.


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- Home
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- WOLF Meridian Two Drawer Valet, Charging Station & Pen Box Blonde
WOLF Meridian Two Drawer Valet, Charging Station & Pen Box Blonde
(You save $34.00)
Product Description
Two Drawer Valet, Charging Station & Pen Box
The Meridian Collection is a unique modular stacking and storage system. Each piece has been designed to neatly stack one atop the other to create your own customized storage and winder system. This Valet and Charging Station provides two storage drawers- the top for charging your devices (power strip not included) and the bottom that holds up to 24 pens.
- Wood frame construction, blonde veneer exterior, chrome plated hardware and black silk fabric lining
- Top drawer for charging devices (power strip not included) and bottom drawer holds up to 24 pens
- Recessed top tray for accessories storage
- Unit can be combined with other pieces from the Meridian Collection to create a larger modular storage unit.
- Dimensions: 15.5"w x 6"d x 8"h
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5301 Pirrone Road
Salida CA 95368
(209) 545-9460
Open 7 days
11:00 to 6:00 PM
General Antiques
In our quest to categorize everything there are always somethings so unique they defy categorization . Listed below are just a few of the unique antiques that have come through the shop.
Note: Click pictures to enlarge
© Copyright 2009-2019 AntiqueWarehouseAuctions.com All Rights Reserved


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Friday, February 23, 2007
"Journey's End"
The British stalwart of a play opened last night to very good reviews. The NYTimes and the NY Daily News loved it. The NY Post gave a more reserved three stars out of four but the review read like a 3 1/2 star review, at least. Only Variety was more cautious, saying the cast hadn't gelled yet. I saw the London production well into its lengthy revival a few years ago and found it utterly conventional but effective, thanks especially to a rock solid performance in the role that Boyd Gaines is tackling. I'm seeing the show tonight and with the dashing Hugh Dancy in the Laurence Olivier role and stories of Dancy snogging women and men with abandon all over London, I'm definitely looking forward to it.
Posted by Michael in New York at 3:54 PM
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Copy, marketing, writing, fox, digital, advertising, direct mail, brochures, newsletters, eDMs, eMail marketing, Facebook, SEO, Search engine optimisation
- animation
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- brand awareness
- brand building
- brand growth
- brands
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- Draw Something
- driving conversions
- edm
- email marketing
- email performance
- fans
- flash
- followers
- Google+
- infographic
- Julian Hanshaw
- marketing
- online content
- optimise
- reporting
- resumes
- share
- social media
- social media data
- submarine channel
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Tag Archives: marketing
Improve your CTR
A pleasure-to-scroll-through infographic about email marketing best practice, from Litmus. Some desk decoration fodder with a purpose. Source: Litmus blog
Posted in Marketing best practice Tagged click through rates, edm, email marketing, email performance, infographic, marketing
Visual CVs
A friend recently shared some amazing visual CVs from pinterest. I love words, but never recommend online content is too copy-heavy. Audiences are easily distracted by the bright and shiny, and visuals can speak louder than words. Inspired by these … Continue reading
Posted in Marketing industry Tagged audience, CVs, Draw Something, infographic, marketing, pinterest, resumes Leave a comment


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Hugh Robjohns wrote:The LS3/5A was a passive speaker. It was mostly used with a compact 50W mono amplifier called the AM8/12 in BBC parlance, but it was manufactured by HH.
Here's a pic of one with the lid removed. It had a power switch and volume knob on the front (which was normally maxed and level controlled from the desk's monitor section):
And here are the rear connections:
Note the hideous Painton connectors used for input and output! Thankfully, it also had a B-gauge balanced jack socket for the input which is what we mostly used. The output cable had the nasty Painton connector at one end, and a female XLR at the other to plug into the speaker's male XLR.
Mains power to the amp was via a Cannon LNE mains-XLR. Secure... but it failed the finger test rules in the 1980s and became outlawed! (I still have one on my home-built Powertran DDL! ssshhh... :silent: )
HHHmmm? They had HH amplifiers in the Wigmore control room, for foldback. The BBC seem keen on them, or used to be.


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2018 Shasta Bass Kayak Fall Classic
Ben WiechmanTrout Jeff BakerTrout Bryan RuskBass David BishopBass Jeff DaviesBass Brock WhaleyBass Jeff RiggsTrout
Bryan Rusk 410-310-1586
Need Help? Contact Us
2018 Shasta Bass Kayak Fall Classic
November 17, 2018
You must be 10 years or older to participate, (minors must be accompanied by parent or guardian).
This tournament is catch, photo, release, total length three fish, combination of bass and trout with at least one of each.
Artificial lures only, no taking of fish.
Approved measuring device required and digital camera or phone required.
Special Thanks:
We would like to thank California Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area.
"This institution is operated under special use permit with the Shasta-Trinity National Forest."'
"In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
To file a complaint of discrimination: write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."
Series: Shasta Bass Kayak Classic
$30 USDIndividual Angler
Tournament is over
Website: www.shastabasskayakclassic.com/
"Logging Your Catch" Instructional Video
1 year 6 months ago
Welcome to iAngler Tournament - Adding Your Photo to the Leaderboard
1 year 6 months ago
Events & Schedule
Identifier Emailed
Registration Ends
Fishing Starts
Fishing Ends
All Catches Must be Uploaded to IAngler
Winners Announced
Rules and RegulationsClick to Read
1. Registration and Entry Fee:
All participants must completely fill out the official registration form available at http://ianglertournament.com/ Registration fee is $30 – registration closes at 7:00 am November 17, 2018
2. Format:
Anglers will be participating in a one day event using CPR format. Anglers will log pictures of their three best fish (catch logs must include at least one trout and one bass). Anglers must be using an approved measuring device, Hawg Trough, FishStick or Ketch
3. Vessel:
Anglers must be fishing from a non-motorized vessel. Kayak, Canoe, and SUP are the only permitted watercrafts in this event. Only one person per vessel.
4. Launch and access:
Fishing Waters are Shasta Lake. No fishing in off-limits areas.
Jones Valley, Centimudi and Packers Bay Public Ramps
5. Catch:
a. All fish must be taken with a fishing rod, line and hook on the day of the tournament. No other methods are permitted.
b. Artificial lures and flies only.
c. Fish must be hooked in the mouth. Fowl hooked Fish are ineligible.
d. No live bait.
e. Only 1 rod may be used at a time.
f. Trolling is permitted.
g. Any angler caught violating these rules will be disqualified.
h. The use of Umbrella Rigs, Scents, Gulp, and Pork Trailers IS permitted.
i. Largemouth, Smallmouth and Trout measuring at least 12 inches.
6. Token:
The evening before tournament the token/identifier for the day will be emailed. This token is very important to the angler as it must be in the picture of your fish for the fish to count.
7. Photo:
All fish must be photographed on an approved measuring device. You are allowed to use a camera phone or digital camera for the picture.
a. Fish must be lying flat, facing left to right, with mouth closed in a natural resting position centered against the vertical portion of the Trough. The fish must appear in a natural state. Any manipulation of the fish will result in a penalty. The tail will be measured as it lies.
b. Only the anglers' hand can hold the fish down on the board. Use of bands, grips, stringers, etc… Will result in a disqualification of that fish.
c. Photo must be taken on the angler's kayak with the Token clearly visible in every picture for it to count.
d. Anglers are responsible for having pictures clear and visible for the judge's view. Multiple shots of a fish for clarity are acceptable and "hero" shots are encouraged. The judge and Tournament Director have official say on a fish's length.
e. Anglers should be prepared with SD card or cord to plug into a computer with whichever allowed camera device they are using. Expect to unlock cell phones that are used and to relinquish cell phones or cameras requiring cords for download until judging is completed. Pictures of submitted fish should not be deleted off of the device until the tournament has concluded.
8. Judging:
The judge will round down to the closest .25" from where the tail lies. Judges have full discretion on open mouth and where the tail lies. If there is a questionable photo, judges can ask tournament director to make final ruling. Once 3 fish are judged and submitted, an anglers' day total is final.
Any angler who logs three catches with one trout and one bass will place ahead of any angler who logs all bass or all trout. If less than three participants catch one bass and one trout then 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, as required, will be determined by total length of three longest catches bass or trout. If top three anglers do not log three fish, any angler who logs one bass and one trout finishes above anglers who log two bass or two trout etc.
9. Ties:
Any ties in total inches will be broken by single longest fish. In the case that single longest fish are tied then the second single longest fish will be used and so on. In the case that all three fish are identical length, then the earliest check-in time of the day will break the tie.
10. Safety:
All anglers are to follow the laws specifically stated by the local Department of Fish and Wildlife. Each angler must have a valid fishing license for the days they will be on water. All participants must wear their life vest through the duration of the competition.
11. Ethics:
Anglers are to use sportsmanship on and off the water. Be respectful of other participants that are launching or fishing in similar areas to you. Anglers are expected to follow all the rules. Each angler can be subjected to a lie detector test to validate honest participation. Anyone caught cheating could receive punishment by law and receive lifetime bans from other kayak fishing events and tournaments.
12. Penalties:
a. Open Mouth on fish; .5" deduction penalty.
b. Unnatural manipulation of the fish; .5" deduction penalty
c. Any device, other than the hand, holding a fish to the trough; fish will be disqualified
d. Token and/ or boat missing in photo; fish will be disqualified.
13. Disqualifications:
Anglers Violating the Catch Rules.
Any fish on a stringer or restrained to Hawg trough by any other means than competitors hand.
14. Formal complaints:
Any participant wishing to file a formal complaint against a competitor must do so in writing previous to the conclusion of check-in. This complaint must be turned in, in writing, specifically explaining the violation and by whom; it must be signed and turned into the Tournament Director with a $100 deposit.
All protest must be presented in writing with-in 30 minutes after participant weighs in. The tournament director is the final authority in all considerations.
Tournament is open to anyone 10 years old or older. Minors, 10 to 17 years old are eligible to participate with a parent or adult legal guardian signature on the release form and the parent or adult legal guardian who signs must participate in the tournament. All participants must comply with USCG, California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations, U.S Forest Service (Shasta Lake is part of Shasta-Trinity National Forest) regulations, plus any other local state and federal regulations that may apply and tournament rules. Parent and/or legal guardian must ensure minors follow all regulations and rules.
A waiver, release of liability and covenant not to sue are part of the entry form. This form must be signed to participate in the tournament. It is required that all anglers take responsibility for themselves while participating in the tournament.
17. RULE CHANGES: These rules are subject to change at any time before start of event. Participants will be notified of any changes as soon as possible before the morning launch. Rule interpretation is exclusively left to the tournament director. The decisions of the tournament director are final and not subject to appeal.
$20 per entry fee minimum will go to payout, 1st, 2nd and third place
Prizes won or received at the event are final. There is no official trading or switching of items won.
Q: Can you recommend good accommodations?
Bridge Bay Resort – location of check-in has a 40 room hotel, reservations required, ask for tournament participant discount.
Campgrounds/RV Parks – there are several around Lake Shasta and in near-by Redding.
Other Hotels – most major motel chains - Redding
Q: Do I need a fishing license?
A: Yes, you will need a fishing license for the state you will be fishing in. The lake is in California. Your license need will depend on the area you plan to fish.
Q: Do I have to fish from a Hobie to win?
A: No, you may fish from the kayak of your choice.
Q: Can I fish from a 2 person kayak?
A: Yes, but only one person in boat unless a minor see below.
Q: Can two people fish from the same boat?
A: Yes, if one person is minor 10 - 13 years old and fishing with legal guardian, please avoid assisting the minor landing and releasing the fish. Assisting minor with logging catch is allowed
Q: Can I use a trolling motor?
A: No, pedal or paddle only.
Q: Can I register on-site?
A: You can register online until 7:00 am November 17, if you register Saturday morning make sure you ask for the identifier. Prior to fishing.
Q: Am I going to enjoy the event?
A: Yes, bring your happy face.
Q: Is trolling allowed?
A: Yes
Q: Is live bait allowed?
A: No, artificial only.
Q: Can I fish from the bank?
A: No, all fish must be caught from the kayak.
Q: Is wade fishing allowed?
A: No.
Q: Do I pinch the tail for measurement?
A: No natural lay. Do not manipulate the fish.
Q: Can two people share one camera?
A: Yes, if one person is minor.
Disclaimer Click to Read
Participant Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk Agreement
Headwaters Adventure Company
In consideration of being allowed to participate in any way in the program, related events and activities, I the undersigned acknowledge, appreciate and agree that:
• The risk of injury from the activities involved in this program is significant, including the potential for permanent paralysis or death.
• I knowingly and freely assume all such risks, both known and unknown, even if arising from the negligence of the Headwaters Adventure Company or others and assume full responsibility for my participation. I knowingly agree that photos may be taken for promotional use.
• I willingly agree to comply with the terms and conditions for participation. If I observe any unusually significant hazard during my participation and in my presence, I will safely remove myself from participation and bring attention of the hazard to the nearest official immediately.
• I, for myself and on behalf of my heirs, personal representatives and next of kin hereby release, indemnify and hold harmless Headwaters Adventure Company, its officers, officials, agents, employees, other participants, sponsors, advertisers and if applicable, owners and lessors of premises used to conduct the event from any and all claims, demands, losses and liability arising out of or related to any injury, disability or loss of life that occurs, or loss or damage to person or property, whether arising from the negligence of the Headwaters Adventure Company or otherwise as allowed by law.
I have read this Release of Liability and Assumption of Risk Agreement. I fully understand its terms. I understand that I have given up substantial rights by signing this agreement and sign it freely and voluntarily without any inducement or coercion.
I have been trained in wet exit with a spray skirt and am capable of performing wet exit with a skirt.
For Parents or Guardians of Participant of Minor Age Under Age 18 at Time of Registration
This is to certify that I, as parent or guardian with legal responsibility for this participant, do consent and agree to this release as provided above, and for myself, my heirs and next of kin, I release and agree to indemnify and hold harmless Headwaters Adventure Company from any and all liability incidents to my minor child's involvement or participation in these programs as provided above, even if arising from the negligence of Headwaters Adventure Company, as permitted by law.


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Law firm Pinsent Masons has hired Alexander Bayer, Peter Koch and Jörg Khöber as partner, legal director and senior associate in the firm's intellectual property practice in Munich.
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"Shining a Positive Light on Down Syndrome" - Focus on the Family interviews Robert & Trevor Hendershot on World Down Syndrome Day, Tuesday, March 21, 2017
From author Robert Hendershot:
Greetings to all of you who have been supportive of Trevor and me over the years...however briefly, recently or even many years ago!
Trevor and I are going to be the subjects of an interview "Shining a Positive Light on Down Syndrome", that will air on Focus on the Family's international radio show broadcast on World Down Syndrome Day, this Tuesday, March 21.
Locally in Southern California, the show can be heard on KKLA 99.5 FM at 4:30, 7:30, 11:30 am and then 10:00 pm.
The show can also be listened to on-line by clicking the links below.
We've also formed a 501(c)3 non-profit www.angelsforhigher.org to help facilitate the "Trevorizing" of every sports stadium on planet earth, and thereby transforming the pro-life, special needs culture of the world...one sport stadium at a time.
In addition, we've revised, reformatted, retitled and redeemed our original book to Angel for Higher, which can be obtained from our website.
Amazon just indicated that Angel for Higher is the "#1 New Release in Special Needs Children's Health", yay!
While this designation probably won't result in 'Harry Potter-esque' sales numbers, if we can help one person in our target audience who's struggling with addictions and/or facing the challenges of raising a special needs child, then I will have been repaid "...for the years the locusts have eaten." (Joel 2:25)
Finally, Trevor and I were also recently invited to appear on a live radio interview on The Bottom Line show, hosted by Roger Marsh, on World Down Syndrome Day, 3/21, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
This show can be heard locally on KBRT AM 740, listened on-line at www.kbriteradio.com or later in podcast at www.thebottomlineshow.com.
"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
Bob and Trevor


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Most used printer cartridges are thrown away with less than half re-used or even recycled, according to a new report from InfoTrends.
The printer supplies industry is failing to support environmental goals with OEMs and focusing on new cartridge sales and printer supply profit mountains. Meanwhile, some appear to see recycling - where the whole cartridge is broken down - as a neat way to avoid cartridge re-filling, which hurts profits.
It also appears that the WEEE directive is making it more difficult to re-use printer cartridges, an example perhaps of the law of unintended consequences.
In the report, "2007 Supplies Recycling: US and Europe," it is clear that original printer manufacturers (OEMs) and re-manufacturers - 3rd party suppliers of refilled toner and ink cartridges - are competing to collect used cartridges. The OEMs will recycle them; have them broken down into component materials, while the re-manufacturers will try to profitably refill and resell cartridges, at lower prices than brand new cartridges."
Like a milk bottle, a printer cartridge contains a consumable. Once used up the cartridge could be used again, re-filled with ink or toner, and supplied to customers. A combination of re-use-unfriendly product design and printer OEM reluctance to support re-use is leading to most used cartridges either being thrown away or recycled into components.
Third-party supplies companies collect 70 percent more empty OEM toner cartridges and 700 percent more empty OEM inkjet cartridges than the OEMs themselves.
Collection is difficult as customers may be expected to post used cartridges back to a recycler or re-manufacturer. The cost of the postage can exceed the value of a returned empty cartridge to a re-manufacturer. The recently introduced WEEE directive will not help re-manufacturers as empty cartridges will go to local authority or other recycling centres - effectively out of reach of the re-manufacturers.
Recycling appears to be endorsed by printer OEMs as a way of stopping used cartridges getting into the hands of re-manufacturers who could then undercut the OEM's printer cartridge prices. The report finds that 'Through re-manufacturing, 3rd party supplies companies are able, on average, to reduce overall demand for new cartridges by about 20 percent.' It suggests that some printer manufacturers, such as Xerox and Lexmark, are beginning to realise that re-use is better than recycling.
Re-use of toner and ink cartridges is made more difficult by the profusion of different types. If there were only a few standard sizes and type of cartridge, such as batteries with AA standard sizes, then re-use would be much easier. Cartridges are also not designed for re-use. That is why re-manufacturers prefer so-called virgin empties, cartridges used once only. Each use cycle lessens the likelihood that the cartridge can be profitably used again.
The report finds that '80 percent of re-manufactured toner cartridges and 86 percent of re-manufactured inkjet cartridges are thrown away' because it is uneconomic to refill them again.
While printer manufacturers sell printers as loss leaders and make the bulk of their profit on brand new cartridge sales, this is just not likely to happen. Wouldn't it be nice if HP stopped trumpeting about the amount of material it was recycling and instead put effort, with other printer manufacturers, into having cartridges designed for re-use and supporting a re-use infrastructure. Now that really would show commitment to the environment.
The report does find that, in general, the printer supplies industry is helping to reduce the amount of cartridges ending up in landfill, but with more than half of the billions of cartridges bought new every year being thrown away when empty, that is faint praise.
This story, "Printer cartridges still being thrown away" was originally published by Techworld.com.


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THE unofficial biggest carp in the country could appear in a lake near you – and at a bigger weight!
Big Rig was caught last year at a peak weight of 71 lb 4 oz from Shropshire's The Avenue and boss Rob Hales is set to sell on her offspring.
And Rob thinks the new generation of Britain's biggest ever confirmed carp – that was rejected by the British Record Fish Committee as she'd been grown on in a holding pool – could easily get as big.
RH Fisheries' owner Rob explained: "I set up the carp fish farm in 2014 with small fry from similar stock.
"We have bred from Big Rig and they are thriving, but we will grow them on and they won't be ready for sale until November 2019 when they will be in the C3 class.
"She was a very fast growing fish herself and I have every confidence that her progeny will be the same and who knows might produce a record breaker.
"Business is now booming and we sold out of stock before the festive season began with our similar strains.
"We currently sell C2 samples that are two summers old and in the 3-5 lb bracket for £75 each, and C3s between 7-9 lb at £150.
"We have had record sales, delivering all over the country from Cornwall to Glasgow.
"Our biggest sale was to a customer in Lancashire who bought 65 fish.
"Our prices are higher than many, but customers know they are getting a quality product from a very good strain of large growing specimens
"We have now re-stocked our fish farm with one and two year old superfreaks and will be selling them for delivery in November this year," he added.
Anyone who want to order fish can e-mail on email@example.com or call on 01952 463141.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: email@example.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.


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By: Emily
Have you come to visit UMD Career and Internship Services yet?
Stop by Solon Campus Center (SCC) 22 if you are:
- Looking for a job/internship
- Trying to figure out your interests and how they might fit into a major
- Wanting to explore career options
- Getting ready for upcoming job fairs and/or interviews
- Wondering about graduate school
- Wanting to get hired
Now is the time to take advantage of some of the support and services we have to offer! In case you are unfamiliar with our office, here are our services in a nutshell:
Professional Career Counseling
Career Counselors are able to see your situation from a unique perspective and can give you guidance. They can show you tools that can make looking for a job or internship here or abroad, a lot easier. Whether you are making decisions about your major, graduate school, or your future career, our counselors can point you to resources that can assist you in navigating those difficult decisions.
StrengthsQuest, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory
These assessments collect and organize data providing you with valuable insight into your own interests, strengths, or personality. StengthsQuest is a 30-minute assessment used to define your top 5 Strengths, or skills that come to you naturally. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality assessment developed by psychologists that can help you better understand your own preferences and patterns of behavior, such as how you make decisions and how you gain and maintain energy. Last but not least, the Strong Interest Inventory helps you pinpoint your interests and aligns them with career paths you might be interested in exploring.
Graduate Follow-up Report
Every year, our office calls recent graduates from the UMD and gathers information on where they are and what they are doing. By looking at the report, you can see what graduates are doing with their majors, where they are working and unearth a wealth of knowledge such as employment rates and average annual salaries.
Workshops (Interviewing, Getting Ready for the Job Fair, and Writing Personal Statements)
We provide a variety of free workshops that you can attend! These workshops are facilitated by our Career Counselors and Peer Educators and provide a good opportunity to get questions answered. Visit our events page to see when the next workshop is!
Resume and LinkedIn/GoldPASS Drop-In Hours
Our Career Counselors and Peer Educators are available to help you get started or edit and make suggestions on your already existing resume and LinkedIn and GoldPASS accounts! All drop-in hours run 2-4pm in our office (SCC 22). Stop by with your quick questions.
- Resume Drop-In Hours (every Tuesday & Wednesday during the academic year)
- LinkedIn/GoldPASS Drop-In Hours (every Thursday during the academic year)


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Blog Archives
We Can't Just Get Over It
I don't usually rant, but I just need to say that I get a bit annoyed when some White folks try to tell Black folks how and how not to respond to injustices. Telling folks who are hurting to get over it, put it behind us, move on, you're overreacting, and let it go are just not acceptable. And yes, I have heard and read all of these statements.
Our anger, our fear and our frustration are not just about Trayvon, it goes so much deeper than that; the extensive history of racism and inequality plays a huge role in provoking the thoughts and feelings that we have; AND an awareness that based on how we have historically seen things play out causes feelings of despair.Our pain is the result of cumulative experiences and a constant lack of resolve and change within society. So, no one can ever tell us how to feel, how to be, and how to respond!
If those who are white are tired of hearing us (and our allies) talk about this, perhaps they should consider that they are not the only ones who are tired – we too are tired – of decade after decade of the same old ill treatment and disproportionate discrimination. If you are weary of us "whining and complaining" or "playing the race card." keep in mind that we too are weary, weary of racial profiling, weary of constant subtle and not so subtle messages that we are not as good or as valued as our lighter brothers and sisters.
So, when we say this is about race, it is not solely about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, it is inclusive of a frustration with a judicial system and societal norms of suspicion regarding who and how we are as Black folks. SO YES, it is about race, racism, and we can't keep ignoring and denying it.
Posted in Pain, Race, Random, Social Issues
Tags: anger, disappointment, frustration, pain, race, racism, trayvon martin, zimmerman
It's Not About the Hoodies!
My first post on this topic was filled with so much pain and emotion that my thoughts were incohesive, and I believe that is ok. Though my heart is still broken, hopefully this one will be clearer.
It's trendy to get in on this by wearing a hoodie, and make claims to care (and perhaps all involved actually do); but what will we do after this "big" case? People of color are being profiled, targeted, discriminated against and even slaughtered every day. These are individuals who will never make front page of a paper, be a blog post, cnn video or protest rally. And the silence prior to Trayvon has been somewhat deafening. And yet, rather than be too cynical I consider that maybe this situation is what we need to put a little fire under us and move us to a place of saying enough is enough. Let's hope so. Here are some observations to consider that flow from the current situation at hand.
Posted in Diversity, Random, Social Issues
Tags: discrimination, god, hoodie sunday, hoodies, justice, race, racism, trayvon martin, truth, zimmerman
Who Cares?
Two words have been on my mind for the last couple of weeks – "Trayvon Martin." I have turned the revealed details over in my head and heart and respond with an appropriate feeling of anger at the apparent injustice of it all. I did not know Trayvon and I do not know his family, causing some to ask why I care. The only response I can muster up to such wondering is "why don't YOU care?"
I have deeply spiritual and human reasons for caring. My heart aches as I wonder what it might have been like for Trayvon to journey from the store to his dad's home only to have the entirety of his being filled with fear as he peered down the barrel of George Zimmeran's gun, never anticipating that his trip to the store might be the last trip, the last pack of Skittles, the last bottle of iced tea.
In the Martin, Zimmerman case, it is difficult for me to believe that the "Stand your ground law" in Florida is designed for people like Zimmerman – based on the 911 calls, Zimmeran was following Martin even though instructed not to do so. Zimmerman is about 100lbs heavier than Martin was. Zimmerman was armed and Martin was not. The mere reality that Zimmerman followed this teen because, according to his perceptions, he looked suspicious is cause for the law being in place for people like Martin – who really seems to be the one whose life was in danger and threatened? And even if Zimmerman was in danger (which I doubt), did he need to shoot to kill?
Assumptions regarding racial motivation on the part of Zimmerman (whether false or true) serve as a reminder of the yet existent pain of racial inequality in the US. Being Black in America still means encountering individuals who will view your very existence as a threat and see your skin pigmentation and way of being as "suspicious." In many cases "looking suspicious" only means I look different than you, have different mannerisms, hair texture, and wardrobe.
Social stereotypes still exist – can't even where your hooded sweatshirt when it's raining, especially if you are an African American male. And rather than focus on the injustices surrounding Trayvon and other "Trayvons" of society, we still have individuals like popular TV personality Geraldo Rivera spouting nonsense that suggests that Trayvon's death was as much his own fault because he was wearing a hoodie. But as Eugene Cho says
Hoodies don't kill just as short skirts don't rape. Focus on the injustice and not the wardrobe.
The stark reality is that even without the hoodie, Trayvon still lived in his brown skin.
I love my lighter brothers and sisters – sincerely, but the subtle hints that we are overreacting and simply reading into things when we insist that racism and racial profiling are the real experiences of the African American race is an insult that only causes the societal realities to continue. We are not yet a post-racial society as some would suggest, therefore more work is yet to be done.
Dr. Martin Luther King's quest for "Strength to Love" reminds me to continue to love others even through the experience of anger and outrage – and this love is to be for all.
The question in all of this is will we care enough to be disturbed to the point where inaction is nearly impossible?
Posted in Random, Social Issues
Tags: african american, culture, ethnicity, florida, geraldo, hoodie, injustice, race, skittles, social justice, trayvon martin, zimmerman


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Cerberus FTP Server Professional is able to authenticate users against a domain's Active Directory database. Active Directory is a logical grouping of users and computers in a Windows domain, centrally managed by servers called domain controllers.
Configuring Cerberus to use Active Directory authentication simply requires enabling Active Directory authentication and telling the server the name of the domain to authenticate against. The rest of the configuration is automatic. Users are able to login to the server over FTP, SSH SFTP, or through the HTTP/S web client, using the same username and password they use to log into their workstations on the domain. For the purpose of access to files and folders, the user has the same access as the Active Directory user with the same name. All operations on the server by the user are carried out while impersonating the Active Directory user.
What do I need to use Active Directory Authentication?
A Windows Domain Controller running Active Directory. The server running Cerberus FTP Server does not have to be a domain controller and the server can be installed on any machine that is a member of the domain.


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Photo: Tobi Gaulke/Flickr.com/CC BY-NC-ND
Air pollution cuts life by a decade, costing billions
A new study by Mikael Skou Andersen of Aarhus University in Denmark, shows that, on average, increased levels of the air pollutant PM2.5 cut victims' life expectancy much more than previously thought. Moreover, the estimated economic cost of premature death differs wildly between the US and the EU because of the calculations used.
In the US, the cost-benefit analysis of reducing air pollution is calculated based on the number of lives saved, with each life currently estimated to be worth $7.4 million. This figure is more than three times higher than the one commonly used in Europe, where the focus is on the change in life expectancy.
According to Skou Andersen, an increase in airborne PM2.5 of 10 micrograms per cubic metre causes an average loss of life expectancy of 9–11 years – much longer than a frequently cited estimate of 1–2 years. The author hopes that this information will inform international institutions and policy makers that want to accurately account for deaths caused by air pollution due to fossil fuel consumption.
Source: ScienceDaily, 3 July 2017.
The article: "Co-benefits of climate mitigation: Counting statistical lives or life-years?" Ecological Indicators, July 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.03.051


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This weekly column is being reproduced with the permission of Steve Smith, The Whistling Gardener, and owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville.
Any gardener that is worth his salt is aware of the importance of bees in the garden. They are our chief pollinators along with wasps and flies, some moths and butterflies and even hummingbirds and bats.
In the early season one can observe our native mason bees and bumble bees working over early blooming shrubs and bulbs and perennials. This time of year it seems like the honey bee is the dominate species in the garden.
One of the most important things home gardeners can do to help bees is to plant lots of varieties of blooming plants so there is always something in the garden for the bees to feed on.
Here are two "can't lose" varieties of late blooming perennials that will draw honey bees into your garden by the droves:
Sedum Autumn Joy (and its many variations): this is an upright sedum that grows about 18 inches tall and is topped with what looks like a head of broccoli until it turns a bright pink this time of year and a nice rust color as it matures.
I have seen Autumn Joy so covered with bees that you can't even see the flowers. You can grow all sedums in full sun and drought conditions with very little care all season long.
Caryopteris (aka blue beard): is a small woody shrub that also thrives on neglect and blooms in August and September in the northwest with masses of tiny blue flowers. Bees love this plant and will spend all day extracting nectar from the flowers.
Plant it in a sunny spot with well-drained soil and cut it back hard every spring. It will grow to 2-3 feet tall and wide in one season.
There is even a golden-leafed variety which makes a delightful backdrop for the blue flowers.
Remember that bees are our friends (unless of course you are allergic to them in which case be very careful). For the most part they will not bother us while they are busy working over flowers on a sunny day so there is little to worry about.
Terrariums are making a comeback: It's just a miniature garden in a bottle but it contains all the elements of an outside garden in a tidy little package and is an excellent learning tool for young gardeners.
It seems like today's terrariums are more sophisticated with layers of different colored sand and rocks and unusually shaped glass globes that can be hung from the ceiling and even totally weird plants like Tillandsias that look artificial.
I remember having terrariums in my youth and the style I always preferred contained ferns and mosses but you can also make a terrarium with cactus and succulents and sand and throw in a lizard for a little wild life and feed the lizard a cricket now and then for some cheap entertainment.
Creating a terrarium is not a difficult task. All it takes is a little charcoal in the bottom (to compensate for no drainage), a good potting soil, a few plants that are compatible with each other and an accent like a special rock or piece of wood.
It's an easy step (or should I say a slippery slope) to morph a terrarium into a miniature garden simply by adding some miniature furniture or birdbath or even miniature people. The possibilities are endless.
For more in-depth information on creating terrariums come to our free class this Saturday the 27th at 10am here at the nursery. RSVP is appreciated.
Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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In July, Wickr announced that its paying users could make encrypted conference calls. For a company prioritizing businesses over consumers, this was a crucial development. But it also helped Wickr stand out from other secure messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp, which have yet to roll out encrypted group calls. And on Friday, Wickr made the feature available to all its users.
Source: gizmodo
February 2, 2018VIEW ORIGINAL ARTICLE


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A US senator's daughter, Megan Rose (Mika Boorem) is kidnapped by
criminal mastermind Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott). Soneji is not
out for ransom - his ambition is to be credited in history books
with the "crime of the century". Washington, D.C.
police detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross (Morgan
Freeman) is lured out of retirement and joins Secret Service
agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter) on the search for Soneji
the missing child.
A US senator's daughter, Megan Rose (Mika Boorem) is kidnapped by
criminal mastermind Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott). Soneji is not
out for ransom - his ambition is to be credited in history books
with the "crime of the century". Washington, D.C.
police detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross (Morgan
Freeman) is lured out of retirement and joins Secret Service
agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter) on the search for Soneji
the missing child.
Along Came A Spider is a professionally executed police
procedural given a touch of class by the presence of venerable
Morgan Freeman. Reprising the character he played in Kiss The
Girls (1997), Freeman (who also executive-produced) lends an
authority to material that might otherwise have played just as
well as a hard-edged cable movie. We trust Freeman wherever he
goes - as the smart detective in Seven or the American President
in Deep Impact - it's no different here as the reluctant Alex
Cross gets drawn into a case worthy of his deductive skills. He's
well-off for co-stars here, with Monica Potter convincing as the
Secret Service agent responsible for the girl's safety and
Michael Wincott oozing suitable menace as the bad guy with a
gravel voice Keith Richards would be proud of. Director Lee
Tamahori gives proceedings a polished look and extracts
reasonable tension considering we know who the villain is
straight away. Like me you might be jaded by too many brilliant
criminals being pursued by equally cluey cops who always seem to
spot that tiny corner of a photograph that busts the case wide
open. Along Came A Spider isn't top of its class but does its
primary job of keeping us intrigued until just about the end when
the obligatory triple-reverse, hard to believe climax arrives.
Even if it seems like we've seen it all before - the Dirty Harry
inspired ransom runaround scene being a case in point - it's
handled with enough precision on both sides of the camera to make
it worthwhile, if not essential viewing.
Richard Kuipers
From its suspenseful opening credits, Lee Tamahori's tv
commercial-refined visual hand is evident (if that's not too
obtuse a way of putting it) as this kidnap thriller streaks along
a high tension wire of action and character. Of course, in a
major, slickly made studio picture these days, character carries
less weight than the plot and the look, which perhaps explains
why pretty Monica Potter gets to play such a tough cookie. And an
implausible one, sad to say. We meet her as a Secret Service
Agent minding a Senator's daughter at a posh school.
Dialogue references to her time there begin at five years and
shrink to three and finally to two as the film progresses. But
Potter is a fine actress and provides all she can within the
confines of a script that has problems beyond continuity, in the
occasional insult to our intelligence. I won't instance the
biggest such example as it will give away a key plot point, but
suffice to say Potter's character is just a device, with
little depth or credibility. Morgan Freeman, of course, carries
the burden of both plot and character, to involve us as much as
possible, which he does with consummate ease and professionalism.
Michael Wincott is a good baddie, and little Mika Boorem is a
terrific little star as the kidnapped kid. The upsides are a
great Jerry Goldsmith score, excellent cinematography, robust
direction that manages to lift the film to its genre-istic
heights, and – thanks to the original book - a basically
well constructed story with a couple of major twists.
Andrew L. Urban
Filled with breathtaking twists and revelations, Along Came a
Spider is a ripper of a good yarn and darned good entertainment
on all counts. There's action and tension from the very first
frames, when the stunning opening sequence immediately sets the
scene in this psychological thriller of substance. Lee Tamahori
has gathered a talented team, including first time screenplay
writer Marc Moss whose script is cohesive and intelligent,
allowing Morgan Freeman the opportunity to really shine. It's
about time this consummate actor was given the right showcase;
here in this superior sequel to Kiss the Girls, Freeman is the
pivot for the action. Just his presence elevates the film. In
fact he makes us feel as though it's a more complete work than it
may actually be. He affects a natural stillness and calmness that
promotes total confidence; he IS Alex Cross. We always feel that
Cross is a human being first and foremost – a detective
second. 'We do what we are' he says with ambiguity. We are
intrigued. The formula may not be new, but there are plenty of
surprises; my heart pounded throughout, never knowing in which
direction I would be taken. The cast is well balanced and Monica
Potter once again shows that she is far more than just a pretty
face. While she exudes a beauty-coated innocence, Potter is most
credible in this complex dramatic role. Although it would be easy
to pick some holes in the plot (wouldn't someone have noticed
Soneji's rubbery features over some years?), I was happy to be
totally immersed in the web, eager to be pulled in any which way.
Michael Wincott is well cast as Soneji, while Mika Boorem (Mel
Gibson's daughter in The Patriot) does a fine job as the young
kidnap-victim. It's non stop action from start to finish and
Jerry Goldsmith's relentless score pummels in time with our heart
beats. Thought provoking and gripping, there are enough elements
to engage throughout, while simultaneously watching the mastery
of Morgan Freeman at work.
Louise Keller
Favourable: 1
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 2
CAST: Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott, Mika
Boorem, Penelope Ann Miller
DIRECTOR: Lee Tamahori
PRODUCER: David Brown, Joe Wizan
SCRIPT: Marc Moss, (based on novel by James Patterson)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew F. Leonetti
EDITOR: Nicolas De Toth, Neil Travis
MUSIC: Jerry Goldsmith, Mark Isham
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Ida Random
RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: August 16, 2001
VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures Video
VIDEO RELEASE: January 18, 2002