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This morning saw the launch of the new Versace for collection for H&M. With a 400-strong queue outside the flagship store and the online site down, was it worth the wait and did everyone get what they wanted? Young Academic brings you the latest student fashion news on today's launch.
Mumbles rippled through the crowd outside H&M on Regents Street this morning as 9am grew closer and as it did, talk turned to which sequined, studded or brightly coloured pieces were going to be purchased (a studded leather coat costing £179.99 seemed most favourable) whilst others talked about putting their items on Ebay, much to the dismay of fans.
The collection is made up of the Italian label's trademark colours: bright oranges, pinks and greens with tropical prints and has been brought back from the archives to echo the style from the 90s collection. Dresses, leather jackets, jewellery and even zebra-print suits for the men are amongst the clothes that can be bought and of course, all come for a fraction of the price of the usual attire branded with Versace.
It seems the collection has gone down well with the crowds who proclaimed that "It's the perfect blend: a high street brand that everyone is able to afford, along with a big fashion label that's been around for so long and is really iconic."
Donatella Versace herself made it to the opening with a fanfare and applause from fans as she stepped on to pink carpet dressed in a Versace x H&M pink leather dress and the highly anticipated studded leather coat that many were eager to buy.
She described the collection as being "quintessentially Versace, perfect for H&M and Versace fans everywhere". She continued "I can't wait to see how H&M's wide audience will make these pieces their own" but it seems getting the pieces was going to be a difficult task with many shoppers leaving disappointed.
As with previous designer launches at H&M, namely Lanvin and Jimmy Choo, security was stringent. Shoppers had been queuing since yesterday afternoon to be in with the chance of buying their favourite pieces and thanks to the numerous bodyguards, they were protected from the queue jumpers.
In previous years fights have broken out as shoppers became crazed with grabbing the last pieces so this year everything was a lot more organised. The first 280 people to arrive outside the store were allocated wristbands and split into groups of 20. Each group was given a ten minute slot and a strict one item in each size per person.
It seems the regimented organisation paid off with many shoppers leaving happy, bags packed full with brightly coloured items but it wasn't good news for everyone.
21 year old student, Alan Murrell left H&M earlier this morning disappointed and commented that "there were none of the suits that showed on the catwalk, and very few jackets, I got a few T-shirts, but that was all."
Genuine Versace fans also displayed their dismay at the number of shoppers waiting with plans of putting their purchases on Ebay as soon as they left. Many had brought laptops and were already charting the prices of items that were on auction just moments after stores had opened.
Versace x H&M went on sale in as many as 300 stores worldwide and online as of this morning but with many items selling out and with the website down, shoppers have been left disappointed whilst Ebayers auction their items off. Let's hope there's another lorry load on its way for tomorrow!


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Your health and safety is our #1 priority. Each technician has a mask, gloves and hazmat suits available to wear inside your home. Learn more about our COVID 19 Response.
Please provide information in form below and we will contact you to confirm your requested service. If you have additional questions, would prefer to book by phone, or if it is an emergency please call us at 303-666-8888.
Hello, my name is Rick Farasyn, President and Owner of Nesheim's. For 28 years my wife Janet and I have carried on a long-standing tradition based upon being honest, reliable, trustworthy and friendly. My wife and I believe till this day that in order to be successful, we must continue to focus on quality of service, being friendly and help to educate customers in our cleaning techniques. We also feel it is important to be involved in the communities that support us.
In addition, we believe in five key principles that are still used and practiced today. These principles are:
Janet has been the heart and soul of Nesheim's for many years.
She keeps the administrative side of things straight and also helps to keep her husband, Rick, our President, in line.
Janet works diligently behind the scenes, ensuring that payroll is complete, that budgets are prepared and followed and that all financial procedures and human resource policies are adhered to.
Jason has been with Nesheim's for 24 years. His expertise in cleaning a wide array of fabrics coupled with his uncanny ability to identify and resolve many types of stains, spots, and soiled areas has surely placed Jason among the cleaning industry's elite.
Whether he is resolving a major water restoration project or assisting in containing lead or helping to alleviate fire damage from a home or office building, Jason is an excellent teacher to technicians and customers alike.
Leo has been with Nesheim's for 20 years. He is our in-house senior drill sergeant, mentor and coach to all who enter the halls at Nesheim's.
There is never ever a dull moment when Leo enters the building. He is an expert in wood flooring, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, leather cleaning and keeping our customers happy.
Each week when we read our customer comment cards to all of the technicians, Leo's name seems to almost always appear as being the individual who our customers praise the most.
Leo is always smiling and always expecting the most out of our technicians. A great trainer, mentor and developer of people.
Andrew has been with Nesheim's for over a year and continues to provide a high degree of customer service to our many clients. He is skilled in cleaning carpets, upholstery, leather and tile and grout.
Many of our valued customers say that Andrew is courteous, kind and very attentive to their needs.
Kurt has been with Nesheim's for a little over a year now and he continues to WOW our customers. He takes pride in doing his job to the best of his ability and it reflects in his work.
Kurt has been doing this for over 20 years; he's an expert in carpet, upholstery, and tile cleaning, and carpet repairs.
Nesheim's has a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our work. We are fully insured and only utilize background checked employees. Our quality is why we have won the Boulder County Gold Peoples Choice award for 20 consecutive years. We proudly service Boulder County, Broomfield County and most of the North Denver Metro

subset: commoncrawl


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Pink Panther
The Pink Panther is the main and title character in a series of animated short films. He originally appeared in the opening and closing credit sequences of the 1963 live-action feature film The Pink Panther. The popularity of the character spawned a series of animated shorts, and would appear in the opening sequence of every film in The Pink Panther series except for A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau. He starred in 124 shorts (either theatrical or televised), 10 television shows and 3 specials (primetime).


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Do you take pleasure in making wreaths and other crafts? Do you might have a aptitude for design? Have you ever dreamed of starting your own dwelling-based business? It may be that a house-primarily based wreath making business is your excellent niche. Most people didn't have a lot, so dividing between all of their kids was out of the choice. A small piece of land or small business (like a mill) was not enough for all kids (many households had ten or extra children and before their father died, some of them most likely had their very own children). Boots are an necessary part of this story. We already know that for decades, Charles Perrault was very influential within the court of Louis XIV where fashion was extremely vital. We've examine noblemen who offered actual property simply to buy correct clothes because with out dressing within the latest trend, the doorways of Versailles were closed to them.
There are a number of entrepreneurs who have the money to begin the business, however they don't know where to place the cash and learn how to begin the business. As an entrepreneur, you've got two selections in the business. First, you may either start the business for a selected product corresponding to ductwork. Second, you can start off as a generic service provider. I've an equality unisex model, MAOfeMAO, that I have TM in 26 countries, not cheap to do however When you believe in your brand it is a necessity to guard your brand title and it also opens doors to trade under licence.
Simple and very good concept. Simply executable while you try to serve the proper crowd. Acquire as much expertise within the trade as doable, even if meaning taking an unpaid internship. HubPages and Hubbers (authors) might earn income on this page based mostly on affiliate relationships and advertisements with partners including Amazon, Google, and others. Hi i do a company known as sassnfrass, its a web based boutique that has a wide verity of various objects. Incorporating your Christian beliefs into your on a regular basis business ventures will ensure you're operating your business the correct manner!
Lisa started off as an actress, appearing on Baywatch Nights and Silk Stalkings. When she was 21, she married restaurateur Ken Todd and collectively they opened 26 successful eating places in London. Do you guess, when it comes to naming a value on your artwork? I hope not. There are a lot of components that I consider when pricing certainly one of my work – this is how I go about placing a price tag on my artwork. Hi. I have begin a chocolate store in Bangkok. but having some concern with registered the shop title, 49% overseas fifty one% Thai , however they are saying it retail and never doable? any good suggestion.
Early on in season one, Ramona talked about how essential it was for her to have her own source of revenue. That means, she mentioned, she'd be unbiased no matter what occurred. Ramona's foresight is coming in helpful now that she and her husband Mario Singer are divorcing. One thing tells me that Ramona will end up being juuuust effective. Good work completed but nonetheless still a lot of issues missing like examples citation to justify each steps given above. When it comes time to make a firm determination, select wisely. Your bakery's title is the first thing a buyer notices, and hopefully one thing they'll keep in mind, whether or not they liked it or not.


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Like the others in the Trop50 range, the new 'Multi-vitamins' and 'Red Berries' have 50% less sugar than regular fruit juice and are sweetened with Stevia (steviol glycosides). All flavours have only 20 calories per 100ml.
Trop50 juices are described as:
- A delicious blend of not from concentrate juice and water with Stevia leaf extract.
- Juice drink blend of 7 fruits and refreshing water,
- Never from concentrate.
- Made with 100% pure squeezed fruit.
- Packed with vitamin C, which helps reduce tiredness.
- With 50% less sugar than your average fruit juice.
- No artificial colours, sweeteners or flavours
I've tried both the Multi-vitamins and the Red Berries and have to say they're both really good. The multi vitamins is a mix of orange, apple, pineapple, banana, pear and grape which all combine to form a lovely tropical flavour. I can detect the pineapple and passion fruit quite clearly and the rest sort of blends into a refreshing and tangy drink.
Either way, I would say both these varieties will be making a reappearance in my household, along with the Orange & Mango.
Available in most major supermarkets.
Nutrition per 100ml Multi-vitamins: 20 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturates, 4.9g carbohydrates, 4.3g sugars, 0g fibre, 0.2g protein, 0g salt. 41mg vitamin C, 1.7mg B3, 0.2mg B6, 0.8mg B5. Contains naturally occurring sugars from the juice.
Ingredients (Multi-vitamins): Water, Orange Juice (18%), Apple Juice (13%), Pineapple Juice (4%), Passion Fruit Juice, Banana Puree, Pear Puree, Grape Juice, Thickener (Pectin), Acids (Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides), Colour (Beta-Carotene), Natural Flavourings, Vitamin C, B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6
Nutrition per 100ml Red Berries: 20 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturates, 4.9g carbohydrates, 4.2g sugars, 0g fibre, 0g protein, 0g salt. 12mg vitamin C. Contains naturally occurring sugars from the juice.
Ingredients Red Berries: Water, Apple Juice (35%), Raspberry Puree (2%), Blueberry Puree (2%), Elderberry Juice, Grape Juice, Thickener (Pectin), Acids (Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Sweetener (Steviol Glycosides), Natural Flavourings
© Diets and Calories


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Grooming yourself is not about taking in advice from everyone. Its about being yourself and following a routine that involves maintenance. The routine should be your own choosing and should 100% work. No matter what people say in regard to your hair. You should make an effort to groom it with techniques that work best for you. Its really about what you ideally want and nothing else. Otherwise, your just taking the best men's grooming kit and doing what others want. No, that is not how one should live their life. Allow me to give you tips for grooming and make your own grooming style routine.
Learn How to Cut Your Own Hair
Learning to cut your own hair is not too difficult. It may take you some months to learn how to get each side just right. But, you will know the best way to do it. Cutting your own hair is the best way to make sure it looks good week to week. No one knows how to cut it better than you. Get yourself the best men's grooming kit and hair clippers to get started. Watch some videos online to give you a visual view of how to do it. Focus on rather you want a perfect look or balance look. For balance look, just even the sides out the best you can. Don't worry about the hair style looking perfect. Believe me it will never look perfect. But, I promise your girlfriend will still love you. The one that really loves you. In worst case scenario, you can always shave your hair bald. It will grow back you know.
In addition, you should set aside 3 days to cut hair. The best time to cut your hair would be on the weekend. If you were to mess your hair up, three days would give you enough time to fix any mistakes you made. Now, your suppose to cut your hair completely on the first day. The other two days are for you to make sure your hair is balanced right. I cut my hair and there are times when I make a mistake. I don't always notice it right away. Sometimes, I notice the mistakes 4 to 7 days later. General speaking, put time aside for hair to adjust it when you make a mistake.
Be a Regular at Your Barber Shop
Not interested in cutting your own hair like me, go to the barber shop every month. Be a regular for your barber so you can get your hair fixed up for each month. Doing this will make it possible for you to look good for every date. However, your going to need to set aside some cash for this trip to barber shop. The going rate is about $15 to $28 a hair cut. Might be able to get a cheaper hair cut form someone you know. But, that also means less then perfect quality. Hey, do it the way you see you should. In the end, its your money and your hair. Let anybody you want cut your hair.
Use Hair Products That Work for You
Only use hair products that work for your specific type of hair. Your hair is not like everybody's hair. Actually, nobody hair is like everybody's hair. Everybody has hair that grows differently and behaves to beauty products differently. Each individual on Earth has their own hair type. That hair type might be oily, very curly, dry, or combination of two. First, figure out what your hair type is. Then, found a beauty hair product that fits it well. Only specific hair products can give your hair the look it wants. The hy7dration and smoothness it wants.


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An answer via WUProp, split by CPU for the 16e v5 app
Last edited by plonk420; 05-10-2019 at 05:10 PM.
Edit: A fifth. Two teams are within reach
Edit2: One of those has fallen to us (Overclock.net), one to go (BOINC.Italy).
Those Einstein WUs are really killing me (and my systems). One team within reach though (BOINCStats).
Last edited by Dirk Broer; 05-11-2019 at 03:46 PM.
is the Pentathlon going to count valid results on E@H? or ANY completed results?
eh, they're just slow to validate. usually happens in a day or so
28 pages pending validation
added a little help and hope it picks us up a bit
Last edited by Jason1478963; 05-13-2019 at 12:51 AM.
ugh, NFS uses too much RAM
how will my points compare if i run 18 threads (1950X/16c/32t) vs 32 lower RAM units?


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Virginia Highlands Community CollegeHome Menu
News & Events
Exciting things are happening at VHCC every day! You can stay informed by reading the latest news releases, learning more about the people who work and learn on campus, and spending a few minutes with the latest edition of VHCC News.
If you have questions or comments, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Four "outstanding" students to challenge Class of 2019
Four student speakers will challenge the Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) class of 2019 graduates at commencement ceremonies to be held Friday, May 10, in the Joseph P. Johnson, Jr., Grand Hall of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center on the VHCC campus.
About 680 certificates, diplomas and degrees will be conferred during two separate ceremonies at 5 pm and 7:30 pm.
"We asked our faculty to consider our students and select those representative of the incredible academic diversity we're privileged to serve here at VHCC," said Dr. Stacy Thomas, vice president of instruction and student services.
The four selected students were nominated by faculty based on the demonstration of "outstanding scholarship and a strong academic work ethic" and a "strong potential for future achievement."
"This is a day to celebrate our students and their accomplishments," said Dr. Charlie White, VHCC interim president. "The chosen speakers have stories to tell that are as rich as any other individual we could select and we're excited to honor their achievements."
The 5 pm ceremony will honor students graduating with Associate of Arts & Sciences degrees and those earning credentials in horticulture and industrial technologies. Abigail Bullen and Hanaa Elshouky will deliver the commencement address.
Area high school students who have been designated Governor's Scholars for earning college credentials through the Dual Enrollment Program also will be honored during this ceremony. This group includes 41 students who will be awarded a Certificate in General Education, which is equivalent to the first year of a four-year degree. Additionally, Ryleigh Marie Clukey, a senior at Chilhowie High School, will graduate summa cum laude, receiving an Associate of Arts & Sciences degree in General Studies and a Certificate in General Education.
The 7:30 pm ceremony will celebrate the accomplishments of students graduating in nursing and allied health, human services, business and information technologies, and administration of justice. Ashley Buracchio and Sloan Lambert will deliver the commencement address.
Abigail Bullen
A self-described farm girl at heart, Abigail Bullen of Abingdon is the second oldest of 11 children. Bullen considers herself to be a lover of beauty and credits her mother for this attribute, saying, "My mom taught us from a young age to perceive beauty in the everyday things of life, and this has been a great light to me as I enter adulthood." When not on campus, Bullen may be found at the Abingdon Farmers Market where she operates her own business selling handmade clothing and rabbits for meat. A member of the board for the Abingdon Farmers Market, Bullen also serves as president of the Student Government Association at VHCC and gives countless hours to school and service projects.
Hanaa Elshouky
English is a second language for Hanaa Elshouky of Bristol, but that has certainly not impacted her academic success and student involvement at VHCC. Born in Egypt, Elshouky came to the United States at the age of fourteen. While assimilating to the Southwest Virginia culture has brought many unforeseen challenges, Elshouky says she loves meeting new people and believes everyone she meets has something to teach her. According to Elshouky, who is receiving her Associate of Arts & Sciences in Science, her favorite memory of her time at Virginia Highlands is "making friends with people who were once total strangers."
Ashley Buracchio
Ashley Buracchio of Bristol, a soon-to-be-former waitress, knows the meaning of "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." For the 32 year-old mother of three, coming to Virginia Highlands was her third attempt at going to college. Buracchio notes, "Life always seemed to get in the way. When my youngest child turned one, I decided to come back to school. This time I was determined to make it work no matter what obstacles life had to offer." According to her nursing instructors, Buracchio is an excellent student both academically and clinically, performing well at VHCC despite often working full time to provide for her children. One instructor said of her, "She is everything you hope to have in a student." Buracchio says her experience at Virginia Highlands has been exceptional and that she is thankful for everyone who spurred her on.
Sloan Lambert
After Sandvik of Bristol moved its operations to Mexico in 2016, Sloan Lambert, with 21 years of service to his employer, decided it was time to go back to school to get his Associate of Applied Science in Management. A native of Castlewood, Lambert says Abingdon is now home for him and his wife, Kelly, and their six children, including three foster children ranging in age from 5 to 19 years old. After graduation Lambert hopes to secure a management position in manufacturing. Reflecting on the first day of his accounting class when he was "nervous and confused" and found himself thinking, "Is this really worth it," Lambert says he can say today, "Without a doubt, it was worth it."
Assistant Professor Tom Tidwell and Associate Professor Jim Kroll will serve as faculty marshals and Tabatha Gentry and Adriennea Olinger will serve as student marshals.


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We understand the specialized markets in which you operate and provide tailored solutions to meet your unique business needs.
Our comprehensive suite of business services combines industry expertise, market knowledge and professional insights.
MNP is a leading national accounting, tax and business consulting firm in Canada.
Suite 2000, 330 5th Ave. S.W.
Calgary, AB
Submit an RFP
MNP careers are Different by Design. As an entrepreneurial firm, we truly believe there are no limits to where your career can go.
It is not uncommon for individuals to relocate for work or studies on a short to mid-term basis. In these circumstances the individual usually does not want to go through the cost or hassle of selling their residence only to return to the municipality a short time later. As a result, the individual may rent out their house as a way to cover operating costs or create profit during their absence.
When there is a change in use from personal to income producing, the Income Tax Act deems the individual to have disposed of and reacquired the property at fair market value (FMV). The result of the change is that the individual disposes of his/her residence for FMV in the year of the change in use and any increase in value over original cost (plus additions) is a taxable capital gain. If this is the individual's principal residence the gain is then sheltered from tax due to the principal residence exemption (PRE). The exemption is claimed on Form T2091; however, it need not be filed with your return.
Most individuals are not aware of this situation, but nonetheless a tax liability does not occur due to the PRE. However, there can be other adverse tax consequences in subsequent years if elections are not filed.
A common situation is as follows: an individual relocates for a few years to pursue employment opportunities. The individual has every expectation of returning to her original residence, which she has owned for 5 years, and decides to rent out her home during her absence. At this time, she has a deemed disposal at FMV which is sheltered by the PRE. At her new location she resides in an apartment. She files her tax returns and claims the net rental income on her tax returns.
Three years pass by and she decides to sell her original residence and remain at her new location. As a result, she will realize a taxable capital gain based on the value of the residence at the time of sale, less the FMV at the date the change in use occurred. If she were to move back to her original residence, the same is true; she has a deemed disposal and reacquisition at FMV. She would be taxed on any increase in value of the property while she was absent.
This is where the election allowed under Subsection 45(2) of the Income Tax Act is invaluable. This election deems the change in use not to have occurred and remains in effect until the election is rescinded. This election also allows the taxpayer the option to claim the
PRE on an extra four years even though the taxpayer did not reside there. In order for the election to be valid, the following must occur:
You must proceed with caution... if you rescind the election (or claim capital cost allowance), you are deemed to have disposed of the property at the beginning of that year and a disposition must be recorded at fair market value in that respective year.
If you have any questions, please consult your local
MNP Tax advisor or
contact me; we would be happy to assist you.
Related Topics:Property; Income Tax
Suite 2000, 330 5th Ave. S.W.
Calgary, AB
Find an office near me
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Reactor Beverages Limited is a wholly owned Nigerian company that is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as a Limited Liability Company. The company was incorporated on the 2nd January, 2004 in accordance and compliance with the provisions of the Companies and Allied Matter Act 1990 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Registration No. is 501500.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Assistant Operations Manager
Location: Lagos
Job Description
Job brief:
- We are looking for a responsible assistant operations manager to assist the operations manager in creating the employees work schedules and assigning their daily tasks.
- He will assists in the production, sales and pricing and the distribution of the company's products.
- Under the manager's supervision, the assistant operations manager coordinates with different departments to ensure that all tasks executed are of best quality.
- Assist the Operation Manager in planning and implementing strategies to attract customers
- Coordinate daily operations (e.g. production, sales and pricing and the distribution of the products)
- Track the progress of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual objectives
- Evaluate employee performance and identify hiring and training needs
- Supervise and motivate staff to perform their best
- Coach and support new and existing employees
- Suggest training programs and techniques
- Analyze and adjust product positioning
- Make sure all employees adhere to company's policies and guidelines
- Proven experience as an Operation Assistant Manager or similar position
- Experience with recruiting and performance evaluation processes
- Familiarity with production, sales and distribution of products
- Good math skills with the ability to create and analyze reports, spreadsheets and sales statistics
- Proficient user of MS Office
- Leadership and organizational abilities
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Problem-solving attitude
- Flexibility to work in shifts
- HND in Business Administration or relevant field; MSc/MA is a plus
Job Title: Microbiologist
Location: Lagos
Job Description
- We are looking for a responsible Microbiologists to undertake laboratory analysis and monitor microbial cultures, and samples using specialist computer software and a range of identification methods and trials.
- Planning and carrying out trials
- Tracking environmental microorganism development
- Growing microbe cultures
- Collecting samples from a variety of locations
- Recording, analysing and interpreting data
- Writing research papers, reports and reviews
- Keeping up to date with scientific and research developments
- Ensuring that data is recorded accurately in accordance to guidelines
- Observing high health and safety standards
- Inspecting product manufacturing processes to check for possible contamination
- Managing laboratories
- A drinks industry microbiologist should have a number of years' experience working in a microbiology laboratory. Ideally, they will have experience dealing with the types of beverages produced at the facility.
Key Skills:
- Proven experience as a microbiologist or similar position
- Comprehensive knowledge of laboratory best practices and drive to improve those practices where necessary
- High-level written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to prioritise, schedule, and organise laboratory tests
- Attention to detail and strong analytical skills
- Computer literacy
- Excellent decision-making skills and the ability to identify information that is particularly important to the business
- Ability to notice food safety issues at every stage of the production process
Very attractive
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidate should forward their CV's and Cover latter to: email@example.com
Application Deadline 28th February, 2018.


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Recently, I tried an alkalizing soup, Creamy Cucumber Avocado. The ingredients, especially cilantro, are good for detoxing metals from the body. The second blended soup below is Tortilla Soup, adapted from Blendtec's website.
Creamy Cucumber Avocado Soup
2 organic cucumbers
2 ripe avocados (without the pit)
1 jalapeno pepper (remove seeds)
1 green onion
1/2 lime (without rind)
2-4 drops of YL Lime essential oil
1 bunch of cilantro with stems
1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Garnish with chopped cilantro and pine nuts
Blend on high speed until smooth. Can be served cold or warm (blend longer to heat).


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Welcome to Rare Diseases
The NIHR BioResource – Rare Diseases has been established to identify genetic causes of rare diseases, improve rates of diagnosis and to enable studies to develop and validate treatments; thus improving care for those with rare diseases and their families.
The information in the following pages are primarily for participants or their relatives who have been invited to take part in the NIHR BioResource – Rare Diseases by their NHS clinical care team.
There are approximately 7,000 inherited rare diseases and the genetic basis of about half of these have been discovered, the challenge now is to identify the remaining causes of rare diseases.
- 1 in 17 people will develop a rare disease at some point in their lives
- 30 million people across Europe have a rare disease
- 75% of rare diseases affect children, and 30% of rare disease patients die before their fifth birthday
- A rare disease affects the individual, parents, siblings and friends; many people's lives are affected by rare disease
The NIHR BioResource – Rare Diseases recruits affected participants and their relatives across several different disease areas including Infection and Immunity, Neuroscience, Rare Diseases (including Rare Cancers) and Cardiovascular Disease.
The whole genomes of a large number of participants have been studied and an extensive range of phenotype information has been captured.
If you are reading these pages, and you do not have a rare disease, but would like to join BioResource please visit the how to join page.
You can also watch the short film below featuring Professor Willem Ouwehand and Dr Ernest Turro, both researchers at the NIHR BioResource for Rare Diseases as they talk about the importance of volunteers to help them understand more about the genetic causes of rare disease.


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The hardest part about preparing to write this post was watching the previews because I CAN'T WAIT until the new Disney movies come out for 2015. Disney movies are a family staple that people of all ages can enjoy together. Especially during holiday time, our family enjoys re-watching our favorite Disney movies just released and the classics. What I find interesting is that I enjoyed Disney movies as a kid, but as an adult when I watch them I see new perspectives and details. Listed below is information from the press updated on the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Coming slated for 2015. Which movies are you most excited to see?
Action – Adventure & Science Fiction:
December 18, 2015 – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Lucasfilm) #StarWars #TheForceAwakens
I have to admit that The Force Awakens is the film my whole family keeps saying "Is it December 18, 2015 yet??? My boys have the same connection to Star Wars that I had watching the first movies come out. I love to see them role play with light sabers and of course we can't get enough of the Star Tours ride at Disneyland. Just looking at the picture below makes me remember riding in that galaxy during the ride..
Here is information from the press release on the cast: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens ( Episode VII ) cast including Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film. Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer."
This is Daisey Ridley as Rey as seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser. Or as I would like to think of as my alter ego to being a mom driving a mini van around!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser:
May 1, 2015 – Avengers: Age of Ultron (Marvel) #Avengers #AgeOfUltron
Along with Star Wars, Marvel comics have given my kids the most content for years of pretend pay. One of our favorite series is the Avengers. A new Avengers movie is coming out 2015 is called Avengers: Age of Ultron. Beyond our love of the Avengers story line, the great cast is making this movie another of my must see for 2015.
Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron..L to R: Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Dr. Cho (Claudia Kim), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)..
July 17, 2015 – Ant–Man (Marvel) #AntMan
Another Disney movie coming out in 2015 is MARVEL'S ANT-MAN – Shot on location in San Francisco, Paul Rudd stars as Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man. Marvel Studio's Ant-Man, scheduled for release in the U.S. on July 17th, 2015.
May 22, 2015 – Tomorrowland (Walt Disney Studios) #Tomorrowland
Disney's is taking the thrill and adventures of walking into Tomorrowland at Disney Parks to a new level. The movie TOMORROWLAND will feature a screenplay by "Lost" writer & co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, story by Damon Lindelof & Brad Bird & Jeff Jensen and staring Britt Robertson as Casey will be coming out May 22, 2015. Here is more information from the Disney Movie Tomorrowland website: "From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird's riveting, mystery adventure "Tomorrowland," starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as "Tomorrowland." What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever."
Here is the Tomorrowland trailer.. And yes, that is is GEORGE CLOONEY'S voice.
Strange Magic (Touchstone Pictures / Lucasfilm) #StrangeMagic is now released so you can go see it at the Theatres! Lucasfilm shared the plot as "Strange Magic," a new animated film, is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion."
The press release also shared that "Bog King (voice of Alan Cumming), Griselda (voice of Maya Rudolph) and Marianne (voice of Evan Rachel Wood) are part of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps in "Strange Magic,"… Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and Industrial Light & Magic, which created the CGI animation for 2011's Academy Award-winning film Rango, bring to life the fanciful forest turned upside down with world-class animation and visual effects. The Strange Magic movie story is by George Lucas and directed by Gary Rydstrom (Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation, Lifted)."
February 20, 2015 – McFarland, USA (Walt Disney Studios) #McFarlandUSA
McFARLAND, USA is one of the most inspiring movies of those coming out 2015 and is also tops on my must see list. Here is background on the movie from the McFarland USA Disney Movie website: "Inspired by the 1987 true story, "McFarland, USA" follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California's farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. Coach White and the McFarland students have a lot to learn about each other but when White starts to realize the boys' exceptional running ability, things begin to change…. With grit and determination, the unlikely band of runners eventually overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well. Along the way, Coach White realizes that his family finally found a place to call home and both he and his team achieve their own kind of American dream."
McFARLAND, USA – L to R: "Damacio Diaz (Jamie Michael Aguero), Jose Cardenas (Johnny Ortiz), Danny Diaz (Ramiro Rodriguez), Victor Puentes (Sergio Avelar), Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), David Diaz (Rafael Martinez), Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts) and Johnny Sameniego (Hector Duran)…Ph: Ron Phillips.."
March 13, 2015 – Cinderella (Walt Disney Studios) #Cinderella
"Lily James is Cinderella in Disney's live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale, CINDERELLA, which brings to life the timeless images in Disney's 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually-dazzlling spectacle for a whole new generation."
Cinderella (Walt Disney Studios) Trailer:
April 17, 2015 – Monkey Kingdom (Disneynature) #MonkeyKingdom
The Disneynature Monkey Kingdom website explains the plotline as "Life is an adventure for Maya, the clever and resourceful blonde-bobbed monkey in "Monkey Kingdom," Disneynature's new feature film set among ancient ruins in the storied jungles of South Asia. Maya's world is forever changed when she welcomes her son, Kip, into her complicated extended family…When their longtime home at Castle Rock is taken over by powerful neighboring monkeys, Maya's whole family is forced to relocate, where she uses her street smarts and ingenuity to lead them to untapped resources amidst strange new creatures and unsettling surroundings. Ultimately, they will all have to work together to reclaim Castle Rock, where Maya can hopefully realize her dreams for her son's future."
Disneynature's Monkey Kingdom Trailer:
June 19, 2015 – Inside Out (Disney / Pixar) #InsideOut
Here is the storyline from the press release "Disney's Pixar's "Inside Out" takes us to the most extraordinary location yet – inside the mind of Riley. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Anger (voiced by Lewis Black), Disgust (voiced by Mindy Kaling), Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Fear (voiced by Bill Hader) and Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. Directed by Pete Docter and produced by Jonas Rivera, "Inside Out" is in theaters June 19, 2015. "
Inside Out (Disney / Pixar) Trailer:
November 25, 2015 – The Good Dinosaur (Disney / Pixar) #TheGoodDinosaur
Storyline from the press release: "The Good Dinosaur" asks the generations-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In theaters November 25, 2015, the film is a humorous and exciting original story about Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event unsettles Arlo's family, he sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way – a human boy. "The Good Dinosaur" is an extraordinary journey of self-discovery full of thrilling adventure, hilarious characters and poignant heart. Directed by Peter Sohn ("Partly Cloudy") and produced by Denise Ream ("Cars 2", "The Good Dinosaur" opens in theaters Nov. 25, 2015. "
October 9, 2015 – The Jungle Book (Walt Disney Studios) #TheJungleBook
Unamed Spy Thriller: I love spy thrillers and anything made by Steven Spielberg and that has Tom Hanks acting in it. So whatever this spythriller is named – I will be there to watch it when it comes out! Here are the details from the press release: " Tom Hanks (left) stars in Steven Spielberg's (right) Untitled Cold War spy thriller, which is the true story of James Donovan, an attorney who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot."
What Walt Disney Studios movies are you most looking forward to watching?
Disclosure: This is a press post


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The latest range of water heaters unveiled
Step out feeling fresh, warm and totally blissful (especially during winters) — take your pick from these super-hot water heaters.
Usha International
The Quado instant water heaters, available in capacities of six, 10, 15 and 25 litres, has a leak proof single body tank, high-grade ABS material on outer body and a brass fusible plug for added protection. Highlights include: a vitreous enamel MS tank with 0.5mm coating, whirl-flow technology, six safety features and a five-star energy competence BEE certification.
Rs 8,090 onward
The Ondeo water heater from Hindware has a patented O'Pro Protection Technology which safeguards the tank and heating element again corrosion. Available in the capacities of 10, 15 and 25 litres, this 5 Star BEE rated product provides 25 per cent faster heating with a 2.5KW heating element and gives protection against electric shocks and water splashes.
Rs 12,490 (25 litre)
Bajaj Electricals
The Calenta Digi water heater allows you to pre-set the timer as well as the exact temperature; 24 hours in advance. Highlights include: a digital display, a remote control, 5-star rating and a wattage selection from 0 to 2000W. Calenta sports a classic white and gold hue and is available in 15 and 25 litre capacities.
Rs 10,156
Crompton Greaves
The Bliss instant water heater is available in the capacities of one and three litres. It is made from patented nano polymer based coating, which ensures the appliance lasts longer. It feature a rust free ABS body, a special type copper element and more. The multifunctional safety valve, 6.5 bar pressure and stainless steel weldless tank are other talking points.
Rs 3,250 onward
Racold Thermo
Pronto Neo Duronox has an advanced tank protection that prevents corrosion of water heater even in the harshest water conditions. Available in one, three and five litres with a power rating of three KW and designed by renowned Italian Industrial Designer Umberto Palermo, its key features include a High Pressure Resistance suitable for high rise buildings and pressure pump applications. It also an Anti-Syphoning System which prevents backflow of the water from container thus avoiding dry heating.
Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,500


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Britain will borrow a "staggering" £158bn more than the government planned a year ago, Ed Balls claimed on Tuesday as he accused George Osborne of presiding over a "truly colossal failure" in his economic plans.
In his response to the chancellor's autumn statement, Balls accused the government of pushing up borrowing costs after choking off the economic recovery last year and pushing up unemployment.
Balls told MPs: "After 18 months in office, the verdict is in: Plan A has failed, and failed colossally. With prices rising and unemployment soaring, families, pensioners and businesses already know that it is hurting. With billions of pounds more in borrowing to pay for rising unemployment, today we find out the truth that it is just not working."
The shadow chancellor said that the downgrading of growth by the Office for Budget Responsibility had added an extra £111bn to borrowing costs until the end of the spending period in 2014-15.
An extra £46bn was added by the chancellor in his budget last March, taking to £158bn the extra amount that will have to be borrowed, compared with the forecast in the last autumn statement.
The response by Balls, whose office started distributing leaflets about "George Osborne's £158bn borrowing bombshell", was also aimed at critics in the Labour party who believe that the chancellor has failed to do enough to acknowledge the importance of cutting the deficit.
Some Tony Blair supporters are alarmed that Balls appears to pay lip service to Ed Miliband's official position on the deficit – which is to support the Alistair Darling target of halving it over four years.
Balls used the projected increase in borrowing to challenge Osborne's central attack on Labour: that the party lacks economic credibility because it would have run up even higher borrowing costs by reducing the deficit at a slower rate.
Balls said that Osborne was to blame for the increased borrowing because his original ambition of eliminating the structural deficit by the next general election, outlined in his emergency budget in 2010, had sucked demand out of the economy and choked off the recovery.
Balls said: "The chancellor's out-of-touch and complacent hubris of a year ago now seems such a distant memory. The prime minister boasted that Britain was out of the danger zone and the chancellor claimed that the UK was a safe haven, but we know the truth: cutting too far and too fast has backfired and all his claims of a year ago have completely unravelled. It is not as if they were not warned, including by their coalition colleagues.
"Before the election, we said that, like every country after the global financial crisis, we had to get our deficit down, which meant tough decisions on tax and spending cuts. The question is not whether that should be done, but how.
"That is why the opposition warned that trying to cut spending and raise taxes too far and too fast risked choking off recovery and pushing up unemployment and borrowing."
The chancellor should rethink his plans and embark on a more cautious deficit reduction plan by withdrawing the increase in VAT, introduced in January, to help stimulate demand and reduce inflation, Balls said. "These would be difficult times for any chancellor, but our fear is that once again in his statement the chancellor is making a catastrophic error of judgment. He is refusing to learn the lessons of history or economics; he is refusing to switch to a more balanced plan; he got it wrong 18 months ago, and he is getting wrong again today."


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No matter what your passion or party theme, it's tinyme to the rescue again with their shiny new invitation range. From traditional-made-fresh to quirky original ideas (skateboarding donuts anyone!?), each and every design will delight kids and design-savvy parents and set the tone for the ultimate birthday party.
Personalised birthday invitations available from tinyme – priced from $12 for a pack of 8


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Cattle temperament plays a large role in performance.
By: Elaine Grings, Cow/Calf Management & Production Specialist, SDSU Extension
How important is it to cull those cows with excitable temperaments? Being a 'good mother' can be an important trait in a cow for protecting her calf, being too aggressive can have negative consequences. Excitable cattle tend to have high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, in their blood, which can affect health, reproduction and growth in your cattle.
Temperament can be quantified by using several tests when working cattle in chutes. A chute score is a 5-point scale (1= calm, no movement, 2 = restless movement, 3 = frequent movement with vocalization, 4 = constant movement, vocalization, shaking of the chute, 5 = violent and continuous struggling) that can be assigned when cattle are in the chute. Exit velocity or flight speed has been measured by researchers using infrared sensors. Researchers in Colorado compared flight speed measured by sensors to an exit score (1 = walk, 2 = trot, 3 = run) assigned by an observer and found the exit score to be well related to flight speed and negatively related to average daily gain. Averaging an exit and chute scores to give a temperament score gives a better indication of expected animal performance than either score alone as they are likely measuring slightly different behaviors.
Research in Oregon has shown effects of temperament on reproduction in beef cattle. Over four hundred spring-calving range cows at two locations in eastern Oregon were tested for temperament using both a chute score and measurement of exit velocity from a squeeze chute. About 25% of the cows were scored as aggressive and these cows had lower pregnancy rates (89%) than the adequate temperament cows (95%). At one location, cows were bred by AI followed by turn out with a bull. The second location used natural service mating only. The lowered pregnancy rate even when bulls were used indicates that the effect was not due solely to stress during handling at AI. Based on this and other studies, the researchers suggest culling on temperament or adapting cattle to handling to maximize reproductive performance in beef cows.
Increased handling of heifers may help them to become adjusted to the handling process and to humans. The same researchers in Oregon conducted a study to evaluate the effect of acclimating heifers to handling on reproductive performance. After weaning, they divided heifer calves into two groups. One group was processed through a handling facility three times a week for four weeks. Heifers receiving more frequent handling reached puberty at an earlier age than their herdmates, but pregnancy rates after AI were not different. The more frequently-handled heifers had lower exit scores than those handled less frequently, but chute scores did not differ between the two groups. The research therefore suggests that training heifers to handling may decrease days to puberty. They do caution that this training needs to occur when animals are fairly young because older cows did not change their temperament behavior when handled more frequently. A recent study conducted in Louisiana did not find a relationship between temperament score and pregnancy status in beef heifers, but did see a negative relationship of score to weight gain, with heifers with higher scores gaining less weight.
Temperament can affect your bottom line beyond reproduction. Cattle with excitable temperaments can have decreased growth rates as a result of altered metabolism associated with high levels of stress hormones. These hormones can affect how energy is used by the body and can affect stores of protein and energy. Not only does this affect rate of gain, but can also affect carcass characteristics by the effects on body energy stores. In addition, cattle with excitable temperaments tend to have more bruising on the carcass and increased incidence of dark cutters.
Cattle temperament plays a large role in performance.


text: Personal management is about making a plan for your life. It involves setting short-term and long-term goals and investigating different ways to reach your goals. Education, training, and experience all help make your goals a reality. To meet your goals, you will choose the best path for you then commit to it. As you pursue your goals, you will need to stay flexible enough to deal with the changes, challenges, and opportunities along the way. Continue reading


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For this blog post im trying something a little different.
Ive added a video at the end which is totally optional to watch but I just thought id try it as maybe it adds something .. maybe it doesnt?
In the end hopefully no harm is done.
Way way back in October I made a huge order on Etsy from imyourpresent for some halloween themed items. Im really into halloween and I love their items so really I had no choice but to buy them.
A quick timeline-
On 14/10/2014 I placed my order.
On 21/10/2014 my order was shipped.
On 27/10/2014 my order arrived.
On 27/10/2014 I messaged Kelly (the owner) to tell her that I had received two treat earrings instead of one trick and one treat.
On 27/10/2014 I received a reply from Kelly saying she was sorry and that she would send one out straight away.
On 03/11/2014 I received the trick earring.
Everything arrived securely packaged in a box and inside was a note and a few halloween themed extras..
Silver Ghosts Halloween Hair Bows $12.00USD – £7.68
These bows were one of the main reasons I made the order! Look at those cute little ghosties!!
SPOOKY Acrylic Necklace in Radiant $12.00USD – £7.68
And this was the second main reason I made the order, saw in on instagram and just had to have it! Its amazing and even though halloween is over im still wearing it.
TRICK and TREAT Acrylic Heart Earrings in Black $16.00USD – £10.24
I thought these were soo cute and perfect for halloween! I have the heart doll earrings too and love them so I thought why not get a halloween version..
Totally Rad Black and Gold Cross Velvet Choker $12.00USD – £7.68
I already have a lot of chokers (that I love) but I added it to my cart anyway as I figured I needed to get a lot to justify shipping… I really like it though! A little big for my neck but I like that…
Set of 3 Halloween Pinback Buttons $5.00USD – £3.20 GBP
Bats! I love bats and I clicked on this after seeing the bat cat badge. and anyway.. you can never have enough badges.
There was a little mixup and I got sent two treat earrings instead of one trick and one treat but everything was sorted with a little message!
When it arrived the white bow wasnt attached to the earring, I assume my postman was a little rough.. I messaged Kelly again and she told me how I could fix it and if superglue didnt work/damage the bow she would send me another but im lazy and havent even attempted to fix it yet.
imyourpresent is based in the USA and so the shipping is a little higher than it would be if it were based in the UK.. The first item is $10.00USD – £6.40 and then every item after that is $1.00USD – £0.64 and so that is the main reason why I bought a few items instead of just one or two
So thats it for my review/haul/idk .. id give imyourpresent a nice round 5/5.
Thanks for reading!


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Spicer Rudstrom PLLC was founded in 1963 and has developed into a regional law firm with a national reputation. With multiple office locations across the mid-South, the firm's attorneys are able to serve clients in Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Kentucky. Spicer Rudstrom's growth, strength and stability can be attributed to its committed, experienced and innovative team of litigators and staff treating each legal matter as if it were his or her own. This philosophy allows us to represent clients locally, nationally and internationally with business, legal and litigation matters. Our firm's commitment to our clients and our entrepreneurial spirit drives Spicer Rudstrom to be the premier litigation firm in the South.
Member of the International Society of
Primerus Law Firms.
Spicer Rudstrom is a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms. As a member, the firm is committed to the six pillars of Primerus quality, which include integrity, excellent work product, reasonable fees, continuing legal education, civility and community service.
For more information about Primerus, please see www.primerus.com


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What moment stood out for you in 2012?
It was getting the No 1 [in the album charts last month] to be honest. I couldn't believe it, it shouldn't have happened – it was just a debut album, I just put it out there. It took a while to sink in. I was at my hotel when the label told me. I don't normally listen to the radio, but I put Radio 1 on to listen to the chart. Then they were doing an interview with a band before getting to the No 1 and I thought I'd have a quick shower – missed it. Gutted.
Lots of new music in 2012. Has one album stood out for you this year?
I've thought about this a lot recently. I don't think there is, you know. I've liked a couple of bands that have supported me on tour. But I wouldn't say there any records that have come out this year that I'm a big fan of.
Has it been a disappointing year for releases, then?
To be fair I haven't listened to every record that's come out. But from what I've heard so far there hasn't been anything – maybe I'll listen through a few more, see if anything crops up. But there are a lot of off-the-radar acts coming through. A young group called Southern, a brother and sister, they supported me in Belfast. They do a folky-acoustic-boogie kind of thing. And then when we played in Dundee these lads turned up with a guitar, called themselves the Boston Tea Party. And they really surprised me: a cool blues vibe going on, they sounded great, man.
You've had a big year yourself. How have things changed for you in 2012?
In January, I hadn't even been out of England; I think I'd only just got my passport. Now I've just come back from America – Seattle, Chicago, New York, Kentucky, Texas… mad tour. Before that I was in Europe with Noel Gallagher [supporting his band High Flying Birds], doing shows in Italy, France, Germany.
Has 2012 given you a taste for travel?
Oh, definitely. America blew my mind.
Did you learn the knack of sleeping on a tour bus?
I haven't had the pleasure yet. This year it was hotels, usually. I think we might be on the tour bus from next year.


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Condolence to Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Victims
Posted by Ram Kumar Shrestha on March 14, 2011
On behalf of Kapilvastu Day Movement its Global Coordinator Mr. Ram Kumar Shrestha sent a condolence letter to H.E. Mr. Tsuneo NISHIDA, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations. In the letter Mr. Shrestha wrote, "On behalf of Kapilvastu Day Movement, we would like to extend the deep condolence to the people and the Government of Japan for the great loss of many lives due to the recent devastating earthquakes and the Tsunami. We, Nepalese are deeply shocked to witness such a big loss of lives and the properties of Japan, our very friendly nation."
Mr. Shrestha further wrote, "Your Excellency, kindly accept our prayers and confidence that the great and capable nation like Japan would overcome these tragedies. Nepal and the people of Nepal have always stood at the side of Japan and we will stand at the side of Japan in this convoluted hour."


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Prospective Students
What is Fraternity and Sorority Life?
The Fraternity and Sorority Life (Greek) community at Monmouth College is made up of eight Greek-letter fraternities and sororities. Seven of our chapters are affiliated with national organizations and one chapter is solely affiliated with Monmouth College.
There are over 300 students who are members of the Greek Community at Monmouth College. These students come from diverse backgrounds and are heavily involved on campus. They are involved in numerous co-curricular activities including Student Government, Athletics, Orientation, Residence Life, and many more.
Every fraternity and sorority is founded upon a set of values and ideals that are as timeless as the organization itself. These ideals are the foundation of each organization's rituals, and each man and woman initiated into a fraternity or sorority is not simply joining a college organization; joining a Greek-letter organization is a lifelong personal commitment to lead an intentional life grounded in a set of values that build character, foster personal growth and development, and impact the world.
Benefits of Membership
Joining a fraternity or sorority at Monmouth College will give you a home away from home. As a member of a Greek-letter organization, you will form meaningful connections and lifelong friendships with a diverse group of students who all share a common set of values and ideals.
Networking Opportunities
Members of fraternities and sororities are instantly connected to a vast array of fraternity and sorority alumni from Monmouth College, but they are also connected to the over 11-million living alumni of fraternities and sororities across the country.
Students have an automatic topic of conversation when they meet an alumni of a fraternity or sorority in the airport, across the desk during a job interview, or in those random life moments when an unexpected door is open to them. Membership is valuable during their undergraduate experience, but it is increasingly more valuable once they graduate.
Leadership Opportunities
Fraternities and sororities are learning laboratories that give students the opportunity to learn, test, and grow as they develop as individuals and as leaders. As student-run organizations, fraternities and sororities elect members to serve in positions ranging from Philanthropy Chair to President. Students learn how to run meetings, set and balance budgets, hold members accountable, advertise and sell their organization to potential new members, and establish relationships in the local community.
Academic Excellence
All members of fraternities and sororities share one commonality: they are students first. Greek organizations at Monmouth College consistently rank at or above the all-campus grade point average, and every chapter has academic programs and standards to help their members succeed.
Giving Back to the Community
Every fraternity and sorority believes in making a difference in the world, and members of the Monmouth College Greek community never stop giving back. Greek organizations at Monmouth host their own community service and philanthropic activities as well as participate in Relay for Life and donate countless hours and thousands of dollars to the Monmouth community.


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An outfit called the Latino Victory Fund created this … unsubtle political ad against Ed Gillespie, the GOP candidate in the 2017 Virginia governor race. Gillespie is not reputed to be farther to the right than an ordinary establishment Republican.
Civic nationalism is confirmed dead. Traditional American iconography has been conceded to Whites, beginning with the NFL's racialization of the "Star Spangled Banner." With this campaign ad, we have come closer to completing a circle — as originally codified by U.S. Congress in the Naturalization Act of 1790 and now confirmed in every way but de jure, America is a White nation.


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D-backs' Paul Goldschmidt on his cold, hot streaks early in season
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt has been on a roller coaster this season and we aren't even at the midway point of June yet.
After hitting just .144 in May, Goldschmidt has exploded in June for a .447 batting average in the first 11 games of the month.
That was good for a National League Player of the Week nod and he could have more before the month is done.
Goldschmidt joined 98.7 FM Arizona's Sports Station's Doug & Wolf to discuss how he went through the process.
"It's not like just flipping a switch," he said of his struggles.
"That's just part of the game. There's a lot of failures built in."
The narrative being attached to not just Goldschmidt's struggles, but the team's issues at the plate was a new approach at the plate called tunneling.
Goldschmidt was sick of hearing about it.
"Yes, 100 percent," he said to the question of if the approach was being made too big of a deal. "I think it's just a new term for what some guys are already doing. It wasn't really any more complicated than that."
The month of May and a 14-for-97 showing at the plate is about as bad as it could get for Goldschmidt.
His mindset, however, allowed him to not be in a bad spot when he was away from the team during some of the worst baseball of his career.
"I think you guys and a lot of other people are just assuming that life was just miserable," he said."You got to keep it in perspective. We go out and play baseball.
"I make a really conscious effort to not think about baseball when I am away from the field."
That's part of what makes Goldschmidt such a great player, and if fans learned anything from his recent woes and resurgence, it's that the 30-year-old can always be relied on to get out of a funk.
"There's nothing you can do at home just sulking over an out or a bad game or an error," he said. "That's not going to help you play better the next day."


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Global Site Search
Use the links in the blue boxes to narrow your search results.
Communities that embrace green construction are reaping serious economic benefits. A new study finds that demand for green building is so strong that the sector grows, even when other types of construction falter. Communities that encourage it are...
Article - 10/09/2015
Active Region(s): Main, North America
Category: Smart City Concepts, Built environment, Economic development


text: Well I picked up my second PM9 last weekend and took it out yesterday. I fired 100 rounds of white box, 100 rounds of blazer brass and around 30 rounds of ranger +p+, it was old carry ammo I had in my glock. Not one hiccup but the +p+ was noticeably louder and had more felt recoil. One thing I did notice was the gun was very tight at first. It was very hard to release the slide, after 100 it was considerably easier. I am going to stick with the ranger for carry since I have 2 fresh boxes of it. I plan on using a uncle mikes size 3 pocket holster I had lying around. I looked at a few others (galco and nemesis) and when I bought the gun but I think the um is the thinnest. I think I am going to add some xs bigdot sights and maybe an a grip. Anyone know of place you can get the sights cheaper then 120? liquid


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This writeup is the first in a series of "cooked" version versions of my notes from the LASER 2013 Workshop. It highlights the things that I found interesting or where I learned something significant. Your definitions of interesting and significant may vary. Fortunately, videos of many of the LASER 2013 talks are available. I would welcome your feedback.
What LASER is about
From the conference web site:
The goal of the Learning from Authoritative Security Experiment
Results (LASER) 2013 workshop is to help the security community
quickly identify and learn from both success and failure from all
properly conducted experimental (cyber) security research. This will
encourage people to share not only what works, but also what
doesn't. This is the primary goal of this workshop. The specific
technical results of the experiments are of secondary importance for
this workshop.
Topics include, but are not limited to
Unsuccessful research in experimental security Methods and designs
for security experiments Experimental confounds, mistakes, and
mitigations Successes and failures reproducing experimental
techniques and/or results Issues in hypothesis and methods
development (e.g., realism, fidelity, scale) The workshop focuses on
research that has a valid hypothesis and reproducible experimental
methodology, but where the results were unexpected or did not
validate the hypotheses, where the methodology addressed difficult
and/or unexpected issues, or that unsuspected confounding issues
were found in previous work.
Why applying scientific methods to cybersecurity matters
There is a lot of hype around "cybersecurity". There is a lot of money flowing to "cybersecurity" research, conferences, operations, etc. People who's main claim to fame is being able to break things are called "security researchers". There is far more black art than science.
On the other side, we've learned a lot about how the world works over a few thousand years through the development and application the scientific method. Modern medicine, electricity, computers and the Internet are a few of the beneficial applications of scientific principals that come to mind.
The securtiy of computers and networked systems (a.k.a. "cybersecurity") has become centrally important to the human endeavor. Correctly functioning computers are central to our critical infrastructure (think water and electricity), our economy (banking, wall street), our communications and entertainment (the Internet), our health care, our governments and our military.
The question is, can we in "cybersecurity" research learn from the lessons and methods of science developed over several millennia and successfully apply them in this new domain. Can we move past black arts, buzzwords and funding based on FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt)?
Clearly "the physicists will never love us"1 The "Science of Cyber Security" will never be a hard science. We're dealing with people, policies, assets, values and intelligent adversaries. But but can we discover SOME invariant principals? Can we apply the methods of science? Can we delineate areas where it is possible to have repeatability and certainty from those that will forever be in the realm of chance and the unknowable?
It may turn out that the "Science of Cyber Securtiy" has more in common with Psychology, Criminology, Economics and Anthropology than Computer Science, Math and Physics. Knowing that will allow us to move forward. Not knowing that will result in wasted time, money effort and possibly worse to the extent that correct functioning of computers and networks remains central to the human endeavor.
More to come
The long-ish delay in the start of these postings was due largely to three things: life and work are busy, I decided to switch to WordPress and thus incurred ramp-up cost, and decided to also ramp up on Org2Blog for blog production. I think I'm past the ramp-up costs on the latter two, any further delays will be due to the first. An amusing graphic on Geek productivity: http://ergoemacs.org/emacs/emacs_macro_example.html
Future posts to be more abstracts of talks and discussions, less my generalized prognostications, provocations and possible prevarications.
I welcome your feedback.
The keynote speaker, Seth Zenz, was a Princeton physicist working on the large hadron collider at CERN, see the video of Seth Zenz keynote talking about Higgs Boson at LASER 2013.


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While visiting the Asheville area for a long weekend, Dan and I found ourselves gravitating — naturally — towards the more earthy of the city's attractions, such as the incredibly vibrant local food scene and the mountain hiking. On our last day, we skipped the Biltmore Estate in favor of touring homes that are more our style: naturally built small-scale homes. In other words, instead of the "B(u)ilt-more" house, we opted for the "Built-less" house.
Western North Carolina is one of the great hubs of natural building in the country. In downtown Asheville, the urban sustainability demonstration and education center, Ashevillage Institute, offers not only courses in permaculture and urban farming, but also an annual 21-week Natural Building School. And less than an hour's drive east, tucked away in the mountains, is the Earthaven Ecovillage, with a village's worth of examples of natural and sustainable building. Visiting both in a single day made for a hefty dose of building inspiration!!
Earthaven Ecovillage, spanning over 300 acres of wooded mountain land and home to several dozen villagers, is unique among the natural building sites I've visited in that here you'll see, yes, tiny 12×12 feet cottages, but also experiments with larger-scale sustainable building, such as duplexes, apartment buildings, and communal buildings. Most of the buildings are designed to be passive-solar, and are built with lumber milled from the land. The communal Council Hall below, for example, is a round timber-framed structure built out of pine and poplar from the land and straw bales, and finished with earthen plasters. These multi-family homes built into the hillside, with walls made using the clay-straw technique, are an example of natural building on a larger scale.One of the more stunning examples of a single-family home is the house below: it's built out of cob, which allows for the rounded rooms and curves, but the north wall is made with straw bales for added insulation. The passive solar design of this house is so effective that even in the winter, firing up the wood stove is optional. And, did I mention it is BEAUTIFUL?Five minutes from the heart of Asheville, the Ashevillage Institute is a demonstration site for sustainable urban living. Its two main buildings are neighboring, conventionally built single-family homes retrofitted using natural building techniques. The "new" cob walls feature lovely organic designs and an outdoor fireplace, and the garden courtyard has an earthen barrel oven big enough for feeding even a big gathering. Below is one of Ashevillage's early cob houses, the "Garatage" — a cottage built on the site of a former garage. What you see is the south-facing wall, again with windows placed strategically for maximum solar gain. And a living roof of the sort I learned to make in June.Thanks to Ashevillage's annual Natural Building School, we got to see a number of buildings in progress and a variety of building techniques in action: timber-framing, cob, straw bale, slip-straw, wattle-and-daub, straw chorizos, adobe bricks, compressed earth bricks… Below, you see the process for making adobe bricks (bricks made of cob, i.e. clay, sand and straw) using a mold. Being inside the firm, breathing, cosy, organically shaped walls of mud again, after a few months' break, once again affirmed for me that this is how I would like my Home to be. It may be a long time off. But that's the dream I'm working towards.


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Will I see the new Carrie? No. I'd have nightmares for days. But, that's not stopping me from taking note of the stunning beauty looks Chloe Grace Moretz wore to the premiere. Her braided hairstyle was fabulous. I'll post about that later — likely in my Twisted Tuesday column. And her manicure was equally as rad. I'm definitely going to recreate it.
Manicurist Christina Aviles created the look using Formula X for Sephora The New Neutrals in Perfection, $10.50. Then "while [the polish] was still a little tacky, we applied a round black stud at the base of the nail, pressing lightly to make sure it adhered," says Aviles.
The end result was sophisticated, but with a little edge. Perfection, indeed.


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Dear Editor,
We would like to sincerely thank everyone who organized and gave to the fundraiser to help raise money for Courtney's therapy. Your kindness and generosity is appreciated more than words can say. We have the best community and surrounding communities. You all have shown us so much love and compassion we just can't thank y'all enough.
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Christmas parade spreads festive cheerMonday December 21, 2015
CABINET DIARYMonday December 21, 2015
Everyone's here for Christmas!
Assessing Cook Islanders' mental healthMonday December 21, 2015
PERC called out for vilifying individualsMonday December 21, 2015
The Cook Islands Pearl Authority is hitting back at Public Expenditure Review Committee (PERC) for what it calls "vilifying the reputation and integrity of individuals" and failing to put the record straight.
Conflict of interest a real pearlerSaturday December 19, 2015
The Cook Islands Pearl Authority has made a fashion faux pas, failing to follow the proper tendering process by awarding $70,000 to a local marketing company whose director was related to someone advising the government agency.
More schooner scandalSaturday December 19, 2015
Henry never intended to sail schooner north, report says
Disaster claim just money snatch, says GeorgeFriday December 18, 2015
Short sitting brings attackFriday December 18, 2015
Trifling query prompts self- congratulationWednesday December 16, 2015
Question time has been the liveliest part of parliament this week, with new kid on the block Minister of Internal Affairs Albert Nicholas causing eyes to roll when he asked another Minister a "patsy" question.


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The botanical garden of the André Heller Foundation is situated at 300 meters from the hotel.
It covers an area of approximately 10,000 square meters with a collection of over 2,000 different specimens of plants from different continents and climates.
Inside the park are exposed contemporary sculptures of artists like Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein and Mimmo Paladino. www.hellergarden.com
Built in 1910 by the German industrialist Richard Langensiepen, Villa Alba is, with its monumental staircase and ionic columns, one of the most spectacular villas in Gardone.
The villa has a tower, Ruhland, which is admired across the lake. On the right handside there is the elegant Villa Fiordaliso, now a well known restaurant.
Claretta Petacci, Mussolini's lover, lived here for one year during the Republic of Salò. In the adjacent Villa Itolanda the writer Paul Heyse spent the winters from 1899 until 1909, before receiving the Nobel Prize for literature.
The Italian Vittoriale monumental citadel was built by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio together with architect Giancarlo Maroni from 1921 to 1938.
The Vittoriale is a complex of buildings, streets, squares, theaters, gardens and waterways. Built in memory of D'Annunzio's extraordinary life and heroic deeds of Italians during the Great War.
Among the Mediterranean olive trees and slender cypresses are placed the relics of the most daring feats: the boat MAS of the Buccari Escapade, the airplane SVA of the flight to Vienna and the bow of the cruiser Puglia reassembled on a rocky outcrop in the middle of the park.
In the highest and most panoramic point of the Vittoriale you find the Mausoleum, a monument to the war dead, where Gabriele D'Annunzio and some legionaries are buried.
In the gardens, hidden among the trunks of a magnolia grove, lie the column shafts and seats of the Arengo; down the terraces you will meet the lemon grove and orchard.
The outdoor theatre is looming with the beautiful blue lake background; inspired by ancient models, it can hold up to 1,500 people and still hosts, during the summer, theater and musical events.
The Foundation of Italian Vittoriale is open to the public all year round and is visited by about 180,000 people a year.
The island is situated near San Felice del Benaco and was for centuries the highest expression of mysticism (St. Francis founded a small community there).
Today it owes its charm to the beautiful villa in Venetian Gothic style, an imposing harmonious building, full of surprising architectural details.
Its terraces and gardens slope down to the lake.
Around the vegetation is lush and unspoiled, rich in native plants, exotic flowers and rare species followed by a harmonious forest of pines and cypresses, acacias and lemon trees, magnolias and agaves. The island of Garda is magic and mystery.
The town of Gardone Riviera with its 2700 inhabitants on the western side of the lake is mainly characterized by its luxuriant vegetation.
The hills that surround Gardone allow the area to enjoy a mild microclimate in every season. This unique climate has changed Gardone into a real botanic garden where the vegetation of Lake Garda mingles with the Middle-European, Mediterranean and subtropical ones: citrus trees, cypresses, and olive trees live in the same environment with the wonderful palm trees, camphors, cedras and agaves, protected in the several parks and gardens that trace back to the end of the 19th century.
The history of Gardone in medieval times is closely linked to the deeds of the villages on the hills. But there are three main events which have characterised its main features in recent history:
1) Gardone's history as a tourist resort dates back to the end of the 19th century, when German doctors praised the therapeutic qualities of this climate, ideal especially for long holidays . That was why Luigi Wimmer a well known personality of Austrian origins, after spending a long rest cure holiday in Gardone, fell in love with this place an decided to build the first important hotel of the Riviera here. In 1881 he became mayor of Gardone and started to advertise the town in central European newspapers: sovereigns, princes and important persons started to visit Gardone regularly, so that it changed into a well-known tourist resort.
2) From 1921 to 1938 Gardone was the last home of Gabriele D'Annunzio, one of the greatest Italian writers and poets of the 20th century, hero during World War I and a man who, with his "inimitable way of life " marked the taste of an era. His mansion, the Vittoriale, is a real fortress inside Gardone, and today a prestigious museum.
3) During the "Repubblica Sociale " (the Social Republic) from 1943 to 1945 the wonderful villas and hotels became the seat of embassies, homes to German commanding officers and hospitals.
Today Gardone is a happy island with big hotels, that are among the most refined of Lake Garda, selected restaurants by the lake and "Trattorie" restaurants specialized in cooking typical local dishes. Gardone is highly recommended for a special holiday, aimed at having fun and characterized by tranquillity and good taste.


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Orangefield Water Supply Corp. receives grant from SRA
Last updated 11/30/2015 at Noon
Ronnie Hutchison, President of the board for Orangefield WSC, left and Joe Morton, General Manager of Orangefield WSC, display a check for a community assistance grant in the amount of $10,000. The check will be used to leverage local funds to replace water meters in its water distribution system.
The Sabine River Authority of Texas (SRA) was pleased to award Orangefield Water Supply Corporation (Orangefield WSC) a Community Assistance Grant in November 2015 as part of its FY-2016 Economic Development Initiative.
The $10,000 check will be used to leverage local funds to replace water meters in its water distribution system.
David Montagne, SRA's Executive Vice-President and General Manager, in a letter to Orangefield WSC, wrote "Orangefield WSC's project to implement water meters with automated water use readout service is an initiative that SRA supports in its efforts to improve water and wastewater systems throughout the basin" and "SRA looks forward to working with Orangefield WSC in the future as we continue to focus on increasing the economic vitality of the Sabine River Basin"
Funds provided for the Community Assistance Grant Program must fall within four project categories, which include 1) Water Supply; 2) Wastewater Management; 3) Water Conservation and 4) Water Quality and are limited to $10,000 per project.
Funds for the grant for Orangefield WSC were approved by SRA's Board of Directors in October 2015.
In order to be eligible for the Community Assistance Program, applicants should be a governmental entity, district, or a non-profit, member-owned Water Supply Corporation or Sewer Service Corporation and located within the Sabine River Basin of Texas. Water resource projects should be consistent with the statutory mission of SRA. Created as a conservation and reclamation district in 1949, responsibilities of the Sabine River Authority of Texas are to control, store, preserve and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary system for useful purposes.
The Sabine River Basin covers a large portion of East Texas with a population of over 551,000 in all or part of 21 counties according to U.S. 2010 Census figures. A large portion of that area is rural in nature.
For more information about SRA's Community Assistance Program, contact Mary Vann at (409) 746-2192 or email: [email protected].


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UK government should stop banks financing cluster bombs
Despite UK ban on weapon, Royal Bank of Scotland revealed as one of EU's worst offenders
(London, 25 May 2011) – UK campaign group Article 36 today called on the British government to take immediate action to stop UK banks from funding producers of cluster bombs, which are banned under international law. A new report released today identifies the Royal Bank of Scotland as the only EU based financial institution remaining in the top five investors in cluster munition producers worldwide. The call on the UK government comes as fellow members of the global civil society Cluster Munition Coalition take action around the world to end investment in these weapons.
A new report by Cluster Munition Coalition members IKV Pax Christi and Netwerk Vlaanderen[1] shows that worldwide, 166 private and public financial institutions from 15 countries continue to invest in companies that produce cluster munitions. Since the treaty that bans the weapon – the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions – was adopted in May 2008, the amount invested in companies that still produce these weapons totals US$39 billion. In the UK, 12 financial institutions are listed in the report's 'Hall of Shame'. The report notes that the Royal Bank of Scotland was part of a banking syndicate providing a loan to US cluster bomb producer Alliant Techsystems in October 2010 for an amount of US$80 million.
"The Royal Bank of Scotland is owned in large part by the UK government so it is quite disturbing that it turns out to be Europe's largest loan provider to cluster bombs producers," said Thomas Nash, Partner at Article 36. "We know it is possible to clamp down on these investments. Other governments have done it with impressive results and the UK itself has pledged to address it. Now they need to put words into action," he added.
Some countries, including Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and New Zealand, have taken the lead in banning investment in these illegal weapons by passing national legislation. The UK has stated that it believes investment in cluster bombs to be banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions and has pledged to set up a working group with financial institutions and civil society, but it has not explicitly prohibited all types of investment in cluster munition producers.
"The UK has made good progress in putting the ban on cluster bombs into practice. US cluster bombs have been removed from UK territory, UK stocks are being destroyed and the UK has condemned use of cluster bombs by others. But it makes no sense to allow UK companies to continue financing producers of a weapon we have banned," said Richard Moyes, Partner at Article 36. "The UK has kicked this issue into a working group, but we haven't seen it do any work yet," he added.
The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits assistance with the use, production, export, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. The Cluster Munition Coalition believes that financial investment in the production of cluster munitions is a form of assistance.
For more information, please contact:
Thomas Nash, +44 (0) 7711926730 email@example.com
The Cluster Munition Coalition's 'Stop Explosive Investments' campaign
The report 'Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions: A Shared Responsibility' by IKV Pax Christi and Netwerk Vlaanderen will be available from 25 May 2011, 10.00 Central European Time (CET) at: http://www.ikvpaxchristi.nl/stopexplosiveinvestments
UK financial institutions listed in the 'Hall of Shame':
The Hall of Shame contains a list of financial institutions that still invest in cluster munitions producers. The eight cluster munition producers named in the report are:
Alliant TechSystems (US), Hanwha (Republic of Korea), Lockheed Martin (US), Norinco (China), Poongsan (Republic of Korea), Singapore Technologies Engineering (Singapore), Splav (Russia), and Textron (US).
The 12 UK based financial institutions listed in the 'Hall of Shame' as providing some form of financial services to one or more of the eight companies are:
Aberdeen Asset Management, Aviva, Barclays, Baring Asset Management, Henderson Global Investors, HSBC, Invesco, Lloyds Banking, Newton Investment Management, Prudential, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Veritas Asset Management.
About cluster bombs:
A cluster munition (or cluster bomb) is a heavy explosive weapon containing multiple – often hundreds – of small explosive submunitions or bomblets. Cluster munitions are dropped from the air or fired from the ground and designed to break open in mid-air, releasing the submunitions over an area that can be the size of several football fields. This means they cannot discriminate between civilians and soldiers. Many of the submunitions fail to explode on impact and remain a threat to lives and livelihoods for decades after a conflict.
About the Convention on Cluster Munitions:
The Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster munitions and requires countries to clear affected areas within 10 years and destroy stockpiles of the weapon within eight. The Convention includes groundbreaking provisions requiring assistance to victims and affected communities. Signed in Oslo in December 2008, the Convention entered into force as binding international law on 1 August 2010 and is the most significant international disarmament treaty since the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty banning antipersonnel landmines.
About Article 36:
Article 36 is a civil society initiative founded in January 2011 to monitor and challenge the use of certain weapons technologies. Article 36 aims to highlight concerns about certain weapons, to work with civil society around the world to understand and develop responses to these concerns and to promote practical action by individuals, organisations and states that will enhance the protection of people from such weapons. Article 36 is a member of the Cluster Munition Coalition and facilitates UK civil society advocacy on landmines and cluster munitions. For more information see: www.article36.org.
About the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC):
The CMC is an international coalition with more than 350 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in around 100 countries to encourage urgent action against cluster bombs. The CMC facilitates NGO efforts worldwide to educate governments, the public and the media about the problems of cluster munitions and to urge universalisation and full implementation of the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.
[1] Profundo, a Dutch research company, provided IKV Pax Christi and Netwerk Vlaanderen with the financial research for their report.
Posted in: Cluster munitions, Explosive weapons, Press releases,
Tagged: CCM , cluster munitions , explosive weapons , financing


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I have a friend who's currently starting a consulting business and wading into the self-employment waters for the first time. While she's focusing on data management, not writing, the tax stuff is largely the same, and having been self-employed for several years now, I offered to give her a quick rundown of how doing your taxes as a self-employed person works.
When I posted a silly tweet about having sent a friend a 600-word "intro to taxes as a freelancer" email, so many people replied OMG I NEED THAT TOO that, well, I decided I'd just post it here. So here's a slightly edited version of what I sent her.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a tax professional or CPA or anything like that — this is all what I've figured out on my own. You should not rely on this without doing your own research or seeking additional guidance, and if you screw up your taxes, I am definitely not responsible! Also, obviously this only applies to the U.S. I have no idea how this stuff works in other countries.
Rebecca's Quick and Dirty Guide to Taxes for Self-Employed People
- Depending on the state you live in and how much you expect to make, you may or may not need to get a state business license and/or file special state taxes. I live in Washington state, need a Washington business licence, and file a state excise tax return; the friend I originally wrote this for, who lives in Mississippi, does not.
- Anyone who pays you more than $600 in a year needs to file a 1099 declaring that to the IRS at the end of the year, similar the W2s that employers file (https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099misc). It isn't really your responsibility to make sure this happens, but if someone is paying you over $600 (even spread across multiple jobs over the course of the year) and you think they might not have dealt with this before, it might be nice to give them a gentle nudge.
- For clients who pay you less than $600 over the course of the year, the IRS won't really have any way of knowing about it… but technically you're still required to report in on your taxes. Start keeping detailed records of your freelance income, like a spreadsheet with the date, amount, and client name.
- And track your expenses as well as your income! If you buy anything for your freelance work — a new computer, software, business cards, the hosting fee for your website, whatever — or do any traveling or professional development for it, anything like that, that's a business expense and can be deducted from your freelance income (that is, you don't pay taxes on that bit of your income). Again, just keep good records, and keep all your receipts.
- Part one of paying self employment taxes is, making quarterly estimated tax payments. The tricky thing here is that you have to make your best guess at the beginning of the year of what you think your income will be during that year. Here's the information page for that on the IRS website, with links to the form you use to calculate how much these payments should be, when they're due (note it's not actually every three months), etc.: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes. And you can make the payments online here: https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay. Note that if your freelance income is pretty small, you might not have to make quarterly payments at all! You'll just have to do the math and see.
- Part two is filing Schedule C (https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/schedule-c-form-1040-profit-or-loss-from-business) when you do your tax return after the end of the year. (No more 1040-EZ for you!) Note that freelance income is taxed at higher a rate than employment income (because you pay both regular income tax and self employment tax on it). Think of it like you're covering the payroll taxes etc. that would normally be covered by an employer. If you've been keeping good records of all your business-related transactions, you'll be ready to fill out the form when the time comes. (Also, because you're paying more taxes and covering all your own overhead and whatnot, you normally charge a higher hourly rate as a freelancer/contractor than what you would expect to be paid to do the same work as an employee. Twenty percent higher is totally reasonable.)
- At least to start with, you don't necessarily need a separate bank account for business stuff. I use my regular checking account for everything, and just have a giant multi-tab spreadsheet with all my business record-keeping. If you're wildly successful, you may eventually decide that you want to incorporate your business and become an LLC (limited liability corporation) instead of a sole proprietorship, and at that point the business would be a separate entity from you that would need its own bank accounts etc. (and would have the business equivalent of a Social Security Number, which is an Employer Identification Number or EIN). The advantage of this is that if someone sues you over something business related, they can only go after the business's assets, not your personal assets. I have not done this, and it doesn't seem to be common for freelance writers, but it's good to at least know that it's an option.
And that's it! Good luck, fellow freelancer, and whatever you do, don't forget about those quarterly tax payments.


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Which is your favourite James Bond? Is it the smirking, swaggering, explosively violent man portrayed by Sean Connery? George Lazenby's deceptively good-humoured detective? Daniel Craig's intense and barely controllable rogue agent? Or is it the nebulous narrative voice, complete with acerbic and self-deprecating humour, in Ian Fleming's novels? For Kimmy Beach, the answer is all of them, and none. The poet's fifth collection is an exploration of the well-known character's essence, the alchemical composition of his fictional (and physical) allure.
The Last Temptation of Bond, however, is far more than an erotic exploration of a beloved character; it is also an examination of the limits of that character, the points at which Bond might become fractured and undone. Beach explores Bond at his most vulnerable, at moments of self-doubt, loathing, failure, and fear (the same way Scorsese treats Christ in the film alluded to in the collection's title). In so doing, Beach adopts the role of the supervillain who has Bond strapped to a table – only this time the laser hits home.
In "Agony in the Hotel," Bond tortures himself by recalling his great failures, many of which involve the women in his life. Bond remembers the death of Tracy on their wedding day: "Her blood ruined her wedding gown." He imagines what would have transpired if the villains he'd faced had been successful in their plans for him: "Groin split. Sees himself lying open, bleeding and dead." Later, as another laser approaches his groin, women Bond has loved or betrayed enter the room to witness his demise.
Beach is no stranger to exploring seductive pop-culture figures in her poetry. Her debut, Nice Day for Murder, was a collection of poems for James Cagney; her third book, fake Paul, follows its narrator's obsessive, ultimately destructive love for Paul McCartney and his tribute-band dopplegänger. She handles Bond even more intimately, wriggling her fingers into the fault lines of his psyche and gleefully ripping. There is a table and a laser and a reckoning that was always coming for Bond; in forcing the suave secret agent to confront this, Beach displays both a deep admiration and an unmitigated sadistic streak.