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Celebrate Chinese New Year with Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts present a series of Chinese New Year holiday offers filled with authentic destination experiences, gourmet menus, premium accommodation and plenty of fun activities, creating festive and joyous Lunar New Year getaways at various inspiring locations.
Traditional Festivities in Bustling Metropolis
As traditions and customs become increasingly important, the metropolitans are brimming with joyful festivities during the Lunar New Year.
Macau still observes many unique regional customs, one of the most important local New Year traditions is honouring the Chinese goddess Mazu at the Temple of Matsu, which offers one of the eight famous views of Macau. Other festivities unique to the city include: the Chinese New Year's Day Dragon and Lion Dance performance and spectaculars parade that continues until the 9th.
Banyan Tree Macau offers various Spring Festival dining packages including the five-course Cabana Big Bowl Feast that allows diners to indulge in internationally sourced ingredients in a private poolside Cabana. The Belon "Bountiful Reunion" menu features epicurean seafood and grill delicacies while the Saffron Auspicious Delights menu offers authentic Thai favourites. For an even more luxurious getaway, guests can book the Golden Indulgence Spa Treatment at award winning Banyan Tree Spa Macau, or enjoy shopping home amenities at the Banyan Tree Gallery and be rewarded with gift coupons for every purchase.
Spring Festival celebrations in chic and stylish Shanghai include lively temple fairs. Shanghai Happy Valley amusement park will stage the Spring Festival Carnival for 15 consecutive days beginning with the first day of the Lunar New Year and featuring activities and performances like the Grand Lantern Display and Light Show and traditional cultural performances. Shanghai Disneyland will also welcome the Year of the Dog with authentic Chinese adornments and vibrant Spring Festival Fair full of festive fun.
Book the Staycation with a minimum stay of 5 nights during the Chinese New Year at Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund and enjoy daily breakfast for 2 at Oceans restaurant, 25% off for F&B and 15% off for laundry service (free laundry for one T-shirt).
Celebration with Unique Cultural Customs
Famous for its ethnic diversity, Yunnan is the best destination to experience different cultural customs.
The New Year's Eve reunion dinner at Banyan Tree Lijiang includes traditional salted pork rib and organic chicken hotpot, paired with seasonal organic vegetables from the hotel's garden, wild mushrooms and hand-made fish balls, initiating the New Year with exquisite culinary delights.
Chinese New Year package offered by Banyan Tree Lijiang includes a stay of 2 nights at the Jet Pool Villa, daily breakfast for 2, Naxi Hotpot for 2, one-way airport transfer service, afternoon tea for 2, one 60-minute massage + 30-minute Sanctuary Spa experience for 2, priced at RMB 5,249.
Tengchong in the Yunnan province, celebrates Chinese New Year by welcoming in the Heaven God, giving offerings and eating palm buns. Palm buns, is a must-have dish on the Lunar New Year's eve reunion dinner and a unique local tradition. Tengchong Lantern festival kicks off on the first day of the New Year and runs for 16 consecutive days. Expect a sea of colorful paper lanterns hung all over the place.
Angsana Tengchong offers a variety of special packages for guests to choose from. During the Spring Festival, guests with family and friends can have a dinner together. Waterlight Cafe Restaurant also offers buffet dinner and outdoor hot spring ticket package for RMB 299. At the same time, Angsana Tengchong is also offering a Winter Spa Package, allowing guests to experience a comfortable and relaxing holiday in the cold winter.
A Fresh Start in Awe-inspiring Natural Beauty
The long holiday provides enough time to travel and celebrate the fresh start of the New Year with family and loved ones.
Lunar New Year in Hangzhou has a special atmosphere. There are many festive events to attend: visit Lingyin Temple to pray for good fortune, admire spring blossoms in the Botanical Garden, or take a stroll around the West Lake to spot the signs of spring. Famous for its classical Jiangnan style gardens, Banyan Tree Hangzhou will be hosting an exclusive Spring Festival Fair featuring various signature culinary delights in the Snacks section, gifts and goodies in the Specialties section, nostalgic games including rubber band-skipping and shuttlecock-kicking in the Games section to relive the carefree childhood days, and a dazzling lantern corridor brimming with festivities and joy.
Usher in a prosperous New Year with exclusive dining packages at Banyan Tree Hangzhou, book Pin Yue Special set for RMB 688, or Shang Yue Special set for RMB 888.
Located on the riverbank of Lijiang is the Banyan Tree Yangshuo. There are many exciting activities for the whole family to enjoy during their stay including: cruise along Lijiang River, explore caves and rice terraces, or learn to master the art of rock-climbing. From 27th of the twelfth lunar month, local Spring Festival celebrations move into a more intense and exciting stage, culminating with the joyful New Year's Eve dinner serving up glutinous rice wine and New Year's rice cake.
Book Festive Package at Banyan Tree Yangshuo for a minimum of 2 nights stay between Feb 14th – 16th 2018, enjoy 10% off accommodation in Pagoda Lake Suite or Imperial Retreat Villa, daily breakfast buffet, one Lijiang Bamboo Raft trip and New Year's Eve special buffet for 2.
Spring Blessing Tropical Island Style
Spring Festival doesn't have to be spent in cold weather. The Maldives is an ideal destination to have some fun in the sea. Dive down and explore the marine life, try out challenging water sports, join a dolphin watch cruise, or participate in coral and sea turtle conservation project…so many ways to create an unforgettable Spring Festival holiday. Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru have crafted New Year's Eve dinner menus for guests staying during Spring Festival, while Angsana Velavaru will be presenting the fantastic Lion Dance performance to bring in good luck in the New Year.
Chinese New Year's Eve dinner menus at Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru and Angsana Ihuru are priced at USD 65 per person.
The Banyan Tree Phuket awaits just a stone's throw away from Bangtao Beach. On Phuket Island, there is something for everyone to enjoy, guests can choose to participate in dynamic activities such as trekking and yoga, or relax and bask in the sun all day on the sandy beach. The Banyan Tree Ungasan's cliff top location provides stunning views of the surrounds. With its beautiful rice terraces, lush jungles, friendly people, majestic mountains and commanding ocean views, the diversity of landscapes in Bali adds more fun and excitement to the Spring Festival escape.


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This modest-fashion designer is channelling Kanye West to create ethical sportswear
- 1017
- 16 April 2018
- Add to Bookmarks
Yasmin Sobeih, the British-Egyptian founder of Under-Rapt. Photo courtesy of Under-Rapt.
If you're a modest-fashion designer looking for a muse, Kanye West is probably not one of your top picks. Yet up-and-coming British modest-fashion label Under-Rapt draws on the controversial rapper's fashion brand Yeezy as one of its design influences.
"I'm inspired by brands like Kanye's … a lot of the oversized trends in his ranges are applicable to Muslims and non-Muslims," said Yasmin Sobeih, the British-Egyptian founder of Under-Rapt. "There is a huge market for fashion-led sportswear."
The Manchester-born designer says that there is a particular growing demand for sustainable eco-sportswear.
"Nike doesn't do it. No one does it. There is hardly any fashion-led, eco-friendly sportswear for the market or the Muslim market," she said.
Armed with a master's degree from the London College of Fashion, Yasmin created Under-Rapt as a trend-focused, 'athleisure' brand that hopes to join the surge of growing British trends for sustainability, sportswear and modest wear.
Photo courtesy of Under-Rapt.
"Not everyone is comfortable wearing little tops for sports, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims," Yasmin continued. "I would like to champion the oversize trends. At one time, oversized was seen as unsexy; now oversized is trendy. Sportswear has emerged; it has emerged for going to Tesco [the retailing giant], for walking the dog, for going to brunch. There's now less pressure for a girl to dress up."
Yasmin launched her first collection at the London Modest Fashion Week in April 2017. She hoped to use her brand to promote ethical fashion and encourage Muslim women to adopt healthier lifestyle practices. Within a year of operation, Under-Rapt was accepted by the popular UK fashion website Asos. She participated at the Pret-A-Cover Buyers Lane, a modest fashion and design event in Dubai organised by Islamic Fashion and Design Council. The current collection includes sports hijabs and leggings with cover-up skirts as well as conventional sportswear made from sustainable and organic fabrics.
Photo courtesy of Under-Rapt.
A spokesperson at research firm Euromonitor International confirms to My Salaam that UK sustainable fashion trends are on the rise.
"The concern about social responsibility and fair trade practices is gaining prominence in the UK fashion market and is likely to impact the industry in the coming years," says Marguerite LeRolland, senior beauty and fashion analyst at Euromonitor International.
LeRolland says new technologies, social media, and mindful consumers are driving the shift to sustainable fashion. "In our age of hyper-transparency and social media communication, we have better informed consumers who want to know how materials used in their garments and footwear are sourced... We also have companies that are exposed to greater reputational risks if they, or their suppliers, are found out to have unfair labour practices or production processes which have a disastrous impact on the environment."
For her part, Yasmin pays meticulous attention to her supply-chain practices. She has traversed the globe seeking high-quality, sustainable materials and has partnered with a manufacturer in Turkey using materials from Beechwood trees in Austria. "I'm aware of exactly who is in the factory and who is designing," she remarked.
Yasmin's collections may appeal to Muslims, but she does not consider them exclusive for Muslims.
"I wouldn't want to limit my brand to be Muslim-only, and it's unfashionable to label it like that," she said. "Today Muslim girls are so fashionable, and they go to the gym. It's all about global trends. Globalisation is driving modest fashion."
As part of her five-year business plan, Yasmin plans to roll out sustainable lifestyle concepts. "Think skiing, diving, and organic yoga mats," she said, "I feel that there are going to be huge changes in what people buy, and in the long term it is the right idea."
Yasmin has always been interested in merging the East and the West in fashion, but she never dreamed that her hobby would become her job. "You have to know your product, always go out and find your own suppliers, and just go with it," she said. "Any passion that you have is feasible as long as long as you know your business: be sure of your direction."
(Reporting by Alicia Buller; Editing by Seban Scaria email@example.com)
© MySalaam.com 2018 All rights reserved

subset: commoncrawl


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2011 NBA Draft TradesPosted: June 24, 2011 Filed under: 2011 NBA Draft | Tags: 2011 NBA Draft, 2012 NBA Draft, 2013 NBA Draft, Andre Miller, Beno Udrih, Bismack Biyombo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Boston Celtics, Brad Miller, Chandler Parsons, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Chukwudibere Maduabum, Cleveland Cavaliers, Corey Maggette, Dallas Mavericks, David Bertans, Denver Nuggets, Donatas Motiejunas, Erazem Lorbek, George Hill, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Jeremy Tyler, Jimmer Fredette, John Salmons, Johnny Flynn, Jordan Hamilton, Josh Harrellson, JuJuan Johnson, Justin Harper, Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Lakers, Marshon Brooks, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Nikola Mirotic, Norris Cole, Orlando Magic, Petteri Koponen, Portland Blazers, Raymond Felton, Rudy Fernandez, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Shaun Livingston, Stephen Jackson, Tobias Harris Leave a comment
Yesterday's draft was pretty boring and lacked a lot of movement early but boy did the middle of the first round start seeing a run of trades. Follow the jump to see all of the outstanding 2011 NBA Draft Trades.
2011 NBA Mock DraftPosted: June 22, 2011 Filed under: 2011 NBA Draft | Tags: 2011 NBA Draft, Alex Burks, Brandon Knight, Charles Jenkins, Chris Singleton, DeAndre Liggins, Derrick Williams, Duke, Enes Kanter, Florida, Georgia, Jan Vesley, Jeremy Hazell, Jimmer Fredette, Josh Selby, Kansas, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker, Kentucky, Kyrie Irving, Marcus Morris, Markeiff Morris, Marshon Brooks, Nikolas Vucevic, Purdue, Richmond, San Diego State, Seton Hall, Texas, Tobias Harris, Tristan Thompson, UCLA, USA Leave a comment
With the NBA Draft just one day away, I figured I would take a go at an NBA Mock Draft.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke: Kyrie Irving is the best prospect in this draft and has drawn comparisons to Chris Paul. While I don't think he will be that good, he will give the Cavs a face of their franchise and a future All Star.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams, SF/PF, Arizona: Derrick Williams is a versatile forward who could pair with Wesely Johnson, Kevin Love, and Michael Beasly to give them a very deep and young front-court.
3. Utah Jazz: Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky: This is the popular pick right now and it makes sense. Knight is a phenomenal player with tons of potential and could replace Deron Williams.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Enes Kanter, PF/C, Kentucky: The Cavs are hoping that the Jazz pick Knight because that means that Kanter will be available here. He will give the Cavs a legitimate center to pair with J.J. Hickson.
5. Toronto Raptors: Jan Vesley, PF, Serbia: Vesley has an NBA body and his size would be a nice compliment to Bargaini in the front court. He could give the Raptors flexibility and skill in the front-court.
6. Washington Wizards: Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Diego State: Leonard is a versatile SF that can provide defense and energy as well as a good mid-range game.
7. Sacramento Kings: Kemba Walker, PG, Connecticut: Walker is the best leader in this draft and can pair with Tyreke Evans to give the Kings a talented back-court.
8. Detroit Pistons: Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas: Thompson is a tenacious rebounder that can pair with Greg Monroe in the Pistons front-court.
9. Charlotte Bobcats: Chris Singleton, SF, Florida State: Singleton is the best defensive wing in this draft and could replace Gerald Wallace at the SF spot.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Alex Burks, SG, Colorado: Burks has a great offensive skill set that will pair nicely with Brandon Jennings.
11. Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State: Thompson can shoot the ball from anywhere and has a great game going to the basket. Defense is not his strength, but who says the Warriors play defense.
12. Utah Jazz: Marcus Morris, SF/PF, Kansas: Morris is a good faceup PF that can also play some SF. He has good range and is a decent rebounder/defender.
13. Phoenix Suns: Jimmer Fredette, PG/SG, BYU: Fredette can provide a nice scoring threat off the bench and will sell a lot of tickets while also being groomed as the PG of the future.
14. Houston Rockets: Jonas Valanciunas, PF/C, Lithuania: With the reports that Jonas will be able to come to the NBA in 2012, his stock could go back up but I think he lands in a good situation. The Rockets need to move on from Yao and Jonas has a great skill set, similar to Yao's.
15. Indiana Pacers: Markeiff Morris, PF, Kansas: Morris is a versatile PF who can step out and knock down jumpers as well as play with his back to the basket. He rebounds well and can also block a shot or two.
The NBA DraftPosted: June 5, 2011 Filed under: 2012 NBA Draft | Tags: Alec Burks, Bismack Biyombo, Chris Singleton, Darius Morris, Enes Kanter, Jan Vesley, Jordan Williams, Josh Selby, Kenneth Faried, Klay Thompson, Malcolm Lee, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, Marshon Brooks, NBA Draft, Posting and Toasting, Reggie Jackson, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Honeycutt, Walter Football Leave a comment
I know this is an NFL Draft site but I am interested in the NBA Draft and here is some good content I have found. Since there is not a lot going on in the NFL, I will have some posts about the NBA Draft on occasion.


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Ask the Docs: About Cocaine
How does cocaine affect your brain? Can using cocaine cause seizures? Can using cocaine once be deadly? And what exactly is crack? Students from around the country got these questions and more answered by scientists during the National Institute on Drug Abuse Chat Day, held earlier this year. Check out the Q&A below.
MBG from Instituto Asunción Aguilas asked:
What is cocaine?
Dr. Belinda Sims answered:
Cocaine is derived from the coca leaf. Doctors occasionally use cocaine in small amounts as a short-acting topical anesthetic--for example, ophthalmologists may apply cocaine to a patient's eye to reduce pain in surgery. When ingested, cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant drug. Such use is illegal. For more information: https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-add...
Dadrian FVSU 4H from Fort Valley State University 4-H Healthly Living asked:
Does snorting cocaine affect your brain?
Dr. Steve Gust answered:
Hi Dadrian, it sure does. Cocaine is one of the drugs with the most powerful effects on the brain. It stimulates some of the most important brain circuits and can cause a lot of different effects. Stimulants such as cocaine cause the body's blood vessels to narrow, constricting blood flow, which forces the heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. The heart might work so hard that it temporarily loses its natural rhythm. This is why people can die suddenly from a heart attack after using cocaine. teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/stimulants
MSpearman from Sugar Land Middle asked:
[Why is coke so addictive?]
Dr. Will Aklin answered:
Cocaine is a very powerful stimulator of brain regions involved in positive feelings and reward. It stimulates these regions more than natural brain chemicals and for a longer time period. It is thought that these effects are what make cocaine so addictive. For more info, see: https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/prescription-drugs.
Imahan from Sugar Land Middle asked:
How could cocaine cause seizures?
Dr. Mary Kautz answered:
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant. Cocaine usually makes the person feel euphoric and energetic, which is a common reason why people take cocaine. But cocaine also increases body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. People risk heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures, stomach pain, and nausea. In rare cases, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly afterwards. Check out information on our NIDA for Teens website about cocaine: http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/cocaine.
Patrick from Ardsley High School asked:
What is crack cocaine?
Dr. Ericka Boone answered:
Crack is a form of cocaine that has been processed to make a rock crystal that people smoke. The term "crack" comes from the cracking sound the rocks make when they are heated. To make crack, powder cocaine is mixed with ammonia or baking soda and water and then heated to produce the crystal. Crack is addictive, so stay clear! Check out this NIDA resource on cocaine to find our more information on the effects of cocaine on the brain - https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine
TheTableOfQuest from Blanco Middle School asked:
Why does cocaine cause the deterioration of the cartilage in your nose???
Dr. Michelle Leff answered:
Some people snort cocaine to get a rapid and short "high." Chronic snorting causes nasal problems - chronic runny nose, frequent nosebleeds, and damage to the nasal passages. We do know that cocaine causes the blood vessels to constrict, and this loss of blood may cause cartilage damage. Read more at https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/stimulants.
eadams from Windham Middle School asked:
Can one-time moderate use of cocaine lead to permanent brain damage, loss of memory or any other effects?
Dr. Anto Bonci answered:
It is possible to suffer negative effects from one-time use of cocaine. Cocaine increases body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. Users risk heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures, abdominal pain, and nausea. In rare cases, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly afterwards. Check out information on our website about cocaine: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cocaine
KHSstudent1 from Keene High School asked:
Why does coke kill you?
Dr. Michael Baumann answered:
Taking cocaine can cause adverse medical consequences leading to death. Common causes of death by cocaine include cardiac arrest (i.e., heart stops beating) or stroke (i.e., blood vessel bursts in the brain). See the link below for more information about the what cocaine does to your body and brain: http:// https://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/stimulants
RCC from Instituto Asunción Aguilas asked:
When I went to Peru, they gave me a coca plant. Does the cocaine come from there? And is it bad?
Dr. Ruben Baler answered:
Yes, cocaine is extracted and derived from the coca leaves. Chewing coca leaves however, produces a far milder stimulant effect than pure cocaine. The locals who chew coca leaves on a regular basis are most likely dependent on the drug but most would probably not qualify as being addicted to cocaine, meaning they did not lose control over their consumption or seek to ingest in spite of the negative consequences. It's probably not that bad if it was a single experience and did not lead you to try cocaine or other drugs when you came back.


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- Greater London, the East Midlands and the South East of England show fastest rent rises
- Average rent for new tenancies in the UK (excluding Greater London) is now £744 per month
- Single tenants now account for a much smaller percentage of new tenancies
The cost of taking on a new tenancy in the private rentals market continues to rise, with the average rental agreement signed in the UK outside of London during the three months to February 2016 costing 4.8% more than in the same period a year ago, new data from the HomeLet Rental Index reveals. While that rate of appreciation was down on the 5.5% seen over the three months to January, rents on new tenancies continue to rise much more quickly than inflation in most parts of the country.
HomeLet's research also shows that as rents have risen in recent years, the number of new tenancies signed by a single tenant has fallen. Last year, single tenants accounted for just 33% of new tenancies on rental properties, down from 67% in 2008. By contrast, the proportion of new tenancies signed by two tenants rose from 28% to 52% over the same period. New tenancies signed by three or more tenants have risen from 5% to 15% of the market.
This trend may in part reflect the increasing number of families moving into the private rental sector as house prices have become less affordable and as people have pursued greater flexibility. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals the number of privately rented homes let to families with dependent children has risen from 30% to 37% over the past 10 years.
The increasing number of tenants per property may also suggest people are more inclined to rent together after a sustained period in which rents have risen more quickly than general inflation: HomeLet's data shows the proportion of new tenancies taken on by three tenants rose from 3% in 2008 to 8% by last year. Homes with four or more tenants accounted for 7% of the market last year, up from 2% in 2008.
The higher rents recorded by the HomeLet Rental Index mean the average rent on new tenancies signed during the three months to February 2016 was £1,521 per month in the capital - and £744 per month across the rest of the UK.
Rent rises in the London market are once again increasing, though remain below the double-digit increases seen last year: the average rent agreed on a tenancy in Greater London over the three months to February was 7.7% higher than 12 months ago, up from annual growth of 6.2% during the previous three-month period.
The Index shows rents on new tenancies rose in 10 out of 12 regions in the UK on an annual basis over the three months to February 2016. The exceptions were the North West of England, where rents dipped by 3.2% from £657 per month last year to £636 per month, and the North East of England, where rents now stand at £519 per month, 2.6% lower than a year ago.
Commenting on the report, Martin Totty, Barbon* Insurance Group's Chief Executive Officer, said: "We're continuing to see the effect of the imbalance between demand and supply in the private rental market: average rents are still rising and while we are not seeing the double-digit increases recorded in some areas of the country during the summer of last year, the cost of a new tenancy continues to rise more quickly than general inflation.
"Our data on the number of tenants in each property gives a fascinating insight into the changing nature of the private rental market. Landlords are letting out homes to many more families, with rental property representing an increasingly important alternative to owner occupation; we're also seeing people manage with higher rents by meeting the costs as joint tenants."
Rental figures from the February 2016 HomeLet Rental Index
HomeLet Rental Index Regional Variance Figures for the three months to end–February 2016
HomeLet Rental Index provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date data on new tenancies in the UK. As part of the referencing process for around 350,000 prospective tenants each year, HomeLet processes information including the rental amounts agreed, the number of tenants moving into the property, together with the employment status, income and age of all tenants. The trends reported within the HomeLet Rental Index are brand new tenancies which were arranged in the most recent period, giving the most relevant insight into changes in the Private Rented Sector. This is in contrast to many other rental indices which are based on all properties which are being managed, which may have had rental amounts agreed as long as two years ago.


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Hey everyone!
We've got some contests hanging about:
ARC of AIRHEAD by The Story Siren!
Win WAKE or THE GOD OF ANIMALS over at In Bed With Books!
Win a signed copy of MAGIC STUDY over at Kinsmen of the Shelf!
HUGE PRIZE PACK at The Page Flipper's blog!
Win a copy of HOW TO BE POPULAR or THE COMEBACK SEASON over at The Compulsive Reader's Blog!
Win a signed copy of JINX over at Liv's Book Reviews!
You can win a book every day this week at Author2Author!
Page Flipper gives away FIVE COPIES OF AUDREY WAIT!
Have fun!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Contest Funk!
Hey everyone!
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Post a Comment
Hey! For some reason, this embedded comment form makes most people click twice before the comment is processed and published. It's not you - it's just that it's a new Blogger feature with kinks and all that. (But I adore it and don't wanna get rid of it!) I removed Captcha to make the process easier. You don't have to rewrite the comments twice; just click on SUBMIT twice and it should work. If not, email me. Thanks! -Steph


text: South Kordofan is a focus of growing military tension between north and south Sudan ahead of the January 9 vote Armed men from the Sudanese Messiria tribe have taken almost 1,000 people hostage in a tribal feud over blood money. The hostages were travelling from Khartoum, the capital, to the South, to vote in the January 9 referendum that is expected to lead to the breakup of Africa's largest nation when they were seized. The Messiria tribesmen stopped their convoy of about 150 cars in the northern state of South Kordofan. They said they plan to hold the hostages until the government of the South Sudan's Unity State pays a retribution for the killing of several Messiria shepherds earlier this year.Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Khartoum, said that the government of South Sudan has denied any involvement in the hostage situation. "It started several months ago when elements of the southern tribes in Unity State attacked the Messiria, took some of their cars and killed three of their shepherds," he said. "A settlement was reached between the two sides whereby Unity State should pay blood money to the Messiria. Now, the Messiria are saying they have been waiting for that payment for a long time and they decided to take action to put pressure on Unity State." The government of South Sudan said that negotiations are ongoing and that a solution might be reached soon. The Messiria belong to the Baggara Arabs tribes and speak Sudanese Arabic. Numbering over one million, the Baggara are the second largest ethnic group in Western Sudan, extending into Eastern Chad. They are primarily nomadic cattle herders and their journeys are dependent upon the seasons of the year.South Kordofan is a focus of growing military tension between north Sudan and the neighbouring region of southern Sudan which is weeks away from the scheduled start of a referendum on whether it should secede. SOURCE: Al Jazeera Politics Africa Chad Sudan


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Visit of SPbPU delegation to Vietnam
In the middle of October 2015 the delegation of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University visited the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The main purpose of the visit was to forge partnerships with Hanoi Institute of Electronics, Informatics and Automation and with Da Nang Polytechnic University. SPbPU was represented by S.B. Makarov, the Director of the Institute of Physics, Nanotechnology and Telecommunications, and V.I. Malugin, the coordinator of international programs. During the meeting they discussed the issues of joint scientific projects and programs of additional professional education in the field of energy and telecommunications.
It should be noted that the Vietnamese government is interested in developing strategic partnerships with Russia. During the visit of the Russian President V.V. Putin to Vietnam in November 2013, our countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in science and technology, education and training. According to V. Putin, today's Vietnam is one of the key partners of the Russian Federation.
Serious intentions of the Vietnamese authorities were also proven during the event "Universities of Russia", which took place in the middle of September 2015 in Hanoi. Today professors from Vietnam give lectures in SPbPU, the program of academic mobility and the exchange of experience are under way. The main objective of the program "Universities of Russia" is to train professionals for the development of Vietnam's economic system..
As a result of the negotiations between Vietnamese universities and the Polytechnic University in October 2015, it was decided to prepare the documents and transfer the projects for confirmation to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam. The partnership agreement was also signed between the Institute of Physics, Nanotechnology and Telecommunications of SPbPU and the Institute of Electronics, Informatics and Automation of Vietnam.
"The meeting with Vietnamese colleagues was held in a friendly atmosphere. We are sure of the positive results of cooperation," said V. Malugin.
In recent years, Vietnam has shown strong and sustained growth of its GDP (5%), has achieved a significant progress in the socio-economic, cultural and educational development of the country. It is among the five most efficient economies in the Association of South-East Asia. Therefore, the strategic partnership with Vietnam, which takes into account long, positive experience of the Russian-Vietnamese cooperation, promotes consistent strengthening Russia's position in the Asia-Pacific region, where Vietnam is one of the leading centers of the economic growth. As for Vietnam, it is also interested in the cooperation with Russia.
The material is prepared by the International Relations Office


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Photo: Beatriz Da Costa
How to Make It
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Season the steak with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the steak to a bowl and set aside.
Add the mushrooms and onions to the pan and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the soup and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the steak and juices from the bowl and simmer, 2 minutes.
Divide into individual bowls and sprinkle with the parsley, if using.


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Paul Dyck Exhibit
Paul Dyck was born in 1917. His family lived for many years in southern Alberta with the Blackfoot Tribe, which initiated Paul's life-long interest in the Plains Indian culture.
Paul's family returned to Europe in 1921. Being descendants of Sir Antoine Van Dyck, his family decided that Paul was to train to be an artist. At age 12 he was sent to apprentice with his Uncle Johann Van Skramlick, a well-known European portrait painter. Then, at the age of 15, he was sent to train at the Munich Academy.Paul Dyck was born in Chicago in August 1917. His family was originally from Europe but lived in Alberta, Canada; Chicago, Illinois; and St. Paul, Minnesota. While in southern Alberta, the family lived with the Blackfoot Tribe and Paul's father collected Plains Indian crafts, which began Paul's life-long interest in the Plains Indian culture.
In 1934 after leaving Europe, Paul returned to New York (staying only three weeks) and then went to South Dakota to see his friend, One Elk, a Lakota Sioux holy man whom he'd met in Europe. Paul met and fell in love with One Elk's daughter, Fawn, and they were married. It was during his time living with the Sioux people that they gave him the name Rainbow Hand, an admirable name for a person who was an old world master painter of beautiful paintings.
In 1935 Paul's wife died from childbirthing complications. In despair, he traveled on his Indian motorcycle throughout the West for the next several years, returning to the East in winter to do freelance illustration work. While he was travelling on his motorcycle he would make Indian sketches and sell them for 50 cents, or trade them for meals and other necessities. Paul did eventually re-marry.
Paul settled in Rimrock in 1938. Using his earnings from advertising illustration work, he purchased a 312-acre ranch that had fallen into disrepair. In 1953, Paul took up painting as a full-time career. Paul Dyck mainly painted using either layered egg tempera on board, in the Old Master tradition, or else utilizes the Sumi-e ink techniques that were the province of the Japanese. Paul became well-known as a painter and ultimately had 65 one-man exhibitions all over the country, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Tucson. His paintings are included in the collection of the Phoenix Art Museum, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the Tucson Museum of Art (Harmsen Collection), as well as the First National Bank in downtown Phoenix.
During an exhibit of his life-size paintings of Plains Indian Chiefs at the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, Paul met Dr. Charles Rozaire, who was working at the museum at that time. In the late 1950s, Paul became concerned that the cliff dwellings on his property would be pot hunted due to more development in the Rimrock area. Paul asked Dr. Rozaire if he would be interested in conducting a professional excavation of the cliff dwelling.
A letter written by Dr. Rozaire to Paul Dyck in 1961, thanked Paul for showing him the cliff dwellings and tentatively set a date in early April of the next year to undertake excavations. The Dyck excavations proved to be extremely interesting and the deposits so extensive that Dr. Rozaire conducted excavations over the course of seven seasons of investigations; in 1962, 1968 (two seasons), 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1972. These excavations recovered thousands of artifacts, including a large collection of perishable materials preserved in the dry midden deposits inside the dwellings.
The Dyck cliff dwelling excavations of 1962 to 1972 are one of the most important investigations ever undertaken at an archaeological site in the Verde Valley because of the abundance of well-preserved perishable materials recovered through systematic excavations by professional archaeologists. The textiles (most varietal ever preserved in AZ from a single location) and wooden artifacts that were collected rival and in many cases exceed those found in only a few other sites in the region.
Paul Dyck passed away in 2006 at age of 88. In 2014, John Dyck, son of Paul Dyck and President of the Dyck Foundation, contacted the Verde Valley Archaeology Center to inquire if they would be interested in having the Dyck cliff dwelling artifact collection and site records donated to it. The Center quickly accepted the collection.
This exhibit displays only a tiny fraction of the items in the collection. There is a display of Farming and Gathering, Hunting, and Weaving. It is our intention to rotate the items periodically over the next several years. You can download the free exhibit guide (495 KB PDF) here.
He spent the rest of his life working the ranch, raising horses, and planting crops peacefully. He also painted in his studio on the ranch. During his lifetime, he lived among the Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Crow, Oto, Pawnee, Kiowa, Comanche, Zuni, Navajo, Hopi and Apache, with whom he gained much respect.


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Waldorf Salad
En Español
- Makes: 6 servings
Extra apples from the market? Try this Waldorf Salad with walnuts and cruchy fall apples.
- 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)
- 2 apples (cored and diced)
- 1 cup celery (diced)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt, non-fat
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Stir occasionally until they are evenly toasted.
- Combine apples, celery, nuts, and raisins.
- Stir together yogurt, sugar, and lemon juice. Pour over apple mixture and toss lightly.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Oregon State University Cooperative Extension Service,
Healthy Recipes


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For almost 20 years, Asha Sedalia Bruot has worked with business owners and organizations in the Washington, D.C., area to define and consistently maintain their voice, image, and presence. The success of Asha's work has elevated businesses from the hospitality industry and the non-profit sector to law firms and powerful corporate players such as AT&T. Asha has successfully led PR campaigns in Washington, DC, and New York City for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center of Washington, DC.
She has worked with national, regional and local media to secure consistent news coverage for her clients.
Asha also instructs students in the Master of Science in Management program at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., teaching Managing External Communications and Advanced Business Communications.
She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and a Master in Public Administration from George Mason University. Asha excels in management, media training, client relations and business strategy.
She is a charter member of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and was named a finalist for the Prince William Chamber of Commerce 2012 small business award. Asha is also a board member of the Center for the Arts Board of Directors in Old Town Manassas, Va., as well as a member of the Public Relations Society of America, board member of Haymarket-Gainesville Business Association (HGBA) and 2013 graduate of Leadership Prince William.
Alexandra Hancock
Melissa Dobbs
Ana Davis
Paul Weiner
She is very professional and very good at what she does.
Alice Pires
including several TV appearances in a year!
Maureen Loftus
Debbie Haight
and the results speak for themselves.
Jim Aram
We couldn't ask for a better PR person to represent our company.


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Jelena Ostapenko is a much-needed addition to the WTA Tour severely lacking in star power. It is so refreshing to see a female player who can back up her attitude by winning a big title. It is not too shocking to see random players reach the semifinal or final of any tournament in women's tennis now due to the unreliability of current top players, but only those with champion spirit can actually win them. This is something Ostapenko proved she possesses, especially since she is only the second female player (after Navratilova) to win their maiden Grand Slam final from a set down. Ostapenko's win is the best way to troll the WTA Tour in arguably its weakest period in its history, with the reasoning explained below.
Awful French Open record
In her three previous French Open appearances, Ostapenko had not won a single match, losing in the 1st Round of the Girl's Singles in 2014, Women's Singles Qualifying in 2015, and Women's Singles in 2016. For a player to win at a Grand Slam where they have never won a match of any kind previously is a testament to the current state of the WTA.
Ostapenko had never even won a single WTA tournament at any level and had only once gone past the 2nd Round of a Grand Slam previously, at the 2017 Australian Open. Something like this has not occurred in tennis since Gustavo Kuerten won the French Open in 1987, coincidentally on the day Ostapenko was born.
Unpopularity on the WTA Tour
After her infamous bust-up with Naomi Broady in Auckland in 2016, she became very unpopular amongst the tour with players speaking up on Twitter about her bad attitude. Her reputation clearly has not improved as not a single active player congratulated her on Twitter. The only interaction was from Daria Gavrilova, who seemed more in shock than of praise for Ostapenko. (However, it should be noted that there are claims that several players did text her congratulations.)
Craaaaaaazy omg
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) June 10, 2017
Rather funnily, Naomi Broady lost in the quarter-finals of an ITF event in Surbiton on the day before the French Open final, showing the direction her career is heading. The fact no active players took to social media to congratulate Ostapenko highlights their bitterness about her victory, unsurprisingly since seven of the Top 10 on the June 12th rankings are still Slamless. This was a great way for Ostapenko to personally troll the WTA Tour as she showed that she doesn't need to be popular to be successful.
A game with many weaknesses
Whilst Ostapenko is a great ball striker, her game still possesses many weaknesses. Her backhand severely can break down quite easily in a match and become very error-prone. She also does not possess a great serve, with her second serve being an extremely obvious weakness in her game. In addition, other than her powerful strokes, there are not many aspects to her game–meaning that she lacks a Plan B if things are not going her way. For someone with these flaws, being able to win a Grand Slam at the age of 20 raises serious concerns about future prospects for the women's game and so it was a great way to troll the WTA and highlight its weaknesses.
Overall, I do hope that Jelena Ostapenko can prove me wrong and can win more big tournaments as we will need a new star of women's tennis after the Williams Sisters and Sharapova eventually hang up their rackets. However, I will be extremely surprised if this is the case. In fact, I predict that she will not win more than one more Grand Slam by the end of 2019 and I will not be surprised in the slightest if she returns to her ranking before the tournament of No.47 after the conclusion of next year's French Open.
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When the next market decline comes, we believe it will be sharper and deeper than investors expect. Four compounding concerns keep our team up at night: monetary policy, rules-based strategies such as smart beta, the Volcker Rule, and circuit breakers.
1. Monetary Policy: Back to the Future?
Looking back at the past four decades is like watching remakes of the same movie. We watched the original played out in the 1980s, and remakes in the 1990s and 2000s. Now we're on version four. Each version is a little different, but the plot is the same.
Different movie, same plot: stimulus followed by low volatility, high real returns, and a reckoning at the end.
In the 1980s, the U.S. dollar was so strong, the governments of France, West Germany, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom agreed to depreciate the currency (under the Plaza Accord) then subsequently halt its decline (under the Louvre Accord).
During the intervening period, American monetary policy was stimulative, and during such environments three characteristics tend to appear: market volatility is relatively low, real returns are relatively high, and mis-pricing leads to a bubble that ultimately bursts.
That's how on Black Monday in October 1987, the S&P 500 Index dropped more than 20% in a single day.
In the 1990s, we experienced another period of stimulative policy. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, in response to Black Monday, engaged in "the Greenspan put," which entailed aggressively stimulating whenever the market fell.
Market participants began to feel that the Fed would always truncate their downside. Consequently, investors viewed technology as a less risky investment opportunity to improve productivity.
During this period we again experienced low volatility (the longest stretch of it I can recall), a significant real return on equities, and a market mis-pricing that led to the dot-com bubble bursting in 2000.
As we rebounded from the bursting of the tech bubble and progressed beyond the summer of 2002, monetary policy again became stimulative, partly in response to the dot-com crash. And once again, this led to low volatility and higher real returns.
It also drove the mis-pricing of the real estate segment, which was exacerbated by subprime security issuance, and when that bubble burst, we experienced the Global Financial Crisis of 2007/2008.
The period of monetary stimulus gets longer, and the reckoning ultimately becomes more difficult.
Noticing a pattern? Different movie, same plot: stimulus followed by low volatility, high real returns, and a reckoning at the end.
Now we're in a new decade, and monetary policy is once again stimulative—not just in the United States, but around the world. Volatility has been relatively low, and we've experienced a prolonged bull market, especially in the United States. The exposition for this movie has been made but the last scene hasn't been filmed.
My concern is that with each remake, the period of monetary stimulus gets longer, and the reckoning ultimately becomes more difficult.
2. Smart Beta: Is it Smart?
Currently, the marketplace has a plethora of strategies that are somewhat or completely rules-based, such as smart beta strategies. These are often packaged within exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
If rules-based strategies lead to an environment like the one we had in 1987 with portfolio insurance, they would significantly exacerbate any market downturn.
By using strict rules to invest, these strategies may have characteristics that allow only for investing in the United States or contain only high-dividend stocks, small-cap stocks, or low-volatility stocks.
There's a lot of overlap in the securities these strategies own. For example, a high-dividend strategy might also invest in low-volatility securities, resulting in a concentration of flows into certain sectors and securities.
Because these strategies are contractually obligated to transact when outstanding shares begin to decline (or to rise), they are likely to exacerbate any market decline that may occur, just as portfolio insurance did back in 1987.
Portfolio insurance was a method of hedging a portfolio of stocks against market risk by short-selling stock index futures. It essentially replicated a put option: if the market went down, portfolio insurance would reduce the portfolio's exposure.
This exacerbated the 1987 market decline, compressing a lot of it into one day (Black Monday)—and with many rules-based strategies data mining consistent factors, the same thing could be happening today.
How much of the market is invested in these strategies depends on how "rules-based" is defined.
AI machine-learning strategies aren't anywhere near as rules-based as smart beta, but they are still driven by quantitative models. And when the market declined in the first quarter of 2018, both of these strategies went down, suggesting that both are investing in the same areas.
Risk parity strategies, which focus on the equal allocation of risk rather than allocation of capital, aren't rules-based, per se, but I have a similar concern about them—the correlation between stocks and bonds is rising, which may force an overall deleveraging by those players.
If we add up the strategies that are to some extent rules-based, we think they comprise about 6% or 7% of the equity space. And, if rules-based strategies lead to an environment like the one we had in 1987 with portfolio insurance, they would significantly exacerbate any market downturn.
3. Volcker Rule: Where's the Liquidity?
My third concern is the Volcker Rule, which was part of Dodd-Frank, the financial reform law enacted in 2010. One of its mandates is to prevent investment banks from engaging in proprietary trading, which is when a bank invests for its own direct gain instead of on behalf of clients.
This essentially prevents trading desks at investment banks from maintaining an inventory of securities. In the absence of inventory, they cannot fulfill a function that they have fulfilled for decades—expanding or contracting their balance sheets, which provides a valuable source of liquidity by buying during market declines.
Investment banks have now become middlemen, merely passing along the securities they take to other players (and often those players are high-frequency traders).
We don't know where liquidity will come from in the event of a significant market decline.
The result has been a significant decline in the size of transactions. There are fewer 50,000-block trades and more 1,000-block trades.
The markets, especially some fixed income segments, are not nearly as meaty as they once were. We don't know from where liquidity will come in the event of a significant market decline.
High-frequency traders have no obligation to step in and buy and they can stop trading on a dime, as they did in August 2015, a couple of weeks after the China currency devaluation. Today, there's a fragility to the market that we've never seen before.
4. Circuit Breakers: Can We Get a Break?
My final concern is circuit breakers. Developed in response to Black Monday, circuit breakers were designed to pause the markets for a brief period after a significant decline, to allow investors time to gather information and make informed decisions.
With each crisis, however, we've seen more circuit breakers. We now have stock-specific circuit breakers and marketwide circuit breakers, and exchanges around the world all have different circuit breaker rules. These circuit breakers have two effects: a magnet effect and a spillover effect.
The magnet effect occurs when a declining market approaches the circuit breaker. Sellers who wouldn't otherwise sell are drawn to do so because they want to ensure they get it out before the threshold is reached.
Circuit breakers have two effects: a magnet effect and a spillover effect.
The spillover effect is an exacerbation of the magnet effect and acts like water going over a cliff. The first circuit breaker is hit and when trading resumes, the magnet effect is provoked—even more sellers who wouldn't normally sell get out. So then another circuit breaker is reached, and the same scenario plays out.
In the United States, circuit breakers kick in when the markets are down 7%, 13%, and 20%. Ultimately, the waterfall of selling finds a way to get to the river below, and then it spreads out, through streams and tributaries.
But when there's no place for the water to go, when no one will buy what they're selling, traders will reduce their risk by going someplace else. And the next best alternative could be another country's market, which causes the crisis to be much broader than it otherwise would be.
The Next Decline
With these contributing factors, the next market decline will likely be sharper and deeper than investors expect, and it's important to be ready.
While it is difficult to know exactly when the decline will occur or what might cause the "avalanche," we must position the portfolio in a way that will allow us not only to navigate this disruption but also to be ready to appropriately step into the resultant opportunities.
Brian Singer, CFA, partner, is a portfolio manager on and head of William Blair's Dynamic Allocation Strategies team.


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The Rock Finally Reveals What He Was Thinking In That Oscars Photo
The Rock has finally revealed what he was actually thinking in that viral Oscars photo.
If you somehow missed it, the photo in question was a shot of the audience's reaction to the wrong film being read out at the 2017 Oscars.
Remember? When La La Land was read out instead of Moonlight? Awkward.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was sat behind Meryl Streep, looking somewhat perturbed, you might say.
Appearing alongside Moonlight actor, Naomie Harris, on the Graham Norton Show on BBC, (Friday April 13), Johnson finally explained what he was thinking.
He explained:
Meryl is composed, I honestly thought 'I am seconds away from running up on that stage and kicking somebody's ass' because I thought some b*llsh*t was going down, so that's what I thought.
I thought we were in the middle of somebody trying to hijack something, yeah and [Naomie] has said 'yes' to Rampage, so she was on stage and, you don't mess with my girl, don't mess with my girl!
Here's the clip:
[ooyala player_id="5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8″ width="undefined" height="undefined" pcode="twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l" code="s4Z3YwZjE6RPb3PbkCaksQGWJKJaiMoJ"]
While he was sat on the famous sofa, The Rock was talking about the animated film he voiced, Moana, where he was the voice of the character, Maui.
Graham asked:
Because you've been in that film now, do you get children to delight them as Maui?
To which Johnson replied: 'All the time, it's constant, it's like 'sing your song, sing your song, sing your song' and I do it and then they cheer and then I go 'ok see you have a good day' and they go 'sing again'.'
Naomie then said:
You should sing for them.
After a bit of hesitation, he did it – and here he is in all his glory:
[ooyala player_id="5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8″ width="undefined" height="undefined" pcode="twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l" code="dhZ3YwZjE6y_xnxy3Yb_mZmJ2hR-8k89″]
Despite pulling in a cool $1.5 billion (£1.11 billion) in 2017, the former pro-wrestler was pipped to first place (of the highest grossing actor) by his Fast & Furious co-star, Vin Diesel, who grossed $1.6 billion ($1.18 billion).
Despite pulling in big numbers and a big salary from three box office movies (The Fate Of The Furious, Baywatch and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) as well as the third season of HBO's Ballers, it seems he still couldn't compete with Disney and Marvel money.
Even though he had a limited role as Baby Groot in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2, Diesel was still able to rake in more cash than The Rock thanks to the part, as well as his high salary from this year's xXx and FF movies.
Fellow wrestler, John Cena recently revealed he'd love to go face-to-face with Dwayne Johnson in the Fast and Furious franchise, calling it a 'dream.'
As reported by CINEMABLEND, Cena said:
That stuff is beyond my control, but I would absolutely love that opportunity. That, for me, would be a dream.
I'm never really like, 'Oh, I'd like to work with this person,' but I just think between our chemistry in the live performance setting, there's something certainly there with The Rock. So that would be my one name on the wish list.
You never know!
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Topics: Celebrity


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Lenovo clarifies, says Ashton Kutcher is working on tablets, not phones
So, Lenovo's Chief Marketing Officer David Roman was quoted last week telling Re/code that Kutcher would be working on a line of phones. But, Lenovo is now saying that was a misquote, and Ray Gorman, director of external communication at Lenovo, has told Pocket-lint that Kutcher will only be working on tablets, just as he has been.
Whatever Kutcher is working on with Lenovo, we hope that it gets a bit better. So far, Kutcher has been attributed to the Lenovo Yoga tablets that came out late last year. Although we liked those tablets overall, one of the sticking points was the homescreen layout, and Kutcher has been said to specifically be working with the UX software teams which could mean that one of the few things we didn't like was one of the main areas of his input.
source: Pocket-lint


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Our committee members have already commenced promoting the U3A Strathalbyn program for 2017 with a stand at the Strathalbyn Monthly Market. We will be back at the Lions Quarterly Market on 29th January with programs and joining forms ready to receive registrations. The fee of $40 remains unchanged.
The AGM will be held at the Strathalbyn Senior Citizens Hall on Parker Avenue from 2pm on Monday 3rd February and registration day will be Monday 6th February in the reading room of the library.
The 2017 Program and Joining form are available on this website along with a reasonably detailed outline of each of the subjects on offer.


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By Eamonn Byrne
Tinryland Junior A team qualified for the Division 3 semi- final after a good win over Leighlinbridge in round 6 at Rathcrogue on Thursday 5th May. The away team were first on the scoresheet when full forward Hugo Ashmore pointed in the 2nd minute. Tinryland then settled down to play productive football and 2 points from Rory Doyle and his cousin Paul in the 4th and 6th minutes gave the men in blue and white a lead they never relinquished. A Conor McGrath point in the 9th minute was followed by the opening goal from Gregg Murphy in the 11th minute following a great pass from one of Tinryland's best players Alan Barrett. Alan showed his class over the latter part of the 1st half when he added 3 points in the 20th, 22nd and 30th minutes to give Tinryland a half time lead of 1-6 to 0-4.
The All Blacks had kept their account alive with points from frees by Val Fleming and one from play scored by wing forward James Kane. Hugo Ashmore as he did in the first half scored the opening point of the 2nd period shortly after the re start but in similar fashion this spurred on Tinryland and they stretched their lead to 9 points between the 34th and 40th minutes with points from Alan Barrett and Rory Doyle and a brilliant goal from midfielder Peter Hennessy after more intelligent play by Barrett. The scoreboard kept ticking and an Adam Dunne point in the 41st minute was followed by a goal from Alan Barrett after good play by Conal Dunne which virtually killed the game as a contest. Leighlinbridge could only manage 2 further points from Val Fleming and Conor Nolan in this segment and Tinryland cruised to the final whistle raising another green flag from centre back John Murphy after a pass from Peter Hennessy.
Final score Tinryland 4-9 Leighlinbridge 0-7.
With St Patricks being held to a draw by Palatine, Tinryland have now qualified for the semi- final of Division 3 along with Eire Og, Rathvilly and Ballon or St. Patricks. The league proper ends on Thursday next 12th May when Tinryland travel to James Morris Park to take on Ballon.
Tinryland: Ciaran Byrne, Adam Mullen, John Paul Moore, Liam Fitzpatrick, Cathal Gaffney, John Murphy 1-0, Adam Dunne 0-1, Peter Hennessy 1-0, Conor McGrath 0-1, Rory Doyle 0-2, Alan Barrett 1-4, Padraig Delaney, Shane O'Neill, Gregg Murphy 1-0, Paul Doyle 0-1. Subs John Whyte, Conor Ryan, Conal Dunne, Brian Mullen, Niall Barrett, Killian Maher.
Leighlinbridge: Christy Kearney, Jonathan Stringer, Adrian Dermody, Ciaran Casey, Aaron McKenzie, Val Fleming 0-3, Niall O'Reilly, Sean Brennan, Conor Nolan 0-1, James Kane 0-1, Pakie Fleming, Keith Lillis, Lee Conran, Hugo Ashmore 0-2, Christy Canavan. e
Match Reports >


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When the Solar Plexus Chakra isn't functioning as it could, issues with self-esteem, fear of rejection, over sensitivity to criticism, self-image fears, fears of our secrets being found out, indecisiveness are likely to show up.
Shaming, authoritarianism, physical abuse, fear of punishment, dangerous environment, and age inappropriate responsibilities are all traumas that can knock the solar plexus off kilter.
In the Mood Management Monday Chakra Series, we do a plant meditation with an essential oil that supports the chakra, and do a coaching activity that addresses the issues brought up. If you can't get to us in person, stay tuned for the upcoming web series– you'll have to have your own oils, but you can benefit from the experience!


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and Bugging Out papers.
Are you all set for another fun Tiddly Inks challenge?!! oh goody because its time for a new one!! So, the next challenge is...
Have Heart!
Grab your favourite Tiddly Inks stamp or digital image and think along the lines of images/stamps with hearts, heart themed papers/ embellies, etc!
(**remember...We love to see any new creation, a card, 3D project, journal page etc
but you must use a Tiddly Inks stamp or image **)
So I got all buggy with those gorgeous little ladybirds in the Cute as a Bug clear stamp set....and of course, the matching Bugging Out papers just had to be broken out too!!!
Right, got to get my passion for promarkers post written up and then I am mostly going to mooch for the rest of the day. I am feeling a bit sad today so mooching and nice hot cups of lemon tea are going to perk me up..and of course Mo time too, a good snuggle from him should do the trick.


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VoiceOver Makes Apple Devices More Accessible Than Ever
Even though Apple's VoiceOver has been a part of the OS X operating system since 2005 and iOS since 2009, initially it wasn't that effective. Apple has improved VoiceOver drastically since then, leading Mark A. Riboccino (current president of the National Federation of the Blind) to state in a blog post that "Apple has done more for accessibility than any other company to date."
Apple's dedication to accessibility also earned the company a 2015 Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). This award is given to individuals and corporations who change perceptions about what it means to have a visual disability through either inspirational achievement or groundbreaking innovation.
Groundbreaking innovation? That sounds a lot like Apple.
What is VoiceOver?
VoiceOver is Apple's native screen reader software, which allows those with low vision to use all of Apple's products (including OS X computers, iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch, and Apple TV) through auditory description of items on the screen.
These items may include visible information (such as text and links), invisible information (such as HTML descriptions of images) and additional information requires to navigate the screen (like the number of menu options available to choose from).
Descriptions are read by Alex, known as "the voice of Mac." Alex is more than a simple text-to-speech generator – a lot of effort has gone into ensuring that he speaks as naturally as possible, by having the software analyze full paragraphs at a time (improving word pronunciation accuracy and nuanced intonation), and having Alex follow a natural breathing pattern by pausing between long sentences. Currently, Alex can communicate in over thirty languages.
What Sets Apple's Approach to Accessibility Apart?
"The right to live in the world has to include the right to live in the digital world."
– Dr. Marc Maurer (Past President, AFB)
There is no reason why individuals with any form of disability should be unable to access technology, and the tech world is gradually becoming accustomed to this concept when designing their products. Indeed, accessible technology can be a game changer These Assistive Technology Advances Will Transform Lives Read More for many individuals living with disabilities, as it can eliminate many of the barriers to participation that they may face.
While there are also accessibility apps available for Android Accessibility on Android: Make Your Device Easier to Use Android includes features to make sure that everyone can enjoy their phone. Even if you aren't disabled, the Accessibility menu holds some neat tricks to look into. Read More and other operating systems, there are several key features that help to set Apple's native accessibility apart from other tech giants.
Firstly, all of Apple's accessibility software is available on all of their devices for free. There is no need for users to download additional programs, pay extra fees, or access specific devices in order to use these accessibility features.
Secondly, Apple's VoiceOver is just one component out of their overall accessibility strategy. Both the Mac OS X and iOS devices offer an incredible number of accessibility features A Mac OS X Guide To Accessibility Features Mac OS X has a number of accessibility features built-in which can accommodate the needs of most users. Here's what they are, and what they do. Read More for individuals who have trouble with hearing, seeing, reading, motor skills, and more.
Apple also works to ensure that external accessibility devices How to Type & Click When You Can't Use a Mouse or Keyboard How do you use a computer when you're unable to use a standard mouse or keyboard? Using specially-adapted software, of course! Read More and third-party software have access to their native accessibility options. For example, Macs have pre-installed software for over 50 refreshable Braille displays, so that they can be used right out of the box. Furthermore, Braille display mirroring can be used to connect up to 32 Braille displays at once for meetings or presentations.
How Do You Use VoiceOver?
VoiceOver is incredibly easy to access:
- On Mac OS X: Press Command + F5 (no need to hold fn)
- On iOS: Press the Home Button three times Quickly (or visit: Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver)
- On Apple Watch: visit Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver > On
VoiceOver is controlled using gestures and keyboard combinations, and offers some really cool features, including the ability to handwrite letters on your phone or tablet's screen instead of using the on-screen keyboard, giving a verbal description of what your camera is seeing (e.g. "two faces"), and giving a verbal explanation of your location on Maps.
If you are interested in learning more about using VoiceOver:
- Webaim.org is a great resource for learning specific gestures and controls used to navigate VoiceOver.
- AppleVis is a community of Apple Users who are blind or low-vision that features blog posts, guides, reviews, podcasts, how-tos, and a forum revolving around the use of Apple's technologies in daily life.
- YouTube has some great tutorials that demonstrate how effectively VoiceOver can be, as you can see below.
Does VoiceOver Have Any Problems?
Of course, VoiceOver is still far from a perfect solution for those with low vision.
While VoiceOver works incredibly well with Apple's native apps (including Safari, Mail, and iMessages), many third-party apps remain inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. While AFB has lauded Apple's efforts towards accessibility, they have also continued to place pressure on Apple in an effort to increase the number of accessible apps available in the App Store.
Additionally, much like any software, there are still accessibility bugs present in VoiceOver. While some of these bugs are software based, others have to do with oversights in the design process. AppleVis keeps a list of all currently active and patched bugs on their website.
Accessibility features by their very nature cannot be one-size-fits-all, and Apple recognizes that – several pages in their Accessibility overview online ask users to submit any oversights or bugs to firstname.lastname@example.com or by phone at 877-204-3930.
What Apps Currently Work with VoiceOver?
Nearly all of Apple's native apps work almost seamlessly with VoiceOver. In addition, you should be able to access most of your computer's features while using VoiceOver because of the way that the computer software functions – it's the apps on iOS that tend to be the most inaccessible.
Apple does highlight other apps that have been programmed to work with VoiceOver on a distinct page in the iTunes Store [No Longer Available]. With that being said, there are several more apps designed for VoiceOver that are not highlighted on this page – Paths to Literacy has a list of several VoiceOver enabled apps including alarm clocks, calculators, games, and a GPS app.
In addition, Apple's website highlights third-party apps designed for accessibility that can enhance technology use for individuals with many different kinds of disability. Again, there are more iOS accessibility apps 10 iPhone and iPad Apps That Take Accessibility to the Next Level In the past, accessibility has been seen as optional or a nice "bonus" feature, but that view is outdated. Here are 10 apps that make life easier for a wide variety of iPhone users. Read More available than are listed on this website – this area of technology is developing quickly and there are many incredible innovations that can be discovered with a little research!
Why is Apple Obsessed With Accessibility?
It's hard to separate innovation from profit, but accessibility is one area where Apple has been vocal about their overall desire to do the right thing regardless of monetary gain, and Apple's leaders have been quite vocal about this.
"When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind, I don't consider the bloody ROI [return on investment] . . . [we do] a lot of things for reasons besides profit motive. We want to leave the world better than we found it."
– Tim Cook, Apple CEO
So far, it really looks like Apple is living up to their reputation of making their products accessible, and improving on this technology going forward. From creating one of the first effective touch-screen interfaces for those with vision loss, to providing a resource centre for those interested in modifying their app's design, and continuing to innovate new solutions to the barriers users with disability face when accessing technology.
Do you use any of Apple's accessibility features? I'd love to hear about your experience, and know what improvements you would make to the software that's currently available!
Related topics: Accessibility, OS X El Capitan, Text to Speech.
Affiliate Disclosure: By buying the products we recommend, you help keep the site alive. Read more.


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Kirk Cameron Is An Award-Winning Movie Actor Now
On Kirk Cameron's shelf of achievements, his Kids Choice Award and People's Choice Awards are about to get some company. The 35th annual Golden Raspberry Awards were shat out last night and the majority voted Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas as the biggest dingle that clung to Hollywood's dirty asshole hairs last year. Saving Christmas is not only known as the movie that makes Jesus cry and say to himself, "I blame myself for that shit show," but it's also now known as a multiple Razzie winner! As Leonardo DiCaprio dries his tears on a Victoria's Secret model's (or RiRi's) vagina lips while stroking his imaginary Oscar statue tonight, Kirk Cameron will be polishing his brand new Razzies. At least someone in the Growing Pains cast is winning awards.
Saving Christmas won Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Screenplay and Worst Screen Combo. Even though it won 4 awards, it didn't even come close to snatching away Jack & Jill's record of 10 wins. You'll be Jack & Jill next time, Kirk. If anyone can find a way to be worse, it's you. But still, Kirk should celebrate with a Subway sub!
He earned it!
After the cut are the rest of the winners. And after six nominations, Cameron Diaz was finally honored for her contribution to cinematic turds:
Worst Picture
"Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas"
"Left Behind"
"The Legend of Hercules"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
"Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"
Worst Director
Michael Bay, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"
Darren Doane, "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas"
Renny Harlin, "The Legend of Hercules"
Jonathan Liebesman, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
Seth Macfarlane, "A Million Ways to Die in the West"
Worst Actor
Kirk Cameron, "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas"
Nicolas Cage, "Left Behind"
Kellan Lutz, "The Legend of Hercules"
Seth Macfarlane, "A Million Ways to Die in the West"
Adam Sandler, "Blended"
Worst Supporting Actor
Mel Gibson, "Expendables 3″
Kelsey Grammer, "Expendables 3," "Legends of Oz," "Think Like a Man Too," "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"
Shaquille O'Neal, "Blended"
Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Expendables 3″
Kiefer Sutherland, "Pompeii"
Worst Actress
Drew Barrymore, "Blended"
Cameron Diaz, "The Other Woman" and "Sex Tape
Melissa McCarthy, "Tammy"
Charlize Theron, "A Million Ways to Die in the West"
Gaia Weiss, "The Legend of Hercules"
Worst Supporting Actress
Cameron Diaz, "Annie"
Megan Fox, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
Nicola Peltz, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"
Susan Sarandon, "Tammy"
Brigitte Ridenour (nee Cameron), "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas"
Worst Screenplay
"Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas," written by Darren Doane and Cheston Hervey
"Left Behind," screenplay by Paul LaLonde and John Patus, based on the novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
"Sex Tape," screenplay by Kate Angelo and Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller
"Transformers 4: Age of Extinction," written by Ehren Kruger, based on Hasbro's Transformers action figures
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," written by Evan Daugherty and Andre Nemec & Josh Applebaum, based on characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Worst Remake, Sequel, or Rip-off
"Atlas Shrugged #3: Who Is John Galt?"
"The Legend of Hercules"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"
"Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"
Worst Screen Combo
Any two robots, actors, or robotic actors, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"
Kirk Cameron and his ego, "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas"
Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, "Sex Tape"
Kellen Lutz and either his abs, his pecs, or his glutes, "The Legend of Hercules"
Seth Macfarlane and Charlize Theron, "A Million Ways to Die in the West"
Redeemer Award
Ben Affleck: From Razzie "Winner" for "Gigli" to Oscar darling for "Argo" and "Gone Girl"
Jennifer Aniston: From four-time Razzie nominee to SAG award nominee for "Cake"
Mike Myers: From Razzie "Winner" for "Love Guru" to Docu Director of "Supermensch"
Keanu Reeves: From six-time Razzie nominee to the critically acclaimed "John Wick"
Kristen Stewart: From six-time Razzie "Winner" for "Twilight" to the art house hit "Camp X-Ray"
Pic: @KirkCameron


text: BUSINESS Watts has passport for Col's 'Int'l' 5:00 AM PDT 7/17/2007 by Empty , AP FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Empty Naomi Watts has signed on to star opposite Clive Owen in "The International," an action thriller that Tom Tykwer is directing for Co-lumbia Pictures (HR 7/13). The film, scripted by Eric Singer, centers on an obsessive Interpol agent (Owen) who spearheads an investigation into one of the world's most high-profile and powerful banking institutions in an attempt to expose them for worldwide arms brokering, corruption and murder. Watts will play a Manhattan assistant district attorney who partners with the agent to take down the bank. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Empty firstname.lastname@example.com @thr AP email@example.com @thr


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Should You Quit Your Job to Care for a Loved One?
This Labor Day, we're calling attention to the millions of working Americans who have a second full-time job: providing care for an elderly parent, spouse or other loved one.
Regina felt like she was one of the working moms who "had it all," successfully balancing her demanding job while parenting two teens. And then, Dad had a stroke …
A 2016 study from the University of Buffalo shed light on an often-overlooked factor in the ongoing earnings gap between men and women. Said study author Sean Fahle, Ph.D., "As longevity increases, the need for elder care is growing, and the lion's share of that burden falls to women. And to give such care, many are forced to cut back on working or leave the workforce entirely."
Of course, working women are not the only ones to feel this effect. Today approximately one-third of caregivers are men. This is partly because of changing gender roles — but also because there are fewer caregivers to choose from when a senior experiences health problems. Said Fahle, "People are living longer, Alzheimer's is projected to increase, and meanwhile family sizes are shrinking, so the burden of caregiving is falling on fewer children."
Caregiving is costly. Last year the AARP reported that family caregivers spend an average of 20 percent of their income on caregiver costs. They also provide $470 billion worth of unpaid care each year. The AARP's Susan Reinhard told Kaiser Health News, "As technology increases and people live longer and live with more complex care needs, the family has been picking it up, not the formal healthcare system."
Working caregivers know this means that their careers can suffer. Employees feel torn between their caregiving tasks and their job duties. Said one caregiving son whose father is living at home with early-stage Alzheimer's disease, "When I'm at work, I'm worrying about Dad, and when I'm home taking care of Dad, I worry about my job." Caregivers often miss out on opportunities for advancement and travel. They use all their vacation time caring for their loved one, and sometimes must take unpaid leave. And workers who are in the "sandwich generation," with children still at home — or those who would dearly love to spend more time with their grandchildren — feel even more torn!
Providing care makes it less likely that a caregiver will have a secure retirement. The AARP reports that 25 percent of today's retirees left the workforce earlier than planned in order to provide care for an ill spouse or parent. They may have dipped into retirement accounts or taken out loans to pay for their loved one's needs. Leaving the workforce means these caregivers lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary, reduced Social Security benefits and pensions. Meanwhile, caregiving may have prevented them from building the social network of friends and neighbors who could provide informal support.
Caregivers are less likely to take care of their own health. There's an old saying: "Care for yourself so you'll be a better caregiver for your loved one." Working caregivers might well retort: "When?" Studies show caregivers are less likely to exercise, go to the doctor or get enough sleep. Paradoxically, working caregivers can feel lonely and isolated, rushing home from work to care for their loved one rather than socializing with co-workers or meeting a friend for a movie. The stress of caregiving puts them at higher risk of a host of health conditions — including Alzheimer's disease — and even can shorten their lives.
So … Would It Be Better to Quit?
After the umpteenth time of excusing themselves from a meeting because Mom is on the phone, caregivers cannot be blamed for thinking it would be best if they quit their job to avoid the conflicting claims on their time. But this is a decision to think through carefully, rather than acting on stress or guilt. "I can come back later," they might think — but studies show many caregivers have trouble re-entering the workforce. If your loved one has a life-limiting illness, taking a leave might be a good choice. But long-term caregivers should explore the alternatives and consider their options:
Talk to family. This should be your first step. Hold a family meeting with your siblings, adult children and other family members, and if possible, your loved one. Prepare a list of tasks you've been doing for your loved one, and present an estimate of money you're spending and time you are taking off from work. Other family members may be willing to take on more of the caregiving load. In some families, other family members reimburse the primary caregiver for providing care. For working caregivers, having family members chip in to cover the cost of professional care is often a better choice.
Explore options with your employer. Today, more employers realize that it's good business to support employees who are caring for elderly parents. According to the AARP, companies lose $33.6 billion each year to lost productivity due to employee caregiving responsibilities. So it's worth their while to offer caregiver support — and it's also a perk that helps them retain valuable employees who are often at the peak of their careers. Talk to your employer about family leave, flex time, telecommuting and job sharing. Some companies offer care manager services to help caregiver employees access services and support. Some even offer emergency backup adult caregiving.
Call in professionals. Consider hiring a geriatric care manager (now known as an aging life care professional) to meet with your family and help you learn about available services and benefits to which your loved one may be entitled. Professional in-home care also can be a good solution to simultaneously protect your loved one's health and your career. These professionals provide personal care, such as assistance with bathing, dressing and grooming. They perform light housekeeping, prepare meals, and can transport your loved one to doctor appointments and social opportunities, keeping your loved one active, engaged and connected with the community. When a trustworthy, skilled caregiver is with your loved one, you can focus on your work when you're at work — and spend more time doing things you and your loved one enjoy when you're together. Home care can be an excellent investment to help working caregivers continue their paid work and protect their financial well-being.
Join a support group. Nobody understands what a caregiver is going through better than other caregivers! Support groups provide emotional support, information sharing and companionship for caregivers, in a nonjudgmental setting. Some support groups are for caregivers whose loved one is living with a specific health condition, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart failure or stroke. Support groups offer reassurance that you're not alone — and even provide a good laugh now and again.
For information on topics related to home care and healthcare, visit our Home Care and Healthcare Advocacy group on LinkedIn.
Right at Home, Inc. is a national organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those we serve. We fulfill that mission through a dedicated network of locally owned providers of in home care services.


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