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From an engine rebuild to replacement services, Car Tech of Lafayette will get your engine up and running in no time!
Car Tech of Lafayette provides honest and trustworthy transmission services. Whatever service you're in need of, we have covered you.
We have been providing superior auto repair services at the best rates in the Lafayette, IN area for many years. So call us today!
We are locally-owned, experienced, authorized, and certified professionals.


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PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) – Dropping the ball was something Emmanuel Sanders was very familiar with during his time with the Steelers, now he appears to be dropping the ball in the figurative sense as well.
As reported on by Pro Football Talk, Sanders talked with 104.3 The Fan in Denver and built up his current Quarterback, Peyton Manning, by tearing down his old one.
Sanders called Manning "a far better leader," because of the time he puts in after practice and working with his wide receivers.
Sanders added that he has "so much love for Ben (Roethlisberger)," but went on to say he's happy to have Peyton Manning as his Quarterback.
During his time with the Steelers, the former 3rd round pick never lived up to expectations, recording just 161 catches for 2,030 yards and 11 touchdowns over 4 seasons.
After not re-signing Sanders when his contract expired, the Steelers lost their former wideout to the Broncos as they offered him a three-year, $15 million contract with $6 million guaranteed.
Stay tuned to 93-7 The FAN for all the latest coverage of Steelers training camp.
More Sports From The Fan
Like The Fan On Facebook
Follow The Fan On Twitter

subset: commoncrawl


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Why choose UEF?
Thinking about studying in Finland? A smart decision.
Thinking about studying at UEF? An even smarter decision.
Finland is a safe, clean and technology-driven country which, as a member of the European Union, actively promotes democracy, the rule of law and human rights. The Finnish education system enjoys world-wide recognition for its excellence. In Finland, education is regarded as a fundamental right and the Finnish education policy emphasises equal opportunities for all.
The Internet is overflowing with information about Finland and Finnish education, and here you'll find some of our favourite picks for learning more about your future study destination!
- The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has a nice portal, This is Finland, on everything you should and shouldn't know about Finland.
- For those preferring a more touristy approach to what Finland has to offer, the Official Travel Site of Finland is the site to read.
- Of course, Wikipedia also has a lot of information about Finland.
- The website of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, on the other hand, is the best source of information when it comes to Finnish education and the education policy of Finland.
- One final site worth visiting is definitely Study in Finland, a portal catering for the needs of international students in particular.
So, we've convinced you that Finland is an excellent choice for you to pursue your academic ambitions? Now let us do the same for the University of Eastern Finland!
The University of Eastern Finland, UEF, is one of the largest universities in Finland. UEF has an attractive and multidisciplinary academic offering comprising 13 different fields of study, and we offer a wide range of programmes and courses taught in English for international students. Our internationally recognised research is built around global challenges that touch the lives of many. We are also one of the best universities in Finland: in 2018, we were ranked #49th in the THE 100 Under 50 ranking by Times Higher Education, and we frequently appear among the world's leading 300 universities in the main ranking lists.
We have some 15,500 degree students studying at UEF, and our beautiful campuses in Joensuu and Kuopio are home to a nice mix of Finnish and international students. The atmosphere is international, yet Finnish, and the compact nature of our campuses makes it easy for students to mix and mingle across disciplines. We offer our students a wide range of services aiming to facilitate their studies and everyday life here in Finland.
We take pride in being a student-centred university, and it is our strategic goal to offer our students the best academic learning environments in Finland!
To learn more about UEF, we encourage you to explore the university, to read about our research activities, and of course to find out about what's it like to study with us. Our Practical Guides for International Students will also answer many of your questions, and please feel free to contact us in case any of your questions remain unanswered.
You may also want to check out some of the webinars given by Finland University in the autumn of 2017. Just click on the link and give your name and email address to view the webinars!
27 September 2017: Quality of life in Finland: What it's like to study in the member universities of Finland University
25 October 2017: Costs of studying in Finland, scholarships and cutting costs while studying: Tips and advice
22 November 2017: How to apply to the partner universities of Finland University: Application and admission process
20 December 2017: Life after graduation: Mapping out career possibilities or opting to go for a PhD?
Hope to see you here next year!


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Book of Abstracts: Albany 2011
Albany 2011
Conversation 17
June 14-18 2011
©Adenine Press (2010)
Transcription-associated Mutagenesis and Top1 Activity in Budding Yeast
High levels of transcription stimulate both homologous recombination and mutagenesis in yeast, and do so by multiple mechanisms (1). Using the CAN1 gene fused to the GAL1 promoter, a novel, 2-5 bp deletion signature associated with high levels of transcription has been identified. These deletions accumulate at discrete hotspots that coincide with short tandem repeats of the same size, and are completely dependent on the activity of Top1 (2, 3). Top1 is a type 1B topoisomerase that nicks DNA, forming a reversible intermediate with the enzyme covalently attached at the nick via a 3' phosphotyrosyl linkage (4). We propose that the deletions reflect the processing of a Top1 cleavage product generated during the removal of transcription-associated supercoils. To study the genetic control of deletion formation, individual 2-bp deletions hotspots have been transplanted into a frameshift reversion assay where they can be studied in isolation. In this much more sensitive system, Top1-dependent deletions are observed even under low-transcription conditions. Because of the similarity of the Top1-dependent deletion signature to that recently associated with a failure to remove ribonucleotides (rNMPs) from genomic DNA (an RNase H2-deficient background; ref. 5), we have explored whether there is any relationship between the two. We find that rNMP-initiated deletions that accumulate in the absence of RNase H2 require the activity of Top1. This suggests a model in which presence of an rNMP at the scissile phosphate leads to an irreversible Top1 cleavage product (6) that is subsequently processed into a deletion intermediate. While all rNMP-initiated deletions appear to require Top1, there are subclasses of Top1-dependent deletions that are not elevated in the absence of RNase H2. We propose that rNMP-independent deletions reflect processing of a reversible Top1 cleavage intermediate that becomes trapped on DNA. Finally, we demonstrate that there is a synergistic relationship between rNMP-associated deletions and high levels of transcription, suggesting that rNMP levels within genomic DNA can be influenced by transcriptional status.
This work has been supported by NIH grants GM38464 and GM93197 awarded to SJR.
Nayun Kim
Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology


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Easy Chicken and Noodle SoupFrom elle55 12 years ago
- 1 12-0z pkg frozen egg noodles OR your noodle recipe shopping list
- 5-6 cups water shopping list
- 5 tsp chicken bouillon granules or to taste OR use chicken stock to replace water shopping list
- 2 1/2 tsp minced onion shopping list
- 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken OR 10 oz (2 5-oz cans) chicken shopping list
- 1 1/4 tsp parsley flakes shopping list
- Fresh sliced vegetables or frozen vegetables for soup as desired. shopping list
How to make it
- place water or stock, chicken, onion and parsley in large saucepan or Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
- Add bouillion granules if not using stock and dissolve granules.
- Drop in frozen noodles and stir to separate. Simmer 40 minutes, adding more liquid as needed.
- Add vegetables as desired. Continue to simmer another 10-20 minutes until vegetables are warmed.
People Who Like This Dish 2
- Elle551 Nowhere, Us
- refugeesrecipelisting Global, CA
- sharyl4 Mohave Valley, AZ
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- Show up here?Review or Bookmark it! ✔


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Bristol Boxkites — 100 years after the start of the Royal Australian Air Force (1 of the 700)
Bristol Boxkites at Point Cook: Project 2014 Commemorating the Centenary of Australian Military Aviation 1914–2014, Ron Gretton AM (Group Captain RAAF ret.) Geoff Matthews (Wing Commander RAAF ret.) James Kightly, 2014, ISBN 978-0-646-91606-4, 80 pp.
This is a unique book about a unique event.
It is an elegant book about a beautiful event.
It is about the fruit of Project 2104 which is a flying replica of the Australian military's first aircraft and to fly that replica on the centennial of Australian military aviation in March 2014.
This is the story of the Bristol Boxkite (especially the military version with extended upper wings) and how a few men with a handful of sponsors built a flying replica Boxkite (slightly modernized for the sake of safety) from the floor up.
The book is written well and the photographs are uniformly outstanding. Many are historic and many are of the replica Boxkite in flight but nicely intermixed are large images of intimate angles and details. The writing of this book is a continued act of devotion to the building of this 21st Century Boxkite and accomplished in a manner which can hardly be surpassed.
Bristol Boxkites at Point Cook opens with a forward written by Peter Scully, AO — no less than a retired Air Vice-Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force — and builds upward throughout the next 100 pages.
Rare historic photographs greatly aid the description of the Bristol Boxkite history as well as modification for its military use in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) — including a pilot's perspective of the Gnome rotary engine (which was installed as a pusher but with the propeller in front of the engine).
The book then segues into the engineering and construction of the flying replica of Project 2014. The first problem was drafting the plans, as none exist from the original, then the engineering decisions made are knowingly discussed. Why the modern Rotec R2800 modern radial engine was selected for this aircraft (modern manufacturers of Orberursel and Gnome rotary engines are named, however, such is the depth of detail in the writing), for example.
The options of using 5/32" (3.969mm), 1/16" (1.6mm), 5/64" (2.0mm) and 3/32" (2.5mm) wire gauges are described since weight and strength are always balanced with an aircraft. Similarly so is the use of which wood species and where — they are:
Australian alpine ash Silver ash Sitka spruce Queensland maple Douglas fir (also known as Oregon pine)
The flying of this Boxkite from the words of the pilot, Air-Vice Marshal Mark Skidmore AM (ret.), is a vivid report — as are the pages written of the major participants. Two appendices are more than complete for the use by historians, as well.
This book, with its pleasing format about twice the height of a National Geographic magazine and a bit wider, with its excellent writing and world-class photography must belong in most libraries (both public and private). There were only 700 printed though so do not tarry, especially at its surprisingly low cost — this book supports Project 2014 but is intended to be affordable to most readers (such is the ethic of those at the heart of Project 2104). Get a copy, get a copy as a gift — but get a copy before they are gone here.


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There are never too many elephant patterns in the IraRott® family. Baby elephants are the the world's clumsiest, cutest, and my favorite animals of all! Our "Josefina and Jeffery" pattern collection is growing rapidly & I hope to continue designing more and more adorable elephant patterns in the years to come. It is hard to believe that we have already published 7 Crochet Patterns inspired by Elephants!!! I was very proud when I finished my Crochet Elephant Rug last year…it is still one of my most favorite patterns at IraRott.com
What could be better than cuddling up with a new elephant cushion on your favorite elephant rug? Josefina & Jeffery Crochet Pillow Pattern has recently been released & is so adorable!
Elephant Rug and Pillow Crochet Patterns
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The cutest things in the animal kingdom are babies. They bring joy and excitement to their families. Are you expecting a new addition? Here are a few IraRott® Crochet Elephant Patterns you may be interested in.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7ABIM2qjUNelson Scanner, Billboard, Every Recored music outlet have revealed the most successful black artists of all time and so far the top 4 have been revealed. The top 4 consists of 2 livings singers and 2 late singers, Coming in at number 1 is Michael Jackson number 2 is Mariah Carey and in at 3 is Whitney Houston and taking number 4 is the most shocking of all Rihanna. Combined these 4 have sold over a billion records their are all legends in but what is surprising that Rihanna is gained all this success in less than 9 years and is sitting up there with legends twice her age at only 26 years old. According to sources by the time she is Mariah age of 44 years old riri could be the most successful black artist of all time. Over here at swagonlock we expected riri to be in top 10 and Beyonce to be ahead of her but that anit the case so it's clear as of 2014 Rihanna is the most successful black artist of all time. Reasons been she is young and is set to out last Carey and the other two artists are sadly dead. So more power to her amazing !!!
Legends: Four Most Successful Black Artists Ever Are Revealed!
52.642620 -1.169046


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Operating since 2006 with over 15 years of TV Screen experience and a passion for people, Exposure Talent and Model Agency represents a comprehensive range of professional talent: Models, Actors, Hosts, Extras & Features of all ages and ethnicities for films, TVCommercials, stills, media, publications, and events.
Subbing ACTORS now for upcoming filming in NZ in March/April. Get in touch to be included :) Dismiss


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Anonymous thoughts
In Sunday's paper, we had an unsigned letter I thought was not to be published.
It was from a "pick-and-choose" author who would lead us to believe he/she was a follower of Christ.
The author quotes from Exodus and Deuteronomy about not committing adultery, and then they proceed to support same-sex marriage. Maybe if the author looked at the first book of the Bible, the command of God to Adam and Eve (not Adam and Steve) would have stood out also: "Be fruitful and multiply."
Also in the picking of scripture, the mention of Matthew is made but the only quote is from Mark 10:11. In Mark 10:6-7, Jesus says: "From the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife."
About referencing Matthew (chapter 19): While the author speaks of Jesus "clearly" reinforcing the law concerning divorce, they omitted in Matthew 19:9 Jesus says, "Whosoever shall put away his wife except for fornication, and shall marry another, commmitteth adultery." (Understood, another woman ... wife). It appears Jesus allowed for re-marriage here.
There was one truth in the unsigned letter: Jesus didn't say anything about gay marriage. It wasn't practiced. He also didn't say anything about movies and Hollywood exactly, but ... . So that leads us to what? Jesus does not approve of adultery. He told the woman who was caught in the very act, "Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more."
We all fall short of what Jesus wants of us. But He does not want us to embrace sin. We should see it for what it is and avoid it.
Now to address the unsigned point. If one has the belief of their convictions, it seems a signature would underscore those beliefs. The author mentions "my adulterous employees" and "my constitutional right to run my business." However, the supporting statement to remain un-named contains the following: "might reflect negatively on my employer."
Those do not balance. The Hays Daily must have overlooked something.
If you are a follower, you need to count the costs and be aware not everyone is going to agree with you. If you're not a believer, it shouldn't matter what we think.
John Pyle


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Canadel's reputation for quality may be the major contributor to their success but that's not all they are about. Beyond quality, stand their beliefs and best practices. They believe that wood is a noble material and they treat it as such by protecting it with catalyzed lacquers and enforcing environmentally-friendly practices to protect the environment in which it grows. They also hand-finish most parts so you can enjoy authentic workmanship. When you purchase a Canadel piece, you can be sure that the people who built it for you put their heart and soul in each step of the entire process.
Manufacturer Details
We've always considered wood as a noble material and this is reflected in the final quality of all our products. Through all phases of production, we maintain a respect for nature and the many years that have gone into growing the wood we use. All our cardboard packaging is made from recycled fibers and we distill and reuse all paint residues in our production. Since 1982, the Canadel vision has endured - offering personalized products tailored to meet the specific needs of each customer's home. Horizon Furniture Store (HTCStores.com) is the best place to shop for Canadel Furniture. Contact us today via phone, email or live chat and have all your questions and concerns answer.
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|This item ships with UPS/ Fed-Ex or freight. As soon as the items ship you will receive tracking information. The freight carriers will have your information and will call to schedule a delivery date. Someone must be home to accept freight shipments.
|Canadel warrants its materials and workmanship for a period of one year following the date of delivery to the retailer. If a defect appears within this time, they will take the following steps to correct it.
If a manufacturing defect does exist, it will be repaired. If repair is impracticable, Canadel will replace the product with merchandise of equal type and quality. You will not be charged for any repairs or replacement of furniture caused by a manufacturing defect.
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Customer Showcase
Photo courtesy of: Tuna Studio Architecture, Oxnard, CA
Photo courtesy of: Tuna Studio Architecture, Oxnard, CA
Love Our Breuer Chairs! "We inherited four Breuer chairs and just love them. However, we needed to source two more to complete our dining room set. The Breuer Chair Company was the perfect solution! They have a large inventory of styles and parts to add to your collection or care for those already in your possession. For example, we purchased two armless side chairs to re-purpose as end chairs for optimal space and flow. In addition, one of our vintage Breuers has some weakened caning -- we are in the process of deciding whether to ask The Breuer Chair Company to repair it or simply replace the seat altogether. The point is, we now have options! Delivery was fast. Service was excellent, and assembly was a snap. Without hesitation, we would recommend The Breuer Chair Company to others. Thank you!"
Alex B., Chicago, IL


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By Wassim Bassem for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.
The Karbala Provincial Council announced March 3 the formation of a committee to follow up on the issue of adding the city — which is home to about 300 archaeological sites — to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.
The Fortress of al-Ukhaidir (built in 778) was included on the UNESCO agenda during a July 2016 meeting. The site, however, did not meet all the conditions and was not considered for the list.
The council also hopes to include Caesar's Church, which is located 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Karbala, to the list of World Heritage sites since it is the oldest eastern church in history.
It was built in the fifth century, more than 120 years before the emergence of Islam. Today, the church is considered of exceptional importance as it represents a Christian landmark, and promotes shared living and cultural coexistence in an Islamic milieu.
The council also seeks to add to the list al-Tar Caves, located 45 kilometers (27 miles) southwest of Karbala. These rocky formations date back to 1300 B.C. and are believed to have served as a passage for people who used to roam the Iraqi desert heading toward neighboring countries.
Khan al-Utaishi is also nominated for the list of World Heritage sites. It is one of the many archaeological khans, such as Khan al-Nakheel and Khan al-Rabeh. It was established during the Ottoman rule in Iraq (1532-1918) and served as a rest house for travelers from Baghdad and Karbala all the way to Najaf, 160 kilometers (99 miles) south of Baghdad.


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Well, Elizabeth and I have had a very exciting past few days! A lot has been going on, both with field work and around McMurdo.
We've taken several trips to new places in the field!
Earlier in the week, we traveled to Lake Hoare. This lake is also in the Taylor Valley, between Lake Fryxell and Lake Bonney, where we've been spending most of our time. We wanted to see if any cool moss forests were growing around Lake Hoare. Elizabeth was very happy, because she found some! We also measured soil respiration for the full 24 hours that we were there. This way, we know exactly how active the critters living in the soil are at different periods of the day. Staying at Lake Hoare also means that we get to hang out out with the camp manager, Rae. She lives at Lake Hoare all season to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the Valley for the scientists. She also is a great cook and very good at Boggle!
I also traveled around to upgrade all of our "met" stations. These are electronic equipment that live in certain locations all year to measure soil properties at regular time intervals. The little boxes have probes that go into the soil to measure moisture and temperature, which are useful pieces of information when we interpret the data we collect each field season. This type of information is called "metadata" (hence the name "met" stations). Once a year, we go around to these stations to download the data they've recorded all year, and replace the batteries. This is what I like to call the "Metstravaganza!" I serviced these stations with my friend Hassan at many places I've already been, but also at one new location: Beacon Valley. Beacon Valley is farther inland than Taylor Valley, and looks quite different. The soils are very red and volcanic, and there are no streams or lakes running through it. It felt like I was landing on Mars! Since it's farther inland, it's also colder. It was very sunny, but still -10 degrees Celsius.
Today, we went to Marshall Valley, which is farther southwest of where we usually work. We were looking for mosses, since we didn't know if any grew there. We walked for hours without finding any, but we found a small patch just before the helo came to pick us up and take us home! But, it was a beautiful walk, even if we didn't find many mosses. It had just snowed there, so the valley was covered with a beautiful dusting of snow.
We've been flying a lot this week for our various day trips. We've flown a lot with a great pilot named Dustin, who has been explaining to us everything we want to know about the physics of flying a helicopter and how to navigate. We were given this website to help practice our flight skills. You can practice, too!
In town, there's also a lot of excitement. The various big ships are starting to arrive to bring supplies and fuel to McMurdo. The coolest ship is the Gianella, which is the supply ship that brings all of the fuel McMurdo will need for the next year. The Gianella has the coolest two Captains, Bob and Rob, who took us on a tour of their boat. We got to see the 5-story engine room that gives the Gianella her 15,000 horse power. We also walked the 608-foot deck. Here's a picture of Elizabeth and I at the stern, looking out over the Ross Sea (taken by Capt. Rob himself!):
There was also a research vessel in town: the Nathaniel B. Palmer (nicknamed Natty P). This is a boat that travels to Antarctica each year, so that marine biologists aboard can conduct scientific studies along the way. The boat has a lot of equipment that monitors all sorts of water properties, which the scientists can read from the TV's in their bedrooms. Here's a picture of Elizabeth sitting proudly in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Palmer:
We also toured the Waste Water Treatment Plant at McMurdo (because we were curious!). We got to see how all of the water produced by people living at McMurdo is treated. All sewage comes into this building, where microbes consume the waste material to eliminate the carbon and nitrogen. They purify the water as much as possible. The purified water is then separated from any remaining "sludge". The clean water is pumped back into the Ross Sea, while the sludge is collected, compressed, boxed up and shipped back to the US for disposal. I don't have any pictures of the waste water plant, but it was certainly interesting!
Elizabeth and I are coming to the end of our stay in Antarctica. Today's trip to Marshall was our last flight out to the Dry Valleys. The next several days will be spent cleaning up the lab, packing up our samples to send back to Dartmouth, returning our gear (and probably playing a little bit with the helicopter simulator...).
Friday, February 1, 2008
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Looks like I forgot to enable the startup scripts to actually start at server startup. Should be good now
Will do Thanks Epi
I just checked ingame, the Servers are online and have been for more than 12 hours. You might wanna try to connect via battlemetrics, the ip might have
They're down. Actually they've been down since the last time. It had an update when it was brought back up
New Minecraft snapshot version is: 1.16.2-rc1.
Fixed issues:
[MC-197275] Due to changes to walls, "pack_format: 5" is not
New Minecraft snapshot version is: 1.16.2-pre3.
Fixed issues:
[MC-197218] Piston arm appears twice during retraction in some mechanisms


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Twenty beefsteaks found their forever spots in the ground behind my garage this week. Five days later, they've retained every bit of sturdiness. I think it's safe to say they're happy. The cage is constructed entirely of scrap plastic fence, chicken wire, and piping from a broken clothes hanging rack and shovel. (Ya never know when those broken parts may come in handy!)
The beets took up in the newly freed beefsteak pots yesterday morning. They are much happier now, joining the peppers and carrots.
The brandywine tomatoes are as big as they're going to get in their pots. I've got a dozen fruit growing on each. A half dozen cherry tomatoes appeared overnight. I spied a baby pickle yesterday along with some new zucchinis. The blooms are beautiful.
That's the good news. The bad is that I killed my purple coneflower and butterfly weed sprouts with too much moisture, and I had no time to try bread recipes (mostly because I'd rather be messing with the flowerbeds, which I said I would leave alone but can't). So, I will buy the plants early next season, and I think I will wait 'til winter for the baking. It's just not going to happen during the hottest part of the summer without a bread machine. I think I better study up on freezing and canning for the next few weeks in addition to maintaining my veggies.


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Wow! What an amazing day! 12 lucky children from Wyburns School were given the opportunity to take part in a one day workshop with the London Community Gospel Choir. These professionals have worked alongside some of the most famous artists of our time, including Tom Jones, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Adele and many many more!
The children worked really hard as part of a huge choir comprised of local primary and secondary school pupils. They were expertly introduced to a selection of new songs and learnt 3 part harmonies as well as the odd dance move!
To showcase all they had learnt, the children took part in an evening concert at the Palace Theatre in Southend. Pupils, teachers and parents alike were treated to a number of songs performed by the LCGC. Everyone was astounded by the talent and energy on the stage!
We were then given the opportunity to join the choir on stage to perform some of the songs we had learnt during the workshop. Our very own Moss Lunn even took the role of a lead vocalist during a very special rendition of 'Something Inside So Strong'. We were very proud of him.
An amazing experience with an amazing group of children.
All website content copyright © Wyburns Primary School
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If you're looking to add more iron and Vitamin B to your diet, try eating more beef liver. While beef liver can be quite tough, calf liver will be more tender than that from an older cow. However, if you can't find calf liver or you want to tenderize the beef liver even further, try soaking it in milk for at least two hours before you cook it.
Place your beef liver in a bowl. Make sure you choose a bowl that is large enough for the liver to lay flat and high enough for the milk to completely cover it.
Pour milk into the bowl over top of the beef liver. Continue pouring until you have completely covered the liver. It doesn't matter what type of milk you use.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in your fridge.
Remove the bowl from the fridge after at least two hours. If you know your beef liver is particularly tough, leave it in the fridge for another hour.
Remove the plastic wrap from around the bowl. Remove the beef liver and rinse it in lukewarm water.
Pat the beef liver dry with a cloth and prepare it for cooking.


text: Taliban attacks have sharply increased in recent months [AFP] "We don't have progress as evenly or as fast as many of us would like, but we are not losing Afghanistan," he said. Deadly attacks His comments came as up to 100 Taliban fighters were reportedly killed in two separate battles with international coalition forces in southern Afghanistan, officials said. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said fierce fighting erupted after Taliban fighters attacked an Afghan security force base on the outskirts of the town of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. Isaf said the attack took place on Saturday. According to Afghan authorities, the fighting started at around midnight and lasted for approximately three hours. Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan, reporting from Kabul, said that an Afghan official based in Lashkar Gah described the attack as the "worst fighting he's ever seen in the town". Captain Mark Windsor, an Isaf spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that the military "does not do body counts"."We do not try to figure out the number of insurgents killed ... once you get into the details or try to guess a number, then things might be different to what you said at the beginning," he said. "What we do know is that this was a planned attack against the Afghan base, where they had tried to take over the compound. What followed was an operation to battle these insurgents."Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Helmand government, said 64 Taliban fighters were killed.But that could not be independently verified and journalists are not able to travel to the remote and dangerous battle sites. Second battleIn a second battle, in Helmand, Afghan and international troops retook the Nad Ali district centre - which had been held by fighters - during a three-day fight, Ahmadi said. That battle, which also involved air strikes, ended on Saturday and resulted in the death of 40 Taliban fighters, officials said.Afghan police and soldiers were now in control of the district centre. Nato said its aircraft bombed fighters after they were seen gathering for a major attack, killing "multiple enemy forces". "If the fighters planned a spectacular attack prior to the winter, this was a spectacular failure," Richard Blanchette, an Isaf spokesman, said.Helmand is the largest drug-producing area in the world, and the region alone accounts for more than half of Afghanistan's production of opium poppies. More than 90 per cent of the world's opium is produced in Afghanistan, and up to $100m of the trade's profits are used to finance the Taliban. The violence has killed more than 4,700 people this year, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western and Afghan officials. SOURCE: Al Jazeera and agencies


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Labor market, digital skills, spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship. These are the themes of Social Hackathon Umbria (SHU). The third edition of the digital marathon, together with many collateral events, has invaded Foligno from 5 to 8 July 2018, bringing experts, tech lovers and innovation enthusiasts from all over Europe in the town.
The event is organized by the Centro Studi Città di Foligno, in collaboration with 7 European projects managed by different organisations and schools of the Umbria Region. "A national and European level event that wants to keep the attention focused on issues related to young people and their integration into the labour market by increasing their skills in the digital field". - says Mario Margasini, president of the Centro Studi - "The digital marathon, the workshops and meetings organized in these days also want to contribute, through different experiences, to the creation of a smart Umbrian community".
Work, participation and entrepreneurship are the themes at the center of the 2018 challenges. Six teams have worked non-stop for 48 hours to create concrete digital products. More than 250 people participated at #SHU2018, including 30 international participants from Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Greece, Belgium and Romania. At the event there were also 20 young people from all over Umbria who had taken part in free training courses on advanced digital skills, 10 representatives from the youth cooperation field, coming from different Italian organizations and 30 young refugees and asylum seekers who were trained as e-facilitators in collaboration with Caritas and Arci. During the same days, in Umbria, at Bevagna, the annual national event of the Stati Generali dell'Innovazione was held and the participants were present at SHU.
There are three thematic areas on which the challenges of SHU2018 have emerged: B-KIDS, B-YOUTHS and B-WORK. For each area, two ideas were selected and developed by the six teams of hackers led by expert team managers.
Over 70 hackers from various parts of Europe and Italy met in Foligno to work on six digital projects, divided into three challenges: B-Kids, B-Youths and B-Work. 48 hours at their disposal to design, develop and present an innovative digital solution: a true full immersion of programming, coding, 3D and graphic design and contents' creation. Two nights and two days of uninterrupted work that led them to deliver the final products. Many prizes to be won for an event that aims above all at the development of cooperation and teamwork.
For the B-Kids category, the B-TEaCH! project was awarded, an interactive digital game to develop the orientation of the students and a tool that teachers of all levels can customize and use in their learning processes. The team manager of the winning team were Filippo Zordan and a group of teachers from the Slovenian organization Simbioza.
For the B-Youths category, the Click'n'chat project won, an app that will allow young job seekers to connect with volunteers able to support them; the team was captained by Thomas Vandriessche, from the French organization WeTechCare and Giuseppe Arrigo.
For the B-Work category two very high-level projects were presented and for the jury it was really difficult to choose the winner. The award was finally assigned to the ecOpp team, an application to facilitate communication and economic and social exchange in ecovillages. The team manager of the winning team is the developer Alberto Fecchi and the creator of the project is Leonor Alfonso, from the Swiss organization Ynternet.org.
In addition, Davide Ceccarelli has been awarded as "Best 3D storyteller", Marcello Perrone as "Best coding Project" and the pair Andrea Emili and Nicola Pioli won the "Best Graphic designt" award. Many curious, passionate and members of the Stati Generali dell'Innovazione have visited the Hackathon. The social evaluation results were then taken over by the jury that made the final assessment. The jury was chaired by Emma Pietrafesa from the coordinating committee of the Stati Generali dell'Innovazione.
#SHU2018 is not an event for experts only: while hackers have been working on the development of ideas, many side-events have been opened to all, such as workshops, conferences and the Play Zone – an area for everyone, a space to immerse yourself in the future – where, of course, it was possible to play but also to try and discover augmented reality, virtual reality, kinect technology, 3D printing and much more. Furthermore, on Saturday 7 July, the area reserved for the teams was open to the public. Enthusiasts and curious people had the opportunity to enter the work area to get to know the hackers, preview the projects and ask questions.
Many events for just one Hackathon. The official opening of the event took place on Thursday 5 July, but in the previous days some preliminary appointments were held. On Monday 2 July, the Erasmus+ Brights project it has been presented focusing on Global Citizenship Education and digital storytelling. Wednesday 4 was the time for the presentation of the RefugeesIN project, about social inclusion of refugees through cinema literacy, with the screening of the documentaries made during the project itself. Then, from Thursday evening at 20:00, the teams went to work and the collateral events allowed many to deepen different topics in the digital and entrepreneurial field. On Friday 6 July, a round table was held, organized together with the Municipality of Foligno, "Towards the Digipass Foligno". In the afternoon, the Youthwork HD project was presented and a Lego Serious Play workshop was held. The morning of Saturday 7 July was deiecated to the Science Girls project and a CoderDojo laboratory. The last Saturday appointment was the one with the EPALE Italian Unit and StartUp Grind Foligno for a meeting on adult learning and entrepreneurial skills.
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Making Disciples, Raising Up Saints & Transforming Communities for Christ
by The Rev. Mark Allen, Rector, Episcopal Church of St. Martin, DavisThe Commission on Intercultural Ministries is holding an Anti-Racism Training on Saturday, July 16, 2016 from 8:30 a.m.
by Mary Mussell, President, Daughters of the King of The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California; Member, St. Francis' Episcopal Church, Fair Oaks The Order of the Daughters of the King will have their Spring Assembly on Monday, April 16, 2016, from 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
by the Very Rev. Daniel Green, Rector, St. John's Episcopal Church, Petaluma; Dean, Russian River Deanery The Russian River Deanery will host its Spring Convocation on Saturday, April 16, 2016 from 9:30 a.m.
by the Rev. Lucretia Jevne, President, Episcopal Community Services and Priest-in-Partnership, St. Brigid's, Rio Vista Episcopal Community Services (ECS) is pleased to announce the success of our 2014 Advent Appeal!
by the Rev. Lewis Powell, Indigenous Ministries Missioner, Episcopal Diocese of Northern California; Deacon, Emmanuel, Grass Valley The Annual Province VIII Winter Talk, sponsored by the Indigenous Peoples Network of Province VIII, will be held the weekend of January 16-18, 2015 at Harrah's Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. This year, the focus will be on indigenous women in leadership. The deadline for registration for this event is Friday, December 19, 2014.
by Sierra Service Project This school year marks Sierra Service Project's fifth year of offering Weekends of Service for local youth groups. Each weekend starts on Friday evening and ends on Sunday afternoon. Weekend projects range from full group community service activities to standard repair projects.
by Saint Francis, Fair Oaks On Friday, May 16, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Saint Francis Church in Fair Oaks there will be a concert to celebrate the 30 years that Saint Francis has committed to their recovery ministry. The concert is free, with a free-will offering to their Fair Oaks neighbor Clean and Sober Living.
by St. John's, Roseville St. John's Episcopal Church in Roseville has scheduled a second community concert in their 2014 series, and you are invited!
by St. James Church, Lincoln On February 16, 2014 Bishop Beisner visited and offered blessings to the congregation (and building and grounds) at St. James' Episcopal Church in Lincoln.
© 2013 The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California.
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Face Off, the reality competition series featuring special effects make-up artists, has been picked up for a second season, Syfy announced Wednesday.
"With strikingly intense personalities and creatively stunning challenges, Face Off has ignited viewers' imaginations, making it Syfy's best unscripted franchise launch ever," said Mark Stern, Syfy president of original content and co-head of original content at Universal Cable Productions. "We look forward to another exciting season showcasing some of the best special effects make-up talent in the country."
Check out the rest of today's news
During its first season, Face Off averaged 1.43 million viewers. Casting for the series, which airs its Season 1 finale on Wednesday (10/9c), will begin later this month.


text: Dolphin Graphics is a full-service branding agency located in the San Francisco Bay Area. We work with and are experienced in every medium to ensure that we can maximize your brand exposure. We work with all types of clients. No one is too big or too small. Let us help you achieve your branding goals.


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My biological twin sister is going to be in Seattle for a day, one day, the same day that Rabbit was going to surprise me for a birthday present,
which happened to land in the middle of my Christmas present from my thoughtful boyfriend to visit my bride in Hawaii. That's almost all of my favorite people. It's a lot of stars trying really hard to align, but it seems they are off balance. Maybe the universe should try my hot yoga class (that I stopped going to in July because I'm really lazy).
I am still trying to wrap my head around it. Thank you stars, for gracing me with these girls that I love!
I actually sat in bed thinking about it this morning, trying to figure out how I met my twin, which is not something that most twins have ever thought about. We don't have the same parents, you see, but there is something very identical in our biology- we speak the same color, which is something you might only understand if you are a twin.
I knew her in New York, moving from apartment to apartment in the bitter cold with a shopping cart and bathrobes under our sleeping bag jackets. But wait- Paris was before that, with cheese and baguettes for every meal. No, before that.
Flashes of lazy afternoons in Sydney wearing Ugg slippers, braiding hair, and making rice bread and tres leches cake. No, it was even before that.
London. Of course. We met in London. We were living in the same flat, with her sister, Lucy, Starbucks-employed crazed Italian with an unhealthy obsession with The PetShop Boys, Jennifer, the quiet South African, and Carina, who is still willing to pretend that we share a private jet with a pilot named Roberto. Our 2-bedroom flat was just off Portobello road, with a yellow door, a flat roof over the pantry that we used for movie nights with strange boys, a refrigerator full of River Cafe staff meal leftovers, and tire skids marking the hallway from our ten dollar (five pound) bicycles.
But that's another story, just like the time we met a boy called Harry, drove across the English channel, and spent the night sleeping in a Farmer's field in France, and midnight champagne under the Eiffel Tower, Barcelona fruit markets, navigating Croatia in the freezing cold (will someone please just sort us out?), the trips to visit each other in New Mexico and Australia, our Iceland/London reunion, and the countless criss-crossing in New York City. We've lived there, separately and together, with and without her sister, who I still want to call Pumpkin even though she doesn't look like one, too many times to count. Well, probably at least five. I forgot how to do math ages ago.
I would say now, "I digress," because it's true, but I am not that person. It's too East Coast for me, and it sounds like something a person would say while wearing a pink-button-down shirt and loafers on a sailboat near Cape Cod.
So yeah.
Courtney, which is my twin's name, is going to be here on February 4th (Rabbit will be here the following week, upon my return- thankfully- and that is another story!) I will be drunk on mai tais, fat off of my bride's cinnamon rolls, and sunburned to a perfect crisp (which is partly the reason why I'll be drunk, but only partly) on an epic beach in Hawaii. It's February, so it'll be bright cold sunny for Courtney, and a whole lot warmer than New York City, where she lives and works. And since she works for 3.0 Philip Lim, she will be the most stylish stunner in Seattle. Her rabbit-lined cashmere sparkle scarf (I need one) will keep her warmer than my mai tais and Hawaiian sun. Since I can't actually see Courtney, I have whipped up a pretend outline of what we would have done together on her one day in my beloved Sparkletown Emerald City of green and rain and water and mountains and islands and coffee and markets and vintage and everything that I love.
Seattle is not London, and it is not New York City, so I will have to take her to the places that aren't too reminiscent of London or NYC. Maybe some vintage shopping, but no department stores (this is a girl who spends her days visiting Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's and developed her very own lingerie line, so our cute little Nordstroms downtown will fail to impress). I'll have to take her to my favorite views, to give her a chance at some fresh air and blue sky. Ferries, islands, and The Market. We'll probably have to begin and end at the Market. We'll say that she's coming on a Thursday, because that's probably my favorite day. It's going to be a very busy day. I hope she got plenty of sleep on the plane. Ready?
1. I pick her up at the airport. But before I go to the airport, I head over to
Crumble and Flake to purchase a couple kouign amanns to greet her with. Have you tried them? They're amazing.
2. After we shriek with delight and irritate everyone in the arrivals section, we will take a slight detour over to Bakery Nouveau for a couple twice baked almond croissants, Cupcake Royale for a latte, and head over to Alki Beach (if it's not too windy) for a romantic walk with a view of Seattle and Puget Sound and her dashing islands. We'll catch up on our lives, and squeal about 50 times about how weird and awesome it is that we're growing up (awesome because we're growing up on our terms).
3. We'll head over to Pike Place Market, my favorite. We'll buy flowers, browse the different stalls and buildings, sample olive oil, fruit, taste the cheese at Beecher's, which is just as delicious as that famous place in Greenwich Village whose name I can't remember, buy CD's from buskers (definitely the guys who are outside starbucks. We will not go into the original starbuck, because we're not in Spain -where Starbucks is the only place where workers HAVE to be nice to you).
We'll taste wine, head into the magic shop, buy candy, and maybe something kitchy with the Space Needle on it, or some Chinese slippers for Pumpkin.
We'll have lunch at The Pink Door, the magical pink place I've summered since I've been in Seattle. It's my Cape Cod, what can I say?
We'll sit in the sunny lounge at Table 204, the one that overlooks the Big Wheel, and Brigitte the mannequin, whose outfit changes seasonallly, and Brigitte the Cat. We'll take a picture to send to Brigitte (Pumpkin), Courtney's sister. We'll have lots of cocktails and eat Beecher's grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato basil soup. We'll have another cocktail for dessert, I'll definitely have the black walnut Manhattan, not because we've lived in Manhattan before, but because it's the only Manhattan that I've had that doesn't make me feel like I'm going to grow hair on my chest. Too bad it's not Sunday or Monday night because that's when the aeralists perform. Well, if we're playing pretend, then we'll pretend that Rachel makes a special lunch appearance. We'll marvel at her performance and feel very lazy about ourselves.
5. Then, since we're getting good at playing pretend, we'll have our driver, probably the driver of a Subaru because this is Seattle and they always have seat warmers, take us to Ballard. We'll drive over to the Ballard Locks, maybe take a little detour to Golden Gardens, and then he'll take us over to Ballard Ave. We'll pretend it's London's Portobello Road.
First stop, Trove. It's full of treasures and it's what I want my life to look like. It's the most perfectly curated shop I've ever set foot in. I want to buy everything in there. We probably will buy everything in there because that's how the game of pretend works. I will be her Philip Lim vintage counterpart, without the dustball fragrance.
Next, we'll stroll down Ballard Ave, and tuck into my favorite Ballard coffee shop. I can't recall the name, but it's the one with rice milk chai lattes that don't taste like hippie. It's attached to a sewing shop, and has a little loft nook with tiny furniture and beautiful plants. We'll sip our faux hippie lattes and read vintage glossy magazines.
6. After that, it'll be time to have some hot chocolate because pretend lets you be decadent. Our driver (how very New York of us!) will show us the sights in Fremont. We might even take a picture with the troll under the bridge in our new-to-us vintage party dresses that smell like Miss Dior. We'll pick up some hot chocolate and a slice of coconut lemon cake at Simply Desserts, and head over to the tiny neighborhood park on Palatine. It's he one that overlooks the Olympic mountains, Ballard, and its canal. It's a secret little view, and we'll drink hot chocolate and look at the twinkly lights of the city until we get cold.
7. And then we will head over to Capitol Hill for dinner and drinks, so I can show her our little Brooklyn. I really don't know where we're going. Terra Plata? Melrose Market? Spinasse? Dinette? I've only been to Spinasse, and the pasta is amazing, but it's not cosy enough for our dinner. I'm always freezing in there. We might head over to Needle and Thread afterwards, but I can't decide if the secret telephone bit is too New York.
We might skip drinks because there's no Beach Blanket Babylon in Seattle.
8. We're going over to the ferry next, anyhow, packing a bottle of Asti, and some dark chocolate and heading over to Bainbridge Island just for the ride. We'll drink and each chocolate, and talk about boys on the ferry (it's a heated indoor ferry, you know). If it were summer, we'd finish up our bubbly at Myrtle Edwards Park, on a big fluffy blanket overlooking the neon jewels that sparkle the water, in the shadows of the Sculpture Garden. But it's not.
9. So we'll go to a show. I'm sure Hannalee or The Crying Shame will be playing somewhere. We'll meet up with Seattle friends, and spend the night dancing like we were 20 again. If we end up back at Pike Place, cocktailing at Il Bistro or The Can-Can, that'll be even better.
10. And when exhaustion finds us, we'll have our driver take us over to our luxury houseboat on Lake Union and we'll watch Amelie until we're asleep.


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Here are some stunning images of Noomi taken during a photoshoot for 'The Glass Magazine' 7th anniversary edition (The Goddess Edition). The images were taken by the very talented photographer /stylist Hew Hood. Noomi's hair by Lyndell Mansfield. Make up by Liz Pugh. The photoshoot took place at London's Corinthia Hotel.
Home Magazine Photoshoots New Photoshoot For 'The Glass Magazine' Spring 2017


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Browns Brasserie & Bar has been on the Leeds restaurant scene for as long as I can remember! So surely they must be doing something right? A few weeks ago I got an invite to go and check out their latest menu offerings.
As far as restaurant settings go, Browns Leeds is definitely up there with the best! We arrived just as the evening sun was setting, cascading through the huge windows which really lit up the venue.
We started with some cocktails Strawberry spritz Tanqueray gin, Campari, Lillet rouge, rose & strawberry topped with soda & Headgrow G&T Tanqueray 10 gin, blackberries, lemon, fevertree tonic.
Out of the 2 cocktails, the Strawberry spritz was easily the best! The hedgrow G&T was a bit disappointing as it was just like a normal G&T with some berries!
Upon first glance of the menu, there appeared to be a good variety of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes! For starters we chose some lightish seafood dishes; North Atlantic Prawn cocktail with classic cocktail sauce, gem lettuce, bread & butter & Pan seared Scallops & Raspberries with black pudding, raspberry vinaigrette
Presentation wise I thought neither really had the wow factor. But how many Prawn cocktails have you seen that would win a presentation award? The prawn cocktail was a bit basic, I'm not sure how home made the marie rose sauce was!
The scallops were really well cooked and had that melt in the mouth effect. For me, you can't get a better pairing for scallops than black pudding, they just pair so well together! I really wasn't sure about the raspberries though, the sweet flavour didn't work for me with the lightness of the scallops.
Main course
Main courses up next, we went with Roast loin of lamb Artichoke & wild garlic hummous, peas, beans, baby fennel & 9oz rib-eye steak served with fries and lightly dressed watercress
Just looking at the steak made my mouth water, obviously I couldn't wait to tuck in! The lamb dish looked quite tasty as well!
They were really generous with the portion size of the lamb! Cooked pink and tender just how lamb should be!
The steak came served medium rare as requested. It's not the most amazing tasting steak I've ever eaten, but it was really nice and tender and definitely did not leave me feeling hungry!
I'd normally go with my favourite Bearnaise sauce, but thought I'd give something else a try. So I chose Bodelaise sauce, which looked a lot like the sauce that was served with the lamb… and tasted a lot like home made gravy!
Did we save enough room for dessert? Being my favourite course, I'm never one to turn down looking at a dessert menu! We chose Bramley apple pie with vanilla ice cream, rosehip & Sticky toffee pudding with ginger ice cream & granola
This was one nice sticky toffee pudding! Although I can't say I've ever seen one served with granola before. This wasn't a winning combination for me but the pudding itself was very tasty!
No matter what you're tastes or time of day of day, Browns Brasserie & Bar will have you covered with an impressive choice on their menu. If you've not already visited why not? Do go and check them out!


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While Orson Allen was brilliant in winning the Shootout – a race billed as the speed championship of Australia – it was the unheralded Barooga Brett who stole the time honours running a blistering 29.078.
• Orson awesome in Shootout
• Million dollar dog qualifies for world's greatest greyhound race
• Spring Bridge impressive in Sandown debut
• Black Opium aiming for history
• Dead heat means mates share side bet
Despite four of his previous five starts being over the middle distances, Barooga Brett showed extraordinary speed at box rise, passing through the first split in an elite 4.99 seconds. He ran 18.58 to the back mark and powered to the line to slash five lengths of his previous best winning time and record the fastest time seen at the track in almost 12 months, the equal 13th fastest time ever.
That the $2.60 favourite winning came as no surprise, the time he recorded certainly did, even to owner/trainer Brooke Ennis.
"I was quite surprised actually with the 4.99, he can be quite unreliable at the start. Then 18.58 (to the back) and I thought he's going to run a nice 29.20, but I think the 600m runs has really helped him," she said.
Ennis said they hadn't done anything specifically to help him at box rise, rather his improved box manners was a sign of confidence and maturity.
"He's just over 2 now so he's really come of age and I guess he's really putting it together. In the Speed Star he went 5.04 and that was the best he's come out. But when he hits it (the start) he really does hit it. It all depends on what mood he's in!"
Barooga Brett – along with all TAB Melbourne Cup Prelude winners – has earned an automatic exemption into the TAB Melbourne Cup heats on Friday 16 November. So impressed with the run, tab.com.au added Barooga Brett to the TAB Melbourne Cup All In market market at $12 – an equal third favourite behind Topgun winner Poke The Bear and the undefeated Black Opium.
"Hopefully he hasn't peaked too early. We definitely look forward to this time of the year, and to have a dog split that you're right there."
Barooga Brett storms into TAB Melbourne Cup calculations with a breathtaking 29.078 gallop
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Million dollar dog qualifies for world's greatest greyhound race
New South Wales trainer Peter Lagogiane made a triumphant return to Sandown Park with Million Dollar Chase winner Mystic Riot booking her place in the TAB Melbourne Cup heats.
Mystic Riot was his first runner at Sandown Park since winning the $410,000 Launching Pad sweepstakes in March with Beast Unleashed. At the time, the win was the biggest of his training career however that all changed when Mystic Riot claimed the recent Million Dollar Chase.
With the world's richest prize under his belt, he now has his eyes firmly set on the world's greatest race.
"We'll to try and win that too!" he said with a laugh.
Mystic Riot won three of her 10 career starts under the care of Lagogiane's good mate Anthony Azzopardi, however has gone to another level since moving north, winning six of her next nine starts including the last five in a row.
"Maybe the smaller kennel helps her, Maybe the change of weather too – I think she likes the warmer weather!
"She's been a marvel at home, an easy dog to train. She had a couple of bad traits and hopefully we've ironed them out, I just hope she keeps it going."
Her TAB Melbourne Cup Prelude run was her first start at Sandown Park and is hopeful she can improve her 29.39 winning time.
"Anthony has had her here for a couple of trials before but this was her first look at the track in 8 or 9 months, so to come down here and run those times I'm really happy.
"Her first section wasn't too flash, I think she'll improve on that next week. It was a big 12 hour trip yesterday, we're hoping she'll coming out bigger and better next week."
Should she go on to win the TAB Melbourne Cup, Mystic Riot career prize money would accelerate to $1,477,534 and easily eclipse Fanta Bale's world record $1,365,175 in earnings.
Million dollar dog Mystic Riot qualifies for the TAB Melbourne Cup
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Spring Bridge impressive at Sandown debut
South Australian chaser Spring Bridge made a winning start to her Victorian campaign, coming from off the pace to win her TAB Melbourne Cup Prelude in 29.45. Formerly in the care of Murray Bridge trainer and owner of the greyhound Greg Board, Spring Bridge has been transferred to the powerful Seona Thompson kennel for a tilt at the world's greatest greyhound race. Had the Thompsons got their way early in his career, the move to Awesome Lodge would have happened much earlier.
"We actually tried to buy this dog when he first started racing," said Thompson.
"Petar Jovanovic pointed him out to me. He was racing at Mount Gambier in his first few runs and Greg was a bit too clever and didn't want to sell him. So the next best thing, we got him to train him."
Spring Bridge arrived in Victoria late last month and had managed to trial before making his Sandown Park debut. While he is still settling into his new surroundings, Thompson was very impressed with his debut for the kennel.
"I thought he was superb. He actually made a pretty good run for himself – there was a bit of trouble through the first turn, then he got trapped out wide and was three wide the whole way.
"He's very very strong, but I didn't know from out here if he got there and in fact on the line I didn't think he did. But he got there by a nose, the margin doesn't really matter and he'll be better for it next week."
South Australian Spring Bridge comes from well back to win on his Sandown Park debut
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Black Opium aiming for history
Later in the night, Thompson's boom sprinter Black Opium continued to firm in TAB Melbourne Cup markets after making it six wins from as many career starts. It was the biggest test to date for the 20 month old who will be the youngest and least experienced runner in next Friday night's TAB Melbourne Cup heats, and if she can win the TAB Melbourne Cup, will be come the youngest and least experienced greyhound to do so.
"She's starting to work out what it's all about. We had trouble with little things getting her to the track but she's starting to put it all together now and working out the routine. She's definitely putting it together at the right time."
Her third victory at Sandown Park was her most impressive for a number reasons. To make the steep step up from restricted win class to open class and set her fastest time was impressive enough, but it to do it such a late race speaks volumes for her growing maturity and potential for further improvement.
"Race 11 means a long time in the kennels for a very young dog, so it's all experience for her. She just keeps amazing me week in week out – I thought tonight would be a test for her – she's something pretty special.
"You can see how magnificent she is – she's a beautifully built animal, and being by (her former chaser) Black Magic Opal makes her even more special for us."
She has started favourite in all six starts at average price of $1.57, her $2.20 starting price last night being the first time she's started 'in the black'. Her average winning margin is just under seven lengths, and her winning margin of three lengths last night was as close as any greyhound has got to her. In fact, from the 3045m she has covered in her six starts to date, she has lead for the last 2800m.
Black Opium is currently the $10 second favourite for the TAB Melbourne Cup with tab.com.au.
Black Opium secures her TAB Melbourne Cup heats berth
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Dead heat means mates share side bet
Three days after combining to win the $75,000 first prize in the group 1 Hume Cup with Black Impala, good friend Glenn Dainton and Joe Borg couldn't believe they drew next to each other in TAB Melbourne Cup Prelude last night with Waleonjon and Myrniong Corner respectfully.
Believing neither had a chance of winning the race, they decided to make things more interesting by having a 'sizeable' side bet on who would finish in front.
Amazingly, both would walk away with their money remaining in their pocket after their chasers dead heated for first.
"We had a little bit of bet because we didn't think we could win from the outside boxes. But I guess we just keep our money now!" said Borg.
"Who'd have thought that'd happen, never in a million years. We were having a bit of fun and enjoying ourselves, we were laughing at the boxes."
While neither collected on their side bet, both emerged winners with both of their greyhounds earning an exemption into next Friday night's TAB Melbourne Cup heats.
"We'll be back next week to take on the rest of the field and have a go at the heats."
The dead heat was the second at Sandown Park this year after Elevated and Boomer Blitz couldn't be separated on 18 March. It was the eighth dead heat at Sandown Park in the last decade.
The judges couldn't separate Waleonjon and Myrniong Corner
Nominations for the TAB Melbourne Cup heats close at 11am on Tuesday 13 November with fields expected to be released early that afternoon. The heats will be run on Friday 16 November with the winner of each heat progressing to the $630,000 TAB Melbourne Cup final on Friday 23 November.
Click here for full results and race replays from Thursday 8 November 2018
Click here for the latest TAB Melbourne Cup market from tab.com.au
Visit www.superdogs.com.au for further information about the TAB Melbourne Cup carnival


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The Immigration Bill will come into the House of Lords in January 2014. It has gone through the Commons without much publicity or scrutiny, since all three major parties are signed up to the thrust of it, which is to tighten controls on immigration. The key measures within the Immigration Bill include introduction of new in-country enforcement mechanisms to tackle 'irregular migration', most prominently restricting irregular migrants' access to private housing, bank accounts and driving licenses in the UK. It contains significant restrictions on access to appeals, particularly for some migrants facing removal from the UK.
There are many reasons why Christian people should be concerned about this legislation and the rhetoric that has surrounded recent press comments and political pronouncements. As a minimum, we need to hear an objective analysis of the issues from a position of faith.
Here you will find a brief paper from Martin Kettle of Sheffield Diocese.
If having read this you feel able to express concern to your MP you can download a draft letter produced by South Yorkshire Migration and Asylum Action Group but you are encouraged to personalise it in any way you wish and make it your own- this will carry more conviction.


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Start blogging in seconds with our fastest post editor yet. Your gorgeous blog posts are made even better with built-in SEO, sharing tools, and site statistics.
It is possible to import your blog content from a variety of other blogging platforms, including Blogger, LiveJournal, Movable Type, Posterous, Storylane, Tumblr, Typepad, WordPress.org, WordPress.com, Xanga, and Yahoo! If we do not have an importing tool for your particular platform, you may try to convert it to an accepted format to use the WordPress.com importer tool.
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Ordering and Receiving the Republic Wireless X
|A Smartphone Progression. From Windows Mobile (on the left) to webOS, to Android
Due to an initial hiccup with ordering that was my fault, I ordered the second day the Moto X became available. The process isn't any different with Republic Wireless than with any other cell phone order. Oh, except you don't have to give them every piece of information needed when opening an account with AT&T or Verizon. Just name and address for shipping and billing, a valid credit card, and your choice of phone and initial plan choice. I will say that from within the Republic Wireless support forums there was some miscommunication from RW staff about whether phones would be in customer hands in 5-7 days or shipped in 5-7 days. Mine was shipped in 7 days. I suspect that the 5-7 day window is in place currently as a safety window for RW to handle what one would hope is a lot of orders.
So enough with the ordering talk, let's get to the star. A quick primer on the Moto X that applies to all carrier flavors. 4.7" 1280 by 720 AMOLED screen. Ten megapixel camera and 2 megapixel front facing camera. I'll be going into more detail about the cameras in later posts, unsurprisingly. It's powered by a 1.7GHz Snapdragon dual processor, and an X-8 coprocessor designed by Motorola. Now some of you have stopped reading after that last bit because all you care about are GHz and processors and have judged the X to be last year's tech. What you're not taking into account is the X8 processor has four graphics cores for great, uh, graphics, and 2 low power cores to listen for a key phrase, and to check motion. This allows for things like the phone always listening for you to say, "OK Google Now..." and to know when it's being pulled out of a pocket or flipped over.
I don't want to run down every feature of the X that countless other tech blogs have gone over, but I'll touch on my two favorites that aren't on any other phone, or aren't done nearly as well on other phones. First is Touchless controls. Once you train your phone to your voice you can say the phrase "OK Google Now" which will wake the phone up and then tell it a search phrase, or a task you want it to do. The act of voice controlled Google Now isn't new, but on all other phones you have to physically touch something to get it started. This is much better for driving (OK Google Now, where's the nearest In-N-Out?), and a fun party trick. The other feature I really enjoy are Active Notifications. Because an AMOLED screen is able to turn on single pixels at a time the display is able to discreetly show you any missed calls, emails, texts, and other notifications without you having to wake the phone up. It'll also show you these notifications when it feels itself being taken out of a purse or pocket, or flipped over. It's really cool.
|This shot needs a choir just singing "ahhhhh"
So now on to the specific phone that is available from Republic Wireless. You get your choice of black or white and only 16GB of storage, which turns out to about 11GB of useable storage. Motorola makes 16 or 32GB sized phones, and offers Motomaker, a site where you can choose the color of the front and rear panels and the trim colors. It's pretty neat but I'm not that annoyed by the lack of color options. I would have preferred 32GB of storage, but there are ways around that either through the 50GB of Google Drive storage available to X owners (or other cloud based storage such as Dropbox or Box), or through devices like the Meenova microSD card reader. Neither is a replacement for built in storage, but it's nice to know you can access more.
I ordered the white Moto X because in all my gadget owning life I've only had black gadgets. It was time to change things up. The plastic phone feels really good in the hand with a nice curved back that rests nicely in the palm and a little dimple that helps with holding the phone. At 4.7 inches the screen is just about as big as it can get for me to use with just one hand and allow my thumb to reach from edge to edge top to bottom. I'm not a fan of phablet phones, so I'm glad Motorola kept things reasonable. The screen also has really slim bevels on the sides making for a front that's almost all screen, except for the top and bottom parts that house the speaker and front facing camera and microphones. The physical buttons are on the right side; a power/wake button and a volume up/down rocker. A microUSB port is at the bottom for charging or data transport, and a headphone jack is at the top. Basically your everyday Android smartphone. Oh, did I mention it runs Android?
|The X, in all it's glory
Next post, my initial hands-on impressions of the X.


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Planting Time
I lean against the cool side of the adobe gateway; cross my ankles and arms.
"Think I'll go back to holding up this wall."
"Well, it pays good," opines the old rancher.
"If you work for the gubmint."
The rancher in cowboy boots and I in bib overalls are waiting for a nursery truck to finish dis-gorging its plants. And move the heck out of the way.
The truck driver offers to guide me through a three-point turn (that being, what?!... in a tight space.)
"Nuh unh. Thanks for the offer, but I'm a female not stoopid about my backing-up skills."
So we wait and watch the show. Long line of people stand with their treasures, pay and leave.
Interesting: Folks with still lots of "discretionary" moolah are buying numerous hanging baskets of petunias at $35 a pop....
When a 6-pack of petunia plants would have done a comparable display pretty soon, set in last year's pot, for five bucks.
Do the math; have we lost our minds?
I've been reading and thinking about Venezuela, the empty store shelves, dumpster-diving for edible garbage, and monster inflation. If you can find anything.
Doesn't take long for hungry to morph to ugly. We don't seem to "get it" yet, but I guess we will.
Am remembering my Southern grandmama answering knocks at the back door of men out of work/looking for work, lean and hungry.
A fellow would ask if there were a chore he might do? Splitting firewood, maybe?
Meaning: I'm near starving, ma'am, but no freeloader. Will you feed me from your good cooking and garden?
And she did, bringing a plate heaped with food to the back stoop, unlatching the screen door, and wishing him better days, and home with his family.
Of course, that was the Great Depression, long time ago.
Meanwhile, standing in the high noon sun, the rancher and I load up our "plunder" and head out. Free at last!
By the time I get home, I'll be pulling on a sweater for the sudden temperature drop of an afternoon storm in the Rockies. We get big dark cumulus, showers and down-shrieks of lightning. Wild iris are in bloom.
But for now I've found some Brandwines and am happy.
"Heirloom" tomatoes... Not something you'd include in your Will, but yummy-flavored; seed saved from the best plants each year, and for generations.
No en-venomed "love-apple" from the artifice of biotech... Just hearty, nourishing taste and seed to save for generations to come.
Eat your heart out, Monsanto.


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Untitled Chapter
The Possessed:
She pulled her hair back as she moved her hair back from her forehead, feeling the thing writhe within her body. She resisted, hands trembling as the blood pounded in her veins. She pressed her hands to the mirror before her, looking at the girl reflected back. She licked her lips, blinking back tears. Her eyes shown in the dim room, red irises like flames in her skull.
She was pale and thin, a white ghost of a girl in a dingy torn sheet. The pink tongue flicked out to taste the layer of silvery dust on the surface of the liquid surface. She turned from the mirror, feeling the thing laugh. She felt her mind shatter, felt herself give in. Her eyes were wild and searching in the old house, but she found nothing to sate her hunger.
The sheet whispered on the concrete floor, everything here was grey and shimmery. The beauty of dead entities filled her as her sanity slipped away like the ghost of a kiss. Her chest shuddered as she breathed deep of the stale air, the smell of mold and dust and decay filled her breast, the loving touch of death itself. She raked her nails up her arm, drawing poppies. She laughed, lapping the cold flesh. She tasted life, the coppery scent covered her in warmth. She smeared the flowers on her skin, feeling the pulse just out of reach.
Music bubbles from her breast, water flowing from a fountain. She raises her arms up to the decayed ceiling, twirling on the balls of her feet. The laughter rose in the thin air. She felt the thing writhing inside her body like worms crawling to the surface of black dirt. It seeped from her skin, leaving her shivering and hungry. She saw the silvery strings, a plump body dangling from the cord of life.
She scampers towards it, eager fingers clawing at the fine threads. She licks at the writhing body in her palm, drawing its life blood into herself. She stares at the ruined home, shards of livid essence drips from her fingers as she chews. She swallows, her throat is filled with cobwebs as the spider goes down. She crawls towards the mirror, beating it weakly with bloody hands until her arms are tired and filled with pins.
She feels her breast hitch, something claws at her throat. Her cry fills the empty house as the glass shatters in her head. She's a lost soul in a grey purgatory. She's the formerly possessed, of the ghosts, laughing as the sorrow pools around her like putrid water in a stale lake.
Did you enjoy my story? Please let me know what you think by leaving a review! Thanks, Nimah StarkWrite a Review


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lead Android engineer
|Singapore, Singapore
|Contract Type:
|S$6000.00 - S$10000.00 per month + AWS+ 2 Months bonus
Lead Software Engineer (Android)
What You Will Do
- Architect and Build new mobile application products that push the limits of technology
- Maintain and improve existing mobile application products to keep them running smooth and stable
- Explore new areas and technology to improve development efficiency and push products frontier
- Be part of every whole product lifecycle. Dream, Build, Run and Iterate.
- Work with the Design team to perfect the UI and UX
- Carry out code reviews to guarantee code quality
- Lead and Coach a team
What We Are Looking For
- 4+ years of experience in developing mobile applications on Android
- BS/BA degree in a technical field, such as computer science (or equivalent years of relevant experience)
- Strong CS fundamentals and problem-solving skills
- Familiar with designing mobile application architecture from scratch
- Deep knowledge of Android platform
- Appreciation of UX, automation, fast executing and well-crafted code
- Familiar with Agile Methodology
- Must be able to communicate in basic Mandarin due to close collaboration with Mandarin speaking counterpart in Taiwan


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BTS Channels The Beatles On 'Colbert,' Performs "Boy With Luv"
Comparing the rise of BTS to Beatlemania might seem a little brave to the uninitiated, but there's no denying that they are a legitimate phenomenon. The Kings of K-Pop are breaking down language and cultural barriers, one release at a time, and also re-writing chart history. (MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA recently became the 7-member group's third consecutive #1 album in the US, while "Boy With Luv" debuted at a career-best number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100). They have earned the right to brag, which is essentially what appearing on US TV in full Beatles drag amounts to.
BTS recreated The Beatles' iconic 1964 US TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show when they dropped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night (May 15). The Korean Gods belted out the aforementioned "Boy With Luv" — complete with multiple rap breakdowns and pin-point perfect choreography — and introduced themselves in an amusing intro. Time will tell if the boy band leaves as big an imprint on history as John, Paul, George and Ringo, but they are going to give it their best shot. Watch BTS in action below.
Did you love their performance? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!


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Is Banksy's next exhibition in Paris?
Back To The Roots
A site built with the same layout for the exhibition organized by New York "Better Out Than In," only this time change the name Banksy-Paris, and apparently also the city is called "Back To The Roots" and up to today only two images have been uploaded.
Hard to tell if the works were actually made by British artist .. begins the hunt for the piece daily? We just have to wait. Keep in touch


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Competition for affluent clients is fiercer than ever. To attract their attention, you need to stand out from the crowd. You must have better insights about your clients and the markets and a better process to deliver your services. In other words, you have to be a wealth manager. The foundation for any wealth management practice should start with a solid understanding of your clients' behaviors. Research conducted by JPMorgan and outside sources confirms that clients today demand more from their advisors. They want strong and substantive personal relationships with their advisors, and want them to understand and care about their personal goals and preferences.
Each month in this space we will share the findings of our proprietary research and offer our insights to help you gain greater knowledge of the affluent. That knowledge will help you to provide wealth management services to your clients in the most efficient manner.
To begin, let's discuss the drivers of investor behavior. We might like to think that investors act rationally, without letting emotions dictate their investment decisions. We might believe that investors always act in their own economic self interest, and that they always seek to maximize their returns for a given level of risk.
Unfortunately, that just isn't so. In the actual world of investing, reason and logic rarely dictate investment decisions. If behavior were always rational, investors would never sell stocks in a panic at the first sign of trouble. If dispassionate homework were always done before investing, stocks would never be bought due to hunches, hot tips, or media hype.
As Benjamin Graham once said, "The investor's chief problem–and even his worst enemy–is likely to be himself."
Why do we so often get in the way of our own success? The short answer is that it's all in our heads.
You see, the brain is not wired to always make rational decisions. It has three separate, distinct segments that control different functions. One controls autonomic functions, another the emotions, and the third controls logic and higher-level thinking.
Psychologists have looked at situations in which the response dictated by the "emotional" segment of the brain is at odds with the response dictated by the "logical" segment. When this happens, the researchers found that the "emotional" wins out, perhaps indicating why individuals exhibit so many irrational behaviors in everyday life and when investing.
In everyday life take, for example, such irrational behaviors as a person who:
- purchases a burglar alarm the day after someone breaks into his house;
- believes he is getting a bargain because the salesperson started negotiating at a price well above the market value of the product;
- believes he is better than other people. In the individual investor's life, take the person who in evaluating an investment:
- places too much emphasis on recent events;
- assumes an investment's current price is about right, despite the absence of any plausible information supporting the assumption;
- believes resolutely that he can beat the market, despite all the evidence showing that investors cannot do so on any systematic basis.
These three behavior biases are commonly known as recency effect, anchoring, and overconfidence.
We will explore how portfolio managers, when focused on behavioral finance, seek to capture opportunities in the market created by irrational investor behaviors. Then we will review how advisors focused on behavioral finance can capture market share opportunities created by these irrational investor behaviors.
Market Opportunities
Behavioralists believe that irrational investors create market anomalies (where stocks are mispriced due to incomplete or irrelevant information) that if taken advantage of can uncover opportunities for increased alpha.
More importantly, they believe the same anomalies will continue to occur in the future because humans are prone to repeat their mistakes. In other words, we tend to behave irrationally in predictable and systematic ways, creating ongoing opportunities to profit from other people's mistakes.
The market anomaly for the recency effect is momentum. Over the short term, behavioral finance theorists believe that stocks will continue to move in the same direction they have been heading. For example, stocks that have been rising continue to rise because investors assess a company's future prospects based on its recent results. Just look at the Nasdaq's meteoric rise from 1,000 to almost 5,000 in little more than four years. During this time, many investors jumped on the trendy new technology bandwagon because prices were rising and nobody wanted to miss out on the ride (see chart above).
Traditional finance theory was hard pressed to explain this rally because the fundamentals and earnings of most dot-com companies didn't support such high stock prices. Clearly, investor emotions and biases were also at work. At the time, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan called it "irrational exuberance." Behavioral finance theorists called it "momentum."
The investment strategy for momentum is to buy stocks with positive momentum (because history suggests those stocks will continue rising), and to sell stocks when price momentum turns negative. This strategy is designed to ride the upward momentum of investor optimism while limiting downside risk by selling when that momentum shifts.
The market anomaly for anchoring is analyst earnings revisions. Stocks with upgraded earning expectations are more likely to improve further because history suggests that all the good news has not yet been reflected in analysts' forecasts. History shows that analysts tend to selectively filter new information in ways that support their initial estimates because they're anchored to their original assessments. It can take several revisions before all the relevant news is reflected in their reports, so estimates tend to lag actual earnings rather than anticipate them (see chart below).
The investment strategy for analyst earnings revisions is to recognize opportunities early. Buy stocks when there are positive revisions, because all the good news is not yet reflected in analyst forecasts, and sell stocks after negative earnings revisions, because history suggests that more bad news is still to come.
For example, a stock's price may rise only slightly when company earnings first improve because analyst estimates lag. By buying on early signs of earnings upgrades, behavioral finance portfolio managers would profit when the rest of the market recognizes a stock's true worth. In the same way, selling early may at times help managers cut losses and redeploy assets in more promising securities.
Lastly, the market anomaly from overconfidence is valuation. Investors tend to label past winners as "good companies" and thus good investments. But in practice the overpriced stock of a good company is rarely a good investment. As investors rush to buy a stock that was a past winner, they drive up the stock's price, causing it to become overvalued. Conversely, if a company repeatedly has delivered poor results, investors may become disillusioned, overreacting to the past and ignoring valid signs of improvement. It may be poised to deliver good results, but the company is overlooked and its stock undervalued.
The investment strategy for valuation is to seek to uncover overlooked investments, particularly from undervalued stocks that may be neglected for irrational reasons.
Client Opportunities
We have shown that understanding behavior provides greater probability for success via the markets. This is just as true when we examine these same behavioral biases in the individual client and his personal portfolio.
One of the most difficult jobs advisors have is helping clients avoid making these mistakes over and over again. This is no easy task because these biases are hard- wired into the human thinking process and many times one fails to recognize mistakes even when falling right into them. Simply put, it is not easy to control our clients' responses to the market.
However, if you can recognize these behaviors, understand how they can lead the client askew and, most importantly, have strategies that can help preempt these behaviors, you and your client will be successful.
Bad Behavior
When people make decisions, they tend to base them far more on what has recently happened and ignore longer-term data. Recency effect is what is often responsible for causing investors to make shortsighted decisions based on greed and fear. Many of you have probably witnessed this first hand. For example, how many of your clients believed that real estate was the "only" investment to make in the last few years? Well, if you compare the return of the S&P 500 to the return of residential real estate over a 20-year period (see Is Real Estate So Good? below), you may have a different opinion.
When you hear your client say, "Once it gets back to where I got in, I will?? 1/2 ," you know your client is anchored. She is making decisions based on information that is not directly relevant, typically based on a single fact or figure (e.g., short-term performance or a company's previous earnings). Then the client will typically manipulate new information (either positive or negative) to justify her beliefs. Anchoring can cause clients to have unrealistic expectations about an investment's future prospects–whether good or bad.
Investment overconfidence occurs when a client tends to exaggerate his ability to control and manage his financial portfolio. This bias is very common among corporate executives. Many times they are overly optimistic about their company's stock potential due to their "contribution" to the stock price. You might think that experience would make a person more realistic about his capabilities, but alas, research shows this not to be the case. Why? The human reaction is to protect one's ego, which often leads to forgetting failures (or thinking of them as being outside our control) while remembering successes (which were driven by one's own ability).
In all cases, because of irrational beliefs clients lose focus on long-term goals and avoid taking the action required to maintain a coherent investment strategy. In the end, clients become dissatisfied with their investment performance and their advisors. It's no wonder, then, that a recent Spectrem Group report found that one in five affluent households said they had changed primary advisors in the past three years.
Here lies the opportunity. If you understand human behavior and how to control bad behavior, not only should you keep existing clients (and have the chance to gain more wallet share), you will be positioned to capture those unsatisfied households. Clients look to us to protect them from their emotional selves. If we have the temperament and the tools to do this, we will truly be the advisor of choice.
Susan L. Hirshman, CFP, CPA, CFA, CLU, is a managing director for JPMorgan Asset Management in New York. In that position, she develops strategies to provide wealth solutions to the affluent market. She can be reached at [email protected]