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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday gave Virginia Democrats a fresh chance to challenge parts of the legislative map for the state's House of Delegates.
The decision tried to bring some clarity to the tangled question of what role race can play in drawing voting districts. But the Supreme Court decided very little, leaving it to the trial court to apply a slightly refined definition of racial gerrymandering.
"The upshot of all of this is that not much has changed with these cases," Richard L. Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, wrote in a blog post. "The fight will be over the details and application to particular cases."
Marc E. Elias, a lawyer for the challengers in the case, disagreed, calling the decision a "major victory" that will help Democrats.
The case, Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections, No. 15-680, concerned a dozen voting districts drawn after the 2010 census, each with at least a 55 percent population of black residents of voting age.
The Supreme Court has said race cannot be the predominant reason in creating legislative districts.
In 2015, a divided three-judge panel of Federal District Court in Richmond, Va., upheld 11 of the challenged districts because, it said, race had not been the primary factor in drawing them. Since the districts could be justified under traditional redistricting criteria like compactness, contiguity, incumbency protection and political considerations, the court said, race could not have been the predominant reason for drawing them.
That was the wrong approach, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority. "The racial predominance inquiry concerns the actual considerations that provided the essential basis for the lines drawn," he wrote, "not post hoc justifications the legislature in theory could have used but in reality did not."
Justice Kennedy noted that the case had some curious features.
The challenged map was enacted, he wrote, "with broad support from both parties and members of the Black Caucus." Only years later, he said, did voters file a lawsuit asserting a violation of the Constitution's equal protection principles, saying that lawmakers had packed too many black voters into the districts.
In assessing those challenges, Justice Kennedy wrote, the trial court identified "no fewer than 11 race neutral redistricting factors." He called that kind of analysis too malleable.
"By deploying those factors in various combinations and permutations, a state could construct a plethora of potential maps that look consistent with traditional, race-neutral principles," Justice Kennedy wrote. "But if race for its own sake is the overriding reason for choosing one map over others, race still may predominate."
Justice Kennedy did not say the challengers would win under his less rigid standard. "The district court," he wrote, "is best positioned to determine in the first instance the extent to which, under the proper standard, race directed the shape of these 11 districts."
The Supreme Court affirmed one part of the trial court's ruling, concerning a single district, which the trial court had upheld even after finding that race played the dominant role in drawing it. The trial court said the district was justified by an attempt to comply with the Voting Rights Act, which forbade the reduction of minority voters' ability to elect candidates of their choice.
Justice Kennedy endorsed that reasoning. "The record here supports the legislature's conclusion that this was one instance where" the 55 percent target "was necessary for black voters to have a functional working majority," he wrote.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined all of Justice Kennedy's opinion.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. largely agreed with the majority, though he said he would subject the 11 districts to a demanding level of scrutiny.
In a partial dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas elaborated on Justice Alito's point and said the court should have struck down the lone district it upheld. "Despite my sympathy for the state," he wrote, "I cannot ignore the Constitution's clear prohibition on state-sponsored race discrimination."


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q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?
a)My name is Jesse Treece. I was raised, and still live, in
q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?
a)I make collages or photomontages and I like to draw as well. I like to work with vintage materials, books and magazines from the 60's, 70's preferably. My other tools are scissors, exacto knife, glue stick, ruler and whatever solid surface I can find.
q)What do you think sets your work apart?
a)Hmm, I'm not sure. I like to think that most of my work is simple but striking. There are elements of absurdity, whimsy, surrealism, odd perspectives and some darker undertones that maybe people are drawn to. I also use landscapes a lot, everyone loves landscapes.
q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a "big break?"
a)It's been a little over 2 years now I think since I started putting my stuff up on the web.
I don't think that I've had a "big break". Maybe an accumulation of "little breaks". The work that i'm most proud of is designing the cover art for Arrange's album Plantation (http://arrange.bandcamp.com/album/plantation), being published in some cool small press zines and getting to collaborate with some really amazing artists like Jeffrey Meyer( http://www.goofbutton.com/), Agogwe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/phokingdragon/) Delilah Jones (http://mymindisanisland.tumblr.com/), etc. And just the feedback I get from people that are really into my work, that's pretty cool!
q)What are some things that have inspired you?
a)Music, mindblowing art, film, books, comic books, people, lot's of things really.
q)What have you been working on recently?
a)I'm getting ready to start another collaboartaion with Delilah Jones and we have an ongoing project called Ice Cream Kingdoms (http://icecreamkingdoms.tumblr.com/) which is a book that is being passed around to different artists to add collage elements to. Other than that I'm always collecting materials and working on new stuff, I seem to always have a few sitting around waiting to be finished.
q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?
a)Yes, constantly. I'm currently really into the J. Mascis solo album, Gorgeous George by Edwyn Collins, Freedom Run by The Rifles, Romantic Comedy by Big Troubles, new singles from Dive, Terry Malts, Minks. I'm pretty much obsessed with anything on Captured Tracks and Slumberland Records right now.
q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?
a)I do dabble in drawing and playing music also but nothing serious at the moment. I would love to have the time to collaborate with someone on some kind of musical project, I have tapes and tapes of ideas that I've recorded when the inspiration strikes me.
q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?
a)Juat get it out there somehow! The internet is a great way to get your work seen. Put it up on a social network of your choosing, shop it around to galleries, coffee shops, artwalks. If it's good you'll find an audience.
q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?
a)I'm going to be part of a group show later this month at the Loading Bay Gallery in
q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?
a)I have lot's of websites! People can see more of my work at www.collageartbyjesse.tumblr.com, http://www.flickr.com/photos/collageartbyjesse/, https://www.facebook.com/collageartbyjesse and prints can be purchased at http://society6.com/collageartbyjesse/prints and http://www.inprnt.com/gallery/jessetreece/.

subset: commoncrawl


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Click on the links below for further information, to order copies of reports, or to participate in a survey:


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Monday, January 25, 2010
Rain in January
Rain in January is not ideal for the mountain girls due to it creating more icy conditions. The first picture is the creek coming down from the back of our house. At the bottom there is a picture of the creek across the street from us that used to be the beaver pond.
You can see that we still have a little snow and the roads are still ice covered. Places that the sun hits the roads everything has melted for the most part. The part of the road that doesn't get plowed is extremely icy at least in Leetonia. I didn't take a chance to venture further down the road. I was on edge just going to downtown Leetonia with studded snow tires.
Pine Creek at Cedar Run went from 2 feet this morning to almost 9 feet the last time I checked. Our pond in the back is full and the overflow is raging. It seems like Spring in January. At this point winter sports are out of the question here unless you want to ice skate on the roads. When I went by the pipeline today the snowmobile trail was completely gone or icy.
You can see the road in front of my house in the other picture featuring Spec the new addition to our family. He is a real sweetheart and quick as a rabbit. Paula rescued him from the SPCA in Wellsboro. I always wanted a lap dog that is actually small enough to fit on your lap. Scooter thinks he's a lap dog at 90 pounds. UGH! Also in the picture is the back of Leo on the left and Thor on the right.
I recently got back from a trip to Tucson which was very nice. The weather was perfect while I was there. I love the multitude of cactus. Tucson is a very pretty interesting city surrounded with beautiful mountains. It was nice to visit but I am glad to be home to our mountains. There really is no place like home. At least for me.
Time to settle in with the boys. If anything of interest comes up I will post again. Mountain Girl Lee (AKA Riverbear) logging off.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Warm up!
Sam pulled a large icicle down (first one on left) and Reilly decided to make herself into a icicle unicorn.
The youngest of the four is four and the oldest 13. I can tell you keeping up with them is harder than any construction job.
I think my neck is permanently in a kink trying to keep track of them while pulling them on the sleds behind the four wheeler.
A lot of people are up for the weekend hoping to snowmobile, however the roads are marginal. Still I am sure they all will have fun unless we get the freezing rain Sunday. Lee is coming back from Arizona today and I am headed off with the grandchildren to Illinois on Monday to help them remodel their basement. Work has been slow here so it is a good time to go help. Guess it is Lee's turn to hold down the fort.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Remembering Jack
Jack chased rabbits, squirrels, birds, bears and unfortunately his share of porcupines. His first summer in Leetonia he only caught porcupines and snakes, due to his inexperienced hunting style. I called it burn and churn. He would run fast and loud scaring everything away. Animals hid in the sharp multiflora bushes designed to protect them from predators. Fearless, Jack just viewed this as a minor slowing down as he tore through the bushes, the bushes tore of pieces of his ears off and left thorns in his coat. Later, when I petted him, the thorns would stab me. Daily, I pulled them out one after another. Fearlessness can be bad.
Jack worked with me everyday and kept all the animals out of the area. He thought he was protecting me but sometimes the way he defended me was down-right dangerous. I drove home for lunch, and it was time to go back to work. I opened the back door to walk to my truck. As soon as Jack stepped out the door he snorted and ran to the front of the house. I heard some noise and realized what ever he found he was chasing around the house.
There is a creek that runs close to the edge of our house and then a garage sits at about a 45 degree angle to the house. The garage at its closest point is within 15 feet of the back of the house. Set this way the garage funnels anything that comes around the house toward this narrow point. The point I stood at when I saw a 100lb adolescent black bear coming around the corner, ahead of Jack and directly at me. I had no time to think of anything but the feeling of what a 100lb bear hitting me running at top speed was going to feel like. I braced for impact and the bear lunged over the lawn tractor next to me. Jack gained ground as he passed me he was within two feet of grabbing the bears back leg.
I yelled, "No!"
He stopped and came back to me letting the bear run to freedom. He seemed to smile with pride as he looked at me. If he could have talked I am sure he would have said, "I showed that bear who was boss."
This wouldn't be the last time Jack tangled with bears and I feared one would kill the 50lb dog. It was the only time he tried to run me over with one.
We used to keep bird seed in the van to feed birds. Something we stopped doing because of the number of bears it attracted. The bird seed also attracted squirrels, Jack's favorite thing to catch. Jack's skills at hunting improved greatly his second summer, fewer thorns and a more thoughtful approach to hunting. He would often sit by the bird seed post and wait for chipmunks. He learned to sit motionless and let them move around a bit. Then in an instant snatched them and placed them in a pile while he waited for another one. It wouldn't be uncommon for him to have five squirrels in a pile before the rest caught on to him. He was so intent on this nothing would distract him. Not even a female jogger who went within ten feet of him jogging up the mountain thought Jack was a statue. On the way back she jumped when she saw Jack's ear move. Statue no, smart squirrel dog, yes.
Jack often followed me when I got bird seed out of the van, ready for any little critter that might be in there. This day he would hit the jack pot. As I opened the door, a red squirrel scampered inside the van and Jack leaped in after him. Jack and the squirrel went round and round knocking over everything then the squirrel flew out. And yes, it flew out right at me. It thought I was a tree and started circling and climbing my left leg. Jack flew out as well and was chasing the squirrel around my leg as it climbed higher and higher. I remember holding my breath getting ready to feel the bite of a squirrel or dog. Just as the squirrel got to my waist it flew off into the bushes with Jack close behind. Both the squirrel and I escaped injury or death by a narrow margin on that day.
This was just a couple of Jack escapades; I am hoping to write them all up in the future. But after sharing these stories last week with someone I wanted to share them with you here on the blog. This last picture shows Jack's first encounter with a porcupine.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A day in the life
I spent the day sorting through stuff I never get the time to sort. I filled three garbage bags with papers and junk to get rid of. Then decided it would be a good day to defrost the freezer. I didn't have to worry about the food melting...I just put it in a box outside in our outdoor freezer. The high was only 22 so I think it was colder then my inside freezer. The ice had gotten nearly 3 inches thick in some places and it took a lot of boiling water to melt it all. Between melting ice, I kept putting wood on the fire to stay comfortable. In this windy, freezing weather tending the fire is a full time job in itself.
Called the gas company and it seems they aren't making it up the road. I told them to go around instead of up from Cedar Run so we will see if I get propane. Our cook stove, water heater and dryer as well as a small space heater run on propane.
The first year we were up here I had 100Lb individual tanks. We went through six of them that winter and since there was no delivery...we ended up hauling them horizontally in the back of the Subaru since I didn't have a truck that year.This is not the safest thing to do and those tanks are a challenge to get into place. After that we went to a 500 gallon tank, which we use up in about a year. We use half in the winter and half in the summer. Right now it is half full and we are just starting the coldest part of winter. If they don't show we might make it. But it is nice not to have to worry about it.
Scooter decided today would be the day he would roll in something nasty so he got a bath. He was lucky the house was warmed up by then. I started cleaning the library and sorting through old books and magazines. I finally decided the ton of old building magazines I have must go to make room for life. I think the library is at least a three day project.
My daughter and grandkids are trying to come up the end of the week for a visit providing no major snowstorms. She just told me her golden retriever got a little too close to their wood burner and her daughter noticed the dog's tail smoking. She said they put it out before any damage was done to dog or house. Never a dull moment. Tomorrow the plans are to do some electric work at a neighbors it is in an unheated garage so it will be long underwear day. Time to hit the hay as they say. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out.


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Article: Hiring a Private Investigator For Human Trafficking Investigations
The infiltration of criminal enterprises in the workplace have risen dramatically in recent years. Now human resources and operations supervisors are faced with a complex workplace investigation, that if conducted internally may jeopardize professional codes of conduct.
Such gangs has boldly moved such operations into large and small manufacturing companies, literally establishing underground criminal networks behind the back of supervisors offices.
The root of these incidents are a result of lack of comprehensive background policies, lax hiring procedures of employees and use of undocumented migrants in the workplace.
Criminal syndicates with well organized drug and sex trafficking operations has extended their operations into the U.S. for higher profits.
The investigation of drug and sex trafficking in the workplace should only be conducted by law enforcement or a licensed team of private investigators.


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It seems everyone is satisfied with the top leadership at Rossland City Hall.
Nominations for council closed at 4:00 Friday, and Mayor Kathy Moore found herself unchallenged for a second term as mayor.
"I'm really disappointed," Moore says. "Because I think in a democracy everyone should have a choice, and although I see there are plenty of people running for council who have different perspectives and bring different viewpoints to the table, it would have been nice to have some of those perspectives also challenging for the mayor's role."
Moore says she plans to send out a flyer to the community anyway, outlining her goals and viewpoints for the next council term.
She will be the head of a very different council, however. Three councillors chose not to run again, leaving a lot of room for new faces.
Fourteen people— three women, and eleven men— will be vying for a seat at the council table. They are:
Deke Baley
Chris Bowman
Caroline Enns
Scott Forsyth
John Greene
John Lake
Dirk Lewis
Andy Morel
Janice Nightingale
Fletcher Quince
Richard Soltice
Jill J Spearn
Stewart Spooner
Andrew Zwicker
Zwicker's filing of nomination papers on the last day comes as a surprise. He told Rossland News last week he wasn't seeking re-election.
Two other council incumbents are running again—Morel and Greene. Jill Spearn sat on council for several terms before 2014.
School board
Voters will have a choice between two candidates who want to help set policy for the school district. The school district's Area 5, which includes the City of Rossland and some outlying rural areas, has been represented by incumbent Gordon Smith. He faces a challenge from Desiree Profili, a community coordinator in Rossland and Trail for Wildsafe BC.
Rossland News will question the council candidates on their positions on issues facing the municipal government in the weeks leading up to the election.
Voting day is Saturday, October 20.


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Anger happens for many reasons; sometimes it provides positive motivation for us to right a wrong, or take action to improve something that's unfair. Sadly that's not always the case, and sometimes anger gets out of hand. Anger in itself is not a problem, but what we do with it can be. Anger and stress are often linked; we are more likely to get angry if we are stressed than if we are calm.
Why do we get angry?
- we feel the world should be a particular way, and find it isn't
- we dislike the way we believe others are thinking
- we feel angry about something, then re-direct that feeling onto other events
- we set unrealistically high standards, and get frustrated by our inability to achieve them
Anger may be trying to achieve any of a number of goals.
- defending ourselves against injustice or manipulation
- asserting our rights or wishes
- encouraging others to do what we believe is right
- releasing frustration or other negative feelings about a situation where we feel helpless
- motivating ourselves to do better
The costs of anger
- rarely achieves its aims in any lasting way
- negative effects on health
- damage to career prospects, relationships
- undermines self-esteem
- takes up mental and physical energy that could be used more productively
- interferes with constructive and useful thinking
Anger Management Therapy
Anger management for individuals generally takes place on a one to one basis at my clinic where a series of one to one consultations can
- help you to identify the causes of your anger
- look at the reasons you have difficulty in dealing with these situations
- teach you anger control and anger reduction techniques
- teach you to respond more productively to situations which used to make you angry
Each programme is designed around your own personal situation, and so everyone's anger management programme is slightly different. The number of sessions you need can vary as well, but the average is around four to six.
Depending on your needs it may include a combination of relaxation techniques, assertiveness training, counselling/coaching, motivational work and stress management.
Looking for help?
Read my blogs on anger, and if you need further support, contact me.
I'm sorry but I do not currently offer anger management classes or open courses.
Anger at work
One-to-one anger management sessions normally take place at my clinic in Normanton (near Wakefield). If you are an employer looking for support for an employee with anger management issues, the most cost-effective option is to ask your employee to attend there. Sessions can occasionally be arranged at your place of work, depending on distance, but an additional charge will be made for travel time and costs.
Anger management courses for groups of employees can be arranged at your place of work on request.


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The telephone: Great invention, but it is driving me a little bit crazy this week.
When it just sits there and doesn't ring, that's usually not a good sign. Basically, a silent phone is telling you that your friends have given up on you, that your clients are doing business with someone else, and that you haven't really done a very good job of letting potential clients/customers know that you exist. Or that you're worth their time.
A silent phone is not a fun thing to be around.
But then you have weeks like this one, when my phone keeps ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing. And ringing. Every time I hang up, it starts ringing again. Hell, it rings even when I'm on the line with someone – so I have to either put them on hold to ask the new caller to hold, or let the new caller go to voice-mail.
Invariably, as soon as I check my voice-mail, the phone rings again.
Every time I check my email, the phone rings again.
As soon as I pour myself another cup of coffee, the phone rings again.
As soon as I drive uo to a client meeting, the phone rings again.
As soon as I finally get into a groove (actually… you know… doing work,) the phone rings again.
Don't get me wrong: Having your phone ring off the hook all day is a good thing. Hell, it's a great thing. A year ago, when I left the corporate world to go full time on this little 1-2 year experiment with F360 and BrandBuilder, I wondered if my phone would ever ring.
And for a while, it didn't ring all that much.
That was scary.
As with any business, you have your busy times and your less busy times. The manageably busy middle is a great place to be. It's balanced. You can have a life. You can take the time to do great work. You don't have to worry about missing deadlines or paying bills or letting small things fall through the cracks.
But then you have the crazy phases like this one when you're hot (or… your competitors are busy and you're plan B… or C… or D) and you actually have to turn projects down.
I hate it, but there are worse problems to have.
The thing that drives me crazy though is the constant interruption.
We aren't big enough to need a full time secretary to field calls for us… so what's a small company like ours to do?
I was pondering that very point (as my phone rang AGAIN) about ten minutes ago, when it suddenly came to me: It's time to revamp the old concept of the answering service. I want to be able to turn off my phone (especially my cell phone) and have calls go to a friendly, professional, cool voice that reflects the personality of my company. I want a live person who sounds educated, friendly, competent, and in a good mood. A British accent won't hurt, but that might be a little too… James Bond or something. I want someone who will represent my company and be an extension of our brand (for lack of a better term). I don't ever, ever want any calls to go to voice-mail anymore.
Let's face it: Voice-mail sucks.
I just don't want to have to pay someone like this full time, because that's just not feasible for a company as small (purposely or not) as F360. I couldn't possibly pay them what they're worth, and they would get kind of bored working just for us. (I did mention the thing about F360 wanting to stay small, right?) I'm sure that THOUSANDS of companies and consultants are in the same boat.
So why not – being repetitive here – breathe new life into answering services?
The beauty of this is that two well briefed "operators" equipped with the right technology could easily take care of 5-10 companies each, spreading the cost around – making it affordable for everyone. A company like this could start small if need be, and grow as needed. Simple enough.
But the trick is this: What I want can't be on the level of a typical call center. The quality of the operator's voice, their level of professionalism, and the entire experience has to be top notch. It has to be the complete and total opposite of the downward trend that call centers have been adopting in the last few years. (Don't get me wrong – exporting call centers to countries like India, creating jobs for people and saving money in the process has its merits, but this type of answering service can't and shouldn't be done on the cheap.) I don't want someone whose command of the english language is horrible. I don't want someone who sounds like she smokes three packs of cigarettes a day and whose car is seven shades of bondo. I don't want minimum wage or someone who will be gone in a month.
I want Elizabeth Hurley or Jude Law.
What I want is for my clients or potential clients to be pleasantly surprised by the experience and be well taken care of when I am too busy to take their call.
If there already is such a service, let me know how to get in touch with them.
If not, it might be worth a closer look. I know a way to make this happen. (Investors: Hint. Hint.)
Have a great Wednesday, everyone.
(And yes, my phone is ringing again, right now.)
And in related news: click here.


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Top attractions in Cancún
Isla Mujeres: Full-Day Catamaran Tour
Tulum, Coba, & Cenote: Full-Day Tour
From Cancun and Riviera Maya: Tulum, Coba, and Cenote Tour
Cancun or Riviera Maya: Isla Contoy & Isla Mujeres Day Trip
Playa del Carmen: Tickets to Rio Secreto and Lunch
Zip-Line and ATV Combo Tour
Playa del Carmen Great Shopping Tour
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Sian Ka'an Safari with Transfer Options
Cancún: Speedboat, Snorkel & Jet Ski Rental Combo Tour
Top 10 things to do in Cancún
Stunning beaches and a thriving nightlife are Cancun's main attractions, but it would be foolish to limit yourself in a city that offers visitors so much! From ancient ruins to top restaurants and wildlife, here are a few of the highlights.
Contoy Island
Isla Contoy is a nature reserve and home to many birds, plants, and turtles. Tours are usually led by a biologist and end with snorkelling off its pristine shoreline!
Chichen Itza
This renowned archaeological site is the most essential item on any Cancun sightseeing list. The restored pyramid at its heart crowns an iconic city from Mayan mythology.
Ik Kil
The Yucatan's vast groundwater sinkholes were considered portals to the underworld by the ancient Maya. Few are as famous as Ik Kil, which is open for public swimming!
Cancún Underwater Museum
Snorkel through this incredible museum at the Aquaworld scuba-diving center – home to hundreds of submerged sculptures and the world's largest artificial coral reef!
Climb the 130 steps to the top of the Mayan pyramid, and look out over the ruins of an ancient city that was once the grave enemy of Chichen Itza!
Xel-Ha Park
There's plenty for the whole family to enjoy at this ecotourism hotspot. Swim with dolphins, manatees, and stingrays when you're not relaxing amid the spectacular scenery!
Dos Ojos
The "Two Eyes" cenote system still hasn't been completely explored, but the parts that have offer crystal-clear waters and a lot of natural light – perfect for snorkelling!
Isla Mujeres
It's only a 15-minute boat ride to the "Island of Women," where visitors can enjoy the uncluttered beaches, tour the lively town on a golf cart, or go swimming with dolphins!
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
Stretched over more than a million acres, Sian Ka'an boasts numerous archaeological sites and wildlife habitats, as well as gorgeous beaches that must be accessed via the jungle!
Don't have time for Chichen Itza or Coba? Then head to Tulum. The ruins aren't quite as impressive, but it's closer and there are lots of great open-air restaurants downtown!
Planning Your Cancún Visit
Best time to visit?
Peak season is December to April, with near-perfect weather drawing the larger crowds. Though spring, summer, and fall may offer more enticing vacation deals and hotel rates, the summers are punishingly hot and the fall months often stormy.
How many days?
With so many immersive activities and attractions, you'll want to spend at least a week in Cancun to make the most of your visit!
Which currency?
The official currency of Mexico's eastermost city is, of course, the Mexican peso. However, American dollars are widely accepted in the tourist areas. Either way it isn't hard to find a bank or exchange house that will swap whatever cash you came with.
Good to know
- Language
- Spanish
- Currency
- Mexican Peso (MXN)
- Time Zone
- Country Code
- +52
- Best time to visit
- Summer is peak season, so delay your visit to September through November, when you'll still enjoy good weather, but fewer crowds. Just remember, the light drizzle is ever-present!
Things to Do in Cancún
Top Attractions in Cancún
Cities in Mexico
Other Sightseeing Options in Cancún
Want to discover all there is to do in Cancún? Click here for a full list.
What people are saying about Cancún
A great park that will keep you busy if you like the water&marine
It is pricy but totally worth it. The cheapest tickets are those bought in advance, do choose the transportation option which will give you more time at the park. Very accessible with ADO bus as well but you loose about an hour in the morning. Meals and drinks are included ( that includes alcoholic beverages) and both are excellent. You get a locker and key as well. I chose to snorkel but you can also tube down the river. There are several access points to get in/ out of the water wherever you want. The trail along the cenotes is very nice as well but can be slippery on wet water shoes, look for the small caution triangles. I was in the water by 10 am, used a bicycle to get to the beginning of the river. I did the whole river to lagoon once and then spend time in the lagoon exploring the marine life near the rocks and watched the folks on the zip lines etc It's huge! I had lunch in about 30 min, walked the trail for about 45 min., and spend the rest of the time in the water.
Great tour of Coba with knowledgeable tour guide, not time in Tulum
We were picked up right on time by a nice air conditioned tour bus. I purchased this tour intending to see Tulum which we did however for a VERY short time. We were pleasantly surprised to spend more time at Coba which was a historical experience which is less touristy. We were taken to an amazing water hole but the bad news is that none of the reminder emails told me to bring my bathing suit. We experienced a Mayan Shaman ritual and had a great lunch. Be prepared for a 12 hour day, The only thing I would complain about is we were rushed through Tulum and at the end we had to divert into other vans that were not clearly marked on the side of a road in Mexico which seemed a little sketch. Loved our tour guide Luis. He was passionate about the Mayan culture and it showed through his tour.
The trip was amazing and completely worth it.
The trip was filled with amazing activities and the tour guides did an exceptional job. The first stop was to a Mayan community which was lots of fun. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and was able to give us helpful tips for the trip (i.e wear sunscreen, prepare for mosquitoes, food to try). At Chichén Itzá we were given the option of English or Spanish tour and were given plenty of time to walk around after the tour. At the small town we stopped on our way back to Cancun was a nice taste of Mexican culture a part from the tourist side of the city. Over all it was worth it and I would have expected to pay way more for the service. I would highly recommend. Be prepare to be walking all day because it's a 12 hour day filled with activities.
An amazing day out, we thoroughly enjoyed it
Eugenio was an exceptional guide, he welcomed everyone in the group and introduced us all to the others in the group which broke the ice and we felt we really got to know everyone. The day was relaxed, no wasted time but not rushed either. First went to swim with the turtles via a short boat trip, saw two turtles and loads of colourful fish in the reef followed by a cruise past the Tulum Mayan ruins, then lunch on the go to 4 cenotes, swimming in a couple of them. We bought the photos at the end, Eugenio was using a GoPro camera throughout which we eventually received the photos 12 days later after repeated requests, not sure what the delay was but some great photos and videos (via drop box). Thoroughly recommend this trip.
Fantastic Tour - well organised, captivating guides and FUN!
This tour was absolutely brilliant. My mum and I booked it online because it was significantly cheaper than the prices given to us from our holiday provider and therefore we didn't know what to expect. From start to finish it was well organised, interesting and fun. Our tour guide Ricardo was full of knowledge and translated from Spanish to English perfectly. You will definitely get an insight into the Mayan culture and the use of their remarkable knowledge. As well as this, you will experience the picturesque cenote jumping and of course the famous Chichen Itza. We felt safe and comfortable throughout, I couldn't recommend this tour enough!!!


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Fotografie, Skulptur, Video,
Jun 13, 2016
Pam Longobardi's artwork involves painting, photography, and installation to address the psychological relationship of humans to the natural world. She has shown her artwork across the US and in Greece, Monaco, Germany, Finland, Slovakia, China, Japan, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Costa Rica and Poland. She currently lives and works in Atlanta and is Professor of Art at Georgia State University.
She exhibited photography in Seescape at George Adams Gallery in New York, and won the prestigious Hudgens Prize (2013), one of the largest single prizes given to an artist in North America. She has an ongoing collaboration supported by the Ionion Center for Art and Culture in Metaxata, Kefalonia, Greece. In 2014, Longobardi was awarded the title of Distinguished University Professor, and has been named Oceanic Society's Artist-In- Nature.
With the Drifters Project, Pamela Longobardi collects, documents and transforms oceanic plastic into installations and photography. The work provides a visual statement about the engine of global consumption and the vast amounts of plastic objects and their impact on the world's most remote places and its creatures. It is framed within a conversation about globalism and conservation.
Fotografie, Skulptur, Video,
Fotografie, Malerei,
Fotografie, Video,
Fotografie, Performance, Video,
Druckgrafik, Fotografie,
Fotografie, Video,
Druckgrafik, Malerei,


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The first poker machines were available in the first half of the 20th century, while electronic games arrived in 1964. 15 years later, in 1979, Draw Poker was released, but payouts were given only when players drew Two Pair or better.
Online Video Poker
The invention of the Internet and the apparition of the first online casino, back in 1994, changed the rules of all games.
So, video poker, one of the earliest online games brought by online casinos, was available for players all around the world, requiring just a personal computer and a decent Internet connection.
Now, more than 20 years later, video poker is one of the most popular games to be played online. Enough with the history already, just relax and play video poker online. Have lots of fun and, also, win some money.


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Just finished branding Outer Banks Truck Outfitters for a lovely couple that has just relocated to the OBX from Raleigh, NC. They provide mobile installations of bed liners, hitches, tool boxes, fishing rod holder racks, step bars, and cargo carriers. Their wants for the brand was to stand out and incorporate a fishing hook while also keeping a clean overall feel.
I am passionate about collaborating with good
companies that value quality design and believe in the power of branding. When you do things to manage your company's
brand, the investments will pay off tremendously, I am happy to help make that happen.


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This simple method translates the regional ceremony of roasting South Carolina cluster oysters on a large metal slab over an open fire to the backyard grill. Just cover them with wet burlap or a wet, clean towel with no detergent smell. To serve, place multiple oyster knives and gloves on a table and encourage folks to shuck their own. Plan on at least 1 dozen oysters per person, and grill them in batches. Be sure to scrub and rinse oysters well before roasting; discard any with broken shells.
How to Make It
Preheat grill to 400° to 450° (high) heat. Arrange oysters in a single layer on grill; cover with wet burlap or towel. Cook, covered with grill lid, 10 to 12 minutes or until oysters open. Using tongs, carefully transfer roasted oysters to a platter. Serve warm with cocktail sauce and saltine crackers.


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A few days ago, I've discovered you can download an app on to your mobile device and borrow e-books with your library account (you need a PIN, might need to contact your library to set up one). Got to thanks technology for making things convenient. Ok ok, to be fair, some people still prefer to have the physical book on hand and I do too sometimes. When I'm reading, it's such an accomplishment to see the read section is getting thicker as I flipped through each page. I was so excited about this discovery, I dug through my junks to retrieve my library card. Honestly, I thought I would never use it again that's why it's hiding in a box. Unfortunately my account didn't work and no way to recover the PIN. Richard offers to go to the library on weekends but I was so eager to start borrowing, I took a deep breath and called the library the very next day during break. The lady on the phone was very nice and got my account reactivated in seconds. So turn out my account was expired which wasn't a surprise as the last time I used it was maybe 5 years ago? Anyhoo, I quickly got my tablet out and browse through the list of e-books. Initially I wanted to borrow the Mockyingjay so I could finish the hunger game series but it was checked out already. Oh, with e-book, they have limited available copies just like normal books in library. When the loan period of the book expired, it will automatically return and delete off your bookshelf. This way, you don't need to worry about overdue books. Of course, after you finished reading you can manually return/delete the book to free up quota. For Whitehorse Manningham Library, you can check out maximum of 5 books while Melbourne Library Service (City of Melbourne) allows 4 books at any one time. Haha, yes, in order to get access to wilder range of books, I've sign up to the City of Melbourne library too!
Ah, back to books browsing. I've picked a children fiction called Careful What You Wish For by Maureen McCarthy. A brief summary is Ruth (11 years old) is upset with her family because they don't understand and care about her. She is not getting along with her brothers, annoy with her parents' hobbies/interests and live in what she considered to be a crappy house. The only person that cares and understands her is her beloved Aunt – Mary Ellen – who has recently passed away. Before that, Mary Ellen has given Ruth a special gift, Rodney the Rat. Turns out Rodney has special power and to guide Ruth to see what's most important he has granted her with three chances to create her perfect family. If she stays in her new life more than a day then she will stay in that life forever. Of course, there is a million ways that things can go wrong. You'll need to read the book to find out what happens to her 3 chances =P.
In my opinion, this book is quite suitable for young children. It teaches them to be grateful and to see beyond what's display in front of them. I can't say for everyone but I sure wish for things to change in my family when I was younger. There were a lot of "If only …" =P. Oh well, no point dwelling on the past. I'm just happy I get to read more books without needing to set a foot out the door.


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Faith Life Student Ministries
Our focus is to develop young people to have confidence in God and build a relationship with Him. We believe God has given FLSM the platform to love, reach and develop students to be leaders in their communities. We don't have it all figured out, However, we know the One who has the answers, and we'd love to show you how easy it is to know your purpose and how much fun you can have living out that purpose.
We split our Junior and Senior high with age-appropriate messages:
Faith Life Youth (MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS)


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Seeking Re-election ...
I am proud of the work completed in the last 4 years during my term as Trustee. I have strong relationships with our superintendents, principals and teachers and will continue my commitment to the legacy of excellence which is Pembina Trails.
I believe that quality public education is the KEY to shaping a better tomorrow. As through education we create better lives for individuals, greater equality within our society and a more sustainable and prosperous environment.
I believe that the challenges facing education are too complex to tackle alone. I will continue to support a global community approach for teachers, parents, students and governments to work together to find the answers and deploy the solutions.
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." - John Dewey, Philosopher
Who am I ...
Born and raised in Winnipeg, I graduated from the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Human Ecology (majoring in Family Economics and Management), and hold a certificate in French Language Studies from Laval University (QC).
After a 30 year career with the Provincial Public Service, I retired from the position of Director, Finance and Administration, Healthy Child Manitoba. An advocate for children and youth, my passion and enthusiasm for child-centred public policy culminated in a 14 year career with Healthy Child Manitoba. I am honored to have contributed in the development of an innovative and nationally recognized strategy of Provincial programs and services for Manitoba's children and youth.
In 2014, I was elected to the Pembina Trails School Division Board of Trustees. In addition, in March 2016 I accepted a one-year term to serve as a Region 5 Director on the Manitoba School Board Association Executive; I was re-affirmed into that position for an additional 1-year term in March 2017.
In 2016, I accepted a protocol position at the Legislative Building. I presently work part-time in an administrative liaison position within the office of the Special Envoy for Military Affairs.
Of all roles, my most rewarding is that of being a single mother to my birth-daughter Bailey and two "adopted" foreign students: Shiya and Taylor. Our home is a beehive of activity – with three University students - each in a different faculty - our daily conversations cover a broad range of social, cultural and academic topics.
Over years of professional employment, I have experienced and benefited from a number of diverse fields and positions. Each has afforded me opportunities to expand and sharpen my skills, expertise and knowledge.
An employment overview: starting from 2018 and working back to 1982 is available on LinkedIn.


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Friday I had my students take a 10 question progress check on solving two-step equations. In exploring the resources, I had my students use the the Exit Ticket program. Students worked independently to answer the 10 questions that I had pre-loaded into the Exit Ticket. There was a restriction that only allowed 10 questions in the program but there is a disclaimer that if you want to have more questions you can load a different program by the same company to have longer assessments.
My students struggled to recognize that the quiz that we took online was going to count toward their grades. I wonder how incorporating the links and managing the access through either my school blog or a program like schoology would impact their understanding of the nature of the assessment.
One thing that I really liked was that as students progressed through the quiz, they were given immediate feedback about if they answered the question correctly. This allowed them to immediately identify the mistakes and errors in their work so that they could move forward and increase their effectiveness later in the assessment. Students were then given a final result immediately when they got to the end of the assessment. This took lots of pressure off me because they did not walk in my room Monday morning wondering about their scores.
As a teacher, when I log into the program, I am given a screen where it shows the students progress on the assessment. This progress shows not only how many questions they have answered, but also how they performed on those questions. This allows me to look for things that might cause their scores to drop. (This was useful because I found a couple of students that were just clicking through the test. I also found others that were trying to do everything in their heads and had them show their work.)
There were options within the program to make it timed, revealing answers, show result pages, and randomize order. All of these options were useful in creating an assessment that I wanted to use in class. I could also create multiple assessments throughout the course of the class period. They students could come in and work on a launch type of question and then have check-ins throughout the period and an exit ticket at the end.
The program is not as intuitive as some of the other tools that I have used, but the options it provides are pretty slick and easy enough to use. The visual formatting is easy to read and understand student results immediately.


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Ubisoft is coming a little late to the toy-game hybrid craze started by Activision's Skylanders in 2011. But the French video game publisher has something we haven't seen before with Starlink: Battle for Atlas, a science fiction game where you attach a toy to a game controller and play the game on a console.
It's another example of original and strange thinking at Ubisoft, which prides itself on creating new intellectual properties. The game is a project of Ubisoft Toronto, said Matt Rose, producer of the game. With Starlink, you attach a toy pilot and spaceship to the top of a game controller. Then you can change the parts on the spaceship, and those changes show up in the game on the fly. It's like being a kid again.
"We built a team that dreamed of bringing those amazing childhood memories back to life," Rose said.
So you can change pilots or change weapons or engines on the spaceship. If you run into a certain kind of enemy, you can attach flamethrowers that will take care of it.
The title will ship in the fall of 2018 on game consoles. It runs on Ubisoft's Snowdrop engine that powers The Division. You can also play the game on the Nintendo Switch.


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Man just a few hours left and the fact of the matter is I might just make it. Just have to finish the levels, polish up the engine and get it on here and hope for the best. Sorry for not putting screenshots since I'm am power programming (yes that's what I've called it) as fast as I can. See you guys at the finish!
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text: Freshwater Action Network was asked to nominate a representative to speak about the perspective of Southern civil society on Water and Climate Change Adaptation during the 13th session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG LCA) at the Climate Change Talks in Bonn held from 1-12 June 2009. The Global Public Policy Network on Water Management (GPPN) http://gppn.stakeholderforum.org who were organizing the workshop and side event were particularly interested in the perspective from South Asia so FAN approached FANSA to nominate a representative to attend. FANSA nominated Ramisetty Murali, FANSA Convenor. Unfortunately, at the last minute, he had to cancel so I gave a presentation on their behalf.


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The year 2015 marked a milestone anniversary for the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.
The 25th Annual Meeting and Conference in Hong Kong was held May 6~9 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, overlooking Victoria Harbour.
The core tenet of the conference, Vision For The Future, gave IPBA the impetus to take a look into its own future by reflecting back to the organisation's foundation and legacies.
In keeping with this theme, the conference opened with two plenary sessions addressing the future professional landscape, and how the legal profession must quickly respond and adapt to these changes.
Over 1000 delegates from the Asia Pacific and around the world gathered to celebrate IPBA's legacy, and attendees enjoyed some of the best entertainment Asia's World City has got to offer.


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Coach Life - Explore Your Niche
Become a Leadership Coach
Developing People, Teams and Organisations
When coaching was a new profession, 10 or 15 years ago, it was perfectly acceptable to simply call yourself a coach. But today the coaching profession is well developed across many industries and professions around the globe and the need to specialize is increasing. The opportunity for niching is limitless, and we've categorised them into 4 key streams; Life Coaching, Business Coaching, Executive Coaching, Health and Wellness Coaching
Leadership coaches work with clients in a range of settings as in house coaches within organisations, as external contractors delivering staff development programs and as independent executive or CEO coaches working either face to face or via phone. With your background and prior experience you can coach executives within a particular industry, coach individuals or coach groups. If you are coaching by phone you can be located anywhere in the world and take your business with you as you travel. Executive and leadership coaching is an incredibly rewarding career that can get you out of the rat race and into a career where you can help to develop great leaders, teams and organisations.
As a leadership coach you will work with people on a range of issues. But no matter what leadership coaching niche you choose you will most likely be working with clients on some of the following issues:
- workplace relationship challenges
- stress & overwhelm
- clarifying company vision & direction
- work life balance issues
- blue sky thinking
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Leadership coaching is often the prefered coaching area for people who have worked in the corporate environment and includes literally hundreds of coaching niches. Some of these include:
Leadership Coaching is a broad niche with many specialities
- manager coaching
- CEO coaching
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ICA's Integrated Coaching Model
One of the elements of our training that we are most proud of is that we teach our students to create their own coaching model. So, we ask them to answer the question - how would you like to coach? By doing this, our coaches graduate with their own coaching uniqueness and their model speaks to future clients about who they are as a coach and who they will coach.
The ICA Integrated Coaching model is a style or process of coaching that is integrated in the following ways:
1. It draws on the skills, knowledge or experience of the coach to create a unique and powerful model.
Every student who comes to ICA comes with their own unique blend of skills, knowledge and experience. Often this can come from a workplace or profession but it can also come from travel, parenting or general life experiences. The important thing is, that no matter what it is or where it came from, your coaching can benefit and even be shaped by this experience. You are not, as they say "an empty vessel" to be filled up with coaching "knowledge" Rather you are an amazing individual who has a totally unique perspective on life that has been shaped by the millions of experiences you have had in your life.
2. It draws upon and is integrated with one or more coaching related philosophies or influences
Coaching is a "hybrid' profession and has been influenced by many other disciplines and philosophies.
Interview Samar Naim (ICA Graduate),
Executive Coach DUBAI
Executive Coach DUBAI
Samar believes that coaching came to her as a calling. She was going through a transitional phase of really wanting to develop herself. But this time, she didn't want anything that would help her develop as a professional only. Samar wanted to be developed as a person as well. It didn't take her long to decide coaching was the answer.
Executive Coach, Sorina Cucuta - Popa, Romania
Coach training is just one of the many skills and experience Sorina Cucuta-Popa brings in support of her senior level management clients. Read more
Empowerment Coach, Sumbi Ndi (Australia)
As a young girl, Sumbo believed that if you put your whole heart into something, believed you could achieve it, and if you were willing to take laser focus action, then you could attain your goals. Listen to interview
Showcase who you are as a coach, your policies, and what your clients can expect from your services.
Download Program Syllabus
Download our syllabus to learn more about the training option that will best fit your budget, timeframe for completion and certification needs.


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Scavenged Chair Contains Secret MessageOctober 1, 2009 at 8:35 am | Posted in News | 6 Comments
This is our favorite kind of story — in which scavenging mixes with history to become a wild adventure. According to the San Francisco Chronicle:
"Patty Henken always thought she found great value in the rickety rocking chair when she plunked down $200 for it at an auction, figuring she could restore the century-old relic to its former charm. Five months after hauling the chair home last November, Henken spent hours in May prying the seat off it in her garage in Mount Sterling, Ill. A small envelope fluttered from it as she tossed the seat aside — 'Finders Keepers' typewritten on it. Inside, a key was taped to a note.
"'This DEXTER key (number sign) 50644T will unlock a lead chest,' the note began, before spelling out a location in Springfield, Ill. — 1028 N. Fifth St. — where a chest containing more than $250 in U.S. gold coins supposedly was buried 12 feet below ground.
"The stash, the note claimed, included eight $20 gold pieces, six $10 gold pieces, five $5 gold pieces, three $2 1/2 dollar gold pieces and two $1 gold pieces. The note, signed by a 'Chauncey Wolcott,' included a request to contact the Springfield newspaper if the chest was ever found. Henken finds that intriguing, thinking Wolcott perhaps has left a confession in the chest or 'wants to give us an answer to an old mystery.'
"For now, any treasure remains elusive. A search of the site — currently a vacant lot — with a donated backhoe last Sunday came up empty, though Henken pledges to be back at it this weekend. Whatever the outcome, 'it's the fact that there's a story there that's exciting,' Henken, 48, said Wednesday….
"The note at the crux of the mystery isn't dated — though its insistence that the chest 'cannot be located by metal detector' suggests it could have been written anytime since about World War II, when the first practical metal detectors came to be.
"At the supposed burial spot, the home on the lot was torn down many decades ago. The owners of the land — retired state corrections workers Dennis and Sharon Chrans — live next door and, at least initially, disregarded Henken's voicemail approaches as the workings of a telemarketer.
"'We were skeptical all the way,' Sharon Chrans recalled. But the couple eventually were swayed and met with Henken and her husband, hashing out a deal to split any costs of the dig — and the proceeds of whatever they found. Henken's scouring of genealogy records and courthouse documents in Sangamon County, which includes Springfield, has offered no clues to anyone named Chauncey Wolcott. Dennis Chrans found no such name on his property's abstract.
"Yet last Sunday, the dig began. A couple dozen folks showed up, many of them friends of the Henkens. Some brought lawn chairs, others drinks and snacks. A co-worker of Patty Henken's brought a toy magic wand….
"'It was a happy event, a party-like atmosphere,' Sharon Chrans said.
"The women wanded the backhoe for luck, and the machine began clawing up earth and eventually turned up a cistern — something onlookers considered promising until it yielded only bricks and antique bottles. Elsewhere on the lot, the digging revealed a well too deep to really scrutinize despite their efforts to siphon out some water.
"'Some people think it's still down there,' Chrans said, speculating that if the booty really does exist, Wolcott knew what he was doing by leaving it in a lead box that wouldn't deteriorate.
"Still, everyone accepts that it all could be a hoax. Henken isn't sweating that prospect, having lost plenty of far more relevance in recent years — a brother to brain cancer, a son in an Easter Sunday rollover crash and a nephew to leukemia. One of her sisters died of breast cancer in 1990.
"She admits the effort could be fruitless, much like the time in 1986 when TV host Geraldo Rivera and a demolition crew drew a worldwide television audience when they blasted away a 7,000-pound concrete wall of a basement chamber billed as 1930s gangster Al Capone's vault in Chicago's former Lexington Hotel. Even the Internal Revenue Service was on hand to lay claim to any cash or bullion — but all Rivera found was empty booze bottles and an old sign.
"The Henkens expect to resume the dig Saturday, hoping with the Chranses that there's some resolution.
"'I really don't have a gut feeling,' Sharon Chrans said. 'We just had to try once that information presents itself. You just can't leave it there with it just tempting you.'
"Henken isn't willing to let it die.
"'There may not be a penny in it, but I want to finish this. I want to complete the task this note started,' she said. Given the recent tragedies, 'I don't have a lot of positives in my life. But this has kept me busy all summer, and nobody's going to dash this for me.'"
Hope she finds that box….
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text: The European Commission (EC) yesterday (2 July 2014) approved Vodafone Group's proposed acquisition of Spanish cableco Grupo Corporativo ONO under the European Union (EU) Merger Regulations, after being notified of the deal on 23 May 2014. In a press release, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not raise competition concerns, as both parties' fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Spain are 'largely complementary': ONO's main activity is related to fixed telecoms, whereas Vodafone Spain is mainly active in the mobile segment. Although Vodafone and ONO's activities do overlap to some extent in the fixed and mobile markets, the EC found that the impact of the transaction on these markets is likely to be limited as the combined entity would continue to face significant competition from other market players, such as incumbent Telefonica and other operators such as Orange and Jazztel. The EC continued: 'The transaction also gives rise to a number of vertical and conglomerate relationships in the fixed and mobile telecommunication markets in Spain, in particular in relation to the provision of bundled multiple play services. However, the Commission's investigation indicated that the merged entity will not be able to shut out fixed or mobile operators from the markets for multiple play services, because of the availability of alternative operators and the regulatory obligations in relation to wholesale access on mobile and fixed services.' Vodafone said that the EUR7.2 billion (USD9.9 billion) takeover of ONO, which was agreed in March, will now be closed within two to three weeks, while joint Vodafone/ONO product offers are scheduled to be launched in September, utilising shared assets including ONO's cable broadband network covering around 7.15 million households.


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By Eric Pankoke on Tue, 09/03/2013
If you happened to catch my review of Twin Moons HD, another G5 adventure game release, this one might sound similar in a lot of ways. Part of me wishes I could try more of the G5 releases as they come out, but the positive tradeoff seems to be that when I do finally get to play one, it usually turns out to be a good one. Of course there are still "levels of goodness" even among the really good games, and in that regard I'd say Dreamscapes: The Sandman Collector's Edition HD (Free; $6.99 IAP to unlock full game) easily ranks in the top five and maybe even the top three games that I've played from G5. I just wish they'd stop writing these games with sequels in mind, because now I might just lose a little sleep waiting to find out what happens next.
The story in Dreamscapes is of particular interest to me because I've always thought it was fascinating to read about people entering someone else's dreams. I do wish there had been more back and forth between the dream and real worlds instead of an almost complete focus on the dreams, but it was still quite intriguing. As you traipse through the dreamscape of the main character, Laura, you are presented with some nice cut scenes that show parts of her real life; and much like Twin Moons, while there are diary pages that you can read, you can also get the majority of what is going on from the audio and visuals that are presented to you. There is also a bonus story once you've completed the main game, though I'll leave it to you to get there and find out whether it's a prequel or continuation.
Navigation is pretty standard: tap to pick up items, tap where you want to go, and tap on areas of interest to take a closer look. You can pinch to zoom in and out of the current scene to see details better, but it appears that a simple double tap to accomplish the same was not implemented. To use items in your inventory, you tap on them and then tap in the scene where you wish to use them. Once again there were no inter-inventory interactions, but in the end, you get to the same place. There was a decent selection of mini-games, though thankfully not nearly as many as in Twin Moons. And while you have the option to skip them after a period of time, I never actually had to. The only real problem I had with the interface was that sometimes I'd tap in an area that would be an exit to another room, and then when I'd tap what I felt was a far enough distance away to look at something else, the game thought I was executing a second tap to move to the other room. Not a big deal, but it took a few extras seconds to move back to the original room.
In addition to the puzzles you must solve, most of the rooms have one or more beholders in them. These little critters can be hiding anywhere, and you must tap them once to reveal them and then again to collect them. Sadly I fell two short of collecting them all in the main game and one short in the bonus adventure. And with no way to go back to certain rooms, I couldn't correct my mistake; so I'm not sure what you get besides possibly an achievement for collecting them all. Speaking of which, the game does have 14 achievements you can earn, and there is even a little mini-game where you can place figures in a picture, colorform style, for each of the achievements you've earned. There are also some extras like a gallery of concept art and a place where you can listen to all the music apart from the game itself.
The visuals are excellent, and while I realize the games that G5 publishes come from different developers, that's still something I've come to expect from a G5-branded title. The backgrounds are highly detailed and it's cool to see each part of the dream world transition from dark to light as you free it. The characters are well designed, and I'm particularly fond of the furry creature called Benny. The sound effects are decent enough, while the voices make an already vivid world even more dynamic. I do find the voice of the Sandman a bit grating, though. (No pun intended!) The music is top notch and does a good job bolstering the almost horror-like theme of the game.
When I first started to play this game I was impressed but not entranced. After I decided to start over and really focus on it, I couldn't tear myself away from it. While there's still something about the current generation of adventure games that doesn't feel quite like what I was hooked on as a kid, the quality of what we are being offered is growing by leaps and bounds from the "make everything a hidden object game" mindset. I miss the third-person King's Quest-style format, but as long as this sort of storytelling keeps up, I'll take it from whatever perspective I can get it.
Overall Score: 9/10
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Investing in Child Care makes (dollars and) sense!
High quality child care is essential for a community that works – and the evidence is there that investing in children's care makes a difference. You can invest in the Shared Services Network to increase the capacity of our providers and the impact they make each day in the lives of young children and their families.
We are proud of the community relationships and partnerships that are at the heart of our program. Our national, regional, and local partners understand that valuing and supporting child care impacts everyone in the community, grows economic development, and improves health outcomes. We thank everyone who has partnered with us, made investments, and shared their resources. We'd especially like to recognize those partners who have made in-kind or financial gifts, denoted with an asterisk, who have supported this important work.
- Alliance for Early Success*
- Cashton Bank*
- Cashton School District
- Coulee Children's Center
- Gundersen Health System*
- The Kickapoo Conversations, an initiative of Wisconsin Partners
- La Farge School District
- The Medical College of Wisconsin and the Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program, and the Healthier Partnerships Program for the initial funding for this project*
- Opportunities Exchange*
- Organic Valley *
- The Registry
- Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers*
- School District of Hillsboro
- Vernon County Board, Economic Development and Tourism*
- VEDA: Vernon Economic Development Association
- Vernon Memorial Healthcare *
- Viroqua Area Foundation
- Viroqua Area Schools
- Westby Area School District
- Westby Co-op Credit Union *


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Vacation Skincare: What To Pack Depending On Your Destination
Summer's the time that many of us pack our bags for family getaways, sightseeing, and other fun. Even if you're traveling for business, it's important to take your healthy skincare habits along for the ride! Certain destinations require adjustments to your skincare routine, whether you're taking a road trip to...READ MORE


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Although these devices have been on the market for years, there isn't an ultrasonic dog deterrent review that has proven the technology works. In fact, there are serious doubts regarding the technology, and that should be a major concern for runners, bikers, and anyone else that enjoys spending time outside. That's why more and more people are shifting to audible sound repellants instead.
A comprehensive ultrasonic dog deterrent review has never been put together, but there's no reason to believe that canines are sensitive to extremely high frequencies. To canines, they are just like any other sound, and many either ignore these frequencies or adjust to them right away. This technology has been marketed to repel many animals, and the same inconsistent effect is common among them. Of course, these frequencies are beyond human hearing, which is a problem because a user can never be sure the device is working, nor do they know just what kind of sound the device is outputting. If the device is outputting a low intensity pattern, it may not be enough to get the animal's notice. That's especially true if the canine is charging aggressively.
Another concern with the technology is that higher frequencies of sound deteriorate quickly over short distances and are blocked out by most obstacles. This makes it a lot more difficult to use the device effectively.
Fortunately, there is a viable alternative in audible sound devices, which produce a high intensity combination of tones that canines respond to quickly. Audible sound devices are also easier to use and more precise, which can be critical when an aggressive animal is in pursuit.


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As if "Party" wasn't enough for a strong introduction, King Combs, who you may recognize as the son of Diddy, decides to liberate a second single with us tonight called "One For Me."
Taking after his father, and staying true to his Bad Boy legacy, King captures all the elements and essence of a classic hip-hop love song in this braggadocios, Tank-produced R&B cut. No word yet as for where these two singles will end up, but hopefully there's more on the way, or better yet an entire project for that matter. Take a listen and let us know what you think.
If you're a fan, be sure to hit King with a follow on twitter @KingCombs for all his latest news & music updates.
Quotable Lyrics:
Stay away from fakers, always make player moves
Chicks love the dude so I take them by the pool
Mac down show 'em how a player move
Shorty smile and I do what a player do
But this one chick make me wanna forfeit
Change my playin' ways and give it all in


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Cumbria's forgotten homes which don't have enough broadband speed to meet the most basic needs, will not benefit greatly from new Government regulations, a communications expert has warned.
Homes and businesses will have a legal right to demand high-speed broadband by 2020 under new rules to help the 1.1 million premises who cannot access broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps, putting paid to a BT voluntary plan to improve speeds.
The Government has confirmed that everyone in the UK will have access to speeds of at least 10 Mbps – the speed required to watch Netflix or browse YouTube – under a regulatory Universal Service Obligation (USO).
But Jonathan Harris, senior programme manager with Connecting Cumbria, a partnership between Cumbria County Council and BT, said the announcement was not good news for the county which has almost 30,000 homes currently without adequate broadband connections.
Under the plan, providers will face a legal requirement to provide high-speed broadband to anyone requesting it, subject to a cost threshold. Ofcom has said 10 Mbps is needed to meet the requirements of an average family.
The Government said it believed that only a regulatory USO offered sufficient certainty and the legal enforceability required to ensure high-speed broadband access for the whole of the UK by 2020.
It said it welcomed BT's "continued investment to deliver broadband to all parts of the UK".
But Mr Harris, who had been hoping to see superfast broadband delivered to 93 per cent of residents and businesses in the county by September next year through Connecting Cumbria, described the Government plan as disappointing.
He said: "It is not good news at all for Cumbria. For one thing it won't happen until 2020 and also it means BT's voluntary universal broadband offer of £600 million is now off the table.
"Cumbria would have got a reasonable share of that figure because of its rural nature. I would have much rather have seen BT investing in broadband rather than this plan. There won't be any offer – people will have to apply themselves and they won't be able to do this until 2020 which is still some time away.
"Also many people don't realise that under the new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) there is a cash threshold of £3,400. The costs go up exponentially in remote areas of Cumbria to tens of thousands of pounds with the consumer having to fund the difference. It just isn't good for an area like Cumbria."
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said: "We are grateful to BT for their proposal but have decided that only a regulatory approach will make high-speed broadband a reality for everyone in the UK, regardless of where they live or work.
"This is all part of our work on ensuring that Britain's telecoms infrastructure is fit for the future and will continue to deliver the connectivity that consumers need in the digital age."
A BT spokesman said: "We respect the Government's decision. BT and Openreach want to get on with the job of making decent broadband available to everyone in the UK so we'll continue to explore the commercial options for bringing faster speeds to those parts of the country which are hardest to reach.
"Alongside this, we'll work closely with Government, Ofcom and industry to help deliver the regulatory USO.
"We look forward to receiving more details from the Government outlining its approach to defining the regulatory USO, including the proposed funding mechanism."
Dave Millett, an independent telecoms expert, said: " At last some good news – of sorts. The Government has finally told BT that universal supply of broadband is mandatory and everyone must get minimum speeds. The catches are; it is not until 2020 and the speed is just 10 Mbps.
" Whilst 10 Mbps may have been reasonable when the target was set several years ago it is now outdated."
Earlier this week Chris Conder, founder member and volunteer with B4RN, a community benefit broadband provider operating in south Cumbria, backed demands by Lord Adonis, head of the National Infrastructure Commission, for urgent action to be taken over the poor broadband service in rural areas.
Lord Adonis said Ofcom and the Government needed to "put all options on the table" to tackle coverage black spots which left four out of five rural homes without any 4G service indoors. These should include possible legal and regulatory changes.


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One of my favorite things about travelling is getting to find new places to eat. I always try to avoid hitting the chain places in favor of local independent eateries. Of course sometimes I will still go to Chili's or Cheddars because it is convenient, but I try to find new places as often as possible. My trip to Colorado afforded me many opportunities to eat at new places, but tonight's dinner location was noteworthy for its mix of good and bad.
DiCicco's is an Italian restaurant near the Denver Airport nestled among a collection of hotels. It is in a big, uninviting building with a solid door, no windows and a patio that is loaded down with equipment and not used for seating. Upon entering the edifice, one gets a sense of entering an expensive boutique restaurant, but instead of a hostess stand, diners face a counter with a cash register, and what looks like a server stand. The hostess did not react to me for several moments until I asked where the hostess stand was. After clearing up my confusion, she asked if I wanted to sit in the bar area or the dining room. I was taken to the two-story dining room and seated in an intimate two-person booth adorned with very pretty hand-painted floral patterns on the walls. These paintings were all over the restaurant including the ceiling and vents. One wall of the dining room was a large screen showing video of Andrea Bocelli singing in a concert. I would later find out that on weekends, the videos are replaced with live entertainment in the form of a keyboardist and once a month they feature a live band.
Brandon, my waiter, was quite knowledgeable about the restaurant's history and the menu. He seemed pleasant and nice, but he forgot my soda and took an inordinate amount to time coming back to take my order. I asked a few questions about some of the choices and settled on the cannelloni with meatballs and minestrone. I was glad I did. Unfortunately, however, the cannelloni came out before the minestrone. The soft drink glasses were quite small, necessitating several refills, of which Brandon was not as attentive as I would like.
The highlight of the dinner was the dinner. The cannelloni was the best I have had. Every bite was a bit of heaven covered in mozzarella. The meatballs, smothered in marinara, were delectable and accented the cannelloni very well. Even the minestrone, when it finally arrived, was quite good to the point I spooned every bit of the broth I could reach stopping only when my spoon came up empty. I cannot remember a more tasty Italian dinner.
If only it was served in a more accommodating environment.
This is not to say that the dining room was drab or distracting from the dinner. As I mentioned earlier, the entire interior is festooned with impressive hand-painted artwork on the walls—not canvases hanging on the walls—but rather murals covering almost all of the plaster. The problem was the fact that the impressive adornments are only on the interior of an uninviting building. The front door is solid wood with no windows. Similarly, the windows that are on the walls are plastered over. As I mentioned earlier, the building has a two-story patio that would offer diners a spectacular view of sunset over the Rocky Mountains, but the patio is closed and filled with excess equipment, which is quite unattractive.
DiCicco's has very good food and it is worth the trip for that. The only problem is one has to get past the uninviting building to get it. If the restaurant was not one of only two in the immediate area, I might not have even bothered to enter it. The exterior is not inviting and the foyer did little to change the impression. It is only when one enters the dining room does the restaurant become somewhat promising. It is only when the food is served does the place shine, and it shines brightly.


text: MUSIC Kanye West Explains "Famous" Video Concept 4:58 PM PDT 6/25/2016 by Ashley Iasimone, Billboard FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Courtesy of Dana Edelson/NBC Kanye West discusses the inspiration behind his provocative new video, which premiered at the L.A. Forum Friday night. A number of very famous figures are shown lying together naked in Kanye West's provocative new "Famous" video, which premiered at the L.A. Forum Friday night — and, according to the rapper, plenty of other celebrities told him "they want to be in the bed" when he showed them a preview of the visual. "It's not in support or anti any of [the people in the video]," West, speaking to Vanity Fair, said of the video, which was worked on with various collaborators and took three months to complete. "It's a comment on fame." The "Famous" video depicts lifelike versions of George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby. "Maybe in some alternative universe me and George Bush could have been friends," he commented. "I could have been his O.J. Simpson black friend on the golf course." Of the visual's artistic inspiration, West — who was inspired by American realist painter Vincent Desiderio — added: "Matthew Barney is my Jesus." Barney is an artist known for his living sculpture work in the film series The Cremaster Cycle. (He has also worked with Bjork, with whom he was in a past relationship. The former couple have a daughter together.) Despite the nudity featured in his "Famous" video, the rapper said that he was "very careful with shots that had [something] sexual to take them out." On Saturday morning, West quipped, "Can somebody sue me already" along with the hashtag #I'llwait in a since-deleted tweet. "Famous," a single off of West's The Life of Pablo album, features a controversial reference to Taylor Swift in its lyrics: "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? / I made that bitch famous." "[I say] a lot of lines other wives would not allow a husband to say," West said to Vanity Fair. "But my wife also puts up photos that other husbands wouldn't let them put up. One of the keys to happiness in our marriage is we're allowed to be ourselves." The video is available now on Tidal. This article originally appeared on Billboard.com. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Ashley Iasimone, Billboard email@example.com @thr


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Ellen Page's speech to the audience at the Human Rights Campaign's Time to Thrive conference in Las Vegas Friday has inspired others. In fact, #Ellen Page had been tweeted at least 192,000 times at least by noon Feb. 15. She spoke so very openly and eloquently about the reality that is 21st century society – that if society spent five minutes daily with the intent of being "less horrible" to each other, people would likely feel far more comfortable even living in their own skins. Even Page herself admitted to having struggled with how others would respond and that she came out because she'd ultimately grown tired of living an existence that was unauthentic and essentially a lie.
I understand something of what she was talking about. Sexuality is a subject that is taboo for many families, and mine was no exception as I was growing up. I became determined to be attracted to only men in my teen years; I'd made the mistake in Grade 7 of disclosing to someone I thought I trusted that I sometimes dreamed of kissing a girl. Naively, I thought this was something that perhaps other girls my age could connect with. I still remember the sting of her reaction, and I kept my mouth shut from then on.
It's taken deep soul searching, but I got tired of living my own "lie by omission" – or evasion, in my case – a couple of years ago. I had found myself to be in love with a woman, though I was married with a couple of children. Mistakes were made and hearts were broken, including my own. The secret was out, though I continued to try and convince myself that my affection for this woman was an anomaly. I was still attracted to my husband, and yet, I had been living this lie.
Ellen Page's speech Friday inspired me to have the courage to write this. I am a bisexual woman. The bottom line is, I continue to struggle with that facet of who I am and who I have grown to be after 41 years on the planet. However, in many ways, it's really no different than saying I'm blonde or I'm tall. Yet, it's so very different because for whatever reason, it continues to offend or disturb several sectors of society. Many who have continued to deny that part of themselves could see their careers killed because of it, as retired Navy SEAL Brett Jones discovered.
I am incredibly fortunate to be in a place where I am accepted for who I am, but for so many who are struggling with their sexuality as Page did before her speech Friday, having friends accept you for who you are is only one part of it. The bigger struggle often is self-acceptance. In so many families and in so many relationships, the notion of same-sex attraction is deeply troubling and has resulted in friendships and families being virtually destroyed.
Page said in her speech that love, with all its joy, beauty and even pain, was the greatest gift two human beings could share. Page says love should be without shame or compromise, and that seems like an easy enough prospect, but there are so many people that are loved with conditions put upon them. They are told that they will be part of the family still if they see a psychologist about their sexual orientation. There are some who are thrown out of their homes, and roughly a third of all LGBT youth attempt suicide. As a young celebrity, Page is demonstrating a great deal of poise and dignity by addressing the assembled crowd at the Time to Thrive conference at Bally's Hotel and Casino. Her words had resonance for those like me, who have struggled and continue to wrestle with sexuality.
Ellen Page's inspiring speech at Time to Thrive inspired me to work towards my most authentic self as a bisexual woman. I'm a bisexual woman who is a proud parent to two beautiful girls, hopefully a good partner, and it's my hope that one day, my girls can look at me with pride and realize that I was able to show them how to live a truly authentic life as whomever they choose to be. Thank you, Ellen Page, for trusting in who you are enough to be your most authentic self.
By Christina St-Jean
PFLAG Canada