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Introducing Johnny Pawliw
SH'BAM Head Program Coach
Here at Les Mills Asia Pacific we are excited to welcome Johnny Pawliw into the role of Head Program Coach (HPC) for SH'BAM.
At 19, Johnny began his Les Mills journey, initially enrolling in BODYPUMP training bringing energy, passion and sheer determination. He hasn't slowed down since.
"When I was 18 I sustained a laceration to my arm which severed my nerves preventing any form of movement in my left hand. This threatened to stop me from performing any form of exercise again. When someone says no to me, it just triggers an internal drive. I was determined to make this no a yes. Fast forward twelve months and I had regained full use of my hand and enrolled in my Cert III and IV course. Twelve months after that, I was enrolled to do my first Les Mills Training, BODYPUMP!" he says.
A Group Fitness Instructor for over twelve years, International Trainer and Presenter, DVD Presenter at LMAP and Reebok Sponsored Athlete are just some of his amazing feats. Johnny holds a Bachelor in Health Science and has a definite zest for life.
When asked about the biggest high in his fitness industry career, Johnny recalls two.
"The first was being able to be part of launching SH'BAM in Australia. The second was being able to be part of the filming experience. Both as equally exciting and humbling." He says
So what does the new Head Program Coach love most about SH'BAM?
"I love the freedom that you can have with the program. Everything goes and everything is encouraged! This, with the amazing music is just a winning combination!" he says
"The first thing I did as Head Program Coach was help prepare for this year's Les Mills Live. I was truly honoured and excited to help contribute to such an amazing event" he says
It's clear that Johnny is passionate about the fitness industry. But who inspires him?
"There are so many people who I see as inspirations! One that always stays close to my heart is my first Group Fitness Manager - Yvonne Thomas. I can't express into words how this woman changed my life and watching her own journey is far beyond inspirational. Her strength, courage and her ability to just help others is why so many people are drawn to her." He says
The future continues to look bright for Johnny, with a goal to own his own fitness club in five years time. We wish him every success and are confident that Johnny's skills will see him providing wonderful support for the TR1BE and inspiration for the next generation of Trainers, Presenters and Instructors.
Please join us in congratulating Johnny and welcoming him to the role. We are thrilled to have him in this crucial position and are very excited about the future of SH'BAM.


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What can start-ups learn about talent management from pre-school kids?
Do you often fail to understand what your employees think? Have you often struggled to retain employees while starting up? Have you ever caught your employee not working effectively during the office hours? Well.. we all entrepreneurs have this issue. In fact this is the first hurdle that any entrepreneur faces in his or her journey while starting up – identifying right people, hiring and retaining them to grow the company is probably the biggest challenge!
Often, StartUps are a high risk game that only few people can play with precision. We entrepreneurs are constantly under pressure to make our companies work. We sweat our blood out to get those initial few paying subscribers. We do everything to bring delight on the face of our first few customers. We go an extra two mile to make every subscriber appreciate the product we would have built with so much passion, care and love, isn't it? These are very human centric targets, often achieved through human interactions and through a loyal, trustworthy, passionate employee base who have a sense of belonging to the company they are working for. Therefore employees are pillars for an organization's success.
Human is the lowest common denominator for an organization that is mounted on the runway of success, if you loose your human resource, you have lost it all – no matter how awesome the product is.
Now here is the exam question. How do we gain an employee's loyalty, how do we induce passion in him or her, how do you get them to add value to the organization? what kindles a lamp of teamwork in them?
Well, in my entrepreneurial journey, I did a lot of analysis and put my brain into a great deal of thinking to find some proven techniques that works like charm – which I am sharing with you today.
At the end of the day, employees are humans, they have a family to take care of, they have aspirations, they have dreams, they are there to earn a living.
Understanding the psychology of an employee is key to get the best out of them. I was quick to realize that understanding the most inherent and instinctive characteristics of a human being is very hard when there is a layer of human led deliberate manipulation on top of natural behavior of people – example : an employee trying to smile when there is no salary hike declared, or an employee pretending to be happy at work when he is assigned a less challenging role – all these are pseudo gestures that prevents an employer from knowing what exactly goes on in the minds of an employee when an undesirable event takes place. To get to the bottom of this, I started observing my own daughter who is 3 year old, at this age, they have no masks, they exhibit their natural basic instincts without fear, they act and react naturally to situations and they form the best prototypes that could help us understand our employee's behavior in the most definite way.
After spending hours with the little one observing her behavior quite closely here are some of the conclusions I could draw and have found very beneficial in my day to day work as an entrepreneur :
1. Employees need attention like the kids do :
An ignored employee is lost forever, employees need attention almost on a daily basis. They need to be spoken about in an organization in a positive way. This creates a huge impact. They are exactly like our kids, if you do not given kids the necessary attention during the day, it affects their moral and they start getting very disturbed and throw tantrums (often unrelated to their daily routine and often attention grabbing) to regain the sight of their parents. Similarly, an employee, if not spoken about in the organization or ignored by their bosses, often look to move into jobs where they can actually be looked at "being important" – it is not only vital to make them feel "important" but also give them the necessary attention in the organization. Like I often give building blocks to my daughter to build a car while I watch the TV or browse internet whilst she builds the car, once the car is built (of course with a little help form all of us), I drive the car around the house and show how beautiful the car looks and appreciate the efforts of the "little one" in building it – this brings the delight in her face and she is on a high for the rest of the day. This is exactly what needs to be done to an employee. Try to include their names in company newsletters, try to give them small gifts from time to time (it could be as small as a voucher to a near by cinema or a dinner vouchers) – you will see such positive changes in them.
2. Employees need to be promised of a reward and fulfilled :
Often when our "little one" does not eat properly, we promise to give them something they enjoy after the task (eating food is the task here) is completed – like chocolates or ice-cream if they eat their supper fully. This serves as an instant motivation for them to complete the tasks (finishing the food on their plate in this context) – but soon after they complete it, they expect you to honor your promise. If they find out that your promise was false, the same trick will most certainly fail to work the next time. Similarly, when you ask your employee to work slightly over-time or beyond their boundaries of the normal work, do not make it look ordinary. Always tag it with a reward, the reward could be as simple as sponsoring a pick up and drop cab service for them to come to commute to work on that day or allowing them to order their favorite food from an otherwise expensive restaurant and footing the bill as an employer, paying for the extra hours of work they put in (like add a surprise bonus component at the end of their month on to their salaries) and give them the required credit by saying "because XYZ worked so hard to complete ABC, we achieved EFG" and mention about it in the weekly employee communication or a staff meeting. Often an employer takes the employees for granted and expects the employees to take up addition tasks as "business as usual" without any reward components attached to it. Avoid this culture.
3. Paying on par with market :
If you kids do not get the toys that their peers get to play with, they either want to spend time at their friends place to play with those toys they crave for (comparable to freelance culture in employees who work to earn that extra money after their regular day jobs) or they demand parents to buy them these toys so that they could enjoy playing with it at home all by themselves (comparable to employees expecting promotions, wage hikes etc and are explicit about their demands) – In the factory based models, a few years back, employees often use to go on "strikes" to get their wage revised. This is done in a very polished way these days – an employee either takes up a freelance work to meet his own demands or ends up changing the job for a better pay. While starting up, if a cash compensation is not possible, an entrepreneur should either look at compensating them with suitable ESOPs or a pay them a cut from the revenue that they directly generate for the company.
4. Give them a break :
Often kids complain that they want to take a break from their schools, they get overwhelmed with their homework and wants a time off from their daily mundane commute to school. Likewise you do not wantpeople to be dragging their foot to offices just for the sake of it. Introducing a flexible work culture with achievable targets can be very effective way of keeping the employees excited, like allowing people to work from home, paying for their internet connections, giving them a work phone and forcing them to take good breaks at regular intervals or arranging team outings along with the family members of the employees can be a great stress buster and can add immense value to the company.
Don't you trust your own kids? Most parents do, similarly trust your employees, the lesser you monitor and supervise them the more responsible they become. They could do their own things when not supervised initially, but when they are loved, pampered, rewarded and made important genuinely, the guilt of not giving back to the employer in them takes over and they begin to work in the interest of the organization, they genuinely compensate the lost hours and gives more than their 100%.
Let me know what you think!
This blog has been reprinted with permission from the author. The original blog can be read here- http://www.thestartupguy.me/blog/b-school-lessons-from-pre-school-kids
About the Author
Karthik Prasad
Co-Founder of www.beatmysalary.com, KP writes on technology, mentoring, leadership and startups. With this blog, attempts to share his experiences with various entrepreneurs.

subset: commoncrawl


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There are tens of thousands of Sonic the Hedgehog fanfictions out there. Can you believe it? There are almost as much Sonic fanfics out there as there is Star Wars fanfics. Crazy.
So it shouldn't be any surprise that Fanfiction Nation would eventually feature a Sonic episode. And here it is! And it's… oh, holy shit, it's DARK! Kyle and Mark read a fanfic by ToxicSpeka, who wrote a story called "An Arm and a Leg." The author sets it up as "a story in which Shadow gets a chaos emerald." Folks, the title of this podcast is not deceiving at all. The genres for this story are Horror, Hurt, and Comfort. But don't worry — Kyle and Mark find a way to bring levity to the story! This was a super fun episode. Take a listen and let us know what you think!
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Be sure to subscribe and rate on iTunes and YouTube.
We'd love your support over at Patreon. Even $1 a month helps. Check out our cool rewards for becoming a Patron!
And, if you have a script you want us to read, you can send it to us here.
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Saturday, 9 July 2011
Sinikka Langeland
Norwegian folksinger, kantele player and composer Sinikka Langeland has recorded a new CD album with the title The Land That Is Not, based on poems by Edith Södergran. The album will be released on the ECM label in the autumn, and adds to the already considerable list of recordings by this unusual artist, who combines the kind of sound one associates with the singing of Joni Mitchell with "the oddness of Björk", as one publicity handout puts it. There are samples of Sinikka Langeland's work in several places on the Internet, including this Myspace site.
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This course will introduce you to the assessment component of the Nutrition Care Process. In this course we will discuss the assessment and interpretation of anthropometric data, relevant nutritional biochemistry and clinical data as well as dietary data. There will be a large emphasis placed on different methodologies used to collect and analyse dietary data. Additionally, you will also learn about assessment of body composition using a variety of techniques that are often used by Dietitians in clinical practice. Interpretation of data will be applied through case study examples.
Course detail
- Prerequisite
- NUT201 and NUT212 and enrolled in Program SC353 or SC302
- Semester of offer Subject to change
- Sunshine Coast: Semester 2
- Units
- 12.00
- 0.125
- Student contribution band
- Band 2
- Tuition fee
- Allied Health:
- Census date
- Academic Calendar
- Class timetable
- View class timetables for this course
Course outline
NUT202 Course Outline Semester 2, 2020 (PDF 188KB)
Students enrolled in this course should check the course Blackboard site to ensure that they are accessing the most recent approved version of the course outline.


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- Residents fleeing their homes
Within a 24-hour span, three houses in close proximity were destroyed by fire in Granville, St. James, as the violence affecting the community has resulted in several persons fleeing the area and abandoning their homes.
The first fire, which occurred on Monday morning on Gunns Drive, reportedly started after a barrage of gunfire was heard.
Information reaching the Western Mirror is that about 7:05 a.m., firefighters responded with two units and managed to put out a blaze on Gunns Drive before it could spread to other houses. However, the house, said to have been constructed with board and zinc was destroyed.
Loss is estimated at two million dollars.
The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire as the occupants had moved out earlier. Unconfirmed reports say they moved out following another fire in the area that also resulted in the destruction of several houses.
The second fire occurred on nearby Gordon's Crescent later that day, about 10:14 p.m. Two units from the Freeport station responded and managed to extinguish the blaze but not before leaving at least an estimated seven hundred thousand dollars' worth of damage. This house too had no occupants at the time of the blaze.
On Tuesday morning, the Fire Brigade was again summoned to attend another fire on Gunns Drive. It was a similar case as the first as no one was occupying the space at the time of the blaze.
The Brigade related that when they arrived on the scene shortly after 9 a.m., they found the house completely engulfed. An operation quickly ensued and the fire was brought under control but not before destroying the house.
The Fire Brigade is still working to ascertain the causes of the three fires and investigations continue.


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"What we NEEEEEED…!" "Like a TIGER!!" "I could go on and on… and I will…" What's your favourite Rob Sitch impression? Posted by The Late Show on Thursday, 21 July 2016
Category: Poll
Sep 17
Top or Frontbottom?
Top and Bottom lists that rank the topic of discussion can be entertaining and compelling at the same time. While there are no thorough and correct answers (unless a registered survey or census has been performed), many listings are usually done by matter of opinion, and with the odd listener / reader / viewer interaction. …
Oct 31


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What Makes a Great Website Design Homepage?
|Created On: 12 August, 2015
|Created By: superadmin
Having a great website is important for helping people understand what you do and why they should care and most of the people that come to your website are probably landing on your homepage. With the homepage being the first impression you have to make sure that it is communicating the right message in the right way to your user. A great homepage not only helps to set the expectation but can be the factor that makes people decide to continue browsing your site or, if they aren't pleased, to click away. The homepage must blend good aesthetics without sacrificing any functionality to have the most impact.
This balance is crucial to any great homepage and the design plays heavily into the initial emotional connection that people have when the homepage loads. Make sure that your homepage loads quickly and looks great on multiple platforms, using tools such as responsive website design. Once the page loads you have 2 seconds to form some sort of emotional connection through a tagline, color scheme, or prominent image. The better that you can impact people in those first few sections the more likely they are to read your copy and navigate your website.
Once you have their attention you would like to make the browsing of your website as effortless and intuitive as possible and this all starts with the design layout of the homepage. The better that you can make all of the features and services available with less clicks and strain, the most likely people will continue to view and use your website. Help direct the people to the parts of your website that they want to go by highlighting the most relevant aspects and providing a couple of different pathways; both traditional menu bars and fully utilizing embedded links and photo links. As soon as you have an intuitive website homepage you need to get more users viewing and using your website.
Putting as much content as you can out on the web in the form of articles, links, videos, partnerships, and other media, will give you more people that are interested in viewing your website. The best website design and homepage won't count for anything if people aren't viewing them. Use a variety of methods and implement a good content creation and implementation strategy to maximize all of the tools available to get people using your website.
Creating a great homepage is all about crafting an easier to use interface with emotional connecting design and content. By using these concepts and then getting tons of traffic you can then test different tactics and strategies to improve and iterate your way to the perfect homepage.


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Kids' Picks For HK Theme Parks
When you're visiting a country or city for the first time, whether you're on a family holiday or travelling with kids-at-heart, a theme park or two is sure to be on your itinerary. These aren't the easiest environments to navigate, so our expert kid travellers are here to highlight the best rides, souvenirs and tips for popular theme parks.
Far from the usual guide-book suggestions, these little thrill seekers know how to get the best out of every theme park.


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Plastic Free Tote
All of our totes support a 'plastic free' lifestyle but we wanted to make it obvious with this one. Roughly three billion (that's billion with a 'B') plastic bags are used in Canada each year, and most are used for less than 20 minutes each but take hundreds of years to break down. Moral of the story, don't use plastic bags, use a Plastic Free Tote instead.
- Made in Canada.
- Heavyweight Canvas.
- Black Silkscreen.
- 100% Cotton, 9 oz.
- Dimensions: 21.5" x 13.5" x 7.5"
- There's also the Everything Tote, Anything Tote and The Holiday Tote.
There's a reason you feel reassured when you find a t-shirt that reads 'made in Canada' on the label. To many, local manufacturing is synonymous with quality and equality, which is why we've made 'Canada first' the main pillar of our company. Keeping everything made in Canada makes our design studio a second home and our manufacturers our neighbours, and that's really the most Canadian thing we can think of.
We know it can be challenging to pick the correct size online, even when using a size chart. If you simply want to exchange for a different size, we will cover the shipping. Please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com before returning your item for instructions on how to proceed.


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Years ago, she took a trip to Florence, Italy that impacted her educational focus.
Today, Professor Constance Moffatt, continues researching Italian Renaissance art and March 24, she presented a paper in Montreal that reflects her years of research.
It was a combination of seeing the art pieces in front of her and living in the compact buildings of Florence as an undergraduate student, that won Moffatt over.
"I probably would have studied something else, if I hadn't gone to Italy," said Moffatt.
A member of the Renaissance Society of America, she put together a 10-page paper centered on the Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan and patron of Leonardo Da Vinci and shared it with other members. A total of 1,400 people attended the annual meeting with several presenting papers.
A professor at Pierce College since 1991, Moffatt has organized the "Summer in Florence" program in the past. Students had the opportunity to study art abroad, while visiting museums that housed art significant to the Renaissance. Currently, the state economy has impacted the program directly and has forced it to come to a halt.
Observing works of art first-hand after only seeing them in a textbook is an entirely different experience, and Moffatt knows this well.
It took her a few weeks to organize the information from her dissertation and 20 years of research to write her paper.
"It's like a treasure hunt in a way," said Moffatt.
She has spent several summers working in the state archives of Milan handling delicate manuscripts dating to the Renaissance.
An admirer of Venecian Architect Andrea Palladio, Painters Andrea del Sarto and Leonardo Da Vinci, the first thing that attracts her to these artists is the beauty of their work.
"The second thing that interests me in these artists, is the intellectual process that they went through to get to the point of having that particular style," said Moffatt.
A graduate of UCLA, Moffat studied Da Vinci under Carlo Pedretti, a scholar recognized for his extensive work and knowledge on the artist.
Additionally, Moffat studied patronage studies. She found the Duke of Milan commissioned Da Vinci's artwork in the city. She was interested in the ways the Duke of Milan demonstrated that he was a patron of a specific work without literally signing it.
This is made clear in "The Last Supper." In Da Vinci's fresco, among the three lunettes at the top, is a coat of arms representing the duke and his sons.
Moffatt found examples of this in artworks originating from Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Nadia Castillejo, 20, a nursing student currently enrolled Art 101 with Professor Angelo Allen. She recognizes that new discoveries are made in the field of art history sporadically and she supports the idea of instructors remaining active in their fields.
"When scholars continue to learn, students will also be up to date with what's going on in art," said Castillejo.
Joanna Dolores, 20, an art major and Castillejo's classmate, agrees with this idea.
"Art tells us about culture. The more we know about it, the more we know about ourselves," said Dolores.


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102 's
Basketball Makeup Case
Basketballs Make-up Purse Pourch
Basketball Cosmetic Bag
Cosmetic Zippered Bag With Basketballs
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Great seller! Item as pictured and excellent quality!
Shipped fast and nicely sewn!
Originalsbycindy sells baby quilts, diaper bags, totes, hats, ear warmers, scarves, ribbons, fabric, cosmetic bags, purses, vintage treasures, trims
After 2 weeks your items will automatically renewed for another 60 days and $0.23 per item will be added to your billing ledger.
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English and American voiceovers recorded by Chris Brooker, an established professional voice artist with over 30 years of experience.
Chris has worked extensively on corporate films, documentaries, commercials, film trailers, commentary, narration, e-learning, games, dubbing and character voiceovers throughout Europe and all over the world. His warm bass voice can be heard across the globe on YouTube and Vimeo as well as on television commercials, radio commercials, National Geographic and Discovery channel, on audio guides in museums and wildlife parks. Internationally, his voiceover work extends around the UK, throughout Europe to the USA, as well as Australia and South Africa.
All voiceovers are recorded either at Chris's own professional recording studio, or across Europe in recording studios chosen by the client.
Chris Brooker
professional native English voiceover with 30 years experience
TV Presenter
countless corporate films, in safe hands
Live Presenter
master of improvising and keeping things going
professionally trained, accomplished in film and tv


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Located in Rancho Cucamonga, this pristine age qualified Manufactured Housing Community is snuggled at the edge of the picturesque San Bernardino Mountains. With professionally maintained landscaping, a natural lagoon with koi and goldfish, well-planned streets and cul-de-sacs connecting homes with the Community's recreational facilities, Alta Laguna offers a premium resort community. As a member of our family of residents, you can take advantage of our exclusive amenities and community features.
If the luxurious amenities and a friendly atmosphere haven't convinced you, consider Alta Laguna's ideal location. Comfortably nestled near the desert resorts, Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean, our small town charm is just a stone's throw away from a wide selection of urban attractions.
To book an RV stay or vacation rental, click here to visit our RV website. To book an RV stay or vacation rental, click here to visit our RV website. To book a vacation rental, click here to visit our RV website. For day visits and Seasonal RV site information, please visit our RV website.
Please call us at {{community.phone_number}} for future home availability, or widen your search to nearby Sun communities.


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Of course this Momma is going to be leaving you with one more Summer (or as I say Summa) time drink"e"poo!!! I made these one night for my girlfriend and I……let's just say we only had one 😉
What you'll need:
1/4th of a watermelon (I bough a half of a half)
4 oz of Citrus Vokda (any kind would really work)
2 tbsp of simple suger
Juice of one lime.
What to do:
I ran the watermelon through my small food processor then I added all of the ingredients into a shaker with ice, stirred and poured! That's about it! Garnish with a small piece of watermelon if you choose!


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Prognostic Significance of Myocardial Fibrosis in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Author + information
- Received December 8, 2009
- Revision received March 24, 2010
- Accepted May 10, 2010
- Published online September 7, 2010.
Author Information
- Rory O'Hanlon, MD⁎,
- Agata Grasso, MD⁎,
- Michael Roughton, MSc¶,
- James C. Moon, MD§,
- Susan Clark, RN⁎,
- Ricardo Wage⁎,
- Jessica Webb, MD⁎,
- Meghana Kulkarni, MD⁎,
- Dana Dawson, MD, PhD⁎,
- Leena Sulaibeekh, MD⁎,
- Badri Chandrasekaran, MD⁎,
- Chiara Bucciarelli-Ducci, MD⁎,
- Ferdinando Pasquale, MD§,
- Martin R. Cowie, MD†,
- William J. McKenna, MD∥,
- Mary N. Sheppard, MD‡,
- Perry M. Elliott, MD∥,
- Dudley J. Pennell, MD⁎ and
- Sanjay K. Prasad, MD⁎,⁎ (s.prasad{at}rbht.nhs.uk)
- ↵⁎Reprint requests and correspondence:
Dr. Sanjay K. Prasad, CMR Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, United Kingdom
Objectives We investigated the significance of fibrosis detected by late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance for the prediction of major clinical events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Background The role of myocardial fibrosis in the prediction of sudden death and heart failure in HCM is unclear with a lack of prospective data.
Methods We assessed the presence and amount of myocardial fibrosis in HCM patients and prospectively followed them for the development of morbidity and mortality in patients over 3.1 ± 1.7 years.
Results Of 217 consecutive HCM patients, 136 (63%) showed fibrosis. Thirty-four of the 136 patients (25%) in the fibrosis group but only 6 of 81 (7.4%) patients without fibrosis reached the combined primary end point of cardiovascular death, unplanned cardiovascular admission, sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, or appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator discharge (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.4, p = 0.006). In the fibrosis group, overall risk increased with the extent of fibrosis (HR: 1.18/5% increase, p = 0.008). The risk of unplanned heart failure admissions, deterioration to New York Heart Association functional class III or IV, or heart failure-related death was greater in the fibrosis group (HR: 2.5, p = 0.021), and this risk increased as the extent of fibrosis increased (HR: 1.16/5% increase, p = 0.017). All relationships remained significant after multivariate analysis. The extent of fibrosis and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia were univariate predictors for arrhythmic end points (sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator discharge, sudden cardiac death) (HR: 1.30, p = 0.014). Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia remained an independent predictor of arrhythmic end points after multivariate analysis, but the extent of fibrosis did not.
Conclusions In patients with HCM, myocardial fibrosis as measured by late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance is an independent predictor of adverse outcome. (The Prognostic Significance of Fibrosis Detection in Cardiomyopathy; NCT00930735)
- cardiovascular magnetic resonance
- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- late gadolinium enhancement
- myocardial fibrosis
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a relatively common inherited cardiac disorder with a population prevalence of 1 in 500. It is a cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and an important cause of heart failure (HF) (1–5). A key mechanism for adverse outcomes is believed to be myocardial fibrosis—a pathological hallmark of the condition (6). Although myocardial fibrosis was previously only identifiable by biopsy, advances in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) have enabled its noninvasive detection and quantification in vivo with the late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) technique (7–10). The presence of fibrosis on CMR is known to be associated with the presence of risk factors for SCD, HF symptoms, and the occurrence of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) (11–16). It remains unclear, however, whether fibrosis is an independent predictor of major adverse events and survival.
From January 2000 to December 2006, consecutive patients with HCM referred for CMR at the Royal Brompton Hospital were recruited. Reasons for referral included diagnostic evaluation, confirmation of diagnosis, family screening and assessment of severity. The diagnosis of HCM was made on the basis of typical clinical, echocardiographic, and hemodynamic features, according to established criteria (5). We excluded patients with confounding comorbidities, such as significant coronary artery disease (>50% stenosis) (n = 6), previous myocardial infarction (n = 17), or prior gradient reduction therapy (n = 21). All patients >40 years of age had coronary artery disease excluded angiographically; in those under 40 years of age, angiography was performed according to clinical symptoms. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee.
Events data
Patient events were recorded by communication with patients, their cardiologists, and family physicians. Medical records were reviewed after attendance at outpatient clinics or hospital stay. All patients were directly contacted at 3- to 6-month intervals during follow-up. Only new events from the time of recruitment were considered in the primary or secondary outcomes. The time of death was identified from the U.K. National Strategic Tracing Service database, and cause of death was confirmed through review of hospital records, general practitioner records, and the Office of National Statistics. No patient was lost to follow-up.
CMR acquisition
A standard volumes and LGE-CMR was performed on a dedicated scanner (Siemens Sonata/Avanto 1.5-T, Erlangen, Germany), with full myocardial coverage (17). The LGE images were acquired after intravenous gadolinium-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (Bayer-Schering, Berlin, Germany; 0.1 mmol/kg) in identical short-axis planes to cine images with a breath-hold inversion-recovery gradient echo sequence (18). Inversion times were optimized to null normal myocardium with images repeated in 2 separate phase-encoding directions to exclude artifact.
Image analysis
Ventricular function was analyzed with dedicated software (CMRtools, Cardiovascular Imaging Solutions, London) (19,20). All volumes and mass measurements were indexed to body surface area (21). The entire short-axis LGE stack of images were analyzed quantitatively for LGE extent by 2 independent readers with customized software (MRI-MASS, Medis, Leiden, the Netherlands). The endocardial and epicardial borders were traced for each short-axis slice. A region of interest (ROI) averaging 50 mm2was defined within the normal remote myocardium in an area with uniform myocardial suppression free of artifacts. A multipass region-growing algorithm was used to identify the fibrotic boundaries based on the "full width half maximum" (FWHM) technique, and fibrosis was expressed as present or absent, and its extent was quantified as a percentage of total left ventricular mass (22–24).
Statistical analysis
Results are summarized as mean (SD) or n (%) for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Comparisons of demographic and clinical characteristics between fibrosis and no fibrosis groups were made with unpaired ttests or chi-square tests for continuous and categorical data.
The pre-specified primary end point was the composite of cardiovascular death, unplanned cardiovascular hospital stay, sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, or appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) discharge. Two separate secondary end points were predefined. A composite HF end point included unplanned HF hospital stay, progression to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III or IV status, or HF-related death. A composite arrhythmic end point included sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, appropriate ICD discharge, or SCD. Start of follow-up was defined as the date of the initial CMR. Patients were censored at the time of their first event or the time of their last clinical follow-up.
Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the survival distributions of the end points and to show the difference in survival between those with and without fibrosis. Demographic, clinical, and scan characteristics were all first tested with univariate analysis, and all variables with a p value <0.05 were then taken forward to be considered for inclusion in the multivariate model. The model was constructed with a forward selection procedure, with any variable that improved the likelihood ratio test statistic by an amount equivalent to p < 0.05 included. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for the presence or absence of fibrosis and to estimate the effect on the outcomes of increased amounts of fibrosis. For each patient the predicted probability of having an event at 1, 2, and 3 years was calculated. This was done by obtaining the baseline survival from the Cox model for the cohort at each time point and calculating the increased risk associated with increased levels of fibrosis. To test whether fibrosis was an independent predictor of risk, a multivariate analysis was performed (25). All analyses were performed with Stata version 10.1 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas).
Baseline characteristics
A total of 217 patients were followed prospectively for 3.1 ± 1.7 years, representing 671 patient years of follow-up. The baseline population characteristics are summarized in Tables 1 and 2.⇓Fibrosis was present in 63% of the total cohort. Within the fibrosis group, the mean percentage of fibrosis was 15.5% (range 1.4% to 54.9%). Groups with and without fibrosis had similar mean ages and baseline risk factors but different NYHA status, left ventricular mass index, left atrial volume index (LAVi), and maximum wall thickness.
Autopsy data
One patient with HCM who died underwent autopsy. Assessment of the macroscopic appearance of the cut surface of the heart showed focal fibrosis, which was confirmed histologically with Picrosirius Red staining. There was excellent agreement between the postmortem location and quantity of fibrosis and LGE on antemortem CMR. We quantified the amount of fibrosis with the FWHM technique in vivo and compared this with the amount of replacement fibrosis quantified histologically at postmortem, with an excellent agreement in the overall percentage of fibrosis quantified by the CMR technique versus histology. In this heart, LGE was specific for fibrosis rather than disarray (present in the septum) (Fig. 1).Representative patterns of fibrosis as imaged with LGE are shown in Figure 2.
Primary outcome
During follow-up, there were 9 cardiovascular deaths, 8 of which (89%) occurred in the fibrosis group. Overall, 40 of 217 (18.4%) patients reached the primary end point: 34 of 136 (25%) in the fibrosis group, and 6 of 81 (7.4%) in the no-fibrosis group (HR: 3.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4 to 8.1, p = 0.006) (Fig. 3A).The breakdown of events for the primary end point is shown in Table 3.In the fibrosis group, the overall risk of the primary end point increased with the percentage of fibrosis present (HR: 1.18/5% fibrosis increase, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.33, p = 0.008) (Fig. 3B). The presence and amount of fibrosis remained independent predictors of the primary outcome after multivariable analysis (fibrosis ± HR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.01 to 7.1, p = 0.046; fibrosis % HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.30, p = 0.03). Hence, for every 5% increase in fibrosis the risk of reaching the primary end point increases by 15%. Other variables that were found to be independently associated with the primary outcome in the multivariate model were LAVi (HR: 1.016, 95% CI: 1.008 to 1.024, p < 0.001) and NYHA functional class (HR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.31, p = 0.021).
Secondary outcomes
Overall, 41 of 217 (19%) of the cohort reached the secondary HF end point: 33 of 136 (24.5%) in the fibrosis group, and 8 of 81 (9.9%) in the no fibrosis group (HR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.1 to 5.5, p = 0.021) (Fig. 4A).In the fibrosis group, the overall risk increased with the percentage of fibrosis present (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.31, p = 0.017/5% fibrosis increase) (Fig. 4B). Both the presence and amount of fibrosis remained significant predictors of HF outcome after multivariate analysis (fibrosis ± HR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.08 to 6.5, p = 0.033; fibrosis % HR: 1.21 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.37) p = 0.004). Other variables that were found to be independently associated with HF outcomes included LAVi (HR: 1.021, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.03, p < 0.001) and the presence of a left ventricular outflow gradient of >30 mm Hg (HR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.2 to 4.9, p = 0.013). In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for baseline differences in NYHA status, the amount of fibrosis remained a significant predictor of HF outcomes (HR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.6, p = 0.035). In addition, in subset analysis for patients in NYHA functional classes I and II with no previous HF hospital stay, the presence and amount of fibrosis remained predictive of the secondary HF end points (fibrosis ± HR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.2 to 6.3, p = 0.019; fibrosis % HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.34, per 5% increase, p = 0.035). Furthermore, the overall percentage of fibrosis was a stronger predictor in this cohort of HF outcomes than the presence of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) >30 mm Hg.
Arrhythmic outcome
Of the entire cohort, 12 of 217 reached the secondary arrhythmic end point: 10 of 136 (7.3%) in the fibrosis group, and 2 of 81 (2.5%) in the no-fibrosis group (HR: 3.15, 95% CI: 0.69 to 14.4, p = 0.138). Univariate predictors of this end point were the presence of NSVT and the overall percentage of fibrosis. None of the other standard clinical risk factors were predictive in this cohort. The amount of fibrosis was significantly associated with the outcome in univariate analysis (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.61, p = 0.014), but in the multivariable analysis NSVT was the strongest predictor, and after this no other variables were added to the model owing to the low event numbers.
There are limited data on the prognostic significance of fibrosis in patients with HCM. The main findings are that the presence and severity of fibrosis are associated with a greater risk of major adverse events.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an important cause of SCD throughout life and progressive HF and stroke in older patients. Established risk markers mainly focus on identifying those at risk of SCD (approximately 0.5%/year). However, there remain many patients where additional risk stratification would be beneficial, particularly those with a single risk factor. In addition, there is limited guidance to identify those at risk of progressive HF, which affects up to 10% of patients (14). Understanding processes occurring at the myocardial tissue level—in particular, fibrosis—might provide a novel marker to predict both arrhythmic and HF outcomes. Fibrous tissue promotes re-entrant ventricular arrhythmias and contributes to increased ventricular stiffness (26–29). In histopathological studies, there is an 8-fold increase in the amount of matrix collagen in adults and children who die suddenly from HCM compared with normal control subjects (8). This is also reflected in greater levels of serum markers of collagen turnover (30). Microscopic fibrosis is greater in hearts of patients with the dilated phase of HCM than in nondilated hearts (26).
It is only recently that fibrosis in HCM could be detected noninvasively in vivo with the CMR LGE technique, where gadolinium-contrast agents accumulate in areas of interstitial expansion due to fibrosis, which can then be imaged (7). Fibrosis detection by the LGE technique has prognostic significance in ischemic heart disease and dilated cardiomyopathy (31,32). The importance in HCM is unclear, although we and others have shown an association with markers for SCD (12,33). It also seems to correlate with systolic dysfunction and the development of NSVT (10,14). Several methods have been described to quantify the amount of myocardial fibrosis. In this study we used an established and validated method of quantification based on the FWHM technique. Several groups have recently shown that this technique correlates accurately with ex vivo quantification of fibrosis and has the best reproducibility (22–24). Some groups have used an alternative method based on thresholding with the use of silicon cutoff values of between 2 and 6 SDs above the remote noninjured myocardium and in particular 6 SDs. Work by Spiewak et al. (24) has demonstrated no significant difference between techniques for quantifying fibrosis in HCM on the basis of 6 SDs and FWHM thresholding methods compared with visual analysis, with the best intraobserver agreement noted for the FWHM method. The findings of this study suggest that either method of quantification is likely to be valid. Further work is ongoing to assess whether one method is more accurate, compared with histological validation in HCM.
The findings in this study indicate that CMR fibrosis identifies patients at increased risk of disease progression. Both the presence and the amount of fibrosis are of independent prognostic significance. The presence of fibrosis is associated with a 3.4-fold greater risk of major adverse events, and the risk is proportional with increased amounts of LGE-detected fibrosis. These results are predominantly driven by the development of HF (2.5-fold increase in risk). This risk is independent of baseline NYHA status. In this study, the prevalence of LVOTO was similar in both groups, and although it was shown to be an independent predictor of the HF outcomes, it was a weaker predictor than the amount of LGE and a similar strength predictor for the presence or absence of LGE. Regarding the potential that LVOTO might promote the development of LGE, this has not as yet been demonstrated in published reports and would be the basis for further important work. It is likely that several factors contribute to the development of fibrosis in HCM, a fact supported by the finding of LGE in patients without LVOTO and in apical HCM phenotypes. Although it is thought-provoking to highlight that 83% (10 of 12) of major arrhythmic events occurred in the group with fibrosis, this study was underpowered to show this to be statistically significant. Both the overall percentage of fibrosis and NSVT were important independent predictors of major arrhythmic end points, but owing to the small numbers of these events over the time course of this study, fibrosis percentage did not reach statistical significance after multivariable analysis. This relationship to arrhythmic end points might prove to be more relevant over a longer-term follow-up. At present, the data suggest the need for closer monitoring of patients with HCM and fibrosis for the development of HF. That even small amounts of replacement fibrosis are associated with increased risk of development of HF might be a marker of more significant underlying interstitial fibrosis. Further work will be required to identify whether early therapy with an antifibrotic agent has an impact. The findings do not, at present, support the routine deployment of an ICD on the basis of the presence or amount of fibrosis per se. This is consistent with other recent work (34).
Study limitations
Although this was a single-center study in a tertiary hospital, this allowed for a consistent scanning protocol and close follow-up of all patients. To ensure a representative cohort, consecutive HCM referrals from a large network of referring hospitals were recruited. Further work is required to identify whether these findings are applicable to a community-based population. The accrued 671 patient-years of follow-up was underpowered to assess fibrosis incrementally to other risk factors for SCD, and ongoing prospective follow-up in a larger cohort will be required. The LGE technique detects only focal fibrosis and not microscopic diffuse fibrosis. Patients with an ICD at baseline were excluded from enrollment, owing to the contraindication for CMR. It is unclear how their inclusion would influence the present results, although other groups have previously shown that the incidence of fibrosis in this high-risk cohort to be higher than lower-risk populations. Further work is required to determine whether specific patterns and locations of fibrosis correlate with differing outcomes.
In vivo fibrosis detection by CMR is an independent predictor of adverse outcome in HCM. As a novel marker it seems to detect those at risk of progressive disease and might guide specific therapies for HF prevention and treatment. As a risk factor for SCD, it is likely that longer follow-up in a larger cohort will clarify the role of fibrosis detection.
Research support was received from the National Institutes of Health Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, British Heart Foundation, and (a registered charity). Dr. O'Hanlon was supported by the Department of Health, Ireland. Dr. Cowie has consultancy agreements with Pfizer, Takeda, and Servier. Dr. Pennell has received consultant/research support from Siemens, and is a director for Cardiovascular Imaging Solutions. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships to disclose.
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- body surface area
- confidence interval
- cardiovascular magnetic resonance
- full width half maximum
- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- heart failure
- hazard ratio
- implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
- LAVi
- left atrial volume index
- late gadolinium enhancement
- left ventricular outflow tract obstruction
- nonsustained ventricular tachycardia
- New York Heart Association
- sudden cardiac death
- Received December 8, 2009.
- Revision received March 24, 2010.
- Accepted May 10, 2010.
- American College of Cardiology Foundation
- ↵
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About keanasabean
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Surgery/ Procedure
330cc Dual Plane Anatomical Implants
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Dr Tavakoli
156cm/50 kilos/non-exsistent boobs!
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Tanning Time!
keanasabean posted a topic in Breast AugmentationHi loves! I'm just over 2 weeks post op and I am absolutely obsessed with my new girls. Dr Tav. did an unbelievable job and recovery has been an absolute breeze! My birthday is coming up in just under 2 weeks time and I'm wanting to tan before the celebrations begin. I'll obviously cover my scars (I read using liners ensures the tan doesn't seep through) and I use a mouse so I can easily manipulate where I apply the tan but in terms of scrubbing it off, did any girls find it difficult to remove their tans post op as I'm unsure i'll be wanting to use an exfoliating mitt on my girls yet
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Post Op rash resembling sunburn
keanasabean replied to keanasabean's topic in Breast AugmentationThank you everyone for your responses! I think it was definitely the Endos as I only took half of one on my first day and the rash came out and I haven't taken one since and I've been fine! ❤
Post Op rash resembling sunburn
keanasabean posted a topic in Breast AugmentationHi loves! I had my surgery yesterday and everything went fantastic! Couldn't be happier at the moment and I can tell I am going to have an amazing outcome once the girls drop and fluff! I'm expercing slight discomfort but I am surprisingly able to be quite mobile in terms of picking up things, washing myself, dressing myself etc. so I'm super lucky! Just a slight concern; I have developed a red rash on the top half of my arms which resembles a sunburn and is radiating heat. It is also somewhat across my torso. I'm not sure if this could be a mild reaction to the antibiotics I'm taking or what but I just thought I'd check in to see if anyone else experienced this a few days post op I've emailed my nurse so I'm sure she'll respond first thing in the morning but I just wanted to ease my mind for now xxx
BA Nerves - Monday is my big day!
keanasabean replied to keanasabean's topic in Breast AugmentationThanks so much guys. This has eased my mind so incredibly much and helped me to know I'm not going crazy! I'll make sure to post my before and afters and keep everyone updated <3 I really appreciate you all sharing your experiences. @TheFox the fact he tries so many sizers on was a huge reason I chose Dr Tav! He's actually thinking I'll end up with around 280cc but I will make sure I let you know what he ends up choosing and send some pics through! The end of the year will come around so quickly! @Girl1999 thank you so much for sharing that point as one of my main concerns has been the anesthetic!
BA Nerves - Monday is my big day!
keanasabean posted a topic in Breast AugmentationHi guys ? I'm going in for my surgery on Monday with Dr Tav and I am so nervous!! I have been so incredibly excited (and I obviously still am) but all of the sudden my anxiety has peaked, and I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong in the surgery and if I'll wake up and hate what I look like with boobs! I sound ridiculous :S I know I've chosen one of the best surgeons and I've done my research and have been wanting this operation for years so I shouldn't be freaking out as I'm in great hands! Please tell me it's common to be anxious and that this feeling goes away :S xx
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keanasabean posted a topic in Breast AugmentationHi loves Does anyone have a BA Instagram account where they post pictures of their progress? I love seeing everyones post op progression and have created my own account so I can share my journey as well... 18 days left till surgery!!
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keanasabean posted a topic in March 2018Hi loves! Thought I'd reach out to my March girls! I'm booked in for my "mini boob job" with Dr Tavakoli in Sydney for the 26th and I've been counting down the days until surgery for months! I'm approx. 155cm and 49 kilos and we're thinking 250cc... I AM SOOO EXCITED Any other March girls around? Would love to follow you on your journey
I actually just found Dina's page this morning and my mind is completely eased now! She looks absolutely fantastic! Would be over the moon if my girls looked like that post op My surgery is booked in for the end of March so i'll let you know how it turns out!
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Thanks everyone. I definitely think I'll go back and have my surgeon ease my mind! I think I'm just worried because it sounds so small. Good luck with your surgery on Monday Girl1999! Would love to hear how it goes once it's all done
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keanasabean posted a topic in Breast AugmentationHi loves, I'm hoping to hear from some small implant ladies! I had my pre-op consult today and my surgeon and I have decided that 250cc looks perfect on my body. I am super small; 155cm and 49 kilos and I don't know my bra size because I only wear bralettes. He believes that should take me to a full C cup/small D cup but I'm feeling slightly apprehensive. I'm probably being silly but I feel like it's such a small implant that you won't even notice! Any petite, small implant girls want to put my mind at ease please ? Pictures of a 250cc implant post op would be amazing!


text: Electro-Industrial/Dark Electro band from Lappeenranta, Finland, formed in 2004 by Kalle Lindberg (and re-activated in 2011 with CARDINAL NOIRE programmer Lasse Alander). Kalle is simply a portent. There are no other words to define his genius, his electro-charisma and his art to transform technological music into something truly unique, unrepeatable. The two proudly return on the scene with his project called Protectorate, offering a self-titled album on which we find 8 significant tracks, each of which having the potential to become a reference point for all fans of best electro / EBM now in circulation worldwide. The full-length "Protectorate" features kilotons of old-school electro/industrial/EBM energy through alternations of anger, harsh vocals, linear and hard drumming, geometric sequencing and dark synth patterns, that create atmospheres saturated with tension and neurasthenia. Always faithful to the good concept of "quality not quantity", Protectorate forge with extreme accuracy this impressive release that captures the listener from first impact! No hesitation. No compromise. Find this album and enjoy it entirely until the last instant!


text:
Radio 4
1998 (four episodes)
Bill Matthews comic drama, set in 1947, was basically a vehicle for the chameleonic vocal talents of impressionist Alistair McGowan. Our hero, Eric Halliday (McGowan), is a working-class Lancastrian living in London, whose ability to mimic perfectly the strangulated Oxford-English accent of a BBC announcer unexpectedly lands him a plum job as a radio sports commentator. Various complications ensue as Halliday vainly attempts to hide the nature of his work from his sister Dora (Jane Whittenshaw), a staunch defender of Lancashire pride, and the nature of his upbringing from resentful colleague Gordon McKay (Jon Glover, a man of no small vocal range himself, who also played a number of minor roles). Jeremy Child appeared as a sympathetic BBC executive, John Salthouse as Eric's brother-in-law (who struggled to make a living from his shop selling the unpopular electrical device known as a television set), and Melanie Hudson as the beautiful Chantal, love of Eric's life.


text:
Although Marie Lu began working at Disney on their video games, and then went on to making Facebook games she really always wanted to be a writer, and as a writer she is an inspiration for all beginners. She began writing seriously when she was 14, but it was only when she had submitted her manuscript for Legend five times that it was accepted by G.P. Putnam's Sons publishers.
One of her pieces of advice for aspiring writers is: "Read. Always. You don't have to be capable of reading 250 novels every year like some amazing folks are. (I'll admit that I'm a very slow reader and am probably only capable of really digesting about 25 books a year.) But you have to love to read. You have to constantly keep updated on what other authors are producing in your genre as well as outside of it. Know your industry. And most importantly, you have to read because you have a duty as a writer to support your fellow writers."
Legend is the start of an exciting trilogy – the three books in the trilogy are:
· Legend
· Prodigy
· Champion
There is no slow build up setting the scene, no explanation of how everything works, you start on page one and you are immediately dropped into the thick of the action. A war is raging in America and events of life and death are taking place. Each chapter tells the story from the perspective of either June, or Day, two young people who are very similar but on opposite sides of the system. Legend is a book about false loyalties and misunderstandings. It also about a rich political elite ruling a poor population who are struggling to survive in harsh conditions. Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon Trilogy writes that Legend is "A compelling dystopic world, with diverse characters, high tension and political intrigue. It's a cliche, but really: if you liked the Hunger Games, you'll love this." If you are the kind of person that likes to have a soundtrack playing for atmosphere as you read your books, then Marie Lu suggests this music.
Legend may also soon appear as a film. In July 2012 Marie Lu talked to MTV News about a screenplay being completed and passed on to CBS Films who hold the film rights …so watch this space.
Mrs H.


text:
Copa Jerez
|The UK leg of the Copa Jerez, a Sherry and food matching competition, is looking for applicants to emulate the success of James O'Donnell and Kevin Sutherland's of edinburgh's Number One The Balmoral restaurant who won the trophy in January 2007. The competition is for sous chef and sommelier duos, who can show the versatility of Sherry as a food wine. The Sherry Institute of Spain will pick 10 finalists, who will meet for a live cook-off on the 18th February 2008, putting together a three course menu, each course paired with a different style of Sherry. The winners will receive a gastronomic tour of the Sherry region of Jerez, and become the UK entrants into the Global final, held in Jerez in 2009. Closing date for applicants is the 31st December, contact Peter Griffiths on 01564 776 842 or email@example.com.
Zuccardi tops out
|Familia Zuccardi has been awarded the international title of 'Innovative Wine Tourism Experience' for their visitor centre at the 2008 'Best Of Wine Tourism' Awards. The annual awards were announced at a ceremony in Oporto, Portugal last month. The Zuccardi visitor centre was cited by the judges as being "among the most impressive, comprising vineyard and winery tours, encompassing tastings, a gourmet restaurant and even an art museum". The Zuccardi Visitor Centre opened in 2004 and attracts around 45,000 visitors each year. Situated half an hour east of Mendoza City, visitors are able to sample traditional Argentine food – empanadas cooked in the oven, dulce de leche and barbeques – paired with Zuccardi wines and olive oils.
Wine Selecting for the Future
|Retec Digital has expanded its portfolio of "guided selling solutions" by developing a touch screen, interactive wine selecting unit in conjunction with MW Matthew Stubbs. The company say the unit is "aiming to not only make a significant impact on the customer's enjoyment and knowledge of wine, but increase sales, assist the staff and make a positive impact on the retailer's bottom line."The company is currently in talks with a number of large retailers and off-licenses and hopes to roll out the units in the New Year. The units have been designed allow the shopper to make purchasing decision based on what they look for in a wine; be it taste, price or occasion. Recommendations of which foods accompany and complement each wine are also incorporated into the units. Matthew Stubbs says "This wine selector is a great idea to encourage experimentation for those buying wine in supermarkets. I am delighted to be part of this new initiative to help consumers with their wine choices at the point of purchase. It will make life so much easier for many who still view buying wine as a daunting and bewildering experience."
Spiral Cellars Goes White
|An underground Spiral Cellar is the ultimate, if expensive solution to wine storage problems for many people. The traditional Spiral Cellar is available in four different depths, but all of them fairly industrial in design. Now, in these makeover-obssessed days, the company has launched a stylish White Cellar option, with a smooth finish, similar in appearance to limestone, and optional available with a glass trap door instead of the more traditional wooden hatch. Grand designers can also opt for a range of bespoke lighting solutions, including under-step LED lighting, ceiling down-lighters and floor up-lighters. Step tread inlay can include tan or dark brown leather, grey or Chinese slate, wood plank effect and various Amtico colours. The White Cellar is available from £21,750 from Spiral Cellars
Ultimate English Wine Experience
|Bookers Vineyard, West Sussex, is inviting you to "Treat the wine enthusiast in your life to the Ultimate English Wine Experience, " with a package that comprises a half day viticulture course including a tour of Bookers vineyard and winery. Visitors will "learn about winemaking from grape to glass and take part in a tutored tasting to learn how to evaluate and appreciate fine wines, and identify flavour characteristics." The tasting session will also explore how factors such as climate and growing conditions impact on the winemaking process in England compared to other wine producing countries. At the end of the course guests will enjoy locally produced cheeses and biscuits, matched with a selection of Bookers' wines. The Experience is available from buyagift.co.uk, priced £75.00.


text:
Cordell Hull to Franklin D. Roosevelt (August 27, 1940)
Dated August 27, 1940Rec'd 10:50 a. m.
Secretary of State,
2912, August 27, 5 p. m. (SECTION TWO)
You will remember that I said some months ago in one of my private cables to you that any such action on our part would be a dastard act and that in the opinion of everyone of us.
If you felt able after our offer had been made to let us have the instrumentalities which have been mentioned or anything else you think proper this could be expressed as an act not in payment or consideration for but in recognition of what we had done for the security of the United States.
Mr. President, this business has become especially urgent in view of the recent menace which Mussolini is showing to Greece. If our business is put through on big lines and in the highest spirit of good will it might even now save that small historic country from invasion and conquest. Even the next forty-eight hours are important."
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).


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This version adds a few more Pathing Options. It also adds "Vertical Striping", which ensures that the picture draws from the top down every so many millimeters. This option is also on the Pathing Settings. This is specifically used for Dry Erase so the bolts at the bottom of the Pen Holder don't erase what has already been drawn.
How to update:
1. Download Sketchy.jar attachment on this Post.
2. Start your QuickDraw.
3. Go to the Advanced/Upgrade Software Tab
4. Click "Choose File" and select the Sketchy.jar file you downloaded in Step #1
5. Once uploaded, click "Upgrade Software"
6. After the upgrade is complete, click "Reboot Raspberry PI" and wait for it to restart and you should now be using the new Software Version
Sketchy Update 1.0.7
Sketchy Software Updates and information
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Sketchy Update 1.0.7
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Matt Havlovick
Owner/Maker - QuickDrawBot
Owner/Maker - QuickDrawBot
1 post • Page 1 of 1


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Post-Event coverage: Tech Australia 2018 in London
On 12 June we co-hosted Tech Australia 2018 with our fellow State Governments, Austrade and Australia-UK Chamber in London.
$850 million of venture capital was invested in Australian startups in the 2017-18 financial year, which is a new record for the local ecosystem.
On 12 June the Government of Western Australia's European office co-hosted Tech Australia 2018 with the State Governments of New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and Queensland as well as Austrade and the Australia-UK Chamber of Commerce at Australia House in London.
It was an insightful evening exploring the fantastic opportunities in Australia and also talking about the Australian startups spreading their wings in the UK and Europe.
Matthew Hart from Western Australia's startup company Soter Analytics did an excellent job pitching their HealthTech innovation at the Rapid Session before an audience of UK tech journalists, entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalist. To read our interview with Matt please click here.
A panel with members and startup founders including Craig Blair, Founder of AirTree Ventures and Anna Wallace, Head of Innovation of the Financial Conduct Authority discussed practical tips for moving between the UK and Australian markets which is now becoming significantly easier with the UK-Australia FinTech Bridge. To view a video of the successful event click here
According to the latest Venture Pulse report from KPMG almost $850 million of venture capital was invested in Australian startups in the 2017-18 financial year, which is a new record for the local ecosystem. The report highlighted Australia's prowess in AgTech, stating that there are innovative solutions coming out of Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. There are also potential synergies between the countries in this area.
Ben van Delden, Head of Agtech & Markets, KPMG Australia said:
"As governments and NGOs strive to ensure they have sufficient food and water for their people, and meet their environmental stewardship obligations, we expect to see interest in agtech grow significantly and more VC activity.
"The rise of agtech activity and accelerators in Australia is creating more local agtech investment opportunity, which we expect to lead to more deal activity in the second half of 2018 and beyond."
One Western Australian startup in the AgTech sector is SWAN Systems. Please click here to read the full interview with SWAN Systems founder Ivor Gaylard who is currently based at Australia's Landing Pad in Tel Aviv.
Opportunities in Europe
Are you a WA startup looking for opportunities in Europe, the UK or Israel? Our office can assist introducing you to contacts, networks and provide you with market intelligence. Please contact Trade & Investment Manager Charlotta Andresson at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.


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I think most a guy do trust their Auto Repair venue. Well, I did expensive. Notice I said directed. My car has always been leaking transmission fluid for most while, so I quit parking your driveway and started parking in the street. I was just delaying setting it up fixed, but I was working rather than really concerned about it presented I kept a watch at the fluid level.
I looked underneath the car to see which in turn was leaking. Oil was everywhere, so it provided no clue as places the leak was beginning. I got online and started reading on the other car owners with similar problem found. Most were saying abruptly the solenoid pack. Because this controls shifting the armor and weapon upgrades, and mine was going through fine, I found where Possible just order the gasket.
Even always I now had a new gasket, I really did not tear into the family car, not really knowing merely could get to just about the most, or run into one other issue than I knew what to do about. I decided to move it to the repair shop and just see if it would cost very much to let them remedy a repair. It cost me $46. 00 to allow them to check it out and me an estimate. The last bill would be $650. 00. Ouch! I'd just lost my job such that wasn't an option. Whether I needed to or not, if it was going to get fixed I must try it myself.
The day arrived and it was time to address the ingredient leak situation. I removed the radio intake box and it pretty well revealed everything I thought you would see. The only real problem was previously it was so oily and greasy Therefore i couldn't tell where the leak was as a result of.
I sprayed the body system area with engine degreaser, allow it to set, then washed it off. Much better. I was still not real sure where to begin, so I decided in the early stages the easiest first. I removed the runs out of both transmission fluid hoses your front of the bus and replaced the television clamps that came on the car with new clamps. I felt good about that arranging the leak, but time will tell. I put it all together again and drove it for most days. It worked. Very little leaks!
Now here's determine if bothers me. I paid to allow them to check this out and move the message what it would decide to use fix this problem. Did they do a good job of checking it open up? Did they know it was a few clamps? Would they have stopped as soon as they knew it didn't need all the trainer told us it would? I quite easily doubt it. Why? Simply because can't make any forex replacing hose clamps. They have the bigger jobs in order to make more profit, but do they have to be dishonest to win back their money? I found which it without the convenience to have a nice shop, or sophisticated equipment, and trained intelligent professionals.
So now do you think I'll take my business back there so when I need something? Most likely not. Will I be more wary anytime I would like my autos repaired? Or maybe a. If I had trained would I have just had them fix it and not just thought much about it? Probably. Does this happen to people whenever? Probably.
Just be forewarned. Sometimes it might behoove one to at least get a different sort of opinion..


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Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS
UPDATE: ROAD HOUSE / POINT BREAK Discussion between films with ROAD HOUSE director Rowdy Herrington; actors Roger Hewlett, Bob Jennings, Kathleen Wilhoite and John Young; cinematographer Dean Cundey and costume designer Marilyn Vance
Egyptian Theatre 6712 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90028
Sun, Mar 17, 2019 7:30pm
Joel Stein & Kathleen Wilhoite talk "Road House." Kathleen acted and sang in the movie and gives a candid account of the nuttiness on the set of "Road House." She talks about the crazy party life on the set and the time Patrick Swayze beat up an extra on camera. As Kathleen puts it, the behind the scenes stories are just as crazy as the movie.
Read More


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Your calendar shows you have a phone interview with a candidate.
- Be on time. It's a reflection on both you and your firm if you're not prompt.
- If you can't make the phone call, let the candidate know as soon as possible.
- Clear distractions including incoming calls, Blackberries, incoming emails, and visitors.
- Prepare a matrix of questions that you ask each candidate. Keep a spread sheet detailing how each answers your questions, so that you can quickly compare candidates.
- Establish a dialogue. Be sure to give the candidate time to answer questions.
Be clear on your time frame and goals. How will you know you've found the right person?
A phone interview gives you the opportunity to address the value you bring to both the hiring manager and the company.
Candidate questions for phone interview:
- Why is the position open?
- What are the priority projects for the next six months?
- What are some of the immediate challenges of the role?
- What would be the next step?
- When does the company expect to make a decision?
Answer questions as openly as possible. At any point in the process, don't give the interviewer a difficult time or set up unnecessary road blocks.
Express interest in the position and in working for both the hiring manager and the company.
Send a follow-up note or email thanking the interviewer for the time. If a staffing agency sent you to the manager, send the note via the agency.
Your goal on a phone interview is to receive an invitation to interview in person.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Career, Employment, interview, jobs, phone, questions | Leave a comment »


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I know what you're thinking. It's March 2017, why are we still talking about 2016? But hear us out. Every year around this time the Motion Picture Association of America releases its annual Theatrical Market Statistics Report, and it gives execs and movie theater owners a chance to take stock about the year before. Unsurprisingly, the report states yet again that Latino (or "Hispanic," in the survey's chosen label) moviegoers continue to be one of the steadiest and most loyal demographics in the United States.
Echoing his remarks from previous years, National Association of Theatre Owners president John Fithian told The Washington Post, "Diversity is a great thing for our business, diversity in the movies, diversity in people making the movies, diversity in people attending the movies." He pointed to the Fast & Furious franchise as a model to emulate. "It was gigantic in part because it was a fantastically fun franchise, but also because the cast of the movie reflected the population of the world," he added. One hopes Hollywood is listening and starts casting Latino actors in lead roles.
"Open & diverse societies drive movie attendance" John Fithian on the State of the Industry & NATO's commitment to globalization #CinemaCon
— CinemaCon (@CinemaCon) March 28, 2017
We read through the entire report (so you don't have to!) and pulled out some key takeaways from this year's report below. Check them out below.


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We at Kaiku HR believe that long-term success derives from the right number of the right people. Treating people with respect is the sensible and profitable thing to do. For everybody.
Do you have a question?
When we listen, we understand. When we understand, we succeed.
Kaiku HR is the national HR partner of the Finnish ice hockey Liiga.


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Age: 24
Occupation: CEO of Tumblr
Previous TIME 100 appearances: 0
As a young Internet entrepreneur, Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp is in good company. At just 20, Karp created the trendy blogging platform after finding other services less than desirable. Sixteen million blogs later, Karp has elbowed out the competition in the blogosphere, one lolcat at a time.
Next Hamid Karzai


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Wills & Trusts Lawyer Cites "3 Cs" as Main Reasons for Estate Planning
By : Dwight | Category : Estate Planning, living trust, Wills | Comments Off on Wills & Trusts Lawyer Cites "3 Cs" as Main Reasons for Estate Planning
27th Jul 2013
Benjamin Franklin once said: "There are two things that are certain in life: Death and taxes." Yes, both of these are certain. But because these two are certain to happen, then that only means you should do your estate planning – now.
You have to prepare for death and taxes while you are still in control. There are 3 main reasons why you should give estate planning your immediate attention. All three begin with the letter "C."
The first is Control. You want to make sure that the ones you care for will get the items of your estate when you are no longer in control – or when you die. So you have to do your will or living trust now. You don't know when you are going to die. So, you should call your estate planning attorney and have your estate planning documents done.
The second reason is still Control. You want to make sure that the people you care for will inherit their part of your estate. But this time, when you are still alive but are not in a position to make decisions. This happens when you have been declared as mentally incapacitated. Or you are in a coma or vegetative state. In such a case, you have to execute a durable power of attorney and assign a person to make decisions on your behalf. Besides making key decisions as to how to manage your assets, your DPA should also specify what your loved ones will do to you when you are in a coma. Rather than let your family agonize as to whether to pull the plug or not, you must make the decision yourself while you are still mentally capable – and just let them follow your wishes.
The third "C" or reason for giving estate planning your priority today is Cost. Cost in terms of estate taxes, legal fees and payments to creditors. And cost in terms of loss of privacy. (When an estate undergoes probate, your heirs will lose their privacy as their personal affairs may be open book in court. And, it is your heirs who will shoulder all the costs – not you.
That then is the third reason why you should give estate planning your immediate attention today: reduced costs for your heirs. You want your heirs to receive the particular item or amount from your estate. But you also do not want a big part of their inheritance to be used to pay estate taxes. You do not want to think that they will be selling off your prized heirlooms just to pay off creditors. And you do not want your heirs to suffer the ignominy of going through probate. Of course, with the help of your estate planning lawyer, you will come up with a plan that will redound to lower or no estate taxes and the avoidance of probate
You can do your estate plan when you are still in control. And the time can only be now.
For a free consultation to get your estate planning affairs in order, contact our law firm today.
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Sari Air Element Planter - Heart - Pot & Frame
- Artforms
- Artisans
- Shipping & Returns
Pottery is an age-old art in India. Artisans use a potter's wheel, handmade mold, or their hands to shape natural clay into beautiful pieces of art. The pottery of Rajasthan includes various ancient forms, from rustic Terracotta to the delicately painted Blue Pottery of Jaipur. Pottery is considered to be a mystical trade because it incorporates five vital elements: air, fire, earth, water, and ether.
Pottery Artisans
This craft has been passed down for generations in Rajasthan. We currently partner with two groups, consisting of a combined 55 artisans. Both of these groups are from rural areas that are well connected to urban markets by highway.
Shipping & Returns
We want you to be completely satisfied with our products. However, if you are dissatisfied with our product for any reason, you may make a return within 15 days of receipt of item(s). Products must be returned in their original condition with product tag, and without retail price stickers. For returns related to damaged or defective items, MATR BOOMIE will incur shipping costs for domestic customers. Any shipping costs on returns made for other reasons will be at the expense of the customer. For quality issues arising after customer purchase and use, please contact us within 30 days of customer purchase or 60 days of your invoice. We will request a photo image of any damaged or defective items and can send replacements or issue a credit for the damages after review. To initiate a return or exchange, please call us at (512) 535-5228 or email firstname.lastname@example.com. Please specify the reason for the return, invoice number, and whether you prefer replacements or credit to your account.