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So how's your German coming?
I get asked that a lot.
I've been in Switzerland for 7 months now, but I must admit that I haven't started German classes yet. However, I've realized lately that I know more than I think I do. Granted, often my response is still a blank stare, but I'm beginning to understand quite a bit more of what people are saying to me.
A lot of what I've absorbed has been from the process of finding a new apartment.
Yup, I'm moving again.
You would think that I enjoy nothing more than packing and unpacking my things and carrying them up and down stairs. In 4 years I will have moved my things 5 times. I've visited between 20-30 apartments and looked at countless floor plans (I do love floor plans). This one only lasted 7 months.
It's a nice place, but the first time I stepped out of the train station in Luzern, back in late September, I knew that's where I wanted to be.
The process of moving in Switzerland is very strange. In my past apartment searches, the hardest part has been finding a place I like with a price I can afford that has an available apartment.
Not here. When I first mentioned the idea at work, I had no less than 5 people try to talk me out of it. They told me how time consuming it would be, how expensive it would be, how picky the Swiss are. And indeed, it has been an intense experience. Especially since all apartment ads are in German, all applications are in German, I wrote a cover letter that had to be in German, I had to make phone calls and visit apartments where the tenants only spoke German...you get the point. I had some wonderful people from work helping me out (thanks again!), but a lot of times I just had to suck it up and do it myself. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I'm certainly glad that it's almost over. Only one piece is still unfinished (besides the physical moving part). I am required to find a tenant to take over my lease, so I've been holding visitations over the last few weeks.
Many of the people who have come by (there have been about 20 or so) only speak German. And they will talk to you and ask questions anyway. It's slightly uncomfortable, but you come out alive and most likely having learned something. And I've discovered, to my delight, that I understood most of what they said. Granted, I can't express myself back to them very well, but I've also learned how to effectively use gestures to get my point across :)
So after nearly 5 months, moving day has finally arrived.
Luzern is quite a bit farther from work than my current apartment. One of the nicest things about where I live now is that it only takes me about 10 minutes to get to work, which includes the 5 minutes it takes to walk to the bus stop. Luzern will be at least 45 minutes by train and bus.
If you know me at all, and especially if you've ever been a roommate of mine, you know that I tend to have a slight problem with mornings. Particularly the getting out of bed on time part.
I actually love mornings. I love the peace of mornings and having time for coffee, breakfast and a book before leaving for work. It's just that my warm, comfy bed usually wins out, leaving me rushing around like mad just trying to make it out of the house on time. This has been complicated even more this year by the need to rely on public transportation.
And trust me, the buses don't wait for you, even if you're running. It's a terrible feeling to watch the bus drive away without you.
So most people think I'm nuts when I say that I am looking forward to my morning commute.
Yes, I realize this means that I have to get up earlier.
But it also means that I've been given the gift of time.
(5 points and a virtual high five if you know the reference!)
I'm very much looking forward to coffee, a book, and a train ride in the mornings. Not to mention the culture of Luzern, the wine bar on the corner, the city atmosphere, meeting new people...
Shortly before I left for Switzerland last July, my sister Valerie and her family moved to Uganda. Needless to say, it was a crazy, crazy time for our family. Although Valerie had lived abroad before, the whole family had been in the US for the past few years.
I was used to seeing my family every few weeks when I was back home. Parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, and 5 amazing nieces and nephews. We all lived close by, and my sisters and I would frequently meet up at my parents' house over a weekend, or occasionally even just for dinner. Seeing my family so often was one of the very best things about living in DC, and is certainly one of the hardest things about living here.
While I was able to visit with my parents and my sister Allison over Christmas, I hadn't seen Valerie in 7 months. So with my February break coming up, I hopped on a flight to Kampala for a visit!
I fell asleep as soon as I sat down on the plane, having gotten up at 4:30 to get there. I woke up an hour later to find that we were still on the ground in Zurich. Grr. Arriving in Brussels, I rushed to the gate only to find out that the flight had been delayed for 5 hours. Grr. Although perturbed (this now had me arriving in Entebbe at 4 AM, precisely what I had spent so much time trying to avoid), it also gave me the opportunity to take the train into Brussels and see a bit of the city.
What do you do when you're stuck in Belgium for 5 hours?
Buy chocolate and eat waffles, of course!
At about 7 AM, I finally arrived at my sister's house and started a fantastic visit!
Since I last saw them, Natalie celebrated her 4th birthday, started preschool, and she is learning her letters and numbers.
Nathan celebrated his 1st birthday shortly after learning how to walk. Now he won't sit still!
I had such a blast playing with the kids and catching up with my sister and my brother-in-law. In addition to two kids, they also have an attack dog who couldn't quite decide whether she'd rather let me pet her or attack me, as well as an insane cat whose name is constantly changing. She used to attack suddenly and without reason (read Val's blog for more info), but now she's pretty calm most of the time. However, she does love to play with her food, including giant cockroaches she's caught.
We wanted to capture it on video.
This was taken immediately after Val said, "No Kelly, you take the video. I'll scream if I do it."
That thing was huge, ugly, and REALLY fast.
I also didn't know that I was capable of making that sound.
I ate a lot of great food and drank a lot of tea. And I enjoyed a brief respite from the cold Swiss snowiness. I must say, though, as nice as it was to be warm, I'd have a tough time living in a hot climate year-round. I like my seasons.
Now if only I could learn how to sleep on overnight flights.
Kelly is an American teacher living in Switzerland and enjoying everything the country has to offer.
August 2014


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Hi all, i was wondering if you would be able to help with an issue i am having with flooding in my back garden.
I live about half way down a hill which is on heavy clay and get on quite well with both my neighbors. Unfortunately every time it rains i struggle with my garden getting waterlogged, unfortunately during the summer months the garden is also very dry (the gardens either side do not struggle with flooding but have not implemented any french drains etc). Both gardens either side have raised the beds (the house to the right of me and lower down the hill in a far more extreme way to the house to the left). Furthermore, the house to the right of me also has a soakaway (on heavy clay) for his garage right on the edge of our border.
I am hesitant to add a french drain as this will surely make the dry ground issue in the summer a bigger problem. I cannot help but feel the soakaway (which is angled to drain onto my garden due to the extent he has built up his garden) and this built up garden are all contributing to the problem. The person in question is in his late 80's and i don't think he has done this maliciously, i suspect a relative has probably done this by accident.
Since i do get on well with them i am hesitant to cause problems, would i be well within my right to ask them to move/remove the soakaway (i doubt this would have required planning permission or followed any type of building regulations)? Or can you think of any other solutions that i could implement to perhaps sort this problem?
(i am hesitant to raise the borders myself as that seems a bit like just shifting the problem elsewhere, also i have tried to "break" the clay pan on my relatives suggestion and seem to have hit the water table about 5 1/2 foot down.)
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give.
Garden flooding
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I don't remember being spanked as a child, but I think that doesn't mean I wasn't spanked. With having an alcoholic father, I probably was but just blocked it out. Spanking comes in so many forms. Whether, it's a smack on the hand or a swat on the tush.
Some people call it abuse. What do YOU call abuse?


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|Project by mdb5972
|posted 04-01-2014 05:53 PM
|1524 views
|1 time favorited
|3 comments
Table space was getting a little "junky". Also my desktop serves as a media player, file server. So do not usually need the keyboard but like it attached. Did not want to go with the basic riser shelf. In one of the wood magazines I liked a kitchen shelf with the half-laps so based it on that.
Got going on putting it all together and forgot to rabbit the legs to go underneath so they ended up being flush. The black came about because I had it in the cupboard from LONG ago… Wanted a contrast to have the gridwork stand out a little bit more.
On the smaller one… Whoops… Had the wrong measure by far.. but still works. Idea was for the Clock-Radio an ext-DVD to be hidden underneath, still allowing for my laptops 2nd monitor.
3 comments so far
#1 posted 04-03-2014 04:15 AM
Cool! I made something similar to this for my kitchen.
-- Sometimes the creative process requires foul language. -- Charles Neil
#2 posted 04-03-2014 01:51 PM
Actually based on a kitchen shelf I remember seeing in one of the wood magazines.
#3 posted 04-03-2014 02:32 PM
Looks great and unique, great idea and love the grid work and contrasting wood colors. Great job!
Have your say...
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|what i wore: Cotton On tank top, Penshoppe swim shorts, Ginga flipflops, Fly sunnies, borrowed bandana
Too lazy to post anything lately, must be the weather. It's so hot, summer's toasting the entire city on a daily basis and all I can think of is the beach! So here's a quick outfit post! Photo taken two weeks ago during a not so holy week in Bantayan Island, Cebu. I am so


text: Hi, thanks for you reply. The board has three different: 1.) you have right with soldered-on Rom chip 2.) the HP board has only one networkcard 3.) he has a other vedor-id for MAC-adress Jürgen Trapp -----Original Message----- From: Jonathan A. Kollasch [mailto:jakllsch at kollasch.net] Sent: Sun 2/26/2012 1:53 AM To: Jürgen Trapp Cc: coreboot at coreboot.org Subject: Re: [coreboot] Will coreboot work on my machine, HP XW9300? On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 12:41:11AM +0100, Jürgen Trapp wrote: > The Board is a OEM by HP, but the builder is TYAN with the board name S2895. Unlike the Tyan version of the board, I believe the HP version has a soldered-on ROM chip. Otherwise, there's a fairly good chance it could work. Jonathan Kollasch -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://www.coreboot.org/pipermail/coreboot/attachments/20120226/df49f624/attachment.html>


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SEGA of America has had trouble coming up with new hits as of late. With successful franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Crazy Taxi, and Virtua Fighter, Sega made a big name for itself. People expect greatness to come from the company that brought us some of the most amazing consoles like the Sega Genesis and Dreamcast.
But sadly that hasn't been the case lately for our friends at SEGA..
SEGA hasn't made a console in years and they have fallen off the map in terms of great games, especially when comparing them to their greatest hits like the aforementioned Sonic series. Unfortunately, the price of not having major blockbuster hits in the last couple of years is dragging down SEGA. This week SEGA confirmed that a number of their employees are being laid-off. A SEGA spokeswoman provided GamesBeat with this statement:
"As the gaming industry continues to evolve, companies must adapt and adjust in order to compete and succeed in an ever-changing environment. As a result of this, Sega of America has recently undergone a restructure that will enable the company to focus efficiently on developing new and existing content across digital platforms as well as continuing to focus on key brands for packaged goods."
It's the economy.
I'm sure the struggling economy also had something to do with the layoffs because even companies like Sony Online Entertainment, who are responsible for games like PlanetSide 2 and Everquest, have recently made cuts to their staffing personnel. I just hope that when the economy gets back on track SEGA will continue to make great games and that we will see something entirely new from the developer. And also help these people get their jobs back!
On a side note, SEGA is releasing Sonic Lost World on October 22nd, so it's not all bad news! Tell me what you think about SEGA laying off some of their employees. And what about SEGA's current game selection, are you looking forward to any games? Do you agree that SEGA could use a new successful game series?
Source joystiq.com
Alexa SerranoOctober 4, 2013, 11:47 amColumnistI've been noticing a pattern with statements made by the gaming industry...in terms of lay offs. They always say something along the lines of because of the evolving gaming industry we need to restructure...so this is why we are laying off people...
Anyway it is sad that it has come to this. I remember playing Sonic as a kid on the PC. I actually did get a sonic game on the IPad..which I just started playing here and there.
Miranda KirkOctober 4, 2013, 12:37 pmFeatured ColumnistYeah, "evolving gaming industry" could totally be something to do with the new technology coming out. I think we'll start to see smaller development teams as the years go by because it just won't take as many people to produce the same amount of content.
The first Sonic game I played was on the SEGA Game Gear! I loved it!


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1. Guaranteed Replacement Value
If your home is destroyed in a fire or other disaster, you probably think your homeowner's insurance policy will pay to rebuild it, but this is not necessarily true if you don't have "guaranteed replacement value coverage". Guaranteed replacement value coverage pays to rebuild your home, no matter what the value of your home or current construction costs are. If you don't have this coverage, your homeowner's insurance will only pay for construction costs up to the current value of your home, which may be far below current construction costs.
2. New Construction and Additions
Check your insurance policy before remodeling, repairing or making additions to your home to see if your policy will cover your home after these changes are made. You may need to contact your insurance policy and make changes to your coverage before new construction or additions.
3. Endorsements for High Value Belongings
Homeowner's insurance policies typically cap out on the price that will be paid out for damaged or stolen items in your home. If you have high valued belongings such as jewelry, artwork, or antiques, you will need an endorsement on your policy to insure they are covered at full value in the event of theft or a natural disaster. An endorsement is an amendment to your policy that lists added coverage. To get high valued items covered, you will need proof that you possess the belonging (picture, receipt or both) and an appraisal of the value of the item, as well as the additional endorsement on your homeowner's policy.
4. Liability
Read your homeowner's insurance policy to see what liability coverage it offers. Many insurance companies require you to purchase additional coverage if you have a swimming pool, trampoline or pets.
5. Natural Disasters
Certain natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and acts of war, are often not covered under standard homeowner's insurance policies. If you live in a high risk area for non-covered disasters, talk to your insurance agent about getting extra coverage through private insurers or flood coverage through FEMA.
6. Home Business
If you run a business out of your home, you will most likely need to purchase additional coverage from your homeowner's policy in order to obtain liability coverage for business related activities.
7. Save Money With Discounts
Talk to your insurance agent about possible discounts that will allow you to save money. For example, you may be able to receive a substantial discount on your premium if you install a home security system.
Call Regency Insurance today for your Mentor OH home insurance needs. We can help you get the coverage you need at affordable prices.


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All Things star wars from a fan, raising a son to be a fan!
A Long time ago...
I have been wanting to create and start my own Star Wars blog for some time. Not that I have any discernible writing skills, or any valuable opinions about the Star Wars Universe, but simply; this is something that I love.
I have had the privilege of raising a 6 year old to enjoy and love the Star Wars universe and what it has to hold. Luckily for me, he will get to have brand new experiences of his own to remember, thanks to the renewing of this cinematic wonder.
This page will be a place for me to share things that I come across that I like, from others pages, and also a place where I can share my own thoughts and takes on the past as well as the future of the Star Wars universe. Hopefully you will enjoy this, and it will be a place where you come to for entertainment and fun.
Yes I will likely make fun of Jar Jar Binks!
The Nerf Herder!
Leave a Reply.


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Business & Trade
- Visa Information - Bangladesh Mission Abr. - Duty free 46 RMG export - South Korea, Duty-Free - Budget Speech - Fair Calendar
Facts & Figures
- Yearly Growth of products - RMG Export in World-wide - Export of Woven And Knit - Product Export - Total Product Export - Factory Growth in BD - Number of Employee
Product Export
Social Media
Keep yourself informed with up to the minute news, events and opinions via our Social Media channels.
Latest news
Consequences of COVID-19 on global supply chain: BGMEA President shares views with Fair Fashion Think Tank


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If you need help choosing a new Audio Video system for your home or office, contact SpecTech AV Corp of Naples, FL. Our technicians know that the Audio Video needs of homeowners and business owners vary greatly—that's why we strive to provide Audio Video solutions that can be tailored to your unique needs. Our team can design a custom Audio Video system for you using state-of-the-art equipment from the industry's top manufacturers. We have access to all of the major brands and experience installing all makes and models.
Once you've selected your Audio Video equipment, our experienced technicians will install it. Your new system will be up and running before you know it! Jumpstart the process by contacting Naples, FL's SpecTech AV Corp today.
When it comes to the Audio Video systems, SpecTech AV Corp has got you covered. Our team boasts more than 20 years of industry experience and can provide an effective solution for all of your installation tasks. We can assist with:


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The Beautified Network is set to hold the 2nd edition of her annual conference tagged Becoming. The conference aims at empowering young women between the ages of 18 and 35 to discover purpose, live up to their full potential and contribute their quota to social change and the world at large.
The One-day conference which will be held on the 16th of July at Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos, will attract women from all walks of life gathered to engage on matters pertaining to the transformation of women. Having reached over 500 women through its events and over 10,000 via social media, the initiative has generated overwhelming feedback from women inspired by and through it.
Speakers for this second edition include Detoun Ogwo – Human Resource Practitioner; Lala Akindoju– Actor, Producer, and Singer; Omilola Oshikoya – Africa's premier wealth coach and convener #DOITAFRAID Conference; Debola Deji-Kurunmi – MD- Ideation Hub Africa, Founder- Immerse Coaching Company and President- Deborah Initiative for women and SunmboAdeoye – CEO Esob Events and convener, Inspiring Change
The Conference will also feature a girl-talk panel discussion titled "Should Christian Women Be Feminists?" The panelists are young women who are all breaking barriers in their various fields. Glory Edozien is the founder of Inspired by Glory. Toju Oluwatoyinbo is an Etiquette Expert and Convener, Total Package. Raquel Jacobs is the founder of Beyond the Classroom Foundation and Omontese Akhetuamen is Beauty Expert and CEO of Beauty Cook Studio.
"I am passionate about inspiring and empowering women to live up to their full potential and there's no better time than now for women to rise up and become all they were created to be as they provide solutions to the various problems in our society and the world at large" declares the convener, Funto Ibuoye.
Funto Ibuoye is a young and dynamic Nigerian author and Chartered Accountant who strongly believes that the empowered woman is one of the greatest assets of a thriving society/nation.
For more information and enquiries about the conference, send an email to email@example.com | call Mary Jane on 09099131873
- Take A Tour Of EeZee Conceptz Ultra Modern Live Recording Studio – Registration Ongoing For The Academy - August 11, 2020
- Wow! What Sammie Okposo Did To 2 Upcoming Gospel Singers Last Sunday - August 11, 2020
- #SelahFresh: Jessika | I Believe [@dofficialjesika] - August 10, 2020


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In The News
Transform Your QA the Easy Way
Appvance IQ (AIQ) delivers transformational productivity gains and lower costs in both test creation and execution. For test creation, it offers both AI-driven (fully machine generated tests) and also 3rd-generation, codeless scripting. It then executes those scripts through data-driven functional, performance, app-pen and API testing — for both web and mobile apps. AIQ's self-healing technology gives you complete code coverage with just 10% the effort of traditional testing systems. Most importantly, AIQ finds important bugs autonomously, with little effort. No coding, scripting, logs or recording required.
AIQ is easy to integrate with your current DevOps tools and processes.
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Most amazing, AIQ's AI-scripting generates tests 100,000 times faster than humans, validates most anything, and finds far more bugs. And for specific use cases, AIQ's Test Designer is 20 times faster than creating and maintaining Selenium scripts.
AIQ — the most advanced end-to-end test system on the planet. Period.
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text: Hi, I'm Vicarious Li and thank you for visiting my blog. I have had the privilege of learning many things from NYC via its great events, schools, museums, or just chance encounters. I would like to share some of my experiences with you. Of course, you are more than welcome to share your knowledge here as I hope to continue to learn.


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Have you been told by another builder that the ideal you have in your mind to upgrade your existing outdoor space isn't possible? Maybe you have been told in order to make improvements to your deck, porch or even patio, you would be better off just tearing it down and starting anew. This was exactly what these Montgomery Village homeowners were told by multiple builders when they looked into redecking and improving their existing backyard deck. That changed once they consulted with Archadeck of Central MD…
When we initially met with the homeowners they told us that in their quest to improve their existing deck they had been told by several builders that due to the age of their deck, which was nearly 20 years old, in order to accommodate their needs and desires the deck would have to be completely torn down. As you can imagine, demolition and starting from scratch can not only interrupt your lifestyle for an extended period of time, it can also mean additional costs to the homeowner. Through our experience we realize that in many cases things aren't always as they seem and even though a structure has some age doesn't eliminate it as a redecking candidate. The key is to inspect the structure thoroughly to determine if it is structurally sound enough to facilitate the upgrades in mind. In the case of this Montgomery Village deck, it had aged gracefully and was deemed structurally sound enough to proceed with the project.
The two main reasons the homeowner's wanted to redeck their existing space was #1 to upgrade to a low maintenance material which would stay beautiful without the worry of constant cleaning and sealing and #2 to have their outdoor living space better accommodate spending time outdoors with their family.
As you can see from the design renderings we prepared for these Montgomery County homeowners, and the stunning images, this project promises to fulfill all their needs and desires. In addition to redecking the entire structure with low maintenance Fiberon Pro Tect decking in Western Cedar, we also accented the deck with a border of Fiberon Pro Tect decking in Chestnut to add style and define the space. This decking is capped on three sides with a protective PermaTech surface, making it highly durable and carries a 25-year limited warranty against staining and fading.
Archadeck of Central MD also faced the planter boxes with the same decking material in order to blend and unify them with the new look of the deck. We also enhanced the convenience of keeping the plants and flowers the homeowners use within the planter boxes by installing a hose extension to the existing hose bib near the deck directly within the planter boxes for easy access. In the coming weeks ahead, we will also be adding a paver patio complete with a fire pit purchased by the homeowner just off the deck to increase the outdoor enjoyment even further!
This project serves as a good example of our expertise and knowledge of the business, which speaks volumes about the way we do business. It's one thing to say "we build beautiful decks or we can build what you want", but it's quite another when a company can show you a portfolio of their work as Archadeck of Central MD can. If you're meeting with multiple contractors to consult on your desired project be aware that not all builders will have the same opinion of what is possible or the experience or expertise to complete your project properly. Rest assured, we listen to your needs, desires and inspect the proposed structure you wish to upgrade thoroughly to explore all viable options available to you in order to bring your outdoor vision to life.
If you are considering updated an existing space, or staring an outdoor living space from scratch, contact Archadeck of Central Maryland today to learn more about our unforgettable designs and quality craftsmanship. Call us at (301) 926-3001 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com. Our consultations is free but the results can be priceless!


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NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Gold prices rose to their highest in nearly a week on Tuesday as the euro rallied 1 percent versus the dollar, but volume was light and short-term traders were unwilling to take big risks before year end.
Many long-term traders have closed their books for the year, which should keep gold in a sideways range until 2012.
Still, commodities rose generally, along with stock markets, as investors' focus on positive U.S. economic readings, a successful Spanish debt auction and an improved German business reading sharpened their appetite for higher risk assets.
"The euro rally is a big feature. Also, the general risk-on mentality we're seeing today. The good economic data spurs ideas of growth and lessens the deflationary threat," said Bill O'Neill, managing partner at LOGIC Advisors in New Jersey.
"But mainly, when you see other assets going up, like equity markets, it lessens the need for liquidation of winning assets."
U.S. stocks surged along with equities elsewhere on signs of easing stress in Europe's bond markets, and positive U.S. and European economic readings. .N
Spot gold stayed about 1.3 percent higher into late trade, changing hands around $1,613 an ounce at 3:35 p.m. EST after reaching its highest since December 14 at $1,618.26.
Prices approached, but did not reach the 200-day moving average at $1,621.43 an ounce. Bullion broke below the key technical level last week for the first time since January 2009, when prices slid about 7 percent. Chartists said a rise above that level would be constructive for gold.
U.S. February gold futures settled $20.90 per ounce higher at $1,617.60, a 1.31 percent increase.
"The afternoon rally in risky assets and gold seems to have been spurred by better-than-expected U.S. housing data, which in turn further pushed the U.S. dollar lower," said BNP Paribas analyst Anne-Laure Tremblay.
"The rebound in the gold price could prompt some short-covering, and we could retest the 200-day moving average in the coming days," she added.
The euro firmed against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, boosted by an unexpectedly strong Spanish debt auction and improved U.S. housing data.
In the United States, a report showed improvement in the struggling housing sector as housing starts and building permits jumped to a 1-1/2 year high in November.
The single currency has been on a steady downward trajectory versus the dollar since it peaked in late October. The dollar's gains have weighed on gold, putting the metal on track for its first quarterly loss in more than three years.
Confidence in the metal remains fragile as concerns persist that policymakers' efforts to address the euro zone debt crisis are inadequate and could keep European assets under pressure.
"A strengthening greenback has traditionally seen gold in dollar terms decline. For a safe haven, you're looking at the dollar. There's a lot of volatility in gold, in commodities, in other asset classes," said VM Group analyst Carl Firman.
With traders wary of adding to long positions before year-end, prices should struggle to make up significant ground for the rest of the month, analysts said.
Among other precious metals, silver was up 2.3 percent at $29.53 an ounce, tracking gold. Spot platinum was up about 1.2 percent at $1,427.50 an ounce, while spot palladium was up about 2.8 percent at $623.17 an ounce.
ETFS Physical Palladium, the U.S.-based exchange-traded product operated by a unit of London's ETF Securities, saw an outflow of nearly 25,000 ounces, data for Monday showed, the largest one-day drop in its holdings in more than a fortnight.
Meanwhile Swiss trade data released on Tuesday showed Russia exported 5.16 tonnes of palladium to Switzerland in November.
Russia is the world's biggest palladium supplier, selling both mined metal and government stockpiles onto the market.
The statistics also showed South African platinum exports reached their highest monthly level this year in November, at 3.7 tonnes.
Reporting by Jan Harvey; editing by Alden Bentley


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Title: As a Father
Genre: Gen, Double Drabble
Prompt: Reminisce
Written for the November Challenge: Nostalgia
As the evening shadows deepened, Merry turned to the cheery warmth of his fire. He lit a pipe and shuffled through the latest pages of his book Old Words and Names of the Shire. Perusing his notations on the similarities between the Rohan and Shire languages, he began to reminisce about his brief days as a king's squire - before the great battle, before he rode with sturdy Dernhelm who, before his dimming eyes upon the Pelennor, transformed into a shield maiden of Rohan. Before the grief of war laid its stern hand upon him, changing him forever.
He saw Théoden, old but hale in bearing, speaking so graciously to a little hobbit who was naught but baggage on the road to Edoras. Merry smiled to remember how bold he had been, drawing his sword and offering his service to the Rohan king, who accepted him gladly. Even now his heart swelled with love and pride to recall the king's blessing as he knelt before him.
"You shall be as a father to me," he had said.
"For a time," Théoden answered.
Not for a time, Théoden King, Merry thought, a tear rolling down his cheek, not only for a time.


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Yes you can purchase tickets online for the same day; however you must book at least 2 hours in advance.
Articles in this section
- What is a Standard Entry ticket and what's included?
- What is a SEA LIFE Parent and Toddler ticket?
- Can I buy a Parent and Toddler ticket at the attraction?
- Do you offer a Late Entry Ticket?
- Do you offer a family discount?
- Do you offer a senior rate?
- Do you have a re-entry policy?
- Can I buy tickets online for the same day?


text: Subscribe to our newsletter This thingy has to be empti pwieshh Jul 3, 2017 Swift Weekly - Issue #83 Revue Hi folks, this week Google converted an Objective-C app to Swift, Jaz Garewal explores what's possibl July 3 · Issue #83 · View online Hi folks, this week Google converted an Objective-C app to Swift, Jaz Garewal explores what's possible with Core ML and Arek Holko uses a clever way to catch leaks in view controllers.Happy reading!As always, if you'd like to support Swift Weekly please share this issue with friends and colleagues. Articles How to Convert a full ObjectiveC app to Swift – Google Developers – Medium medium.com – Share Ibrahim Ulukaya of Google converted an Objective-C app to Swift using a code converter and he shares his experience in this article. Can Core ML in iOS Really Do Hot Dog Detection Without Server-side Processing? - Savvy Apps savvyapps.com – Share Jaz Garewal explores what's possible with Core ML in iOS 11 and answers the question whether Hot Dog detection is possible on the device. Catching Leaky View Controllers Without Instruments holko.pl – Share Arek Holko came up with a clever way to check if view controllers get deallocated and is thus able to check for leaks in view controllers. About Objects | Blog Encoding and Decoding in Swift 4 — Media media.aboutobjects.com – Share Encoding and Decoding seems to be the most written about feature of Swift 4. In this article Jonathan Lehr gives another introduction to the topic. Serverless Swift With OpenWhisk – OpenWhisk – Medium medium.com – Share This article by James Thomas gets you started with writing serverless Swift backend code using OpenWhisk. YOLO: Core ML versus MPSNNGraph machinethink.net – Share This article compares Apple's Core ML framework versus MPSNNGraph. ARKit Tutorial with SceneKit | iOS Swift Tutorials by Jameson Quave jamesonquave.com – Share A tutorial explaining how to get started with ARKit in combination with SceneKit. Chris Lattner on the Realm WWDC 2017 Swift panel – Ole Begemann oleb.net – Share Chris Lattner was a guest on a Swift panel during WWDC a few weeks ago. Here are some quotes Ole Begemann found interesting, edited for brevity and clarity. JSON with Encoder and Encodable - Swift Unboxed swiftunboxed.com – Share Yet another article about Encodable in Swift 4.0. Libraries & Code GitHub - nvzqz/Threadly github.com – Share Threadly - Type-safe thread-local storage in Swift GitHub - nvzqz/Unreachable github.com – Share Unreachable code path optimization hint for Swift GitHub - yapstudios/YapAnimator github.com – Share YapAnimator - Your fast and friendly physics-based animation system. GitHub - hyperoslo/Cheers github.com – Share Cheers - 🎊 Fancy confetti effects in Swift GitHub - laanlabs/ARBrush github.com – Share ARBrush - Quick demo of 3d drawing in ARKit using metal + SceneKit. NOTE: This is experimental code! Did you enjoy this issue? If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe here. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe here. Powered by Revue Share Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Subscribe to our newsletter This thingy has to be empti pwieshh


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It's been a month since the full disclosure of the Stagefright Android vulnerability, and the drama around the announcement is starting to make way for the hard work of actually dealing with its fallout. The immediate implications of the vulnerability itself are enormous in their own right, but it might be the broader ramifications of Stagefright patching logistics that really stick around for a while.
The difficulties that Google and handset manufacturers face in pushing out updates to the more than 900 million phones impacted by the flaw are a microcosm of a larger problem. The real issue here is that the very interconnectedness that lends mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems their power also leads to a vulnerability management prisoner's dilemma.
The Dilemma
Stagefright shows how difficult it is to get all parties on board for rolling out patches amid a complicated tangle of vendor and carrier interests. Connected devices depend on a fractured hodgepodge of operating systems, firmware, hardware and add-on apps, with connectivity delivered by a fragmented telecom market. This means that when a vulnerability like this one presents itself, it requires a cascading chain of cooperation to get even a single patch loaded onto user devices. And at each level — platform vendor, handset manufacturer, etc. — interested parties don't put a lot of effort into security updates because there's not enough economic incentive to do so.
In "What You Need to Know About Stagefright," a recent SANS webcast, Joshua Wright explains that this model for security updates is Android's Achilles' heel.
"I love the Android as a platform, but this patching model has got to go," says Wright, a senior instructor for SANS and senior security analyst for Counter Hack. "Fundamentally, the carriers, the handset vendors and Google are not coordinating sufficiently to be able to get these mandatory security fixes into the hands [of] end users. And ultimately you pay the price for that."
A Deeper Issue
As Wright explains, Stagefright is so thorny because it isn't a software-related problem. It is a system-level vulnerability that affects devices all the way back to Android 2.2. It was initially reported as an MMS-related vulnerability because the proof of concept offered up by Joshua Drake and the Zimperium team at Black Hat showed how a maliciously crafted MMS message could take advantage of video autoplay features in MMS to execute code without any user intervention. But as Wright points out, Stagefright's impact runs deep into the Android code base.
"Dispel the notion that this is an MMS-related vulnerability. It's not," he says. "It's a core library vulnerability that can be exploited any time you open an MP4 file that's malicious regardless of how that MP4 file got to you."
So, even though early mitigation recommendations to turn off auto-retrieval of video files in MMS may be valid, they're not even close to foolproof.
"It doesn't help if the exploit vector comes through a web browser, and I'm a little skeptical if this is really going to stop end users from clicking on an MMS, particularly if there are kittens on the cover thumbnail of that incoming movie," Wright says. "The kitten thing puts people over the edge."
Solutions in the Works ... For Some
A more permanent and lasting mitigation is in the works, as Google and a number of handset manufacturers have either developed a patch or plan to do so. In fact, Wright believes this vulnerability is "the best thing that has ever happened to Android users," pointing to improvements in the way that Google and several handset manufacturers have committed to regular security updates in the wake of this vulnerability.
"The big issue is if and when will more people get these patches — and who's going to get a patch and who isn't," Wright says. "Many millions of Android users will be vulnerable for many years to come."
This is because even though patches are forthcoming, the distribution of these updates is usually limited to just a small slice of the most recent Android device releases. For example, Wright points out that devices built with the Android Jelly Bean release will have absolutely zero access to a Stagefright patch.
"No patches. No support. Nada. Go buy a new phone. That's your only recourse here," he says, explaining that this build alone accounts for 286 million Android devices. That kind of legacy desertion comes down to economics, he says.
"Right now those device manufacturers and carriers are thinking maybe we don't have to patch and they'll buy new phones," he says. "Personally, I find that unacceptable, and I think everybody with these devices should be contacting their carriers saying we expect this level of support for being a customer."
Some of this pressure may well already be seeping into the Android ecosystem as a result of the Stagefright fallout, but there's still a lot of work ahead.
Photo Source: Flickr


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Developed By: Workmates Core2Cloud
CM tables deficit budget
SHILLONG: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on Wednesday presented a deficit budget of Rs 527 crore for the financial year 2014-15, and proposed hike in the rates for tobacco and tobacco related products to 20%.
Presenting the Budget in Assembly on the last day of the session on Wednesday, Dr Sangma, who also holds the finance portfolio, sought approval of the House for vote-on-account worth over Rs 2,984 crore for 1st quarter of the fiscal starting from April 1, which was passed by the Assembly later.
The vote-on-account was passed since the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls restricts passing of the full Budget which will be taken up after the elections.
While the total receipts excluding borrowings and other liabilities for 2014-15 stands at Rs 11,156 crore, the total expenditure excluding repayment of loans and other liabilities is Rs11,683 crore thereby arriving at the deficit budget of Rs 527 crore.
"Under tax and non tax proposals, the Government has increased the rates for tobacco and tobacco related products to 20%," Dr Sangma said, adding that the Government also notified the export fee on forest products in October 2013.
According to the Chief Minister, these new measures will increase the state's own resources and the Government is examining the proposal for upward revision of rates on sand and stone.
"We are also exploring the feasibility of increasing the tax slab for liquor and also to bring into the tax net the admissible textile products", Dr Sangma said.
Additional revenue generation of around Rs 18 crore is expected from the recommendations of the second interim report of Task Force on Resource Mobilization, he added.
Analysing the state economy, the Chief Minister said that there has been an upward movement in the growth of Gross State Domestic Product over the years. From 4% during the 8th plan, the growth rate shot up to 8% during the 11th plan, he said.
Touching on the status of state finance, he said that the state still has a limited and relatively inelastic resource base. A sizeable gap exists between the resources needed to finance development and infrastructure, and the resources available. "The state is, therefore, dependent on finances transferred from the Central Government", he said. The Chief Minister further said that the state's own revenue is only around 22% of the available resources.
"The fiscal health of Meghalaya viewed in terms of key parameters such as revenue deficit, fiscal deficit, and primary deficit indicates that the state has been faring well, with all indicators almost within targets fixed by the Thirteenth Finance Commission", he said.
The Chief Minister said that he had apprised the 14th Finance Commission to consider an award of around Rs 50,000 crore to cover, inter-alia, the upgradation of infrastructure and state's specific needs, maintenance of roads and completed schemes and normalization of posts.
He said that the education project of 125 million US dollar signed between Government of India and Asian Development Bank on January 23 in New Delhi to improve the quality, delivery and access to Secondary and Higher Secondary School Education will facilitate result oriented technical and vocational skills training in the state especially for women.
The Chief Minister said that though the size of the annual plan for 2014-15 is yet to be finalized with the Planning Commission, the Government proposed a plan size of Rs 4545 crore which would be an increase of 9.5% from last year.
On the law and order front, the Chief Minister admitted that there are challenges to internal security posed by militant outfits in certain pockets of the state. The Government is fully aware of its responsibility and will deal with the challenge with a firm hand, he said.
A peaceful and harmonious environment is a pre-requisite for the development of the State. Disruptive and violent tendencies ultimately lead to reversal of achievements made by a society, he added.
"Hence, it makes eminent sense to spend more on maintenance of law
and order so that development can take place. It should be seen as
productive investment, because all other investments in developmental
activities would be futile and wasted if there is violence and disturbance
in the society", Dr Sangma said, ctiting the reason for recruiting 1,795 personnel to raise a full-fledged unit of commando force to be known as Special Force 10. He said this initiative will bring about a sense of security in the minds of people.
While proposing a plan outlay of Rs 104.15 crore for 2014-15 for the power sector, the Chief Minister said that though the demand for power is above 600 MW, the installed capacity in the state is only 314 MW.
The plan outlay for other departments include District Councils ( Rs 5.50 crore), Commerce and Industries (Rs 33 crore), Mining and Geology(Rs 5 crore), Health (Rs 380.5 crore), General Education (Rs 413.60 crore), Technical Education (Rs 7 crore), Labour ( Rs 10 crore), Social Welfare (Rs 152.3 crore), Water supply and sanitation (Rs 309.40 crore), Rural Development (Rs 539.64 crore), Border development (Rs 39.50 crore), Food and Civil Supplies(Rs 1.30 crore), Roads and Bridges(Rs 428.90 crore),Transport(Rs7.44 crore),Urban Development (Rs 169 crore),Housing (43.20 crore),Agriculture (Rs128.45 crore),Water Resources ( Rs 221.20 crore),Soil and Water Conservation (Rs 263 crore), Animal Husbandry (40.50 crore), Dairy development (Rs 6 crore), Sericulture and Weaving (Rs 10 crore), Fisheries(Rs 23 crore),Forest(Rs 80 crore), Co-operation(Rs 14 crore),Tourism(Rs 24 crore),Art and Culture (Rs 30 crore), Information and Public Relations(Rs 9.50 crore),Sports(Rs 40.85 crore), Information Technology( Rs 25.50 crore), Prisons ( Rs 4.50 crore) Civil Defence ( Rs 5.35 crore) Personnel (Rs 7 crore), and Revenue and Disaster Management ( Rs 60 lakh)


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In this instance the 'paper money' system would be analagous to money created by private banks by means of expanding credit. The Second Bank of the United States is the predecessor to the Federal Reserve Bank System which was established in 1913.
"The paper system being founded on public confidence and having of itself no intrinsic value, is liable to great and sudden fluctuations, thereby rendering property insecure and the wages of labor unsteady and uncertain.
The corporations which create the paper money cannot be relied upon to keep the circulating medium uniform in amount. In times of prosperity, when confidence is high, they are tempted by the prospect of gain or by the influence of those who hope to profit by it to extend their issues of paper beyond the bounds of discretion and the reasonable demands of business.
And when these issues have been pushed on from day to day until the public confidence is at length shaken, then a reaction takes place, and they immediately withdraw the credits they have given; suddenly curtail their issues; and produce an unexpected and ruinous contraction of the circulating medium which is felt by the whole community.
The banks, by this means, save themselves, and the mischievous consequences of their imprudence or cupidity are visited upon the public. Nor does the evil stop here. These ebbs and flows in the currency and these indiscreet extensions of credit naturally engender a spirit of speculation injurious to the habits and character of the people. We have already seen its effects in the wild spirit of speculation in the public lands and various kinds of stock which, within the last year or two, seized upon such a multitude of our citizens and threatened to pervade all classes of society and to withdraw their attention from the sober pursuits of honest industry. It is not by encouraging this spirit that we shall best preserve public virtue and promote the true interests of our country.
But if your currency continues as exclusively paper as it now is, it will foster this eager desire to amass wealth without labor; it will multiply the number of dependents on bank accommodations and bank favors; the temptation to obtain money at any sacrifice will become stronger and stronger, and inevitably lead to corruption which will find its way into your public councils and destroy, at no distant day, the purity of your government. Some of the evils which arise from this system of paper press, with peculiar hardship, upon the class of society least able to bear it...
Recent events have proved that the paper money system of this country may be used as an engine to undermine your free institutions; and that those who desire to engross all power in the hands of the few and to govern by corruption or force are aware of its power and prepared to employ it. Your banks now furnish your only circulating medium, and money is plenty or scarce according to the quantity of notes issued by them. While they have capitals not greatly disproportioned to each other, they are competitors in business, and no one of them can exercise dominion over the rest. And although, in the present state of the currency, these banks may and do operate injuriously upon the habits of business, the pecuniary concerns, and the moral tone of society, yet, from their number and dispersed situation, they cannot combine for the purpose of political influence; and whatever may be the dispositions of some of them their power of mischief must necessarily be confined to a narrow space and felt only in their immediate neighborhoods.
But when the charter of the Bank of the United States was obtained from Congress, it perfected the schemes of the paper system and gave its advocates the position they have struggled to obtain from the commencement of the federal government down to the present hour. The immense capital and peculiar privileges bestowed upon it enabled it to exercise despotic sway over the other banks in every part of the country. From its superior strength it could seriously injure, if not destroy, the business of any one of them which might incur its resentment; and it openly claimed for itself the power of regulating the currency throughout the United States. In other words, it asserted (and it undoubtedly possessed) the power to make money plenty or scarce, at its pleasure, at any time, and in any quarter of the Union, by controlling the issues of other banks and permitting an expansion or compelling a general contraction of the circulating medium according to its own will.
The other banking institutions were sensible of its strength, and they soon generally became its obedient instruments, ready at all times to execute its mandates; and with the banks necessarily went, also, that numerous class of persons in our commercial cities who depend altogether on bank credits for their solvency and means of business; and who are, therefore, obliged for their own safety to propitiate the favor of the money power by distinguished zeal and devotion in its service.
The result of the ill-advised legislation which established this great monopoly was to concentrate the whole money power of the Union, with its boundless means of corruption and its numerous dependents, under the direction and command of one acknowledged head; thus organizing this particular interest as one body and securing to it unity and concert of action throughout the United States and enabling it to bring forward, upon any occasion, its entire and undivided strength to support or defeat any measure of the government. In the hands of this formidable power, thus perfectly organized, was also placed unlimited dominion over the amount of the circulating medium, giving it the power to regulate the value of property and the fruits of labor in every quarter of the Union and to bestow prosperity or bring ruin upon any city or section of the country as might best comport with its own interest or policy.
We are not left to conjecture how the moneyed power, thus organized and with such a weapon in its hands, would be likely to use it. The distress and alarm which pervaded and agitated the whole country when the Bank of the United States waged war upon the people in order to compel them to submit to its demands cannot yet be forgotten. The ruthless and unsparing temper with which whole cities and communities were oppressed, individuals impoverished and ruined, and a scene of cheerful prosperity suddenly changed into one of gloom and despondency ought to be indelibly impressed on the memory of the people of the United States.
If such was its power in a time of peace, what would it not have been in a season of war with an enemy at your doors? No nation but the freemen of the United States could have come out victorious from such a contest; yet, if you had not conquered, the government would have passed from the hands of the many to the hands of the few; and this organized money power, from its secret conclave, would have directed the choice of your highest officers and compelled you to make peace or war as best suited their own wishes. The forms of your government might, for a time, have remained; but its living spirit would have departed from it.
The distress and sufferings inflicted on the people by the Bank are some of the fruits of that system of policy which is continually striving to enlarge the authority of the federal government beyond the limits fixed by the Constitution. The powers enumerated in that instrument do not confer on Congress the right to establish such a corporation as the Bank of the United States; and the evil consequences which followed may warn us of the danger of departing from the true rule of construction and of permitting temporary circumstances or the hope of better promoting the public welfare to influence, in any degree, our decisions upon the extent of the authority of the general government. Let us abide by the Constitution as it is written or amend it in the constitutional mode if it is found defective.
The severe lessons of experience will, I doubt not, be sufficient to prevent Congress from again chartering such a monopoly, even if the Constitution did not present an insuperable objection to it. But you must remember, my fellow citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty; and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. It behooves you, therefore, to be watchful in your states as well as in the federal government.
The power which the moneyed interest can exercise, when concentrated under a single head, and with our present system of currency, was sufficiently demonstrated in the struggle made by the Bank of the United States. Defeated in the general government, the same class of intriguers and politicians will now resort to the states and endeavor to obtain there the same organization which they failed to perpetuate in the Union; and with specious and deceitful plans of public advantages and state interests and state pride they will endeavor to establish, in the different states, one moneyed institution with overgrown capital and exclusive privileges sufficient to enable it to control the operations of the other banks.
Such an institution will be pregnant with the same evils produced by the Bank of the United States, although its sphere of action is more confined; and in the state in which it is chartered the money power will be able to embody its whole strength and to move together with undivided force to accomplish any object it may wish to attain. You have already had abundant evidence of its power to inflict injury upon the agricultural, mechanical, and laboring classes of society, and over whose engagements in trade or speculation render them dependent on bank facilities, the dominion of the state monopoly will be absolute, and their obedience unlimited. With such a bank and a paper currency, the money power would, in a few years, govern the state and control its measures; and if a sufficient number of states can be induced to create such establishments, the time will soon come when it will again take the field against the United States and succeed in perfecting and perpetuating its organization by a charter from Congress.
It is one of the serious evils of our present system of banking that it enables one class of society, and that by no means a numerous one, by its control over the currency to act injuriously upon the interests of all the others and to exercise more than its just proportion of influence in political affairs. The agricultural, the mechanical, and the laboring classes have little or no share in the direction of the great moneyed corporations; and from their habits and the nature of their pursuits, they are incapable of forming extensive combinations to act together with united force. Such concert of action may sometimes be produced in a single city or in a small district of country by means of personal communications with each other; but they have no regular or active correspondence with those who are engaged in similar pursuits in distant places. They have but little patronage to give the press and exercise but a small share of influence over it; they have no crowd of dependents about them who hope to grow rich without labor by their countenance and favor and who are, therefore, always ready to exercise their wishes.
The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer all know that their success depends upon their own industry and economy and that they must not expect to become suddenly rich by the fruits of their toil. Yet these classes of society form the great body of the people of the United States; they are the bone and sinew of the country; men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws and who, moreover, hold the great mass of our national wealth, although it is distributed in moderate amounts among the millions of freemen who possess it. But, with overwhelming numbers and wealth on their side, they are in constant danger of losing their fair influence in the government, and with difficulty maintain their just rights against the incessant efforts daily made to encroach upon them.
The mischief springs from the power which the moneyed interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control; from the multitude of corporations with exclusive privileges which they have succeeded in obtaining in the different states and which are employed altogether for their benefit; and unless you become more watchful in your states and check this spirit of monopoly and thirst for exclusive privileges, you will, in the end, find that the most important powers of government have been given or bartered away, and the control over your dearest interests has passed into the hands of these corporations.
The paper money system and its natural associates, monopoly and exclusive privileges, have already struck their roots deep in the soil; and it will require all your efforts to check its further growth and to eradicate the evil. The men who profit by the abuses and desire to perpetuate them will continue to besiege the halls of legislation in the general government as well as in the states and will seek, by every artifice, to mislead and deceive the public servants. It is to yourselves that you must look for safety and the means of guarding and perpetuating your free institutions. In your hands is rightfully placed the sovereignty of the country and to you everyone placed in authority is ultimately responsible. It is always in your power to see that the wishes of the people are carried into faithful execution, and their will, when once made known, must sooner or later be obeyed. And while the people remain, as I trust they ever will, uncorrupted and incorruptible and continue watchful and jealous of their rights, the government is safe, and the cause of freedom will continue to triumph over all its enemies.
But it will require steady and persevering exertions on your part to rid yourselves of the iniquities and mischiefs of the paper system and to check the spirit of monopoly and other abuses which have sprung up with it and of which it is the main support. So many interests are united to resist all reform on this subject that you must not hope the conflict will be a short one nor success easy. My humble efforts have not been spared during my administration of the government to restore the constitutional currency of gold and silver; and something, I trust, has been done toward the accomplishment of this most desirable object. But enough yet remains to require all your energy and perseverance. The power, however, is in your hands, and the remedy must and will be applied if you determine upon it."
Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address, March 4, 1837


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Thank you for downloading the Daily Professional Self-Reflection Journal Pages for Occupational Therapists. The download should be in your inbox right now.
Use the printable pages to self-reflect on daily interactions, to grow and develop as an occupational therapist, and to guide professional development.
It's our hope that you will join us in The OT Toolbox Community when it launches on November 8th.
For now, here are a few other tools you may find helpful:
Quotes about Goals
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The Visiting Privilege review: Living in a downward spiral
Joy Williams's latest infrequent collection is so good we hardly know where to start raving first
Joy Williams: "Believes that writing should provoke, not comfort". Photograph by Reg Innell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Book Title:
The Visiting Privilege
Joy Williams
Tuskar Rock
Guideline Price:
It is a question, more of a test, that major American writers such as Tobias Wolff and Don DeLillo tend to put to interviewers: "Have you read Joy Williams?" If you have, good for you. If you have not, well, wonders are heading your way for reasons best explained only by experiencing the 46 stories in The Visiting Privilege.
The stories are drawn from Williams's three collections to date: Taking Care (1982), Escapes (1990) and Honored Guest: Stories (2004), as well as 13 previously uncollected works. Williams is a writer's writer, a magician unafraid of risks. Her vision is likeable, candid, witty, calm, wise, entirely American and seething with menace, not to mention filled with choice one-liners.
She believes that writing should provoke, not comfort. Fiction is a serious business when exploring the darker recesses of the human mind – which Williams does, brilliantly. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun along the way. She sees the absurdity of our desires and our fears, the fragile bravado that falls short of screaming "help me".
A great deal of unease is contained within these stories: "She had been having a rough time of it and thought about suicide sometimes, but suicide was so corny in the eleventh grade and you had to be careful about this because two of her classmates had committed suicide the year before and between them they left twenty-four suicide notes and had become just a joke. They had left notes everywhere and they were full of misspellings and pretensions. Theirs had been a false show."
The girl's mother is dying. But it is taking a while. "At the beginning death was giving them the opportunity to be interesting . . . There was only crack at this. But then they lost sight of it somehow . . . Its meaning crumbled. They began waiting for it."
Waiting for the moment
Elsewhere in another story (Health), a far shorter vigil is taking place: "Pammy and her father, Morris, are following a truck that is carrying a jumble of television sets. There is a twenty-four inch console facing them on the open tailgate, restrained by rope, with a bullet hole in the exact center of the screen."
Williams may not spell it out, yet it is obvious that Pammy is anticipating the moment the TV could fall loose. It doesn't, but that is not the point. Williams is fascinated by the lies we tell and by how our imaginations work. Reality is only a part of fictions that are all too realistic – and believable.
Gloria is a heavy drinker, as are several of the women in the stories. She is on her way to visit a friend undergoing a fourth divorce. People live hard in these stories, not because of poverty or even pain, but just because of living. In fact, even thinking proves tricky; no one is easy in their heads. Gloria's friend has a daughter but, as she hadn't seen them for years, she "probably wouldn't even recognize Gwendal".
As she waits for her flight, she overhears a woman speaking on a nearby pay phone. Among the jumble of words is a statement: "If anything happens to this plane, I hope you'll be satisfied." Restless, rootless Gloria meets up with Jean, whose plight appears no more than bland.
Far more intriguing is the daughter. Children and dogs invariably steal these stories. The dogs, aside from the ones that drown or are given to drinking from toilet bowls, are clever and more dignified than the humans. A dying woman recalls putting hair dye on her dog's muzzle when he began to go gray. "He was only about a year old . . . The things I used to do. The way I spent my time."
Williams, in common with one of her literary mentors, Flannery O'Connor, is never sentimental. The children are terrifying, already wised-up to life in an adult world that stinks. "You drink too much" the girl observes. "You're always drinking something." Hurt, Gloria swiftly counters with: "I'm dying."
Gwendal is intrigued by the freedoms dying confers: "So there are compensations." The girl's thoughts are racing, and she suggests that she writes Gloria's biography. Gloria realises that she has not "figured out exactly where she wanted to go to die".
Breaking in and out
Joy Williams, who was born in 1944, has written four novels. Among them is Breaking and Entering (1988), in which a married couple accompanied by her stoic white German shepherd, break into vacation homes in Florida. They don't steal anything; they just need to be away from themselves and in the life of someone else.
It is an episodic, anecdotal narrative because Williams, at heart, is a short story writer. For all her digressions, asides and inspired mastery of ambivalence, she takes a glance at an event and hones in on it. Her theme is that grown-ups are careless and usually scared. There is a relaxed ease about her prose, but she is deceptively exact, never losing sight of the subject which preoccupies her.
"To put it simply" explained the late Harold Brodkey of Williams, "for her, the human personality is of the most interest and the most truth when it is put under the most extreme pressure." Brodkey saw the truth of her writing in its complete American-ness.
In The Farm, which was anthologised by Richard Ford in his New Granta Book of the American Short Story (2007), Williams writes: "There is a certain type of conversation one hears only when drunk and it is like a dream, full of humor and threat and significance, deep significance. And how one witnesses things when drunk is different as well. It is like putting on a face mask against the surface of the sea and looking into things, into their baffled and guileless hearts."
Taking Care, in which a preacher tends his ailing wife, abandoned granddaughter and dog, is perfection. There are many of these gathered in a wry and vital volume that readers will place where it belongs alongside Ford, O'Connor, Wolff, Eudora Welty, Peter Taylor, Denis Johnson, Shirley Jackson, James Salter and Ron Hansen.
The only problem with The Visiting Privilege is attempting to review it adequately: there are too many good stories. Among the finest, though, is a new one In In the Park, Ranger Preyman, still attempting to make sense of life, gazes at a photograph of an alligator. At first he failed to notice the heron in its jaws. "Then came the awareness of the delicate, collapsed presence within."
Eileen Battersby is Literary Correspondent


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The prestigious Caribe Resort, located in Orange Beach, overlooks Perdido Pass, which connects the Gulf of Mexico and intra-coastal waterway – the views are exceptional. This beach resort community has amenities 2nd to none, including an on-site restaurant, state of the art fitness facility, multiple pools, a lazy river, water slides, playground, tennis courts, Jacuzzi, beach shuttles, putting green, upscale lobby with fountains and lounging areas and so much more! This large Caribe condo, with a panoramic view of the Gulf and the Bay, also has tinted floor-to-ceiling windows. A fully-equipped large kitchen features stainless steel appliances and granite counter-tops. This luxurious Orange Beach vacation home also has a large wrap-around balcony and 9 ft ceilings…
View ALL – Caribe Resort Condos For Rent, Orange Beach AL
Located along pristine, unobstructed shoreline, the Caribe Resort is a popular complex among the sugar sand beaches of the northern Gulf of Mexico. These Orange Beach luxury accommodations offer an incredible array of pool space, along with stunning vistas of beachfront sunsets. Comforts are designed with fun in mind: lazy river, tennis courts, saunas and steam rooms, game room, private beach cart service, restaurant, and much more. If you are looking for a unique vacation idea, Caribe provides the ticket – if you're interested in an Orange Beach home of your own, Caribe offers the best in resort living.
Orange Beach Vacation Rental, Caribe Resort


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So Much More Than Horses
Super Fuego! Our barn mascot!
Such a Beautiful and Peaceful Place for Experiencing Fun !
Marco. He was an amazing dog, and was a part of our crazy life for many years. Our constant companion that kept a watchful eye on us as we worked the horses. He will forever hold a special place in our hearts. 2000-2012


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A white ibis runs for the shoreline in a crashing wave. He appears to have received the business end of a large wave and in his panic forgot he can fly. No doubt from a birds point of view the act of trying to find lunch in the crashing surf is a frustrating experience. I'm positive it's almost as frustrating as actually getting that perfect bird picture.
If your one of those people who wish to hone their skill of photographing live birds, then this list may just help you.
1. Equipment Matters-
Equipment is at least 50% of your chance in getting a great action shot with birds. The Iphone will fail you as bad as most of the point and clicks on the market. Why? The lens. A wide-angle lens is great for portraits, landscapes, and the weekend BBQ. But birds are small, and small means that you need some form of telescoping lens to get the bird nice and close. Unless your subject is a large Canadian goose looking for a handout, you're going to scare your quarry before you get the shot. Your best bet is a DSLR and a nice telescoping lens that will close the distance between your subject and you.
2. Fast Shutter Speed-
One of the advantages of a DSLR is the ability to adjust the shutter speed of your camera. This changes the length of time your camera has its shutter open, thus allowing light into the camera. The quicker the speed, the better chance of capturing non-blurry action shots. Birds tend to be very quick. As a person who's experienced being chased by a full size turkey, I can personally attest to how quick they are. Notice in the ibis picture that the water from the surf seems to freeze mid-air. That's what a quick shutter speed will give you. How fast? The real answer is "as fast as your light conditions allow you to without underexposing the picture."
3. Aim for the Eye-
Remember that telescoping lens? You don't just pick up your camera, aim it at the poor creature and start shooting. Well you CAN, but your just wasting your time. No, a good picture takes a good deal of forethought. Once I have my camera set at an acceptable shutter speed. The very next thing I do is aim for the eye. A focused eye is almost always a good start to an excellent picture. But, an out of focused eye is always a bad picture. Humans are rather finicky about faces. We have to see the eyes. Even animal faces are susceptible to this psychological need of ours. If you don't get the eyes, you don't get the picture.
4. Prepare for Failure-
Yeah, patience is definitely needed. Remember that for every great photograph of a beautiful bird, especially an action shot, there are at least 200 pictures of out of focused blurs, wing flaps, moved heads, blurry feet, and tail feathers. You're taking the picture of a living-breathing animal. This animal does not care that you are taking a picture. They do not listen to your directions to stay still. They are quick, they are small and they are almost always in movement. If you get one good picture out of an afternoon of bird watching then you've had a great day!
Remember that the most important thing about photographing any animals in the wild is to respect nature. Respect your subject and while you may not get that epic shot on the first try, there will be always a chance for a second, third, or even 100th try.


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I must say that although both boys are extremely similar as newborns, my breast feeding experience the second time around is going so much better than it had the first time with Jack.
Max had a fairly good latch from the get-go, where as Jack was lazy and didn't really want to have to "work" to eat. Jack, when he did latch, was never for long and the latch was TERRIBLE.
I also feel more comfortable nursing and am more patient to allow Max to learn how to eat and am more relaxed with when he eats and for how long, whereas my pediatricians had me come in for 2 weeks straight for weight checks with Jack. It's almost like they put the scare in me that made me so nervous and crazy about breast feeding which I think may have translated to low supply and not having the confidence to carry it through.
This time, and maybe because it is the second time around, Max had lost some weight since he was born, but my new pediatricians just asked that I supplement a bit of formula as they suspected that my stressful two weeks has done a number on my supply. Just a few days after their reccomendation to keep nursing and pumping to rebuild supply, I am already feeling a difference in feedings with Max. He has gone from eating every hour to every two hours to eating once every 3.5-4 hours. 🙂
I have a small stash built up so far, thanks to my Hygeia LBI pump, which I LOVE! My next nursing investment will be one of those nursing bras designed specifically for pumping hands-free. (Jack still doesn't understand when I am pumping that I don't have a free hand to read him a book as I do when I nurse Max) The hands-free bra will also be wonderful for when I am pumping at work and wish to check e-mails and work on projects simultaneously!
Any other advice, suggestions or positive stories with breast feeding are very welcome! So thrilled that it is working out this time! I think my next major obstacle will be when I go back to work with pumping. My office is understanding about nursing mothers, but often times, my day is completely filled with meetings that consume my day, so finding the time to pump may be a bit difficult. Suggestions or advice for that is also welcome!


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Birthday Parties
Villari's birthday parties are a FUN and EXCITING way to celebrate any child's birthday. Each party is 90 minutes long! The first 45 minutes the birthday child and friends will show off their martial arts prowess while participating in a martial arts class. Class will include some martial arts drills, skills, techniques and of course, GAMES!!!!
The second 45 minutes is reserved for Snacks, Cake, cut by a REAL SWORD and Presents!!
Up to 10 children. $5 per each additional child.
$50 non-refundable deposit required.
Villari's provides: Plates, napkins and utensils.
Parents provide: Snacks, cake, drinks (cups if needed), candles and decorations (balloons, banners, etc.)


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The world's population feels like it is exploding right now. At least six or seven of my Facebook friends have had babies this year or are about to have one, making my Facebook wall look like one continuous baby album.
Between my drafting this post and publishing it, even the Duchess of Cambridge, the most famous pregnant woman of 2013, managed to pop Royal Baby George out. Blame it on the full moon of the night before.
My timeline is a pregnancy diary I am forced to read every time I log in, complete with photos of foetal scans, recordings of babies' heartbeats, reports on blood test results, baby kicking, baby turning, baby clothes shopping. Too. Much. Information.
I cannot help but feel sorry for the yet-to-be-born kids, who don't even get a choice whether to be on Facebook or not: they've already been exposed to the world picking their noses inside a womb at 12 weeks. And I thought there was an age restriction on Facebook?
I was delighted when a friend had her first child at age 40, after being told by doctors she could not conceive, and I smiled at one or another baby announcement from ex-colleagues after that. But by the time newborn number 6 or 7's photo was uploaded, followed by daily updates of their feeding and sleeping routines, I decided social media was harmful for my mental health and had to give Facebook a temporary wide berth (pun intended).
Don't get me wrong: I love children, I do think babies are cute, but when every other female you know starts reproducing like rabbits on heat, the world becomes one big orgy scene from a Fellini movie, where you are the only non-participating voyeur. I feel like a freak.
God forbid I end up a self-pitying embittered spinster like the self-loathing Mail columnist Liz Jones, who, coincidentally has a book out this month called Girl Least Likely To. Even if I were the girl least likely to find true love or have a family, I still have enough scruples to find making money out of tales of self-fuckeduppedness abhorrent.
IVF anyone?
This month, 35 years ago, Louise Brown, another famous baby, came into the world and revolutionarised the lives of many infertile couples. Brown, now a mother of one herself, was the world's first IVF or "test tube baby". Since then, apparently, more than an amazing five million-plus IVF babies have been born.
A piece of trivia: did you know that whereas the cost for an in-vitro fertilised embryo could set you back as much as £3000 at the time, it is now possible to have one for as little as £170, or so this Guardian article says. Pregnancy for a bargain.
This doesn't mean, of course, that if you have 200 quid spare in your back pocket, you can just go to a lab and order a baby. Having a child is a sum of many intricate parts that must come together at the right time and the right place. Often they don't, even if you are fertile.
Fathers wanted
Many women I know are having children in their late 30s and 40s because the right man did not turn up when they were supposedly at the peak of their fertility.
Girlfriends of mine, in their mid to late 30s, who have come out of a relationship or not even in one, are in a state of mild panic, thinking they can hear their biological clock ticking loudly. Males that cross their path consciously or sub-consciously look like like potential fathers to their future offspring, just like every cactus you see must morph into a pond with shimmering water when you have been roaming in the desert for days.
The accidental baby
One of my team mates, a divorcee I am good friends with, is currently ten weeks pregnant after a holiday in South America with her new boyfriend of only a few months. The rest of the office still does not know. She told me personally by email while I was in Japan on business, suffering from severe insomnia, chronic stress stomachaches and a serious bout of the blues:
"You won't believe this, but I'm three weeks pregnant! I'm in shock, don't know what to do. I miss you so much. Come back soon."
(Only a day or two before, in my insomniac fragility, I had broken down in tears in my hotel room upon finding out a man from my past I still deeply care about had had a second child, or his wife had (detestable Facebook again). The timing couldn't have been worse. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her news.)
I did what any decent friend would do in these circumstances: I sent my pregnant colleague a big virtual hug by email, told her not to make any hasty decisions she could regret later, as it was still early days, and whatever she decided I would support her and stand by her.
I was prepared to accompany her to an abortion clinic and hold her hand so she would not have to do it on her own, but by the time I came back to the UK she had decided to keep the child. "I am 36 now; I may not have a chance again later," she said.
Everyday now she gives me reports on how sick she has been, how every food she puts in her mouth makes her throw up, how no trousers fit her any more as she is so bloated. She receives email alerts from some pregnancy website telling her how many inches her baby is now, week by week, and shows them to me, proudly.
It almost makes me miss the days when she used to brag to me how good her new boyfriend was in bed, that they were having sex everyday, twice a day. I suppose it is the duty of a friend to be a good listener, in good and bad times…
She is planning a small ceremony to secretly marry her boyfriend in a few weeks' time and has already bought a dress. Physically she feels miserable but I can see she is happy. I am happy for her too: a whirlwind romance two years after a divorce and a child on the way.
A happy ending. As always. For others.
She asks me if I can come to her wedding. I check my diary: the day of the ceremony is a day I am away on business. "Sorry," I say, but I am relieved.
I am a bad friend.
Kodak moments
I have seen and admired more than a tolerable share of happy "Kodak moments". I haven't got a family right now; chances are I never will. Even at the risk of breaking politeness etiquette, I cannot bring myself to "like" any more baby photos and updates. I've had enough.
Doesn't the world know I am hurting like hell?
Give my your gas and air and show me your pet hedgehog's photos any day.


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Activated carbon is a very powerful drug, effectively in emergencies and beyond. It is considered one of the best remedies of our days, especially because of its gastrointestinal tract cleaning: rapidly absorb about 60% of poisonous substances. Activated carbon is made from coal treated with oxygen at very high temperatures. One teaspoon of this substance absorbs toxins and helps remove ...Read More »
Health and Diet
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How to cleanse your liver with raisins and water
The liver performs many functions, from digestion to clean the blood of toxins and impurities, therefore must work very well. From time to time it's indicated this detoxification treatment with raisins. For this treatment to be effective, you must know how to choose the fruit. We suggest you to but them as dark and as dry as possible. Once you ...Read More »
Top 3 juices to detoxify your kidneys
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How to quit smoking with baking soda
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2 Recipes That Will Help You With Hair Loss
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How To Reduce Belly Fat Using Safflower Oil
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