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With more than 200 top-quality academic degree programs, there's no career, no future — no life — you can't reach when you begin at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. UNM is also one of the best educational values in the country.
The mission of the Student Financial Aid Department is to provide UNM students with the timely delivery of financial assistance while maintaining accountability and proper stewardship of the public, institutional, and private funds with which it is entrusted. We are committed to providing courteous service to support the academic mission and goals of the University and its students.

subset: commoncrawl


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COGS Holiday Social & Celebration!
Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society's December Meeting
Saturday, December 9, 2017, 2:00 pm
We are ready to celebrate our genealogical successes and honor our family traditions at the 2017 COGS Holiday Social and 30th Anniversary Celebration!
Cost: Free and open to the public
Location: Athens-Clarke County Library, Multipurpose Room A
2025 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30606


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This week The Drill Down's resident SXSWi correspondent Muhammad Saleem regales us with the sights and sounds of the 2010 conference, and answers the burning question, "Is SXSWi Dead?" Twitter unveils their new @Anywhere platform, the US Army considers Wikileaks a threat, Google is sure to leave China, the multi-million dollar feud between YouTube and Viacom heats up, iPad owners rationalize the device's lack of fuctionality, and what happens to our online accounts when we die?
Show Links
SXSW Interactive Is Dead
Twitter's New @Anywhere Platform
Secret Document Calls Wikileaks 'Threat' to U.S. Army
Google "99.9 pct" sure to shut China search engine
Smoking guns, dark secrets aplenty in YouTube-Viacom filings
YouTube Blog: Broadcast Yourself
The iPad paradox: Less is more
40% of Blackberry users willing to trade in for an iPhone
Death and social media: what happens to your life online?
Gabe Newell: Portal 2 is "The Best Game We've Ever Done"


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Welcome to
Metal Odyssey
New shows every week
Metal Odyssey is a show unlike any other. Presented by Captain Robin Kilmister, a voice like dark brown velvet, Captain Robin takes listeners on a voyage of intense, virtuosic, and powerful classic sounds from the metal genre, interweaving the songs with fantastical storytelling. He will truly take you on an Odyssey.


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Dear Supporters,
Following our fundraising lunch "Cleaning the Slate" in Sydney last Sunday we are pleased to announce that thanks to the support of our many friends, we have now 'cleaned the slate'. We have repaid all of the money we borrowed in order to participate in Freedom Waves to Gaza last November!
This leaves us clear to raise money for the next venture Gaza's Ark. This project is focussed on building a boat with Palestinians in Gaza, to help export goods by sea from Palestine. It will give individuals and businesses the opportunity to express their solidarity with the people of Gaza by pledging to purchase particular items, the details of which we are currently negotiating.
We are hoping to raise $10,000 in Australia in the coming month to help in the preparations of the boat and hope that you can dig deep and spread the word to help achieve this ambitious target.
You can help by:
1. Giving your financial support:
Bank: Commonwealth Bank
Acc Name: GFF Australia Group
BSB: 062102 Acc No: 10197185
* Please insert your name into the reference section and send us an email to advise of your donation so we may directly thank you.
2. Giving of your time/skills – contact us to discuss how you would like to be involved: Publicity/Outreach, Fundraising, Media, Social Media, Website development or Planning.
Thank you very much for your support.
In solidarity,
Free Gaza Australia
Post: PO Box 542, Leichhardt NSW2040
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GazaAustralia
Twitter: @GFFAusGroup


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PPS 8: Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation
The Role of Development Plans: Existing Open Space
4.11 The Department will identify major areas of existing open space on development plan maps for information purposes. Within settlements these may include parks, playing fields and other sports and outdoor recreation facilities, both public and private. In the countryside this will normally include facilities such as regional, country and forest parks. Where proposals exist for the future development of existing open space as a recreational resource these will generally be highlighted in the plan. It should be noted, however, that existing open space, regardless of whether it is identified on plan maps or not, benefits from the protection afforded by Policy OS1 unless the site is identified for an alternative use in the plan itself.
4.12 Areas of existing open space within or adjoining settlements may also be designated as landscape wedges, in particular those larger areas which perform a strategic function (see Annex A). In addition, some smaller open spaces may merit designation as a Local Landscape Policy Area. Local policies will be included in the development plan for these designations.


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At the beginning 4 knobs and so many parameters can baffle, but after a while all is clear, and the confusion becomes versatility. The only problem is that this pedal boosts the signal level, and there isn't a solution.
The mix between Regen and Type can generate an infinite number of combinations. 7 possible selections: Voice 1, Voice 2, Voice 3, Rise/Fall, Trig Up, Trig Down, Step. 2 Inputs and 2 Outputs, even with a speaker emulator.
The Enhance knob adjusts the Feedback volume, while the TAKEOFF mode produces a continuous oscillation, similar to a Whammy. In the manual there are some Paul Gilbert settings. It provides the true bypass and is really quiet.
The reissue of the '80s model. Ibanez says that it might even be better than the original pedal! In effect, the electronics is the same. At the beginning it can seem complicated, but the result is excellent. Warm, creamy and melodic.
This TC Electronic Flanger features a switch that can be used to select between two different bypass types: true and buffered, useful with long cables or if you use many pedals at the same time.


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P90X: Why We Love It
Always looking for a new workout, we decided to give P90x a try. Standing for the Power 90 Extreme workout, P90x definitely lives up to it's name. Produced by Tony Horton, P90X is a member of the renowned Beachbody fitness family. P90X was so popular that it inspired many videos of the same magnitude, becoming a… Read more »
Does the 21 Day Fix Really Work?
Meal supplement shakes have been all of the rage for years. Having tried previous shakes with hardly any results, we decided to give Shakeology a try. We were immediately impressed with the variety of flavors from Shakeology. Other meal replacement shake diets get boring due to the lack of yummy flavors. This was definitely not… Read more »
10 Must-Run Races
Training for a race is perhaps the best motivation around for nailing your run tomorrow morning. If you find yourself "hitting the wall" or "plateauing" while running, it may be time to get motivated and sign up for one of these incredible races. These races aren't just for elite marathoners, there is something on here for… Read more »
8 Yoga Poses that Help Prevent Common Injuries
Any athlete will tell you that injuries are devastating, both to the physical body, and to the mental health. Overuse injuries onset quickly, and can take months to fully heal. Sometimes longer than that. If you find yourself prone to injuries, it may be a good time to consider adding yoga into your training regime.
10 Things to Eat Post Workout
I don't know about you, but it is so easy to feel completely ravenous after a hard workout! It is tempting to eat everything in sight. Avoid post workout binge and completely turning your workout counterproductive with these 10 things sure to satisfy any craving.
8 Foods Perfect for Before a Workout
Pre workout nutrition is one of the most important challenges every athlete faces. Not eating enough calories before working out can leave you tired, light headed, and overall exhausted. Eating too many calories prior hinders weight loss and can make you sluggish. Running on a full stomach is no one's idea of fun! The outcome… Read more »
12 Hacks Guaruanteed to Make You Fall in Love With Running
You probably want to laugh at the people who actually enjoy lacing up their running shoes every morning. You admire them, sure, but part of you thinks they are certifiably insane for even wanting to run. As utterly impossible as it sounds, there are ways to fall in love with pounding the pavement. Here are… Read more »
Run Faster with these 6 Yoga Poses
It is no secret that yoga can help with flexibility, stress relief, muscle tone, and overall health. Yoga has been practiced for approximately 5,000 years and there are several different yoga forms to practice, with the most popular being Vinyasa. If you suffer from chronic injuries while running, tight muscles, or easy exhaustion, you may want… Read more »
12 Benefits of a Regular Yoga Practice
You've likely overheard your friends talking about how much they love their yoga class, and they are full of claims about yoga improving their overall health. However, sometimes hearing things like, "yoga helps the flow of prana" doesn't really mean much to newbies. Don't let the fancy jargon of yoga (and trust us, yoga is sometimes hard to understand!)… Read more »
15 Must Know Tips for Your First Marathon
You've been training for months, waking at the crack of dawn to log those miles before heading to work. You've dealt with blisters, dehydration issues, disgusting energy gel that may or may not be the cause of your stomach distress, and the decoding what eating plan works for you. Race day is quickly approaching, and… Read more »
How to Resist Junk Food Cravings
We've all had the "munchies" from time to time. But do you feel like your cravings are getting out of control? Nip your cravings in the bud with these practical, easy-to-implement methods:
4 Fool-Proof Slimming Secrets
Looking to drop some extra pounds or maintain a healthy weight? You may be surprised at how simple these slimming secrets are!
4 Diet Rules That Are Meant to be Broken
"Good" Fat vs. "Bad" Fat
6 Ways To Be Your Own Personal Trainer
You don't necessarily need to spend money on a personal trainer if you follow this recipe for success and add a dash of self-discipline!
10 Reasons You Should be Doing Yoga
9 Healthy Smoothie Combos You HAVE To Try
7 Healthy Breakfasts to Kick-Start Your Day
6 Healthy Snacks That Are Great "On The Go"
6 Basic Dumbbell Exercises for Weight-Training Beginners


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I think this will just be a rambling post, since I don't really know what to talk about.
There is one question I've have on my mind, that I've been meaning to ask but have always decided not to because I don't really want to talk about the Presidential Elections. Though I think I'm just going to do it now since it's almost time for the elections.
Is anyone else tired of hearing about the Race for President?
I know I am.
I really wish they were over.
I am really tired of hearing about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Neither one is perfect and neither one in my opinion is worthy, at this point, of being President of the United States. I'm sorry if that upsets any of their supporters but that how I feel.
Really that could be said to be the truth. I mean in a perfect world all the scandals they have had would have derailed their campaigns.
I mean how could anybody have a private server that could have been hacked by anybody, and deleted thousands of emails an expect anybody to vote for you as President.
If the FBI investigation had finished during the primaries an the FBI director cam out and called Clinton a lair, I'd bet anyone that Bernie Sanders would have been the Democratic Candidate.
I mean how could a President of the United States believe that someone who could have possibly put classified information at risk on a private server, is the right person to be President?
Now I'm not saying Trump is the right person either. Though maybe he's what the country needs right now. I mean we had a President who apologized to nearly everyone and also seemed to try and appease everyone. A hint from history, appeasement doesn't not work. Not to mention he made us seem weak in cases by saying one thing and not following through with it. (Or has everyone forgotten the whole line in the sand). Maybe the country needs a person who will follow through with what they say and show that the United States won't back down.
Now conspiracy theorists out there may believe that means the Elections are rigged. An they have the right to think that under the First Amendment. Now I'm not a big believer in conspiracy theory's, though I will admit that there are times when I think that maybe things are rigged.
I mean how could an Attorney General whose department is investigating someone for a crime not know that the one thing you should be seen doing is talking to the husband of that person. (I mean isn't that like the first thing you do when you know someone that is being investigated?)
I'll give both the AG and Bill Clinton the benefit of the doubt that it was an accident that they met that day. Even if it was an accident one of them should have known they shouldn't have been near each other an one should have changed their plans.
I know that's what I would have done if I had been in either one of their shoes.
I mean meeting an then one of them changing their plans sounds a lot better then they met and neither changed their plans, or at least to me it does.
Look at that I started this off as just a rambling piece and then got into talking about the elections.
Anyway like I said I'm just tired of hearing about the elections.
Oh also, I'm getting tired about hearing everyone, including the President, talking about how a persons vote is wasted if they don't vote for Clinton or Trump.
I mean talk about trying to influence an election, or to take away a persons right to choose by basically telling them who to vote for, Anyway that's a matter for another day.


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At Summit Technical Solutions, we offer services in our four primary competencies:
To remain our customers' first choice for technical support, data management, and more, Summit Technical Solutions is committed to excellence and the highest ethical business standards in all of our contract services. STS is centered on delivering customer products and services that involve quality support and close customer partnering. Our solutions-oriented approach to data management, software engineering, systems engineering and test and training focuses on customer needs, business requirements, compliance with applicable standards, optimum quality, superior service, and excellence in business relationships. We are a superior choice for fulfilling your technical, data-centric, and system requirements.
We are innovative and responsive, and STS is committed to excellence and integrity while always putting our customers first in everything we do. Let STS provide you with superior contracting services.
STS is an ISO 9001:2015 certified small business. The ISO 9001:2015 standard outlines a process approach to implementing and supporting a Quality Management System (QMS). As a result, there is increased involvement of top management that is engaged in setting and adhering to the STS Quality Policy and Quality Goals and Objectives.Discover More
ISO 26000 outlines international recommendations for making an organization more socially responsible. At STS, ISO 26000 has helped guide us in building and delivering a long-term, socially responsible strategy.Discover More
The STS Federal Supply Schedule for Professional Engineering Services, a GSA Schedule contract, provides a full range of services including Strategic Planning For Technology Programs Activities; Concept Development and Requirements Analysis; System Design, Engineering and Integration; Test and Evaluation; Integrated Logistics Support; and Acquisition and Life Cycle Management.Discover More
At STS, we genuinely care. Many companies often say that, but what does it really mean? Our corporate culture has been developed with an emphasis on doing our best to meet and exceed your needs. We work hard to invest in the resources and intellectual capital that best supports you.Discover More


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You're meeting a friend for dinner, and you were supposed to be there at 2:00 p.m. Traffic is moving at a turtle's pace. You rush to park and you run into the restaurant sweaty and flustered. It's 2:47 p.m. and you're late again. Sound familiar?
If you're like me, you may have had similar struggles getting to places on time. I call it being "punctually-challenged." Getting anywhere has always been a very serious struggle for me. I've been late to dinners, weddings, graduations, exams, and hair appointments. I have always known that I have had a problem with punctuality, but I did not seriously confront the issue until I missed a flight earlier this year, and I had to pay quite a bit of money to buy a last-minute replacement ticket. Not only did I have to pay for the extra ticket, but I missed an important meeting because of the flight delay.
Eventually, I had to admit the truth: Regardless of the exact reasons for my tardiness, my inability to show up on time was turning me into a person who was unreliable, rude and inconsiderate. These are all qualities that are neither feminine nor caring. Even though I may have had very legitimate reasons for being late from time to time, it was ultimately my fault I was late at the end of the day. I could have added more time to my schedule to prepare, and I chose not to do so.
All hope is not lost, because there are a number of ways to curtail frequent tardiness. To learn how to improve my timeliness skills, I sought out Diana DeLonzor's book "Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctuality Challenged." In the book, DeLonzor describes a few of the root causes of lateness and procrastination, such as genetics, anxiety, attention deficit disorders and indulgent childhood experiences. Some people are thrill-seekers who need a sense of urgency to get things done, while others have a hard time saying "no" to meetings and tasks. DeLonzor argues that punctually-challenged people have time management issues for a variety of issues, such as a lack of discipline and goal-setting skills. Additionally, DeLonzor states that a large number of procrastinators have time perception issues, where they think that it takes less time than it actually does to complete work assignments.
The first step to curing tardiness issues is to take responsibility for your lateness. Decide that it is unacceptable to be late. When you decide to meet at a particular time, you are making a promise to your friends and employers to be responsible. Start to think of lateness as a "promise broken or as a loan unpaid."
"Many people rationalize their lateness by attributing it to factors beyond their control or by minimizing the selfishness of the act," DeLonzor writes in the book. "Yet in failing to acknowledge and take responsibility for our actions, we hamper efforts to improve."
The next step of curbing your lateness is to change the way that you think about waiting time, such as when you are early or bored. I had an issue getting places early because I did not want to just sit around and wait for the other person to arrive. After all, bored time is wasted time, right? Wrong! Fill that time doing something that you like to do, such as reading a magazine. You can write in a journal when you have free time. Or just look out at the sunset. I now carry a small book with me everywhere so that I can always read in my extra down time. Always plan to get to your meeting early, rather than exactly on time. Aim to get places 10-30 minutes early, that way you have a buffer in case something goes wrong that causes a delay in your schedule.
Find a way to say "no!" to yourself by repeating a personal mantra. Procrastinators tend to pile on activities to fill their day, so they often convince themselves that they can get everything done smoothly, even when they cannot. DeLonzor explains:
"Create a mantra to curb your optimism. Instead of saying 'If I hurry, I can …,' slow down for a few minutes, take a deep breath and think about what you're doing. Then repeat one of the following mantras: 'Am I being realistic or optimistic?' 'Am I doing too much?' 'Is this something I really need to do now?'"
DeLonzor offers a number of exercises to help the punctually-challenged curtail their timeliness issues. Overall, it's a great read for anyone who has experienced issues getting places on time.
What are your strategies for getting places on time? Share them in the comments below?
Author: Lilac Blue
Lilac Blue is writes about femininity, love and family in a world that has been drastically altered by industrialization, secularism, misandry and misogyny.


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Reviewed By Remo R (Harrison Township, MI) Reviewed for a 2004 Volkswagen Golf —6/23/2011 3:12 AM
Looks like a high quality part. Hardest part of install was figuring out how to disconnect connector to mass airflow sensor. Pull out white piece then squeeze the top and bottom and pull off gently. Without going to the track it's hard to tell if it makes a difference in more power. The motor does seem to rev. up more freely. In my opinion the cold air kit K&N makes for this car would be a waste of money. The stock setup with this replacement filter, I'm willing to bet has the same or better airflow. After all the stock filter assembly is the same in the LS7 Z06 motor making 505hp and it has the paper filter also. With the K&N sale and free shipping it cost less than a paper filter replacement.


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Monday, 12 January 2015
I wouldn't blame the mailman if he was too frightened to deliver letters to the vet.
Moffat Beach
© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo - Australia
Another City Daily Photo
2 comments
- William Kendall said...
It's both cute and peculiar!
- 13 January 2015 at 09:05
- Linda said...
I love it! I want one!
- 13 January 2015 at 14:42
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
© Sunshine Coast Daily Photo
This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services - Click here for information.


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D-Link International Pte Ltd -developer and manufacturer of networking, wireless,broadband, digital electronics, and voice and data communications products- announced the release of its entry-level wireless AC- new networking standard that produces high-throughput wireless speed on the 5GHz band- Band Mini USB Adapter.
The DWA-171 delivers powerful wireless Dual Band technology for an interference-free bandwidth for your desktops or laptops. The dual band covers your surfing, gaming, and movie streaming needs.
Devised with Easy WPS Push Button Setup it allows an easy and quick way to establish a fast and secure home network with just a push of a button
With a USB 2.0 interface the DWA 171 is a portable device that is compatible with all of your current wireless products -without the need to update or purchase additional adapters.
The D-Link DWA-171 Wireless AC Dual Band Mini USB Adapter will be available in the third quarter of 2013.
We'll keep you posted on the updates and price of the product.


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WP Online Support have been a great help to me to work out some of the kinks in my WordPress site. The team were super responsive and really quick to make the amends, and were also patient with me while I struggled. They are the best!
We at WPOnlineSupport specialize in a variety of WordPress Services, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes and Pro Support For a free inquiry please contact us.


text: It was so hard to take the bottle away from her. It was her comfort. She loved that bottle more than any other item she has! Gregg and I were talking about it Friday night and just decided that Friday night would be the night. She cried about 45 minutes to an hour Friday night. It was even tougher Saturday when it was time for her to take a nap.. She didn't end up napping until about 2:30 and that was only because she crashed! Saturday night she cried about 30 minutes (getting better) and then Sunday nap was rough :( BUT Sunday night was only 20 minutes! Well, yesterday morning I told Gregg to tell his grandparents to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE not give her a bottle anymore because we pretty much had her broke and I didn't want to go through the work week like we did the weekend! I knew if we had a rough night last night then that meant they did. Guess what! She cried 5 minutes and went right to sleep! :) I was so proud!! That doesn't mean that tonight won't be rough or the next few nights, but it seems to have gotten (is that really a word) better every night! It was kinda sad taking it away from her though. That's just another step in to her growing up too fast! Here are some pics of Kaidi with her bottle over the past year:


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So, I've been reviewing the evidence I haven and I've narrowed down my suspicions about Owlcat's next game to less than 4 choices, and the most ambitious of those is Wrath of the Righteous.
So, given that Wrath is on the shortlist, what do you guys most want to see in it? Take Nothing for Granted. Characters might be cut, Backstories might be Altered. Systems might disappear.
So, assuming that the next game is Wrath? What stuff from the original AP do you want to see most? What New Systems do you want to see? Classes? Races? New characters? Arcs? Things your Table did to expand the AP?
Personally I want a Lesbian Threesome with Irabeth and Annevia that's only available to Female characters. Also a Gay Threesome with Sosiel Vaenic and Aron Kir for men only. I also want Mythic power, and a more robust Familiar system. Having more feats and spells would be cool too.
I feel like there won't be enough Dinosaurs though, which makes me sad.


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The Business of Photography Conference is almost here and it promises to be exciting and extremely educating.
The Business of Photography Conference is aimed at bringing Photographers, photography manufacturing and servicing companies as well as photography retail businesses together under one roof to discuss, learn, exhibit, sell and buy everything photography. In recent times the need to efficiently monetize the photography industry and define its future as a major part of the current and future national revenue generation sector has become more important.
The 12-hour event will start at 9am and end at 9pm. The conference would feature five segments; the Opening, the Conversation (panel session), Break out time (master classes), Cocktails/Networking and Exhibition. During the conversation segment, attendees would have the opportunity to listen to and chat with award winning Nigerian photographers about the future of photography in Nigeria.
The Business of Photography conference is bringing some of the best photography and industry experts as panelists to speak on different aspects of photography.
The event is set to take place at Landmark Event Center, Lagos on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.
The first set of panelists would be speaking on the topic "Content Monetization".
Zubby Emodi is a digital marketing technology and creative entrepreneur. He started his career in tech and design in the UK, working with brands such as Jim Bean, Timeout London and Timeout Paris, his love for data-driven insight into consumer behaviour led to a transition into the digital marketing space. Having joined Ringier as the Head of Ringier Digital Marketing, Nigeria – in charge of growing the business in Nigeria – his track record of world-class creative and tech execution led to an evolution of his role to cover all creative aspects of the business across Africa. In his current role, he is tasked with overseeing the creative execution of campaigns for multinational brands such as Nestle, Nigerian Breweries, British Council, Samsung, Distell, Reckitt Benckiser, Siemens, and many more industry leaders.
Sola Animashaun is a multi-award winning Nigerian photographer that specializes in editorial and commercial photography. He is also into wedding, fashion, travel and sport photograph. His resilience and attention to client briefs and details has afforded him the opportunity to work with clients all around the world.
He has worked with and photographed top Nigerian acts and has had the privilege of shooting international acts like, Akon, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rick Ross, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Usher, Kelly Rowland, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, The Game, Lloyd Banks, T-Pain, Sean Paul, Ciara and many more.
Over the years he has won numerous photography awards, including third place position in an international competition with 7311 entries.
Shola Animashaun teaches photography in his photography academy, Sola Animashaun Academy
Mrs. Bukky Karibi Whyte is the CEO and Founder of 10-year-old boutique communication and events firm, Robert Taylor Media Ltd. Her passion and love for Communications stems from her mother who was also a PR/Marketing Practitioner (Aviation Industry), exposing Bukky to the world of Public Relations at a young age.
She studied African American History and Women's Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts. Bukky used her PR abilities throughout her university education to organize various events and charity drives. Her active lifestyle got her a lot of recognition and she held various positions; President of Rho Kappa Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Vice President National Pan Hellenic Council, PR Officer for the Black student Union, ALANA Honour Society Recipient, Three times Deans List, Miss Black UMASS 2000 and so on.
Bukky founded The Bobby Taylor Company 10 years ago (now Robert Taylor Media) in 2007 in Winnipeg Manitoba and eventually relocated to Nigeria two years later, to continue to build her agency. Prior to that, she worked in Corporate America and the Government of Canada (Educational Sector).
In the past 10 years, The Robert Taylor Media Client list has included brands such as The Walt Disney Company Africa, Estee Lauder, Calabar Jazz Festival, The Lagos Jazz Festival, The Ministry of Education Rivers State, Tom Ford, Clinique, M.A.C Cosmetics, Elizabeth Arden, Flying Doctors Nigeria, Seyi Shay, Osas Ighodaro, D'banj, Dolapo Oni, Ciroc, Johnnie Walker, Martini, Greygoose, Christian Audigier, Needlepoint, Arise Magazine Fashion Week, Fela on Broadway (twice), The Genevieve Magazine Pink Ball, The Maharaja Ball, WIE (Women Inspiration & Enterprise), ONE CAMPAIGN, Bono, WOWe Festival, Africa Film Festival, 93 Days, Flowergirl The Movie, SPAR Nigeria, Obi Phones, My Extensionz, Eterna Plc., Facebook Africa, Wasche Point, Abaya Lagos, FREIA, Africa Culture and Design Festival, WARIF, IDAN, Henna Place, Good Hair Ltd, Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon, Hennessy, Dom Perignon, Belvedere Vodka, Glenmorangie, Montaigne Place, Deola Sagoe and more.
Bukky is a great public speaker and is also known for her expertise in Reputation Management & Corporate/Personality Crisis Management. She is an associate member of WIMBIZ, a founding member of The Luxury Network Nigeria, a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the Canadian Public Relations Society and official host for International event and brand "Le Diner En Blanc".
Keli Abiel, professionally known as GuudKelly, is a Ghanaian Creative Director and Film Maker. He creates all types of Audio Visual content, including TV and editorial content, short films and YouTube content, long form broadcast programming, film and branded content, digital video and social media content, as well as material for offline, experiential and ambient channels.
He helps provide strategic advice on content provision for online channels and applications, and how best to use budget and opportunity to create effective integrated multi-channel, multi-media video and audio. As an integrated Creative Director, he has worked on everything from traditional TV, print, OOH, digital, magazines, Brand experiences, reality TV shows, branded entertainment and think tank type projects. Also an event producer and bigger picture seer, the person you call a fixer. A stickler for details, GuudKelly take his time to make every piece of work distinctively unique. He has a solid background in Factual and non Factual Story Telling, Critical and Strategic Thinking, and consulting for small organisations and Multinationals within Ghana and Africa and a background in producing, fixing and consulting for crews both familiar and unfamiliar with Ghana and Africa.
He has executed exceptional filming projects, having worked with the likes of BBC, Puma, Google, Vogue, Conde Nast, Dupont, Terumo BCT, Samsung, The Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation and Exxon Mobil, Kantanka Automobile, Cassa Trasacco just to name a few. GuudKelly has many loves, especially for food, Architecture and growing the YouTube Community in Ghana, as the Unofficial YouTube Ambassador.
Toyosi Etim-Effiong is a TV Producer, Presenter and Food & Beverage Entrepreneur. She produced and presented The Gist with Toyosi Phillips for Sahara TV New York from 2014 – 2015 and has produced other Talk Shows, Documentaries and Short Films including As Toyo Sees, 4th Decade and Prey. She is currently a producer and presenter at ARISE News where she hosts The Morning Show- a flagship on the channel.
She's the founder of That Good Tapioca LTD- a Food and Beverage Company providing more- and fun- ways to enjoying tapioca.
The second set of panelists would be speaking on the topic "Creative".
After Kelechi Amadi-Obi obtained his a law degree and his call to bar in 1993, he settled into full-time studio art. He is internationally renowned for both his photography and paintings. His unique style and mastery of aesthetics and creative lighting in his paintings have been reinvented in his photography to create understanding, dynamics and result oriented photography for his clients.
Some of his works have been featured in exhibitions within and outside Nigeria. These include; 2006 "Snap Judgement" – New Position in Contemporary African Photography, International Centre of Photography, New York, USA,2005 "Depth of Field" South London Gallery, UK, 2004, "Lagos" Ifa Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany, 2003 "Transferts" Africalia, Brussels, Belgium. In 2004, he won the St.Moritz Style Award for Photography.
Some of his clients include Guinness Nigeria Plc, MTN Nigeria Plc, PZ Nigeria Plc, British American Tobacco, The Ford Foundation, PrimaGarnet Ogilvy, SO&U, Insight Grey, Nigerian Flour Mills and Orange Drugs Nigeria Ltd.
Emmanuel Oyeleke is a Photographer, Tech Enthusiast and the Creative Director of Emmanuel Oyeleke Photography Studios (EOP Studios). The brand started out in 2012 as a photography outfit that mainly covered weddings and within 6 years, taken great steps to revolutionize the world of photography in areas of fashion, art, beauty and documentary photography.
Having worked on several campaigns and projects with Fashion, Beauty, Corporate, Advertising, and Media firms including but not limited to Canon, MNET, Genevieve Magazine, Guaranty Trust Bank, Deola Sagoe, BMPRO, and Zaron Cosmetics; the company is dedicated to portraying the magic of artistic expressions through visual stories.
He has shot several magazine covers and editorials for major magazines in Nigeria. He has worked with GTBank at the GTBank Master class series where he was able to train and empower about 200 individuals with necessary photography skills. The program ran in two cities Lagos and Abuja where he worked with GTBank as the official Photographer for GTBank Food and Drinks event and also GTBank Fashion Weekend.
Emmanuel Oyeleke Photography is committed to empowering youths and imparting knowledge and also organized a number of successful workshops and Master classes.
Wani Olatunde is a top wedding and portrait photographer based in Lagos. She is known for her engaging and heartfelt storytelling, she has photographed weddings all over the world including the UK, US, Zimbabwe and Dubai. She's been published in several magazines including VOGUE and Washington Bride & Groom and is regularly featured on international wedding blogs, Bella Naija, Munaluchi Bride and Aisle Perfect. When she's not taking pictures, Wani enjoys spending time with her 2 beautiful kids, eating out or catching up on her favourite Shonda Rhimes show.
Yetunde Ayeni-Babaeko was born in Enugu, Eastern Nigeria in 1978 to a Nigerian father and a German mother; She moved to Germany as a child and completed her high school diploma (Abitur) before embarking on a photography apprenticeship majoring in advertising photography at Studio Be in Greven, Germany. On completing her apprenticeship in 2003, she returned to Nigeria and joined Ess-Ay Studio for a 12 month photography program, facilitated by Invent, Germany. This experience spurred her to deepen her photographic skills by enrolling at Macromedia, a school for art and design in Osnabrueck, Germany.
Ayeni-Babaeko returned to Nigeria in 2005 and worked as free-lance photographer, before opening her own studio in 2007 (www.camara-studios.com). She has been active as a photographer with social conscience chronicling the life of modern Nigeria. Besides her fashion and documentary photography, Ayeni-Babaeko has facilitated the numerous photography workshops in partnership with the Goethe Institute, mentoring young female photographers.
She has taken part in numerous group exhibitions and has also had her own solo exhibitions.
Georgette is an Associate at Olaniwun Ajayi LP, and works in the firms Finance & Capital Markets Practice and Entertainment, Leisure & Media Practice. Her experience spans advising on diverse finance matters including equity financing, local and international debt financing, derivatives transactions as well as the intricacies of drafting technical Entertainment and Media contracts. Having also gained litigation experience, Georgette has provided notable companies with legal representation across superior courts in Nigeria, which also included launching a test case for defamation against one of Nigeria's foremost bloggers. Georgette regularly consults for members of the creative arts on their rights, contractual needs and potential areas of expansion in the Entertainment Industry with her commercial knowledge stemming from having gained experience working in radio, film and television.
As a creative, Georgette regularly writes for Bella Naija, Thought Catalog, Creativity Turf and other notable online platforms. In 2015, Georgette launched her blogsite called RealTalkwithGeorgie focused on challenging the invisible glass ceiling that society places on both men and women with particular focus on self-worth and developing meaningful relationships.
Georgette is a graduate of Law from the University of Exeter and has completed the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at BPP University specializing in Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law and Debt Finance. She is also an active member of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Tope Adenola is a portrait & lifestyle photographer based in Lagos, Nigeria, he leads the team at HorploadWorks photography. In recent times, HorploadWorks has successfully worked with corporate brands like Interswitch, Dangote Group, MoneyGram, and Guinness Nigeria, profiling and documenting their executive officers as well as events.
HorploadWorks has been consistently sought by a number of media outfits including Complete Fashion, Genevieve Magazine, Wow Magazine and Guardian Life.
Tope has also worked with a number of advertising agencies to shoot campaigns, a large number of celebrities and also fashion industry talents. His Commendations include: Photographer of the year Nigeria Models Awards 2015, TES2016 Entrepreneurship Award and Legacy TV Ingenious Photographer 2017 amongst many other recognition awards.


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Graduate Program
- Prospective PhD Students
- Current PhD Students
- Alumni
If you are thinking of applying to a PhD program, you'll have lots of options. We humbly believe that your best option is UC San Diego Psychology. In fact, there are 17 reasons that support this belief. But in the interest of space, we'll focus on the Top 5 here. If you want to know the other 12, you'll have to come to UC San Diego.
1. Five years fully funded, with modest TA duties
Students are fully funded (all tuition and fees covered plus $25,000 additional support per year) by the department, not just grants, which means they can work across labs, collaborate, dabble, and experiment. TA duties are modest, to maintain a focus on research over 5 years. Foreign students are also fully funded. A large departmental fund, created by UC San Diego's own Norman H. Anderson, supports annual travel to conferences for all PhDs.
2. A large campus-wide community
Psychologists at UC San Diego interact with researchers in Human Development, Philosophy, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience. In Psychology, students in each research area - Cognitive, Social, Developmental, Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience, and Sensation & Perception - get together weekly at "Brownbag" meetings to discuss their research with other students and faculty. Although we don't train clinical PhD students, researchers with an interest in interacting with clinicians can find colleagues and friends in the UC San Diego Medical School. Upshot: We interact with each other a lot.
3. Holistic review
We care about your research interests and experience - not just your grades and GRE. If you have an undergraduate degree and a strong track record of research experience, we want to hear from you (no previous master's training required). Sure, we'll look at the numbers, but we're much more interested in your research training and your match to our program. Reach out to us individually and we'll help you figure out whether UC San Diego is the right place for you.
4. New faces
This year all of our labs are accepting students, but we're especially excited to consider PhD applicants for our newest labs. New faculty members accepting students include Dr. Judith Fan, Dr. Michael McCullough, and Dr. Lindsay Powell. These faculty study topics including visual communication, learning, computational neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, prosocial behavior, empathy, infant cognition and brain functions, and social development. These, and other faculty, can be checked out here.
5. We're happier
UC San Diego isn't just a productive place to do a PhD. It's a happy place, too. Year-round outdoor meetings. A 5 minute walk to the beach. Cycling, hiking, surfing, and just feeling the warm sun on your face all year round.
If you apply, we'll connect you to current PhDs to talk about their experience, who can help you decide which lab is best for you and your interests. To apply to our program, please visit our admissions page for details. The application deadline for Fall 2020 admission is November 26th, 2019.
Please contact any of us for details on our labs, the application process, or life in San Diego.
The Department of Psychology at the UC San Diego, provides advanced training in research in most aspects of experimental psychology. Modern laboratories and an attractive physical setting combine with a distinguished faculty, both within the Department of Psychology and in supporting disciplines, to provide research opportunities and training at the frontiers of psychological science. The graduate training program emphasizes and supports individual research, starting with the first year of study.The department offers the following emphases:
Students in the psychology doctoral program may apply for the interdisciplinary PhD program in the Department of Cognitive Science. They can apply to this program during their first year of graduate study, or thereafter. The degree is awarded jointly for studies in psychology and cognitive science.


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Advertising Agencies and Sales Tax: Understanding the Law
Sales tax is anything but simple, and for advertising agencies, it can be even more complex. States today are looking for more revenue from more sources, and expanding sales tax to services represents a promising avenue.
Even in states that do not tax advertising as a service, some components of advertising sales may still be subject to sales tax. In this guide, you will learn how several states handle the taxation of advertising products and services, as well as how to find information specific to your state and a review of potential upcoming developments
Service taxability: a state-by-state issue
When sales taxation began in the United States, it generally applied only to tangible personal property (TPP) — physical goods that can be delivered by a seller and received by a buyer. Today, that legacy persists: most states presume TPP is taxable unless a specific type of TPP is exempted from sales tax by law, but presume services are exempted unless they are explicitly made taxable by law.
In a few states, services are "presumed taxable": West Virginia, New Mexico, Hawaii, and South Dakota. In each of these states, advertising agencies have not obtained a specific exemption from a general policy of taxing services, and are therefore engaged in providing taxable services.
When TPP and services intersect
So if your business isn't in one of those four states, you're free and clear, right? Not so fast. State laws vary immensely. Connecticut specifically designates advertising as a non-exempt service — but has exemptions for advertising via television, newspapers, radio, or cooperative direct mail.
Of course, advertising agencies also often provide tangible personal property to clients as part of their services. When this happens, who pays tax and who is exempt can be a tricky issue, making it important to check on rules for your state. Take a look at Pennsylvania's state law, which outlines what is and isn't exempt: advertisers are allowed to claim a resale exemption on some TPP that is distributed to clients, but must pay sales tax on items that are purchased as office supplies. This means even the same supply — for instance, copy paper — could be taxed differently depending on its intended use.
Other states complicate matters by designating even more specific parts of this intersection between TPP and services as taxable and other parts as tax exempt. Promotional goods, in particular, often lead to legal hair-splitting. In Minnesota, for example, an advertising brochure is considered exempt because it has no "functional use" aside from advertising. However, products with a functional use (keychains, calendars) are considered taxable. Minnesota also taxes some services relevant to advertising agencies, like video production.
Other states take a different approach to the distribution of TPP as it relates to advertising services: according to the state of Massachusetts, TPP distribution is "inconsequential" if it accounts for less than ten percent of the total value of services rendered, and is therefore considered a tax-exempt part of services rendered.
New developments ahead
As states face budget shortfalls, some governors and state legislators have started pushing for a wider range of service taxes. Some proposed budgetary measures could have a significant impact on the sales tax liability of advertising agencies.
In California, Senate Bill 8 (also known as the Upward Mobility Act) would impose taxes on a wide variety of services, including advertising services, making California a "presumed taxable" state like West Virginia, New Mexico, Hawaii, and South Dakota. The contentious 2015 budget debate in Pennsylvania has seen several proposals for changing sales tax rates or reclassifying some services as taxable.
These changes mean that even if you have a good handle on sales tax in your state today, the laws could be different tomorrow — leaving your business with significant compliance issues. It's important for advertising agencies to monitor changes to service taxability in order to avoid falling out of compliance.
Finding sales tax laws for your state
Because tax laws can change so frequently, the best place to look for information on current taxability guidelines is always the Department of Revenue website for each individual state. Don't rely on external websites, which can have outdated information, as a definitive source for taxability determinations.
Or better yet, automate the entire process. Constantly having to check DOR website and update rate tables and rules can really slow down your business, especially if you have a broad customer base that spans multiple states. Avalara AvaTax handles all this for you, instantly and accurately applying up-to-the minute rates and rules for every state to every transaction right in the billing systems you already use in your business. Now that's a service worth advertising!
© Avalara Rev 120415
Contact us at: 877-780-4848


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East Hampton
David Kennedy Cutler
Halsey McKay Gallery | East Hampton
79 Newtown Lane
January 13–March 24, 2018
Just one week into David Kennedy Cutler's durational performance here—the artist is living in the empty gallery for ten weeks this winter, improvising makeshift shelter from materials on hand—Off Season, 2018, already feels like an eerie tableau of cabin-fever madness. An enormous white cube constructed on the show's first day stood by week's end with gaping holes in its tattered drywall after the artist, wielding two long vitrines, smashed through its walls à la Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Cutler's clever internet-era reboot of the familiar trope of the artist facing down existential harm in the gallery owes as much to Joseph Beuys as it does to Philip K. Dick. The space is populated with life-size dummies of himself, clad in identical thin, zip-up jumpsuits. One fake Cutler, interred faceup in a vitrine, recalls Paul Thek's The Tomb—Death of a Hippie, 1967.
Like his clones, Cutler wears the suit at all times, along with a plastic mask of his own face—when motionless, the artist and copies are virtually indistinguishable. The artist's performance as his digital self is broadcast via live stream and updated on social media, but his true existential threat exists outside of the frame: With little financial support for his work, Cutler must interrupt his endurance feat in the unaffordable Hamptons each week in order to be present at his adjunct-teaching gig back in Manhattan. When he leaves the gallery, his skin-suited avatars remain. Juxtaposing the fetishized authenticity of his "real" presence with his uncanny virtual ubiquity, Off Season thus evokes dangers more acute than Beuys's coyote roommate, such as economic precariousness. As the performance gradually becomes, in real time, indistinguishable from its digital representation, the various Cutlers on hand conjure a melancholic sense of immersion within a totality of digitized toil.


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i swear this isn't that damn '25 things about me' list
February 5, 2009
i say, "so i heard on NPR…" at least once a day
i have a wicked crush on rachel maddow
i ate nutella today. it is global nutella day, after all
i believe that a long hot shower at the end of the day makes everything better
i think that coffee mugs and teacups should always be oversized
i think that size does matter, apparently
i'm learning to listen to my instincts better than i used to
i reread beloved books all the time
i am obsessed with oral hygiene
i have an irrational fear that i will lose all my teeth and need dentures someday
i also have a major fear of snakes, but i believe that it is totally rational
i went to band camp when i was a freshman in highschool
i only joined the band because my brother and sister had been in it
i dropped out after a couple months
i am not musically inclined
i am totally annoyed by the media blowing this whole michael phelps pot ordeal out of proportion
i don't believe that pot is the gateway drug that everyone says it is
i think my feet are lovely
4 Responses to "i swear this isn't that damn '25 things about me' list"
February 6, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Oh my goodness, I too say "I heard on NPR" at least a million times a day. It's cool to be an NPR nerd.
February 10, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Is it the 25 things list and you couldn't come up with a few more?
NPR is my hope for intelligent life on the planet. They're the best!


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The production team on J.J. Abrams' upcoming sci-fi film Super 8 has pushed Weirton, West Virginia through space and time and transformed it into 1979 Lillian Heights, Ohio. Details on the project are being kept tight under wraps, but it's rumored to be in the vein of 80s Amblin Entertainment movies (Steven Spielberg, who co-founded Amblin, is a producer on Super 8) and center on three siblings who discover footage of an alien the Super 8 footage that they shot. This past weekend, it was reported that Kyle Chandler (TV's Friday Night Lights) and Elle Fanning (Somewhere) had joined the cast.
Hit the jump to check out some photos from the set. Super 8 is due out summer 2011.
Click over to AICN for more set photos.
And for those who haven't seen it, here's the teaser trailer for the film:


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|Professors Kim Eui-tae (left) and Professor Kwon Jun-soo
Researchers at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital have published the world's first research on aripiprazole's, a conventional schizophrenia treatment, dopamine receptor occupancy rate, and its correlation with the working memory of schizophrenia patients.
Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic drug that acts differently depending on the patient's state of dopamine secretion. Schizophrenia is a mental illness which excessively produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. The disease can cause hallucinations, abnormal behavior, memory and cognitive dysfunction.
Until now, conventional medications only blocked dopamine receptors inside the inner neurons to prevent dopamine from acting.
Aripiprazole, however, not only inhibits excessive dopamine production but also takes its place after occupying dopamine receptors to suppress its mechanism. The medication also improves benign symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, while also treating negative symptoms. Such mechanism of the drug has allowed the treatment to receive attention as a third-generation antipsychotic drug.
The team, led by Professors Kim Eui-tae and Kwon Jun-soo of the department of psychiatry at the hospital, aimed to demonstrate that the drug can directly enhance working memory by measuring the aripiprazole's binding capacity on dopamine receptors in patients with schizophrenia.
There were cases in which the patient's cognitive function improved after the administration of aripiprazole, but there have been no researches into whether the cognitive function enhanced because of the treatment of the aripiprazole or if the cognitive function of the patient improved as other symptoms got better. Also, conflicting clinical findings that showed antipsychotic drugs could enhance psychosis symptoms and decrease cognitive functions confused the research field.
Results showed that as the proportion of aripiprazole occupying dopamine receptors increased, the error rate of tasks requiring memory and the average response time decreased.
"Although there have been debates about the efficacy of aripiprazole, we have finally proved for the first time that this aripiprazole can improve the cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia by using a high-tech Raclopride PET test," Professor Kim said. "With the result of the study, we will be able to reduce the confusion about clinical treatment policy in clinical trials related to schizophrenia."
Kim went on to say, "We are also happy as we could develop a customized treatment strategy to restore cognitive function, which is essential for schizophrenia patients."
Translational Psychiatry published the result of the study.
<© Korea Biomedical Review, All rights reserved.>


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Ranchita Canyon Vineyard
Contact Information
- Address
- 3439 Ranchita Canyon Rd.
San Miguel, CA 93451
- Phone
- Web
- www.ranchitacanyonvineyard.com
- http://www.facebook.com/ranchitacanyon.vineyard.9
- Wine Tasting
- Tasting offered: Yes
- Mon: 11:00am - 5:00pm
- Tue-Wed: No hours specified
- Thu-Sun: 11:00am - 5:00pm
- Or by Appointment
Winery Photos
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Wineries / Vineyards Near Ranchita Canyon Vineyard
Silver Horse Winery - Paso Robles, CA - 2.1 miles
Graveyard Vineyards - San Miguel, CA - 2.7 miles
Riverstar Vineyards - San Miguel, CA - 3.0 miles
Cinquain Cellars - San Miguel, CA - 3.3 miles
View more California Wineries
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This winery information last updated: Jan 19, 2015


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Closing Date: 18 December 2019
Be articulate and have good communication skills, both written and verbal, in order to commit to excellent client service.
Have advanced MS Office experience, especially MS Excel.
Have a high work ethic and have the ability to work under pressure.
Be analytical and demonstrate problem solving abilities.
Pay attention to detail.
Be proactive and take own initiative.
Be a team player.
General Code of Conduct for Authorized Financial Services Providers and Representatives (as governed by the Financial Services Board, Board Notice 80 of 2003).
Have knowledge and understanding of the applicable provisions set out in the Short Term Insurance Act No 53 of 1998 and supporting regulations.
Apply via link below:


text: This granite floor in Washington Pa is just breathtaking. But no matter how hard the homeowner and staff tried they just could not get it to look clean. After a deep cleaning from clean interiors, and a special process just for granite this floor turned out amazing. The floor has a polished granite, honed granite, and marble baguettes. After the cleaning we sealed the floor as well. We were up for the challenge and just look at the results!


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I'm trying to think how long it's been since I sat down to write an update just about "me." (Looks like the "Emotional Entrepreneur" piece I wrote in January is the last time I really, truly laid stuff bare for my readers, in which case, this post is really long overdue.) Especially since there's something I wanted to update you about personally: in June I quit being an entrepreneur and went back to work full time.
Yes, I'm back in the 9-5 world, and no, I don't really think it's any of your business.
But I'm going to elaborate anyway, since I've basically spent the better part of two years writing and dispensing advice about working for yourself and blogging as an income. I felt I owed….not necessarily an explanation…but an update on the choices I've made and what led me to make them. Maybe someone else will get something out of it.
If you're a long time reader, you've probably guessed that I've been struggling for awhile.
Since the Fall of 2016, it feels like I've struggled in almost every way imaginable: with working from home, with maintaining consistent revenue in my business, with growing readership on this blog. I struggled with the rebrand at the end of last year. I struggled in my personal life, with my family, struggled with weight gain, and with legitimate depression.
The depression wasn't unfamiliar – I've been dealing with off and on since I was 19. No matter what kind of "blues" or "moodiness" came and went, I was always able to go to work, school, whatever and still function, but in April of this year I had the worst bout I've ever had and my productivity (and profitability) tanked.
It's very scary when your entire business depends on you being you – you putting sentences together in your voice, you being happy and upbeat on social media, you running the teams that make it all come together.
I didn't want to write, see friends, or promote myself online. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep…and watch mindless T.V.
Statistically – being self-employed leads to higher levels of stress and a higher risk of depression, and this is can be due to a variety of reasons like the ones I mentioned above: stress, isolation, lack of work-life balance. Being predisposed to the condition from a young age, did I ever really have a chance of being a happy, healthy solopreneur?
Coming to Grips with Going Back to Work
The depth of my depression this year really baffled me because 2017 (objectively speaking) has been one of the best of my life.
Great man, rock steady relationship, great travels, great milestones and accomplishments and great people to share them with. Seriously, I've been blessed in 2017 beyond measure. But despite all that goodness, I found myself spinning out and I wanted relief.
I did consult my GP, and we did decide on the best course of treatment.
And the more I thought about it, the more going back to work made sense. I missed the close relationships I had in my previous office jobs and being a part of a large creative team. (Loved setting my own schedule and sleeping without an alarm though… I do miss that.)
Really, the only thing holding me back from trying it was my own internal guilt, of selling a lifestyle that wasn't really working…even for me.
But I was tired of living my life like I was "supposed to be" something: this blogger, this expert, this person who has it all together, this boss bitch, this…whatever. I wanted to just be myself for a minute. So, I decided to do what I felt like was best for me, and gave myself permission to start looking for an in-house position.
A New Job…and then (Another) New Job
Once I began to look for work, I happily found myself in a multiple offer scenario. While this experience did wonders for my confidence and allowed me to learn about negotiating (which I'd never really had the opportunity to do before), the pressure and timeline of it led me to a company I ultimately ended up not being happy with. At the beginning of June I started out with one job, and then six weeks in realized it was not a great fit and put in my notice.
(Which I could easily do because I have a side hustle and multiple streams of income, btw.)
But – that's not the end of the story.
At the risk of making your eyes roll, a big thing that's helped (in addition to medication) is a new-found spirituality.
After reading Gabrielle Bernstein's, The Universe Has Your Back, I've been doing more to channel positive energy (like I try to do with vision boards) and maintain a positive outlook. Have a spiritual practice has not only made me happier, calmer, and saner, but it's helped infuse a lot of much-needed perspective back into my life.
Anyway, after reading the book, I started to reinforce my own thinking that all of the events in my life are adding up to something good.
It's easier said than done, and miles from where I used to be (incredibly negative) but I've done the hard work and notice a profound difference.
AND GUESS WHAT? Two days after I put in notice at my new job, one of my all-time favorite freelance clients posted an opening for an in-house position for a Content Manager. So I applied, called my contact to tell him I had applied, instantly received an interview invitation, got the job, and I've been at my new-new job about a month.
It's the kind of work I've always wanted to do, and I truly feel like all the experiences of the last few years led me here.
But – a small part of me felt like taking a job, and "announcing to the internet" that I took a job, meant I was a failure.
Or, at least, that people would view me as a failure.
When this happens, I have to remind myself that I didn't have to go back to work, I chose this path and I'm really grateful to be on it. Even though I didn't like the previous job, my life has been dramatically different (in a good way) this summer now that I'm in a new and different routine. I can't explain it, but for me things have become immensely more manageable…both internally and externally.
Let's remember that going back to work doesn't mean your entrepreneurial spirit vanishes.
I'm working on an app and writing fiction and doing all kinds of weird sh*t I don't share here. Who knows what the next 5, 10 years will bring in terms of opportunities and growth? Just because I don't work for myself NOW, doesn't mean it'll always be that way. I've done it, it's always there, and ready for me to go back to it if/when I want or need to. Maybe I'll have kids one day and working from home for myself will be the best thing to ever happen to me.
I have options, and really, that's one of the biggest things I've wanted for myself.
But for right now, for me, in this moment, and in my circumstances …this is what my "best life" looks like:
- I L-O-V-E my new job. No faking. I do. And it helps that I can work from home some too.
- I'm still, (happily) running this (lucrative) blog and catering to a handful of really special freelance clients on the side.
- My blog side hustle that turned into a full-time job is now a side hustle again, and weirdly, I feel more creatively charged by the blog now than before. Perhaps this is because there's less stress to produce and have this blog make a six-figure income.
- I also moved in with my boyfriend, and that's going really well too. <3
- Roo has gained some weight and we put him on a weight management plan, but he doesn't like to talk about it.
Thanks for all your support – it's definitely been a wild two years, but I'm looking forward to what the next chapter holds.


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This letter is to show our appreciation for the professional effort and courteous service you provided for us during our intensely personal and lengthy suit. All contact that I had with you and your support staff was professional and courteous. This was especially appreciated as the nature of our case and the distance between the Florida legal authorities, the opposing party and us required a legal firm and an individual that we could trust. That requirement was met and surpassed.
My wife and I will graciously and highly recommend you to our friends and acquaintances. Should we ever require legal services in Central Florida again, we will not hesitate to call on you.


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Q&A Sessions
Concert Info
Fan Corner
Chrstine McVie Cybertalk Transcript
OnlineHost : Welcome to CYBER-TALK!
CYBER-TALK (TM) is Warner/Reprise Online's weekly interactive talk show. Each segment of CYBER-TALK (TM) features a different music persona.
OnlineHost : Christine McVie will be available to chat with fans regarding Fleetwood Mac's upcoming album, 'Time,' from Warner Bros. Records. Time will be released October 10th.
JBatman95 : Do you still interact with other members of Fleetwood Mac?
: Very much so, I have not seen Stevie in a while. I have been recording with John and Mick for the last couple years, and just ran into Lindsey at a club a couple weeks ago and had a good chat.
Gre1440: Give us your perspective on this most recent
incarnation of Fleetwood Mac.
: I find it a bizarre combination of people, but Mick chose Dave Mason... I don't think he is a bad guitar player, but I just don't know how he fits in with Fleetwood Mac... Great guitar player he is, he would not have been my first choice.
Bartman33: What ever became of Robert Weston?
: I think he got a recording deal in Paris, recording some instrumentals. Don't quote me on that, but that is the last I heard. Doing quite well on some French recording label.
BearBillN: Hello Christine! First of all you're one of my all time favorite singers and songwriters! I enjoyed your last solo album a lot! Will we see a new one any time soon?
: Yes!! I do have plans to record a new solo album maybe sometime next year... I have to recharge the batteries, but am keen on doing it. I got a great kick out of doing the solo record. I do enjoy being with a team more than as a solo artist, but I will give it another shot. It was a very rewarding experience
LAdel4514: Do you ever listen to your 'Legendary Christine Perfect' album anymore? How do you feel your music has changed over the years?
: I try to avoid it, but I have not had the courage to listen to it for a very long time... I do have a copy at the house somewhere. My music has changed over the years in the way I have changed. .. I am more experienced in life and in the art of writing music. I have refined my music a bit. Some of my old stuff seems very naive to me... not that it is bad... maybe a little dated.
LAdel4514: At any point over the years did you regret joining Fleetwood Mac? Did you and John ever think it would lead to the problems that occurred?
: No. I certainly have no regrets. I have had a wonderful life with Fleetwood Mac. All members of Fleetwood Mac have had a wonderful life with the band. I think that you must be careful when working with your spouse. I thought it would bring us closer together, but it did not work out. We are still friends though.
Question : Where is your "home base" these days, in England or in L.A.?
: Both, we have a house in the south of England and in Los Angeles. I think I would like to start spending more time in England. After 25 years in L.A., my roots are calling me back home. I am going back for a short stint in a few days, I like the rain, I miss it.
AliciaB13: So, do you like any other music? Any upcoming CD's or tapes?
: I don't listen to masses of music. I can't absorb it. There is so much out there. I get my weekly quota of MTV, and it gets a little mind boggling. So many bands out there.
I do listen to the old stuff. Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Sting.... alot of Jazz and Blues... Freddy King, Clapton, BB King. That is where my roots are. You start trying to list bands you like and you forget half of them. I do like REM and others.
Robeng4u: Would like to ask Christine what her favorite Fleetwood Mac song was to do.
: To perform live... lots of them, not necessarily mine either. I enjoy Gypsy, Sara, Go Your Own Way, You Make Loving Fun.
Songbird was always a good one, except... sometimes I would blank out. It was an important message (Songbird). You can hear a pin drop in the audience. It was more than a love song, it was about the world.
SandG: Throughout all of the rough times in Fleetwood Mac, what's made you stick with it so long?
: Basically, there is a great section for all the band members. All that we've been through. Because of the rough times, it has made us closer. There is an undeniable chemistry with the music and the personalities as well. Fleetwood Mac is an entity that rolls along on its own... we are by-products of it.
LAdel4514: Do you think you've inherited any of your mum's psychic abilities?
: Every once in a while, I sense something, but for the most part, not really. My brother definately has some of it. I don't think I am a psychic person, though I wish I had inhereted some of her powers.
Bartman33: What was the major change inyour music from the Weston/Welch Mac to the Nicks/Buckingham Mac?
: Since I was writing and performing with different styles of music... Stevie and Lindsey had more country/western roots. The nature of the beast, singing with them in 3 part harmonies, along with Stevie and Lindsey, created some chemical reaction that, even to this day, don't know what it really is.
With Bob Welch, there was not as much chemistry, it was harder work. Not that the sound was not as good, but just a different sensation altogether.
Logo C: How many songs do you carry the lead vocal on the new album?
: 5
SandG: Would you consider inviting Stevie on your next solo project? Your voices on Straight Back worked excellently with each other.
: Absolutely, I would like to work with Stevie and Lindsey again. Some point down the line... Don't know where or when, but the possibilities are there. I think they would like to also. The more you don't hear Stevie's voice, the more you miss it. So unique.
Mavenman: Is Atlantic City on your schedule soon? I saw you at Taj Mahal about 5 years ago.
: Well, I've given up the road as it were. Hung up my stageboots about three years ago.
MastrPeace: Christine, is there any musician you have always wanted to write a song with? Or do a duet with?
: Peter Gabriel!
Paul McCartney!
You see, I keep very humble sights...
The Maxx5: What does it actually take to write a song, editing the song, and finally releasing it??
: A lot of patience, usually. Once you have written the song, it becomes something else. You can't treat it with the same passion as when you first wrote it. There is a long process from its inception. I write on the piano or drum machine, then take it to the studio and practicing with the band. Then what arranging you want, what instruments, etc...You have to treat the song very coldly, because you have to work with it and hear it again and again. Sometimes, a song ends up completely different from the way you wrote it. Hopefully changes for the better. A metamorphosis, they can take on a life of their own.
JDForest: Will everyone since the last Fleetwood Mac album be playing on this one
: Stevie is not on it, Rick Vito is not on it. The band now consists of John and Mick... Dave Mason, Bekka Bramlett (daughter of Delany and Bonnie)... Billy Burnette and Me.
I'm on the record, but I'm not touring with the band.
Rucass: Sorry for the mistake ... how did you like Buffalo in the rain?
: Loved every minute of it.
Seaweed92: Prior to the release of 'Rumours', what do you think the bands best release was? I personally loved 'Bare Trees' and 'Mystery To Me.'
: Person after my own heart... I was just listening to 'Mystery to Me' the other night. There are some good songs on there. Bob did some good stuff. Good choices, Seaweed.
I also liked 'Then Play On,' but I was just on background vocals on that album.
WMona2469: do you ever see or talk to Peter Green or Danny Kirwan?
: They both live in England. Have not seen Peter in a long time. Mick calls Peter once a month. Calls him to say hi on a regular basis. Don't know where Danny is, I think he is living in Brighton.
It is the curse of Fleetwood Mac, all the guitar players go insane, except for Billy Burnette, who is already insane (ha ha).
MastrPeace: Who would have been your first choice, as opposed to Dave Mason?
: Lindsey Buckingham, I think he was the most superlative guitar player this band will ever have. A true shining light. After Lindsey, everybody else seems a little palid. I'm not talking talent, just chemistry for Fleetwood Mac.
Bartman33: Do you miss the style of music of the Mac with Jeremy Spencer?
: That is a tough question. Jeremy was a clone, he found it difficult to be himself, so he emulated Elmore James, Keith Richards, Elvis Presley...
We did a whole Elvis bit which lasted about 20 minutes. He really became Elvis. He was one hell of a slide player, probably better than Elmore James. That was his style though.
SandG: Do you ever feel the calling for doing more blues?
: Yes I do, not all of the time, but no matter how burried it may sound there is a lot of blues influence in my most unbluesy songs. I have thought about doing another blues album... Not just 12-bar blues, that would put people to sleep these days. That is where I came from though. The days when I was back and forth in a transit van, hauling my own equipment into the pubs to play.
Luvbear00: What were your "true" thoughts of the use of "Don't Look Back" during Clinton's election?
: Don't Stop, you mean. As a resident alien of the country, I can't vote anyway. If I was able to vote, don't know if I would have voted for Clinton. Though, politics aside, I was honored that he used it as his slogan.
It did bring Lindsey, Stevie, myself, John and Mick back together which was the first time in 10 years. That was nice.
Deminimus: Whathas been your most satisfying project?
: I get a kick out of all of them. This last one has taken 2 years, because the rest of the band has gone out on the road. That is too long. I love to record. I am a studio junkie. I love it.
CARBONsux: What makes you laugh??
: I like a dry sense of humor myself. Not sitcoms, that's for sure. I think all of the members of Fleetwood Mac and the peripherals of the band have a cynical sense of humor. One has to be able to laugh at oneself first, if you can do that, that is a start. I think it is a pretty mean sense of humor though. Mick is a very funny person.
: Last question
ROBNORT: Why are you not currently touring with Fleetwood Mac?
: Mainly because I've been with the band for 25 years. Touring was never my favorite thing to do... I get insomnia on the road. I can't sleep in strange beds night after night. Did not want to take sleeping pills, that is the begining of the end.
I would lie awake reading all night. This made me irritable. I had done it enough. Then I would drink a bottle of wine before bed... wake up with a hangover. It was a no win situation.
: Got to go. Thanks everybody.
OnlineHost : Copyright (C) 1995 Warner Bros. Records. : CYBER-TALK (TM) is produced in house by : a Warner Bros. Records staff.
Billy Burnette Vintage 80's Pin Pinback Badge Rockabilly
Press Photo Billy Burnette, Guitarist - spp41773
1992 Press Photo Singer Billy Burnette - hcp33943


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As President of the Spanish Association of Water Supply and Sanitation (AEAS) is my pleasure to introduce this event.Spain is among the European countries that suffer a higher water stress. Perhaps that is why Spanish people are in the group of citizens who consume resources in a more responsible way, in terms of per capita consumption. Currently, the average household consumption is 135 liters per day, which is 10% less than 2012. Spain is a country with a significant water culture. Despite this high degree of public awareness, our country also faces important challenges in water management: first, renewing infrastructure, afflicting several lean years in government investment.
Another challenge is the one that refers to the adequacy of tariffs, that currently do not cover all the costs of the service and, therefore, do not guarantee the future sustainability of the system; and the need to address certain legislative changes that endow the homogenization and greater transparency sector are good examples of the importance of what remains to be done.
One of the most interesting tools that the sector of water management has at its disposal to maintain the excellence of the services is international cooperation. It is precisely at this point where events such as the IWA Leading Edge Conference can serve as change to stimulate a culture of continuous improvement. Scientists, experts, governments, companies and organizations of all kinds will find in Jerez an interesting forum for exchanging ideas and opinions.
When, after the Congress each participant returns to his birthplace, they will do it with a valuable store of knowledge and experience with which to successfully undertake the challenges that we daily encountered in the management of our most vital resource: Water


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When you're a new parent, sleep issues are just part of the deal -- an initiation ritual of sorts. Before baby arrives, everyone warns you about the mind-numbing fatigue you're in for, and after the birth they ask if you're getting any sleep over and over and over again.
Eventually, however, the dust settles and your baby starts to sleep through the night, or at least longer than an hour at a time, and some semblance of normalcy returns to your world and psyche.
But then -- bam! -- things change again.
"[When you your baby sleeps through the night] you think 'Oh my god! I made it!'" Rebecca Michi, a Seattle-based children's sleep consultant, told The Huffington Post. "But sleep is a constantly evolving thing."
Here's how to broach some of the big transitions sleep experts are asked about most often in slightly older children, so you can all return to a state of blissful, regular ZZZs... or something.
1. Transitioning from the crib
Moving from the crib to bed can happen anytime from about 18 months on, Michi said, which is tricky because it means a major change is happening smack-dab in the middle of toddlerhood, when children tend to be very physical, very opinionated and not especially receptive to reason, she warned. If your toddler is forcing the issue earlier than you'd like, you can try a sleep sack, Michi said, which might buy you a bit more time, as it makes climbing (or, let's be honest, hurling oneself) out of the crib much more difficult.
When you've decided it's time to make the move, the key is to really talk the whole idea up to your child, said Kim West -- the "Sleep Lady." In other words, sell them on it. "Talk about their room and how exciting it is that they're going to have this big bed," she told HuffPost (West generally recommends making the switch when kids are at least 2.5 years old, so they can really grasp the concept). Let them pick out their sheets, and then go over what she likes to call "sleep manners" -- "tell them they're going to stay in their comfy, snuggly bed all night long."
If your toddler is just too excited to fall asleep on his or her own the first few nights, West says it's okay for you to stay in the room while they wind down, but she cautions against laying down with them -- "because it's a slippery slope." If your child gets up to come see you, which is very likely, both West and Michi recommend being clear and consistent: Walk them back to their bed, tuck them in, tell them it's still time to sleep and leave. Repeat. In a few nights, they should get the idea that it's not okay to pop-up for regular middle-of-the-night gab sessions.
2. Dropping naps
Between birth and six months, babies take up to five naps a day, according to West, then that number slowly decreases until most children drop naps altogether when they're 3 or 4.
Michi echoed that timeline -- and emphasized how difficult it can be for parents and caregivers to swallow. "The really tough one is when they drop that one nap, which can happen anytime between 3 and 5, although there are certainly still some kindergartners who nap," she said. "For parents, [it] isn't something we ever want to get rid of -- we savor and love that nap time." But older kids simply don't need as much sleep as their younger counterparts, and too much napping can really wreak havoc on nighttime sleep.
Rather than going cold turkey, Michi recommends slowly cutting the duration of your child's one remaining nap until it's about 30 minutes, then eliminating it altogether. "Then, I would insist on 'quiet time' every day," she said. "It's a time out -- a break." Quiet time might take place in the child's room, while he or she quietly colors, for example, or even sits in bed flipping through books. Start small, with just a few minutes, then work your way up, emphasizing that this is a time be calm and quiet and for everyone in the home to re-set.
"I think 30 minutes is a good amount of time," Michi said. "It's never going to be what it was when [he or she] took a really good nap, but 30 minutes is a good amount of time that they can manage."
3. Conquering scary dreams
While it's very likely that babies do dream, they generally don't develop fears until their toddler years -- at which point, many kiddos transition from nights that are generally pretty peaceful to nights regularly punctuated by scary dreams. At age 2 or 3, nightmares generally have to do with separating the imaginary world from the real world, West said, "so it's about understanding there are not monsters in the closet, or no, there's not going to be a lion that comes out of your closet." At older ages, like 6, 7 and 8, nightmares tend to be more focused on the outside world coming in (i.e., the presence of bad people or kidnappers, for instance) she explained. "Then of course there are pressures coming from school, or friends or sports -- especially if you have a child who is already anxious or sensitive," she added.
West recommends creating a worry box, where kids can write down and stash their fears, as well as working with them on thought replacement. "I tell kids, 'You don't want to fall back into your bad dream, so what I want you to do is throw it out, then you have to replace it with something else that makes you really happy -- maybe you need to think about your favorite beach, or your puppy,'" she said.
Michi added that it's important to explain to children what dreams are and that they are fleeting -- and to let them know that you have them as well.
"Talk to them about dreams you've had, and not just bad dreams, but sweet dreams," she said. "You're just letting them know that everyone has dreams, because if they're waking up scared in the middle of the night, they might think they're the only person going through that."
Of course, if it's something more serious, you should seek out a counselor, both experts urged. But generally, with a little bit of persistence and foresight, you and your kiddos really, truly will sleep again.
Also on HuffPost:


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Usenet Newsgroups
Rec.Puzzles Hall of Fame
The rec.puzzles Hall of Fame is a compilation of over 500 of the most popular puzzles that have been posted and discussed in the rec.puzzles newsgroup. In most cases a detailed solution has been provided. Many of these puzzles also appear in Braingle's own collection.
decision : five.pirates.s
Proceed by induction on the number of pirates, starting with two. 2. The most senior will propose that he keep all the loot and since he will vote for his own proposal, the least senior pirate will get nothing. 3. If there are three pirates left, the most senior will need one vote. The least senior will vote for anything more than nothing, so the most senior will win by offering the least senior one gold coin. The second least senior will get nothing. 4. If there are four pirates, the most senior needs one vote, and he can get it by offering the second least senior one coin. The least senior and third least senior get nothing. 5. If there are five pirates, the most senior needs two votes. He can get them from the least senior and third least senior by offering them one coin each, keeping 98 coins for himself. This pattern continues.


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I had checked in my two pieces of luggage and had an hour and a half until departure. I went to the bar opposite the airport (the airport is tiny) for some rum and cokes with the little money that I had left, when I heard my name being broadcast all over the frickin airport on a tannoy. I didn't catch what exactly what was being said with my name but whatever they were saying my name was repeated THREE times. I thought that perhaps I had missed something and the flight was leaving earlier than scheduled and I was late boarding. I downed my drink and rushed to gate 3 where my flight was scheduled to leave from. I told a man at the gate my name and was left standing while my name was being passed around in hushed tones like I was the target of some ongoing surveillance operation. Finally I was directed to a woman sitting behind a desk who told me, "I am police."
Did You Know That It Is Against The Law For A Black Woman To Travel Alone?
My Last Days In Tobago
Back in Tobago I met up with Terje, who had come back from diving in Speyside and had been back a couple of days. Whilst there she said there was a Fisherman's festival. On the Thursday we went to the beach at Mount Irvine. The sun was blazing! This wasn't really a tourist beach so there were no parasols. We lay out for about 10 minutes before realising that we were torturing ourselves and moving underneath some trees where we promptly fell asleep for a few hours.
My 5 Days In Trinidad
On the day I am leaving I end up going earlier than my flight time with Jay to the airport because he told me I could go standby. BOOOO! There were no seats left and I had to wait for the next one! I had prebooked a room by telephone at La Calypso on French Street in WoodBrook under RP's guidance. I like the area (lots of restaurants and I looooove food!), but the hotel looks like a prison. In one sense it is good because security is TIGHT, but then it leaves you wondering… why is it so tight? Did something happen there?


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Developmental Benefits
Since your baby is new on the planet, he spends much of his time trying to figure out his environment. Help him by playing a game of All Gone!
If your baby gets upset at the toy's disappearance, hide the toy slowly to show him what you're doing. Don't leave the toy covered for too long.


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ON the heels of the recently concluded midterm elections another political circus has come to town. We are never given a respite. But looking from another's point of view, it never ceases to entertain us. It is often said that in the Philippines, political circuses have been elevated to the equivalent of pornography. We watch disgusted, not as actors or participants, but in some way fascinated by the spectacle laid before us. And the mere act of watching fuels the supply. And we barely have a choice as the tri-media are drawn to it like moths to a lamp. And social media has of late been initiating the dissemination of these phenomena encompassing everyone with a device attached to the internet, including the masses, through the veritable but almost passé word of mouth.
This current political porn is played out by certain types of politicians not for sexual arousal but purely for personal excitement in pursuit of power. I refer to the porn stars now parading themselves to public scrutiny but directed mostly toward an audience of one — the President himself.
These are the winning politicians now gunning for the two most powerful positions after the presidency: Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) and President of the Senate. These two positions are the most prestigious and power-laden in the government hierarchy. Ranking only third in succession after the vice president who holds no power except only when the president is incapacitated or dead.
Congress has the power of the purse and technically controls the flow of monies — that in effect fuels the lifeblood of governance. The top honchos of each chamber therefore could have the handle on the levers of power — if we define political power as the ability to influence the course of events, their logical and desired outcomes and the behavior of the citizenry through the crafting of laws towards the overall health of the nation.
In our republican democratic system imposed on us through a century of American tutelage, Congress is one of the three branches of government, which, along with the judiciary and the presidency, provide the mechanism for checks and balances to maintain proper governance and the oneness of the nation.
Offhand, with the expressed and constitutionally protected powers of Congress, it could be perceived to be potentially more powerful than the presidency itself. The power to pass any law and appropriate any amount and the power to create any position in government; these are not within the powers of the presidency. Congress even has the power to remove a sitting president. But as advanced by Ross Cohen, an American history and political scientist, "… [the power of] Congress is fragmented. The President is not as powerful as the Congress in many respects, but his/her power is concentrated. It creates a unique balance of power that ensures no one person or institution ever becomes too powerful for too long, while still enabling a strong central government to react to the needs of the day without getting too far from the will of the people. This is the genius of the US Constitution".
The Philippine experience is somewhat different from that of America's almost 400 years of practice. The Philippine president has over the decades taken more powers from Congress and the unitary-presidential system has reinforced and centralized power in the presidency, all conveniently protected by the 1987 Constitution. In some ways congressional powers have been castrated although the positions of House speaker and Senate president are still residually very powerful. A caveat, however, is that they must be allied to the president and must have his support. The president's web of alliances is extensive in both houses and the presidency's tentacles reach out to the dynasties in the local government units (LGU). And it is the dynasty that gets a congressman enthroned.
More especially in the lower house, with its large numbers, the anointment of the president is a sine qua non for the speakership. Thus, the obsequious demeanor of the leading contenders towards the president and his very traditionally politicized family. We have the sorry display therefore of former speaker Bebot Alvarez who. despite a fresh electoral mandate after vanquishing his political foes allied to the president's daughter, had to display mendicancy toward Sara, who in the first place was instrumental in his dethronement. Seeking a reconciliation, he was rebuffed. Now playing lamely to the first family, he declared that he was "giving up his ambition" if the president's newly elected congressman son Polong desires the speakership.
We have Lord Velasco, a young but hard-nosed politician who went through two political parties, Lakas-Kampi-CMD and NUP but jumped to the winning PDP Laban and now parlaying a close relationship to the president's family as his launching pad.
Reportedly leading the wannabees with 153 endorsement from his peers is the darling of the oligarchy and an old hand in Congress and scion of a political family, congressman-elect Martin Romualdez, of the Romualdez-Marcos clan. These last two contenders could sustain the contest with sufficient funds as the fight could become expensive, shamelessly buying congressional votes — as intimated by Alvarez. But in the end, it will be the Deegong's imprimatur that counts.
It's a little bit different at the Senate as there are only a few members, and therefore they must work out as a collegial body relying on negotiation and compromise. But the President's nod is still a valuable asset what with the current set of new faces from the President's coterie. The importance of the Senate is that it could be a stepping-stone to the presidency. So far in the storied history of both houses, only Ferdinand Marcos, Senate president in 1963-1965, made it to the presidency. None from the speakership (Ramon Mitra, Joe de Venecia and Manny Villar) who vied for the presidency.
So, the skeptics among us can deduce that aside from prestige and residual powers, in a corruptible unitary-presidential system, the speakership and senate presidency must be immensely lucrative. Thus, the frenetic kowtowing to the one true power that can grant them their wishes.
But the last three years of Deegong's term call for him to be above himself, to be a statesman and be presidential. He must therefore choose the Congress leaders who could partner with him truly to advance his agenda — real systemic reforms and changes through the revision of the 1987 Constitution. He must confront the reality of his situation and must rise above the chaos produced by those jockeying for power. For indeed, these skirmishes today are simply a prelude to the next political power construct. And if he is to leave his legacy, then he has to reorient his agenda and implement the details of his strategy for change — his iconic pagbabago!
Or he will forever remain in the minds of his constituency and the coming generations as that colorful outsider, a promdi, dirty-mouthed, God-cursing politician whose vaunted political will in the end amounts to nothing more that hubris.
As a Davaoeño, I pray he is not that.


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The scene certainly has changed in the past 2 years with our successes.
I was working on night shift; RPH theatres and vodaphone line being the worst combination.In my eagerness to find out immediately after work, I received an SMS. "Game seri.. going to penalties!"
And i rushed home.Switched on to my live streaming and Luckily i managed to catch the last penalty kick which was really heart stopping by Badrul and we won!
Malaysia champions again! On Indonesian soil! Wow.. After AFF Cup and again this back to back gold medal! We are certainly Kings of SEA!
Kudos to Ong Kim Swee and his boys and of course, I'm proud that we've won and reclaimed our past glory! We are still a force to be reckoned with :)


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Though the day isn't quite over, I'm literally falling asleep sitting up 😆 so I'm going to share how the week has gone so far:
My feet hurt SO BAD after this but DAMN! I'm proud of it! 😀
Day off and I definitely rested 😉
More sore feet 😀
Took it a little easier today. 😀 ENJOYED the evening hanging out with my SIL, even though we were both working 😆
- Kiss Me (Fool's Gold series)
- Untamed
- Lucky Trilogy (3 Book Series)
- Love After Dark, McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 13
- Dragonbane (Dark-Hunter Novels Book 19)
Kit: Talk Nerdy to Me by Connie Prince
And a driving vlog (note: if you're reading this and NOTHING is there? That means the video is still uploading! Give it time!) 😀