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The National League Management Group are pleased to confirm the venues for the end of season Finals Weekends for the Division 1 competitions in North and South.
The Moralee (North) and Britton (South) finals will take place over the weekend of April 11-12, 2020. Each event will feature two semi finals on the Saturday with the Grand Final on the Sunday.
Ice Sheffield will host the finale for the Moralee division. The twin pad venue has hosted joint Moralee-Laidler weekends previously in the main Bauer Arena, as well as being an EIHA centre of excellence and the home of the JLMC Conference Weekend.
General Manager at Ice Sheffield, Shaun Lough, said: "We are looking forward to hosting the event taking place in the Bauer Arena.
"It adds to our ever growing portfolio of ice sporting events that take place at the venue year round.
"It is great news for the city and provide local ice hockey fans with even more ice hockey to come and watch."
For the Britton division, Bracknell Ice Rink will be the host venue. A successful host for the Wilkinson (S2) finals in each of the past two seasons, 'The Hive' has stepped up to take on the challenge of the South Division 1 weekend.
NIHL league manager Gary Dent said: "The NLMG are grateful to all venues who expressed an interest in our divisional finals weekends, and we're delighted to work with Ice Sheffield and Bracknell Ice Rink again and look forward to two well run events which can act as a worthy showpiece for the supporters across the respective divisions to bring the curtain down on their season."
Final schedules and ticket prices for the weekends will be confirmed in due course.
The venues for Division 2 North (Laidler) and South (Wilkinson) will be announced in the next couple of days.


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UPDATE: We found a clip from one of Pharoah's comedy shows where he demonstrates his AMAZING Obama impression. Scroll down for video!
PREVIOUSLY: Since news came last week that Will Forte would be leaving 'Saturday Night Live,' three people have already been confirmed as new cast members, and now we might have a fourth newcomer.
The Comic's Comic has the exclusive news that Lorne Michaels is eyeing 22-year-old Virginia stand-up comic Jay Pharoah, who has a huge arsenal of celebrity impressions including a pretty solid Barack Obama one. Could this be then end of racially incomparable Fred Armisen impersonating the President?
For a young man who says he dreams of meeting his comedy idols Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock, it looks like his dreams may come true. The Comic's Comic reports that "Pharaoh flew into NYC twice in August for screen tests and meetings with Lorne."
Pharoah's addition to the cast would double the number of African American players currently on the show (which has often skewed white) in addition to Keenan Thompson. It would also be the largest influx of new talent in to the show in a single season, since 2001 when Lorne Michaels introduced Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Dean Edwards and Jeff Richards to the 27th season of "SNL."
To learn more about Jay Pharoah's talents, start by checking out this video below where he impersonates both Will Smith and Denzel Washington in spoof called "Behind The Actor."

subset: commoncrawl


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Next CalPERS Retirement Workshop Set for Nov. 18Published: November 16, 2009
Benefits Services will be conducting a two-hour retirement workshop for CSULB CalPERS members, presented by members of the Benefits Services office. "Understanding Your CalPERS Retirement Benefits" workshop will be held Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 2-4 p.m., in the Information Technology Services' lab in Brotman Hall Room 180.
Subjects will include an overview of the CalPERS program and an introduction to information available on its Web site. Participants will be guided through the navigation of the CalPERS Web site and assisted in accessing the CalPERS online retirement calculator, service credit purchase information and the annual member statement, and information on benefits at retirement and the CalPERS retirement application process.
For additional information on the workshop contact Benefits Services at 562/985-2381.


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Summer is here! What a perfect time to implement refreshing, uplifting aromatherapy into your daily life. Sunny citrus, cooling mint, herbaceous & floral essential oils are aromas that sing of summer. Lavender and Helichrysum are among first aid heroes that take center stage in summertime skin care for the whole family. Here are some recipes and tips for you to try aromatherapy for summer.
In a 2 oz mist or pump bottle topped with Jojoba Oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil.
There are many essential oils that are effective in repelling insects. This is a favorite formula because it is gentle, good for the skin and keeps the bugs at bay.
In a ⅓ oz (10 ml) glass roller ball bottle topped with Jojoba Oil, or Fractionated Coconut Oil.
*Note: if you don't have Helichrysum, use 5 drops of Lavender
This recipe will soothe itching, stinging bites. Apply liberally and often to the affected area.
Jojoba oil can be substituted for the Aloe Vera gel if you prefer. Avoid the application of heavy carrier oils like coconut and sesame if you have a burn. The skin needs to breathe and release heat. One drop of Peppermint essential oil can be added to this recipe if you like the cooling sensation.
In a 1 oz glass bottle with a pump or dropper top filled with Jojoba oil.
Apply to hair and scalp at bedtime. Shampoo in morning. Great for frizzy fly aways. You can also put a little on the ends of your hair to prevent split ends. You can massage this into your hair prior to putting on your swim cap to protect you hair from chlorine damage.
This is lovely summertime powder that is healing for the skin and absorbs sweat and eliminates body odor.
Put the powders in a glass bowl and mix well. Add the Lavender essential oil. It will ball up. Smash it and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until well blended. You can keep it in a glass jar, a PET plastic jar, or an HDPE plastic bottle with a sifter top. Personally, I like plastic for most shower products and for travel items that may get tossed about.
My Silky Skin Baby Powder forms the fluffiest, silkiest powder you have ever tried. I have received countless reports from adults who have used it to clear and prevent rashes in hot, humid climates with great success. It can also be used as a dry hair shampoo and as a deodorant. The powder totally eliminates body odor.
Here are some of my favorite diffuser blends to use in hot weather.
Summer Breeze
Jump in the Pool
At The Beach
Summer Nights
How do you use aromatherapy in the summer? I'd love to hear your ideas! Please add your recipe to the comment section. Thanks!


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Project Description
How long would it take you to get four strangers to look at your video if you were hunting for fans yourself? Too long to wonder. You'd be better off where you can buy Likes, Revines and Comments on Vine for Cheap. Imagine getting 1,000 likes from real people at the click of a mouse, and further growth when your new fans start to share your content.
Vine's growth speaks for itself. Vine took on 13 million users in just five months. Two months later, that number grew to 40 million. Buy the cheapest likes available and get your piece of the action.


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When it comes to debating the merits of animal research taking place on the UW-Madison campus, there may well be middle ground on which the masses can agree.
But like so many political issues these days, it's the folks who are most heavily invested in a topic that tend to dominate the discussion.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals garnered headlines last month by accusing UW-Madison researchers of violating the federal Animal Welfare Act in a study that uses cats to examine the link between hearing and eye movements. Among the allegations leveled: Proper procedures weren't taken to prevent distress and pain for the animals; the university didn't consider alternatives to procedures that may cause pain; and no appropriate rationale was given for using animals.
According to the university protocol describing the research, auditory studies at UW-Madison date back three decades, with an average of 30 cats per year being used. PETA highlighted the plight of an orange tabby named Double Trouble, who underwent surgeries in 2008. The animal rights group said a steel post was implanted in the cat's head, steel coils put in its eyes and cochlear implants in its ears. The cat was later euthanized after getting an infection following one of the surgeries. And if this information alone doesn't play on your emotions, PETA also released photos of the cat that are sure to elicit a reflexive response.
Read full article here:
Can animal rights advocates, researchers ever find middle ground?.


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Dutch model Sara Dijkink, after Louis Vuitton, Paris, October 2015.
Saturday, 5 March 2016
Paris Fashion Week SS 2016....Sara
3 comments:
Those lashes are amazing!ReplyDelete
AGNESE form www.theblogness.com
Another person who just had to comment on the lashes - stunning! Such great eye makeup! :)ReplyDelete
Away From The Blue Blog
@Agnese and @Mica - totally amazing but you wouldn't want them to fall off anywhere inappropriate (like at a dinner party!). I can only imagine the scenario of someone thinking it was a spider or bug or something!ReplyDelete
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College of History, Philosophy and Divinity
Established in 2015, Holy Transfiguration College (HTC) of History, Philosophy and Divinity is Agora University's first college. HTC aims to be the nucleus of Agora University's vision to be a pioneering institute dedicated to the humanities from an Eastern Christian perspective. HTC if focused on developing interdisciplinary venues between the Eastern Christian tradition and the humanities. HTC is committed to providing high quality Orthodox Christian foundations while also maintaining a vigorous tradition of high-quality research on subjects pertaining to the intersection between theology and the humanities.
Our world-class faculty come from renowned institutions worldwide including University of Oxford, University of St. Andrews, University of Aberdeen, UCLA, King's College London, University of Vienna and Claremont Graduate University.
Our diverse student body comes from all over the world including USA, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, and Iraq with various professional experience ranging from engineering, medicine, social work to physics and ministry.


text: I am a 45-year old married mom of 4. I love my family. If you're a mom, then you know kids and a spouse keep you busy. It's easy to forget yourself in the process of taking care of your family. My mission is to help other moms take care of themselves so they can be more available to their loved ones and lead more fulfilling lives.


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It Will Grow on You… Play the Field of Fortune Slots at Casino.com UK Today
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The Fields of Fortune is a fabulous online slot that is packed with wholesome flavour and fun. If you like your fruit and veg with a smiling face, and relish the chance to harvest some chips, why not pull on your wellies and head for the countryside. It's not every day you get to play either a carrot or parsnip bonus round!
To enjoy a spin on the Fields of Fortune online slots, you need to open a real money account at Casino.com UK. Make your first deposit today, using any one of our recommended payment methods, and you get a 100% Welcome Bonus worth up to £100 (plus 200 spins).
A Vegetarian Diet That's Very Tasty – Play Fields of Fortune at Casino.com UK Today
You can use your bonus to play Fields of Fortune or any one of the many other online slots at Casino.com UK. You can even use your Welcome Bonus on the progressive games and the live casino.
Casino.com UK also has a wealth of both classic and modern online casino games to enjoy. From old school classics like blackjack and roulette to arcade games, scratch cards, and feature-rich, animated, slots.
Whatever games you choose to play at Casino.com UK, we look forward to seeing you at the tables. Have fun and enjoy the action in the Fields of Fortune.


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The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
That's how I started 2008. Unfortunately, we evidently are all filled with incredible amounts of, and/or tolerance for insanity. After all, within days we were still arguing over bermed expressways and Buffalo exceptionalism. But at least we had a cool outdoor hockey tournament as a distraction. On January 3rd, Obama won Iowa. The very next day, I entitled a post about Obama "the next President of the United States." And I was right, bitches.
As early as mid-January 2008, we were already openly mocking Bashar Issa. His decision to treat his laborers like shit sort of helped hasten his departure. He did not, however, fly out via Skybus, which announced Columbus – "Toronto/Niagara", but went belly-up before a single flight arrived or departed.
During the heat of the primaries, I managed to tear myself away from the Clinton-Obama aggression and write what I thought were pretty decent posts about Buffalo and WNY. The problem is that I can do and re-do the same post over and over again, ad infinitum, every year or every week, and it won't make a stitch of difference. I loved this post, as well, and I think Paterson's budget might just render the million taxpayer march a very do-able proposition. And the ones I do after going away, reflecting on Buffalo's very deep tolerance for failure and mediocrity? Ah, those rock.
Could be worse. I could be Al Coppola.
On January 16th, Spitzer gave his state of upstate address. A few months later, he was gone.
The Peace Bridge should not be expanded, and a second span should not be built there. So sayeth the commonest of Common Terns. A new span is needed at Queenston-Lewiston, which offers the most direct highway-to-highway crossing in Western New York. And would it kill them to put up a welcome center on the New York side, for Christ's sake?
We didn't make it to Detroit in January, but we made it to Buffalo's auto show in February (part 1 and part 2).
Buffalo is extremely proud of the B-Kwik Tim Horton's expansion on Seneca Street. I mean Talkin' Proud.
Lynn Dejac was exonerated in her daughter's death after spending a decade in prison for it.
Co-working was a novel concept I wrote about in February. Now? WNYMedia.net rents space in a co-working space on Niagara Street. Which beats the shit out of the fact that the beleaguered pump & dump owner of AM&A actually listed the f*cking thing on Craigslist earlier this year. Craigslist, along with used tchotchkes.
Buffalo still needs a six-word motto. But at least it's got sense of place (barf).
If Jon Powers' failed candidacy for Congress accomplished nothing, it kicked Jack Davis out of the political system in Western New York. Good riddance. My favorite day? Exposing Davis' payoffs to bribe his way onto the Independence Party line. The most notable part of that entire yearlong race, however, was this game-changing ad.
Of course, the biggest story this year that wasn't Presidential-election-related, was our own Client 9, Eliot Spitzer, and his epic hooker fail. Governor Paterson assumed the helm of the Failboat on March 17th. We had an economic fail in October, which was sort of predicted in this post.
This video was one of the most important of 2008.
Mary Kunz Goldman started a blog. I have not mocked it. Yet. The Broadway Market continued to undergo epic upheaval, as it tries to remain relevant, perhaps its status as an enclave of mostly long-gone Polonia needs to be re-examined. As early as June, the automotive chickens began roosting as gas soared to well over $4.00 gallon – and has since amazingly reverted to $1.80/gallon in a matter of a handful of months. Amazing what an economic meltdown will do.
Tom Suozzi and his commission recommended a tax cap – yet another great idea that will never, ever be implemented by the selfish, back-asswards state legislature. They have too much fun spending and borrowing to limit their revenue stream like that.
June saw the end of the Clinton – Obama primary battle, and Hillary Clinton set a precedent that McCain later echoed – her greatest moment on the campaign trail seemed to be her concession speech. In the end, she miscalculated that "experience" would trump "change" as a rallying cry this year. McCain gave his first speech of the general election, looking frog-like in front of a weird green screen. It set the tone for a poor campaign. Obama then opted out of public campaign financing, thus enabling him to raise an unprecedented sum of money that enabled him to take on all comers and do something that no Democrat had been able to do in recent memory – compete everywhere.
In the meantime, the Livery building acquired a name as it crumbled, became a cause, and was ultimately saved by Sam Savarino.
Tor-Buff-Chester was coined by Richard Florida, the now-Toronto-based urbanist guru, and is an idea whose time has come. Downtown saw the unveiling of the Erie Canal terminus park, which is a rare Buffalo triumph.
Buffalo got an economic development czar, and Tom Golisano started Responsible New York, which had a "meh" effect on local elections. Just ask Mesi, Konst, and Kavanaugh. (Indeed, the campaign waged on Kavanaugh's behalf begat a new phrase I'll use).
In July, the shit hit the fan when a Federal Judge ruled that the Seneca Buffalo casino was illegal. Like with other never-ending, decade-long issues in WNY, (Bass Pro, Peace Bridge, e.g.)this is a yawn-inducing issue now. So much so, that opinion has given way – for me – to ambivalence. But people began to wonder what the Wendt Foundation was doing funding the anti-casino lawsuits. $2 million for Albany lawyers is a lot of money for a foundation whose aim is to promote education, the arts, and social services. In fact, it's more than it gave to any such charity in recent years. When the question was raised, its rabid zealot defenders struck with charges of "swiftboating". Bruce Jackson accused me of being part of a conspiratorial cabal, acting in concert to destroy the reputation of the Wendt Foundation. The fact that Jackson never contacted me to get a comment from me speaks to the quality of his alleged "journalism", not to mention that what he wrote was ignorant, incorrect, and paranoid. Donn Esmonde, bold protector of the less fortunate, naturally came to the defense of the extraordinarily well-funded casino opponents.
So, it was quite fun to find out that the rabid zealot is a past recipient of Wendt funds, that his kids are among the listed trial counsel on the anti-casino lawsuit, and that the Wendt Foundation is a past investor in Harrah's Casinos. None of that had ever been disclosed by Bruce Jackson, the rabid zealot, Casino obsessive who used the word "swiftboat". Likewise, to this day the people who directly receive the millions in Wendt funds refuse to disclose how the money is spent, and who receives it. No one has ever bothered to explain why the Citizens for a Better Buffalo acts as a pass-through for Wendt funds, but isn't a party to the lawsuit.
The funniest part of it all, is that contrary to what the hippie zealots might say, I'm not really a casino supporter.
In the summertime, it came to light that civilization had completely broken down on the bus to Wilson. Parents depend on teachers and coaches to, at a bare minimum, maintain the trappings of civilization so that bus rides and field trips don't begin to resemble the Lord of the Flies. Epic fail. In Buffalo, meanwhile, teachers and administrators can run roughshod over notions of fairness and accountability, with complete impunity. Epic fail.
Bashar Issa came up again in August. Rumblings hinted to poor management. Shortly thereafter, Issa turned out to be a lot of sound and puffery, signifying nothing. Epic fail.
McCain picked Sarah Palin. She did a couple of interviews – one with Charlie Gibson, and one with Katie Couric. Epic fail.
We had Dale Volker engaging in never-ending thuggery, and David DiPietro deserved to unseat him, as did Kathy Konst later on. September saw the primaries roll around, and I made my endorsements here. Predictably, some asshole or another called my political know-how into question because my "predictions" were so off the mark. Problem is, they weren't predictions – they were preferences.
In September, the entire economy burned out, and needed to be bailed out. The biggest welfare queens turned out to be investment banks on Wall Street, and we went all socialist in response. Thus was the entire conservative deregulation laissez-faire trickle-down movement decimated into obscurity. John McCain "suspended" his campaign to address the bailout. Obama called the bluff, indicating that a President should be able to do more than one thing at once.
In late September, the Great Lakes Compact was finalized, guaranteeing that our most valuable natural resource – even more so than oil – stays right here.
Also, we had debatez. Here's episode 1, then the Vice Presidential Ifill Cavalcade of Bias, the Town Hall debate featuring McCain versus "that one", and debate the third, which was good & substantive, except perhaps for JOE THE PLUMBERSZ!@@##@.
The result?
October was packed with stuff I won't rehash here – most of it Obama vs. McCain. My endorsements were here. The election day post is here. The election results post is here. The Buffalo blogosphere reacted.
As one might expect, a bunch of credits and idiots instantly named Obama the next Stalin or Hitler. Stay classy, cons.
Rumors swirled that Hillary Clinton would be the next Secretary of State. I think Brian Higgins would be a great pick to replace her. Not, you know, that one.
After the election, I started looking at local stuff again. A hit & run at Main & LaSalle, a fugly hotel in Buffalo's Waterfront Village, the treachery of the gang of three and the nonsense in the State Senate, Six Sigma efforts, Canal Side,
Finally, we at WNYMedia.net started "Patersonisyournewtax.com", and a poem about the Collins vs. Leg lawsuit fun.
Wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2009.


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Posted on June 28, 2012, Phil Hornshaw Valve Adds 'Pyrovision' With Third Team Fortress 2 Update
The last of the Pyromania updates has arrived to coincide with the release of Valve's "Meet the Pyro" video for Team Fortress 2. If you haven't watched that video, hit the link and check it out before continuing.
All set? Great, because now you understand: Valve is making Pyrovision, the view of the Pyro created for its latest Meet the Team video, a reality in TF2. Download the update and you get access to vintage Pyrovision Goggles, which allow you to see Team Fortress 2 in the way that the Pyro sees it (in a word: insanely).
Pyrovision Goggles also turn certain items into other things in your view — for example, like in the video, the Pyro's flamethrower belches rainbows rather than all-consuming hellfire. All in all, it looks crazy and hilarious. Get more details on Valve's Pyromania update page here.


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By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Sylvan Hills went into the holiday break on a strong note with a sweep over visiting Oak Grove on Thursday night at the SHHS gymnasium. The boys game ended up with a dramatic conclusion in which the Bears took a 65-62 win, while the girls opener was over before it started with an easy 56-19 victory for the Lady Bears.
Senior Kai Randolph lit up the Hornets with 23 points for Sylvan Hills, 15 of which came from blasts behind the arc. Randolph used turnarounds, fades, and anything else to catch Oak Grove defenders off guard, and responded well to every adjustment they made by moving his range out further as the game went on.
"I felt good about this game coming in," Sylvan Hills coach Kevin Davis said. "This is a small, young group, and we knew Oak Grove would come in here and play hard. Hats off to coach Herring; they came in here and made it interesting. It's kind of strange to play someone who runs a lot of the same things that you do; we had to add some wrinkles, and I think that's part of what had us out of sync a little bit early on."
Davis also had high praise for his young shooter.
"By the time Kai leaves here, he will probably be the best pure shooter I've ever had," Davis said. "I've had a lot of really great shooters over the years, but his release is so smooth. He didn't play very much on the floor for us last year, but even though he wasn't seeing a lot of time, he was still working hard."
Eight points was the biggest lead the Bears emjoyed all night. The Hornets came back from an early deficit to tie the game at 16-16 after one, and led most of the second quarter until Randolph launched another long ball to put the Bears ahead 27-24 at the intermission.
Sylvan Hills had its biggest surge in the middle of the third quarter. Randolph and P.J. Ross put their superior communication skills between each other to work inthe third, with some good dishes from Randolph to Ross under the hoop. That's not to say the Randolph stopped scoring as well. A three-point basket by Randolph at the 3:44 mark put the Bears up 41-33, prompting the Hornets to take a time out and regroup.
The Hornets fought their way back through the fourth period, and had their chance to steal the win away in the final minute.
A back court violation against Sylvan Hills gave the Hornets possession while trailing by only one point at 63-62. Cedrick Williams took a shot under the goal that didn't fall, and teammate Joloni Patterson picked up the rebound. Patterson tried to drive it back inside, but stepped on the base line, giving the ball back to the Bears with four seconds left to play.
Randolph led the Bears with 23 points. Ross added 13 points for the Bears. Sylvan Hills improved to 3-6 on the season with the win.
The Lady Bears made fast work of Oak Grove in the opener. Sylvan Hills rushed out to a 21-1 lead during the opening period, and went with subs for most of the remainder after starting post player Trinity Thomas lit up the Lady Hornets for eight points in the first quarter.
Sylvan Hills did their part with a good defensive push early, but the Lady Hornets proved to be their own worst enemy in several cases. Oak Grove responded badly to the SH press, throwing the ball out of bounds seven times in the first quarter alone.
Oak Grove finally scored its first field goal with 5:00 left in the first half, which made the score 24-5. Mercedes Gains scored both goals for the Lady Hornets in the first half, with the remainding points coming off free throws by Sherry Murphy. Sylvan Hillls led 29-10 at the intermission, and another brief run by the starting five in the third quarter pushed the game into sportsmanship-rule status by the end of the frame. Dede Lewis scored two baskets in the late going to give the Lady Bears a 47-18 lead through three quarters.
Thomas led the Lady Bears with 16 points. Lewis added nine, with seven points from Terica Kendrick. Dedosha Dennis finished with six, and Latrina Brandon added five points.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
SPORTS >>Bears get back at Hornets in thriller
Posted by THE LEADER at 9:51 AM


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Following a record-setting box office weekend, Fast Five director Justin Lin has confirmed to USA Today that he'll be back for a sixth entry in the high-octane franchise.
"It's pretty much 100 percent," Lin says, "It's going to happen."
Lin's comments match those made by Vin Diesel to ComingSoon.net last year on the Georgia set of the latest adventure.
"This is a trilogy," the star announced, "…When I was thinking of this 'Fast & Furious,' I thought of it as three stories. The one that you saw [4], this one [5] and the final one [6]."
Lin's comments today, however, are a bit more ambiguous regarding the ultimate future of the franchise:
"At five, we're just hitting our stride," he says, "We're growing. People want to continue this journey."
Indeed, plans may have changed since Diesel spoke or the star may personally have plans to exit the franchise after one more big-screen outing. What is certain is that the locale will be updated next time Dom and his team return to theaters. While Lin only says that a change of scenery will happen, Diesel was, last year, a bit more specific.
"I think we'll be in Europe in the last one," he announced.


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As we shift away to a mobile world, getting or staying in business implies serious consideration towards mobile support. And it's not just software providers who are touched by the matter. First, business owners from most fields realized that online presence was beneficial for very web-unrelated products or services. Now, keeping pace with modern people means being available on their modern handheld devices. Some resent this and some appreciate the opportunity made available by technological progress. For, indeed, there is a vast and exciting amount of opportunity involved.
Which starts with ubiquity. Mobile websites and apps catch users anywhere. And mobile surveys work wonderful as marketing and marketing research instruments, for any type of product, service or cause. Here are 7 ways to increase visibility, popularity and overall success rates with mobile surveys.
- Seize customers' first impressions. Offer customers the possibility to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with point of sale experiences. It's the quickest and cheapest way to gain truthful customer insight. Simply host a survey on your mobile website and use printed material to promote it.
- Get real-time feedback at events. Invite participants to rate speakers, reception, catering service. On the one hand, omitted faults will be brought to your attention. On the other hand, the most accurate feedback is given during the event, when guests are directly subject to what they're asked to evaluate.
- HyperLocal surveys. Call on mobile device built-in GPS units to activate surveys. When customers enter business quarters, they'll get an invitation to fill out your survey, which translates to amiability and active engagement in establishing customer connection.
- QR codes. Quick Response codes are two-dimensional codes that can be scanned with modern handheld devices to link to web content. Get a QR code, display it somewhere in your store – or use more codes for different products – and link to your survey to get customer feedback.
- Net Promoter Score. With Net Promoter Score, survey respondents fall into one of three categories: promoters, passives or detractors. A single question questionnaire asks them how likely they are to recommend your company to their peers, providing a 1 to 10 rating scale. NPS surveys result in simple charts that can serve as good starting points for further investigation on customer attitude and behavior.
- Set up polls. Short polls starting with Do you think that, Do you approve of, Did you hear about and so on raise attention easily. Participants' opinions are called for and the effort to share them is minimal. Create polls related to your field of interest and make sure they can be accessed from the bus station.
- Like surveys? When pressed to take part in surveys, most people are hesitant or disinclined to do it. However, filling out a questionnaire on one's own terms may often be perceived as relaxing and purposeful, turning surveys into silent, but good and mobile buddies. You may want to consider subscribing to mobile survey services, having users download the associated app and notifying them each time you've got a new survey up and running.
What mobile surveys are basically saying to users is: we want your opinion + we're using modern tools and devices to get it = you're a 2.5 social person whose opinion matters. Which works well for most. Hence, mobile surveys can easily increase product/service popularity and strengthen provider/user relationships.
123FormBuilder provides mobile support. Log in or sign up to create your mobile survey!
Featured image courtesy: freedigitalphotos.net


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Additional file 1: Table S1. of Microbiota fingerprints lose individually identifying features over time
2017-01-09T05:00:00Z (GMT) by
Taxonomy of hitting set OTUs. Each assignment of an OTU to an individual's hitting set is counted once ('Count'); OTUs assigned to more than one hitting set are counted more than once. 'Source' indicates families listed as indicative of a particular source environment, following the scheme of Dunn et al. [9]. Figure S1. Microbiome matching accuracy as a function of the number of potential matches. For each household for which matching was performed, random subsets of two, four, six and eight potential matches (individuals or groups of individuals) were randomly selected for SourceTracker-based microbial matching. Accuracy was determined as the proportion of residences for which SourceTracker estimated the correct set of occupants' skin microbiota as the major source for the residences' surface microbiota. Figure S2. Accuracy of winter hitting sets in identifying individuals in later seasons. Sets that identified both the correct individual and one or more additional individuals were classified as 'true positive + false positive'; sets that did not identify the correct individual but did identify one or more other individuals were classified as 'false negative + false positive'. Figure S3. OTUs identified as likely contaminants, based on their abundance in the negative control (blank) samples. Taxonomy is given to the binomial level where available. Figure S4. Final disposition of all raw reads sequenced for this project. Reads were assigned to an OTU and included in the analysis ('Assigned OTU'), or excluded for one of the following reasons: failed to be clustered in a non-singleton OTU ('No OTU assignment'), likely chimeric ('Chimera'), assigned to OTU found in high abundance in negative controls ('Contaminant'), assigned to OTUs with non-bacterial phylogeny ('Chloroplast' or 'Mitochondria'), assigned to OTU that could not be aligned for phylogenetic tree construction ('Failed alignment'), failed initial read quality control ('Failed QC'), unused mate pair ('Reverse'), unable to be unambiguously identified as a forward or reverse read ('Unsorted') or belonged to a negative control sample ('BlankForward', 'BlankReverse' or 'BlankUnsorted'). (PDF 123 kb)


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mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
One good thing about a cold bright winter's day is that you can often see more of the subject you want to paint than when the trees obscure the view. St Joseph's Church in Highgate features in many a local artists repertoire, but it's hard to find a good angle from which to paint it. Relatively pleased with this angle as it shows the church from Waterlow Park and with the foliage in remission you can see some of it quite well!


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Antigua, Guatemala
October 3rd, 2020
- October 10th, 2020
During this trip, you'll help with the construction of churches, schools or houses and teach local children about Jesus. You will stay in a quaint historic hotel and meals will range from Western food to tacos. On the rest day, you'll get to hike one of many volcanoes in the area.
Trip Cost
The cost of the trip is $1,800. This includes airfare, hotel, meals, and transportation while in Guatemala. After being accepted, a $150 non-refundable deposit is due to reserve your spot.
You will be responsible for meals in the airports as well as any extra snacks and souvenirs you'd like to purchase. Additional costs may include acquiring or updating your passport and any vaccines you choose to receive before traveling.
Apply Now
We give preference to NewSpring volunteers, but you do not have to be part of NewSpring to apply. If you're interested in getting involved at NewSpring, join us at Connect Classes.
For Fuse trips, you must be a current Fuse student who will have completed their sophomore year of high school prior to the trip date. For open trips, participants must complete their sophomore year of high school to attend without a parent. Anyone under the age of 18 must have parental consent to participate on a trip.
Guatemala trips are eight days, including travel. Haiti trips are seven days, including travel.
Yes. Traveling outside the United States requires an up-to-date passport. Passports cost approximately $175. On how to apply for a U.S. Passport visit here.
You will receive a confirmation email within two minutes of submitting your application. If you did not, please fill out the application again.
Please visit the CDC website for the country you are traveling to and consult your medical doctor to determine what vaccinations you will need.
Follow @nsmissions on Instagram and Twitter as we travel around the world!
Close to 90 percent of participants raise money to cover the cost of their trip. NewSpring does not offer scholarships or sponsorships, but we do offer free T-shirt designs, as well as other suggestions to help you fundraise.
If we did not answer your questions about the trip, please contact us for more details.
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text: Accredited Buyer Representative – Flagstaff 4/28/17 Posted by Evan Fuchs On April 29, 2017 April 29, 2017 Filed under Class Notes No Comments Class notes and resources from Accredited Buyer Representative – Flagstaff 4/28/17 with instructor Evan Fuchs ABR, CRS, GRI, RSPS, SRS, e-PRO Tools Absorption Rates Home Buying Process Buyer Intake Sheet Sample TRID Forms Loan Estimate Closing Disclosure ABR Requirements Become an ABR Elective Options Questions? Leave a comment below or give me a shout. Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment Name * Email * Website


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Beginners have a lot of things to learn before creating a blog. Creating a blog is quite difficult if you are not aware of proper tactics. Without using these proper tactics, you cannot make run a successful blog. Though there are many things that you must learn before the creating a blog, but five essential things, which are mentioned in this article, must not be forgotten in any case.
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Optimization Of The Blog
The most important is blog optimization. There are several types of search engines optimization methods, which can help in optimization of your blog. You must hire a SEO expert for optimization of your blog, because they are quite proficient in this work and they will make your blog profitable for you. So, when you are thinking of creating your own blog, ask for help from a SEO expert. They will help you to create a SEO friendly blog.
Contemporary Topics Of The Blog
Readers always love to read updated topics or the current issues. So, you must try to search for the most contemporary topic for your blog, which will help you to generate high traffic for your blog. Read other blog and search for the best contemporary topic, which will help you to choose the best contemporary topic for your blog.
Business Income From The Blog
Blogs are great source of income, if you create a successful blog. Try to generate advertisement for your blog with the help of various Advertisement tools like Google Adwords etc. It will help you to earn money from your blog. You will not get any advertisement until your blog have good page ranking. So, try to enhance the page ranking of your blog in various search engines and gather advertisements for it. Info about How to start business online
Keep A Share Option To Link Your Blog With Social Networking Sites
Do not forget to keep share option in your blog. Sharing your blog in various social networking sites can help in promotion of your blog and you get huge traffic for your blog. Nowadays, there are many followers of social networking sites, so when these followers find your blog interesting, they share it in these social networking sites, and your blog easily gets promoted. So, when you are creating blog, do not forget to put share option in blog page.
Content Of The Blog
Content of any blog is the prime most factor. Readers always prefer fresh and unique content of blog. So, it is mandatory that you use original content, which is not copied from any other source. Check the grammar and spelling of your content before publishing it in blog, incorrect English has a very bad impact on readers and it leave a very bad reputation of your blog. Moreover, use correct and reliable information in your content, so that readers can refer your blog without any hesitation.
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For More Information on Blogging visit: www.theblogtip.com


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Mitsubishi and Origin Energy have been working together for a few years to achieve our greener, energy efficiency goals.
Back in 2010 the Mitsubishi iMiEV was introduced to their fleet so when the Outlander PHEV was released Origin were keen to get behind the wheel.
They tell us that our Outlander PHEV "is an outstanding example of the technology that's changing transport forever."
Origin have been putting our Outlander PHEV's to the test and are deploying these vehicles across their fleet. We're excited to be a part of this innovative move by Origin and look forward to exploring more sustainable opportunities.
Read more about the partnership here.
If you have a question or comment about Mitsubishi or any of our vehicles please call us.


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Photography Exhibition: The Place
Thursday 29 January, 7pm (Private view)
Hungarian Cultural Centre
10 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7NA
'The place': Eastern Europe in photography practice
Works of PhD Candidates of the Royal College of Art
We are sorry to let you know that due to unforeseen circumstances this exhibition will now have to be cancelled. Please accept our and the exhibition curator's apologies for any inconvenience it may cause. We hope we will see you at another event at the Hungarian Cultural Centre soon!
Contributions from artist and filmmaker David Bickerstaff; Hungarian photographer Viktor Németh; artist and researcher Christian Nyampeta, in collaboration with curator of the project Azadeh Fatehrad.
'A job for the artist which no one else does is to dismantle existing communication codes and to recombine some of their elements into structures which can be used to generate new pictures of the world...' (Victor Burgin, Work and Commentary, 1973)
This project explores two forms of photography practice: fiction and documentary. The concept is based on re-visiting and recreating 'existing images'. The events of everyday life could be captured as a social reality in the form of documentation, or from a completely different position – a position of fascination that would, in fact, create a fictional representation. What could differentiate amateur photography and flâneur style in the existing of captured images? How does documentation represent a historical event, and how does it differ from a fictional representation of the same event? By revisiting 'existing images', this project tries to answer the questions above, as well as illuminate the life of archive images – the life of the past. Any specific historical event such as a revolution, victory, or catastrophe marks a key point or time in the history of a particular society, country, community. The mark made or left on the historical timeline necessarily creates a time both before and after the event. Here, we place the emphasis on the period after the event, as we believe the event, whatever it may be, continues to exist in one way or another; the people around or alive after the event will be the ones most affected by it and will have to deal with and digest the effects of it for a long time to come.
'The place': Eastern Europe in photography practice investigates the archive material of the Ukrainian National Film on the fairly recent Chernobyl Disaster, which occurred on 26 April 1986, as well as the Hungarian Police Photo Archive – in particular, photographs by Pál Csattos on 17 June 1986. The exhibition comprises a multi-media installation; a series of printed photographs; two channel videos; and selected publications that have enriched the research. The project enhances visitor interaction by holding a day's workshop exploring the relation between human agency in response to archive images; more information will be made available nearer the date.
Exhibition open: 30 Jan – 6 Feb
Opening hours: Mon–Thurs 10am–5pm, Fri 10am–2pm
Free but booking is required. Please call 020 7240 8448 or email
To keep up-to-date please join the event on our Facebook page


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We had the weirdest weather in 2016. Record breaking droughts, all time high temperatures in the early early spring, spring temperatures in June. Then fast forward to fall, record highs that pretty much skipped all my favorite cool weather. But thankfully Mother Nature did not disappoint and gave us some amazing fall temperatures in December. You know the normal times like Christmas day and the 4 days following, when you ask that the air conditioning be turned on. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I rolled my eyes and flat out stopped listening to the weather forecast. BUT these unseasonable temperatures allowed us to do some fun activities with our kiddos. One of which was using the fire pit that Josslyn has been beyond intrigued with for the past year.
Matt and I decided it would be fun to light a fire in the fire pit and roast marshmallows for s'mores. If you recall Josslyn is three, sigh, and boy is she THREE. And she has the patience of a three year old, so that's not saying much. The biggest challenge we faced was going to be getting the fire started in a timely manner. Enter the Pine Mountain ExtremeStart firestarter. Shew thats a mouth full, say that 10 times really fast 😉
The ExtremeStart is able to burn for 20+ minutes and once the initial ignition product burns off it's safe for food. The best news is that it had our fire ready to go in 20 minutes! I loved the ExtremeStart for a few reasons. 1. I didn't have to touch anything but the outside wrapper, YAY! 2. Lighting your ExtremeStart is "Jacque Proof". The instructions are clear and only having to light the packaging on fire in three different places made for a fast fire! The fire was ready just about the same time that Josslyn was done being distracted by Grandma and the swing. Shew, dodged a bullet on that one. Perfect timing! And word of warning don't bring the goodies out until you are certain you are ready to start roasting! Three year olds do not like this obvious temptation. Okay, I shouldn't just say three year olds. 38 year olds like chocolate and graham crackers too! Josslyn let me help her get her marshmallow on the poker. But sadly the first marshmallow was a total loss, it caught fire and dropped into the pit. Thank goodness I had plenty of back ups, this could have been a total melt down moment. After we roasted a few marshmallows I let her give it a go on her own. This time there were no flaming marshmallows involved. But she wasn't in the mood for waiting for me to grab some chocolate and graham crackers. Who can blame her? I roasted third marshmallow and made her a s'mores. And she wanted nothing to do with it, haha! We asked her what she wanted and basically she wanted the chocolate but settled for chocolate on a graham cracker. But she never actually at the graham cracker, just the chocolate. Man is she a hot mess. Good strategy on her part, tho. She finally talked us into a 2nd marshmallow with chocolate bar chaser. Totally cracks me up! The will is strong with this one. I am so happy that the weather was cool enough for the fire pit & ExtremeStart, but not so cold we can't hang out and enjoy the outside!
ExtremeStart is safe to use in fire pits, charcoal grills, and fireplaces! In my book that versatility makes it our number one choice.
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The importance of good tree services in Sydney.
The general rule when it comes to tree services in Sydney is: if you can't do the job with your feet on the ground, it's time to contact an arborist. Working at heights requires training and specialist equipment to avoid accidents. That's why + read more


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I had a eureka moment recently regarding my study of improvisation. I discovered that I spend entirely too much time making myself technically capable of playing certain concepts, but nowhere near enough time playing these concepts musically.
I have always heard that we should strive to play musically when learning new concepts; I just took it to mean that we would be musical eventually. Well, I was wrong to think that this would happen naturally. I now realize that I must make a conscious effort to be musical very early in my study of a new concept.
What has happened in your lessons that really 'Flicks the Switch' in your mind and makes something easier that you ever thought possible?


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Property Details
Upper Lonsdale
221 E 29 STREET, North Vancouver, BC, V7N 1C8, Ca
Picture Perfect Upper Lonsdale Character home is a treasure. This absolutely charming and totally authentic beauty will make you smile from the moment you arrive. Situated on a south side sunny level lot with city and water views and all tastefully fenced in with lovely gardens and easy access to all your needs. Featuring 2 bedrooms and den up with gleaming fir floors, cozy living and dining areas, classic fireplace and stained glass windows. Lovely open kitchen flows out to charming covered patio with peaceful views. Natural light radiates through the wonderful array of windows throughout. Lower level offers fantastic guest accommodation with private entry and garden walkout. There are storage spaces throughout and every room feels magical. This is very special!
Listing Provided By
Sotheby's Int'l Realty Canada
Copyright and Disclaimer
The data relating to real estate on this web site comes in part from the MLS Reciprocity program of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLSR logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. Copyright 2020 by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board, BC Northern Real Estate Board, and Kootenay Real Estate Board. All Rights Reserved.
- Eric Latta
- 604-351-5211
- (604) 922-6995
- email@example.com
- Sotheby's Realty Eric Latta
- 235 – 15th Street
- West Vancouver, BC


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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Central Bank of Nigeria trade tackles over an alleged non-remittance of $49.8bn (about N8tn) oil proceeds to the Federation Account
Salami Semiu
That was perhaps, the situation until about last week when the letter which he wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan to complain about what he termed as the failure of the Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC), to remit $49.8bn (about N8tn) oil proceeds to the Federation Account between January 2012 and July this year found its way into the media.
Though the letter was written in September, it drew public outrage only last last week, when an online publication, Saharareporters blew the lid off the letter.
In the letter dated September 25, 2013, according to the publication, Sanusi said that he was constrained to formally write, documenting serious concerns of the CentralBank of Nigeria (CBN) on the continued failure of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to repatriate signifi cant proportions of the proceeds of crude oil shipments it made in gross violation of the law.
The CBN governor had in the letter said that the apex bank's "analysis of the value of crude oil export proceeds based on the documentation received from pre-shipment inspectors shows that between January 2012 and July 2013, NNPC lifted 594,024,107 barrels of crude valued at $65,332,350,514.57.
"Out of this amount, NNPC repatriated only $15,528,410,098.77 representing 24 per cent of the value. This means the NNPC is yet to account for, and repatriate to the Federation Account, an amount in excess of $49.804 billion or 76 per cent of the value of oil lifted in the same period.
The CBN governor had recalled in the letter that as far back as late 2010, "I had verbally expressed deep concern about what appeared to be huge shortfalls in remittances to the Federation Account in spite of the strong recovery in oil price.
"At a recent NEMT meeting in the Presidency, I also expressed a strong view that while Government needs to continue its effort to combat oil thieves, vandals and illegal refi neries in the Niger-Delta, the major problem is transactions taking place under legal cover with huge revenue leakages embedded therein.
"Your Excellency, it is my respectful view that a place to begin is to insist on NNPC to account fully for all proceeds that were diverted away from its accounts with the CBN and the Federation Account.," Sanusi was quoted as saying in the letter.
The CBN governor had also pointed out in the letter, what he considers to be the other lines of inquiry which he believes the president should authorise and pursue to include; "A thorough audit of activity on any domiciliary accounts held by NNPC outside of the CBN. This he said, is because the CBN has no record of either the dollar proceeds of these diverted sales or the naira equivalent being transferred to the Federation Account.
"An examination of banking records of companies involved in oil lifting and swaps deals, including audit trails of regular payments to thirdparties; An independent review of the terms and condition of oil lifting and swap contracts for fairness and equity and transparency.
The CBN governor had also proposed the investigation and prosecution of Bureau de change (BDC) that have purchased hundreds of millions of dollars from the inter- bank market and are unable to account for these monies. We have compiled a list of these companies with recommendations for prosecution under Anti-money Laundering Laws;
As an indicator of how bad this situation has become, the CBN governor had reminded President Jonathan that in 2012 alone, the Federation Account received $28.51billion in Petroleum Profi ts and related taxes but only $10.13billion from crude oil proceeds.
"In the period January- July 2013, the corresponding fi gures are $16.65 billion and $5.39 billion, respectively. This means, Your Excellency, that in the fi rst seven months of the year, taxes accounted for 76 per cent of the total infl ow from this sector, while NNPC crude oil proceeds, accounted for only 24 per cent."
"You will also note, Your Excellency that NNPC lifting amounted to 64 per cent of total oil lifting from Nigeria during the reference period, and yet its remittance represented only one-third of the taxes paid by the oil companies that exported the balance of 54 per cent.
"Finally, your Excellency, we would like to report that NNPC has failed to keep up with payments of its levies under Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) in line with this law, and currently owes the Federal Government N22 billion.
As banker to the Federal Government and Economic adviser to the President, I am obliged to draw the President's attention to these serious issues of which you have most probably never been aware in this detail," Sanusi Lamido had said.
In his recommendation, the CBN governor said that the NNPC should provide evidence for disposal of all proceeds of crude sales diverted from the CBN and the Federation Account; investigate crude oil lifting and swap contracts, as well as the fi nancial transactions of counter-parties for equity, fairness and transparency among others.
Expectedly, however, as an organization which has not enjoyed much of public sympathy with regards to issues of transparency and accountability in the management of the country's oil revenue, the NNPC descended heavily on the CBN governor, alleging that his allegations were based on lack of knowledge on the workings of the oil and gas industry and the modality for remitting crude oil sales revenue into the Federation Account. Besides, the corporation said the letter was leaked to embarrass it and the government as part of the campaign for the 2015 general elections.
The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Engr. Andrew Yakubu insisted that the NNPC is not in the business of withholding proceeds of crude oil sales due to the federation account or any other statutory remittances
Yakubu said that it is not in the corporation's character to join issues or trade blames with other agencies of government but said that considering the high level of publicity that the recent letter from the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the President has generated, and the erroneous impression it has created among Nigerians, it has become necessary to set the records straight.
The NNPC GMD said that all NNPC crude oil lifting is made up of equity rude, royalty oil, tax oil, volume for third party fi nancing, and NPDC equity volume, stressing that remittances of proceeds from the above lifting are made according to statutory and production arrangements.
Accordingly, he said that proceeds from equity crude is paid by NNPC into the Federation Account which is held by the Central Bank of Nigeria, while the proceeds from Royalty oil is paid to Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, whose designated account is managed by the same CBN.
Similarly, Yakubu said that the proceeds from Tax Oil or Petroleum Profi t Tax lifted by NNPC is paid directly into the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS) account also managed by the CBN, while the Third Party Finance and Trial Marketing volume are paid into designated Escrow accounts, while NPDC equity proceeds are remitted to NPDC account.
The NNPC boss said that contrary to the CBN letter which claims that for the period 1st Jan 2012 to 31st July 2013, total National crude oil liftings was 1.287 billion barrels, the corporation's records show that the total national crude lifting for the same period was actually higher at 1.330 billion barrels.
NNPC said that of all the proceeds amounting to $67.12bn have been remitted as statutorily required, stressing that it remitted its portion which is $18.48bn into the Federation Account being the total proceeds from Equity Crude and gas sales. "This represents 27.5 per cent of total proceeds of $67.12bn as against the 24 per cent declared by CBN," Yakubu said.
The NNPC boss said that for the benefi ts of those who may not be aware of the workings of the industry, it is imperative to state that the CBN, NNPC, FIRS and DPR meet regularly to reconcile lifting, sales and remittance of proceeds. Therefore, the data presented are jointly reconciled by CBN, NNPC, FIRS, and DPR.
On the alleged N22bn unpaid levies to the National Export Supervisory Scheme, the corporation said that the levies are paid to third party inspectors based on services rendered to the Federal Government. "Payment to the NESS is update as per value of work done," it said.
The current position, according to Yakubu is that, NNPC has paid a total of $114.78 million from inception of NESS in 2009 up to October 2013 as against the total budget of $117.08 million for the same period. "These payments have been reconciled with the CBN, who are again the custodians of the NESS account that is operated on a draw-down basis by the CBN."
The NNPC boss said that the allegation is "unfounded. It is baseless and it has become a political instrument in the current politically charged environment. It is a political instrument for the 2015 general elections and we consider this as an attempt to ridicule the corporation and its management," he said.
Yakubu said that he was taken aback that the issue is coming up again four months after the corporation made its clarifi cation to the Hon. Minister of Petroleum Resources, arguing that for it to surface at this time that the "political atmosphere is charged, then we fi nd it diffi cult but it is left for you journalists to do your investigative journalism to unravel the reason behind this attack."
However, the CBN has said that it considers any discussion by it on the letter purportedly written by Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, CBN governor, alleging non-remittance of $49.8 billion by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as inappropriate. It therefore, urged the general public to avoid unnecessary politicisation of a technical matter while awaiting the broad outcome of ongoing consultation and reviews.
In a statement by Ugochukwu Okoroafor, director, corporate communications, CBN, the apex bank said it would neither confi rm nor deny the existence of such a letter but said the bank was aware of a proposal to set up a technical team made up of representatives from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the NNPC and the CBN to examine the sources of any revenue leakages and propose appropriate fi scal controls.
"The CBN welcomes these initiatives and believes that they represent a positive contribution to the process of improving the management of the economy, especially if they lead to greater oversight of the fi nance ministry over oil revenue and improvements on disclosure and transparency in the oil industry," the statement said.
It noted that the capacity of the CBN to perform its role effectively is strengthened or undermined by the extent to which the nation is able to increase foreign exchange earnings and savings from these earnings, thus boosting the Excess Crude Savings Account, raising revenue levels, providing currency stability and moderating interest rates with limited risks to infl ation and fi nancial stability.
"In the performance of this role, it is natural for the CBN to be concerned at the low level of accretion to reserves of the Excess Crude Account, in spite of strong international oil prices, especially, as Nigeria's performance is compared with other oil producing economies."
According to the statement, the CBN is aware that this concern is shared by the president, the Federal Ministry of Finance, minister, state governors, legislators, economist, analysts and all stakeholders involved in managing the economy, and discussion on how to address the matter are being held at highest levels of government.
However, some operators in the sector, who spoke with Business Courage on the issue at the weekend, called for an in-depth probe into the scandal, stressing that the CBN may have been pushed to come up with the 'facts' because of the frustrations it was encountering in dealing with the corporation.
An industry player who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that some of the illegal activities being perpetuated by the NNPC would not have been possible if the corporation was not tactfully being supported by some senior government offi cials.
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Casting a Real Spell – What You Need to Know
Powerful spells caster in world, Africa,USA,UK,Australia, Bahrain,Bahamas,UK
You have decided to cast a spell. How do you cast real spells? What are the steps necessary for this task?
First you must find the right spell to cast. What are the results that you desire?
Second, you must research the spell. Do you have the right tools? You need to have all the tools, purified and ready before you begin your spell. Is there more than one person needed for the ritual or spell? You need to make sure that if more than one person is necessary to cast the spell that you have them with you before you begin. Do you have all your ingredients for the spell? Many spells have items that are necessary to carry out the spell like candles, crystals, incense or herbs. Is the timing right for the spell? Many spells require a certain time of day, month or year to cast. It is important to also consider the Sun and Moon cycles. New moons are a good time for spells that begin something, while full moons are the extremes of power. Sun cycles or the Zodiac may give you elemental power of fire in Leo or relationships in Gemini. Also, some spells are not just cast once. Some require several castings over several days or months.
Powerful spells caster in world, Africa,USA,UK,Australia, Bahrain,Bahamas,UK
Third, make sure you have a quiet space to work in. Concentration is necessary in spell casting. Distractions weaken your ability to draw the energy you need. Many casters have a special room or area in which they work best. Having an altar to work on is also very helpful. An altar can be a small table cornered off in your special room where you can keep your tools.
Once everything is ready, cast your Magick circle. A Magick circle is a visual exercise. You are creating the circle in your mind's eye. Some find it helpful to place objects like crystals or stones to mark their circle but this is only to reinforce the vision of the caster.
To cast a Magick circle, take a clear pointed quartz or a wand or your forefinger of your power hand and draw an outline, in the air at chest level or on the ground, visual a golden barrier being painted like a wall of gold. Begin in the north and continue in an unbroken, circular movement. When you have completed the circle, you should see with your mind's eye that you are enclosed in a sphere of light.
Powerful spells caster in world, Africa,USA,UK,Australia, Bahrain,Bahamas,UK
Now it is time to cast your spell.
You need to verbalize your purpose. What is it that you want? Saying what you want helps your draw the energy needed to cast the spell. Concentrate on the desired result to draw in the energy then speak the words and follow the required actions to release the energy in a focused direction or vibration to accomplish your desired result. Be sure to follow the steps of the spell you are casting, very carefully. Many spells can have negative effects on the caster if the spell is performed incorrectly.
Once you have finished casting your spell you need to close the circle. This is done by reversing the process in which you cast the circle.
So what happens now that I have cast my spell? This is the most difficult part of casting a spell because now you need to be patient and let the spell do its work. Spells are rarely instant. They take time. We live in a microwave-we-want-it-right-now society. But the universe is not based on our schedules. So the best advice I can give is to have faith in the spell that you cast and let the universe take the necessary time to make it happen.


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New Zealand continues to rise in popularity as a popular study abroad destination for Indian students. With costs that are lesser when compared to the USA, UK and Australia, globally recognised degrees, high standards of living and the varied post-study work options, it is no wonder that year-on-year we have more Indian students landing in New Zealand to get a degree. Study options vary from vocational and polytechnic courses to diplomas and full-time degrees and doctoral programmes.
Why Study in New Zealand?
- Top-quality education at an affordable cost
- Strong community of Indian expatriates
- Most universities have a strong Indian student community
- Research opportunities are varied with a strong focus on medicine, biotechnology and agriculture
- Scholarships and grants available based on academic merit
- Course curriculum designed to make graduates 'employment ready'
- Access to 12-month job-search visa after graduation
- Opportunities to apply for New Zealand citizenship
List of Universities
There are eight universities in New Zealand:
- AUT University
- Lincoln University
- Massey University
- University of Auckland
- University of Canterbury
- University of Otago
- University of Waikato
- Victoria University of Wellington
Popular Subjects
India is New Zealand's second-largest and fastest-growing source country for international students. The most popular subjects among Indian students studying in New Zealand are - Management and Commerce, Information Technology, Engineering and Related Technologies, and Food and Hospitality.
Basic Entry Requirements
Applicants to undergraduate programmes should have a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL. Applicants to postgraduate programmes should have a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 or 90 on the internet-based TOEFL.
The tuition fees will be based on the programme and the duration of the course. Fees will vary from NZ$ 18,000 to NZ$ 45,000. Additionally, students are advised to earmark around NZ$ 20,000 to NZ$ 25,000 for food and living costs. Scholarships are offered to international students at the postgraduate study level by most universities. Applicants are advised to verify if they are eligible for scholarships before they submit an application.
Career Prospects:
The New Zealand economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and tourism. The country has been affected by powerful earthquakes in recent years and a massive construction boom is underway in various parts of New Zealand. New hotels, public buildings, roads and bridges are being built to connect major cities like Auckland and Christchurch with other parts of New Zealand. Job opportunities exist in construction, medical care, tourism, hospitality and petrochemical engineering.
Need Help?
Applications for the February 2016 intake close in early December 2015. So stop hesitating, pick up the phone and call us on 1-800-103-2581 for expert study abroad advice. Experts are available from Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 7 PM. We are here to guide on your mission to study in New Zealand!


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Before Finlay was born, I started knitting some cute little newborn trousers and a tank top in gorgeous baby cotton. For several reasons – baby coming a bit early, illness and finding our feet as new parents – I didn't get these items finished until Finlay could no longer fit into them unfortunately.
Since then, I had done some crochet; crochet being much easier to pick up, do while breastfeeding, and put down again. But now, after six months of getting to grips with our new life as a family, I have finally found the time to knit. My first project? A cardigan. I love cardigans for babies. They're practical, easy to put on and take off and so damn cute. Finlay already had a few cardigans in his wardrobe – four from his Mormor and one from the mum of one of the hubby's students (you can see those, on Instagram at #knitsforfinlay) – but as we're now going into winter and Finlay continues to grow, he needs more.
I came across the Playdate cardigan from Tin Can Knits on Ravelry and thought it looked lovely. It was also seamless, meaning no annoying sewing up of different parts after all the knitting – my least favourite part of knitting clothes. But it did involve a couple of new methods that I had never tried before – pockets, and sleeves using double pointed needles.
I wanted to make the cardigan in a colourblock design and chose Drops Baby Merino in four bright colours – orange, vibrant green, turquoise and electric blue – suitably not babyish, nor particularly boyish. After choosing in what combination to use the colours I made a start. And after a good few hours of knitting, hey presto – a super cute cardi for a super cute baby. Even if I do say so myself. And for just approximately £5 in yarn and a few evenings of knitting.
Roll on the next one.


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*If you are having technical difficulties with registering, please email your information to our health care organizer Jennie Pirkl at email@example.com.*
Almost 70,000 Mainers are being denied access to life-saving health care by Governor LePage. On January 8th, our elected officials start a new legislative session, and their first priority should be reversing the Governor's decision so thousands of Mainers can receive the health care coverage they so desperately need.
Preventing access to health care could mean the difference between life and death for some Mainers. It shouldn't be a political game. It's time our elected officials got the message.
Join us on the opening day of the legislative session to tell our elected officials that access to health care needs to be their first priority.
We'll start the day with a training, followed by a rally at 10am. Before lunch (included), we'll meet with legislators in small groups.


text: NFC Forum News The NFC Forum, a non-profit association that works for the progress of NFC technology, has announced that its N-Mark symbol is growing in popularity. The N-Mark was introduced in late 2010 and serves as a special marker for certified NFC-enabled mobile devices. The NFC Forum has worked to standardize the symbol in an effort to provide some stability to the emerging industries of mobile commerce and NFC technology in general. Due to the rising demand for NFC-enabled devices and technology, the organization has decided to expand the…Read More


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Following on from my previous post, the following article appeared in Arstechnica.
'Video Professor upset by criticism, sues 100 anonymous critics'.
I hadn't seen the Video Professor previously, but it seems he's well-known for hawking 'Computing for Dummies' style CDs on late-night infomercials. The CDs are 'free', but you end up being locked into some sort of Time-Warner affair whereby they keep sending you the rest of the series, or trying to upsell you. Unless you return the subsequent CDs in a timely fashion they will charge you for them (kind of like the old book club memberships if you remember those).
Anyway, seems like the Prof (aka John Scherer) has been angered by a series of less than complimentary comments on his product and services on various websites – particularly Infomercial Scams – and has decided to sue. He's going after the website operators for a list of IP addresses and user-details for these 'anonymous' annoyed people. Luckily for the websites themselves there's 'safe harbor' protection, but Scherer is pushing on for those user details with some gusto.
Welcome to the Interweb professor, you must be new around here! Firstly, internet or no there's probably some sort of First Amendment protection of free speech that applies here. Secondly, well, see my post below: this is exactly what happens in our massively interconnected world. And thanks to that, this story – and even more negative comments – feature prominently on sites like Digg, and probably Slashdot, Reddit and who knows where else.
I'll say it again, if your product or service sucks, you'd better be prepared to be exemplary in fixing the issues, or be prepared to have a whole lot more people than you'd like find out about it!


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I recently took a friend to buy a car. Went into the ghetto car dealer's office to find out about financing a loan for the car, they ran her credit and it came back approved by some ghetto bank that wanted to charge a financing fee. The sales manager told us he would find a better loan and he picked up the phone; he explained the situation, listened, and hung up. He turned to my friend and said that Frank would carry the loan if she paid sticker price. We left.
A few hours later over at Wells Fargo she was turned down with above average credit for a loan of three thousand dollars. The loan officer seemed very surprised; he thought it was no big deal. I'm scared, I had no idea the loanable funds market was so contracted that above average credit micro loans were considered subprime. Is Wells Fargo next?


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The book is based on a document known as the Chinon parchment, found in the Vatican Secret Archives six years ago after years of being incorrectly filed.
The document is a record of the heresy hearings of the Templars before Pope Clement V in the 14th Century.
The official who found the paper says it exonerates the knights entirely.
Prof Barbara Frale, who stumbled across the parchment by mistake, says that it lays bare the rituals and ceremonies over which the Templars were accused of heresy.
In the hearings before Clement V, the knights reportedly admitted spitting on the cross, denying Jesus and kissing the lower back of the man proposing them during initiation ceremonies.
However, many of the confessions were obtained under torture and knights later recanted or tried to claim that their initiation ceremony merely mimicked the humiliation the knights would suffer if they fell into the hands of the Muslim leader Saladin.
The leader of the order, Jacques de Molay, was one of those who confessed to heresy, but later recanted.
He was burned at the stake in Paris in 1314, the same year that the Pope dissolved the order.
However, according to Prof Frale, study of the document shows that the knights were not heretics as had been believed for 700 years.
In fact she says "the Pope was obliged to ask for pardons from the knights... the document we have found absolves them".
Details of the parchment will be published as part of Processus contra Templarios, a book that will be released by the Vatican's Secret Archive on 25 October.
What are these?
Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now.";


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When you are shopping for quartz necklaces, the most important value factor to consider is the quality of the quartz. The more intense the color, the more valuable the quartz. Cut is more important than clarity, since a well-cut quartz will dance with light.
Because all Gemvara jewelry is made to order, we can hand-select fine-quality quartz to perfectly suit your design.
What is the meaning of quartz in the language of gems? Smoky quartz is said to bring its owner inner peace. Legend has it that rose quartz is the love stone, with the power to heal a broken heart. If you crave a big rock that won't break the bank, rock crystal quartz is beautiful and natural, with lasting value. With colors that complement every metal, quartz pendants and necklaces are available in sterling silver, white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum.
Quartz is a durable gem perfect for everyday wear. Clean quartz pendants and necklaces with mild dish soap: use a soft brush behind the stone where dust can collect.
Gemvara's fine quality quartz necklaces are designed to be passed down for generations to come, crafted by hand in the United States.
We can help right away. Chat with a jewelry expert now!


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Research at Hendrix
Ph. D., Northwestern University
Research interest: Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate the expression of genes in living cells
We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate the expression of genes in living cells. Genes are regions of DNA that contain information for the synthesis of molecules - proteins in many cases - that are responsible for virtually all of the processes that occur within cells. Proper expression of the genetic material is therefore critical for the normal function of cells and perturbations that cause abnormal gene expression are associated with a number of human diseases including cancer. Work by many investigators over the course of the last few decades has led to the identification of a variety of factors that play key roles in ensuring proper regulation of gene expression. Research in my laboratory focuses on elucidating how several of these critical factors - proteins known as Spt16 and histones - physically and functionally interact with each other to promote proper expression of genes. For our studies we have chosen the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the model system. Yeast is a great experimental organism for a number of reasons, including the fact that is highly amenable to a variety of genetic and biochemical experimental approaches. Given the high degree of evolutionaty conservation between yeast and human cells, our research addresses a biological problem of general importance. Please visit my website for more information on my research.


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This time I'm going to write about image processing and computer graphics. Many of you may have seen procedurally generated textures – bitmaps that look like something from the real world such as rusted steel, marble or stone, but are not photos, being completely computer generated. It may initially seem strange that it's possible to produce patterns with such natural-looking randomness with a mathematical algorithm. The trick is to use random noise (similar to static on an old television screen) and apply cleverly chosen filters on that.
Let me show how to produce an image with random black spots/stripes on a white background, similar to the pattern of a zebra or some breeds of dog. First, we need a free image processing program called ImageJ, downloadable for Windows or Linux from this address.
First, we will choose New > Image from the File menu, and set the resolution of a new blank image to 1000 x 1000 pixels.
The result is an all-black bitmap as you see below.
Next, we will add gray random noise with a specified standard deviation of pixel brightness. Choose Noise > Add Specified Noise from the Process menu, and set the standard deviation to value 3.00.
The resulting image looks like that below, where you see the familiar "TV static" appearance.
Next we will do a so-called bandpass filtering on the image. The idea here is that the program first converts the image to a Fourier transform, which is a function that tells how much of different "wavelengths" are present in the image. An image that consists of large features (with a characteristic diameter of a large number of pixels) has a high amount of large-wavelength Fourier components, while an image that contains small features has a high amount of short-wavelength components. After converting the image to the Fourier transform the bandpass filtering algorithm removes all components with wavelengths that don't lie on a desired interval and then does an inverse Fourier transform to produce a filtered image.
Choose FFT > Bandpass Filter from the Process menu and set the lower limit to 30 pixels and the upper limit to 100 pixels. This will remove all features with characteristic lengths that are not in that interval. The result looks like this:
This resulting image is pretty much the same as Perlin's fractal noise, which is very important in computer generated graphics.
Next, we have to do a "color quantization" that converts the image to a maximum contrast one, having only all-black or all-white pixels. To do this, choose Adjust > Brightness/Contrast from the Image menu.
Dragging the Contrast bar to maximum value, we obtain a two-color image that has random spots/stripes as wanted. If the contrast adjustment doesn't seem to work, try changing the image type to "RGB Color" from the Image menu first.
Spots of different sizes can be created by changing the upper and lower limits in the bandpass filtering stage. If an image with a larger resolution is desired, the image can be converted to a vector image with a program such as Inkscape, and printed back into a .PNG bitmap file of a higher resolution. This will produce a larger image without blurring or pixelization.
More complicated filtering and coloring procedures can be done to produce images like this one here, but I will write more about it later.


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Dancing in the car park, I'd have liked that,
music balanced on the car hood.
You and I working out how to move each other
slowly, one step at a time, without pain.
Watching meteors shower through night sky,
I'd have liked that too; sparks of wild
destiny zinging from the frightening void, me
curled into your shoulder, everything and nothing.
V3 on site ... sorry!
Easy to attract kind-less control, swallow it
for healing later. He asks if I could drop
the poetry, emotion, joy and soul
that compel me to drive storms, make
love in stars and smile at random
black holes trying to be bright. Lighten up,
I reply through clouds and fuzzy dreams.
My beat's a crazy crow in a quantum heart;
I absorb sunlight intravenously, dance
in the car park to a rhythm that defies you
every time. By the way, that's my flame
melting your achilles' grip to ironic dust.
alien birdsong ... not a direct soundtrack, just a by the way ...
now the night is awesomely indifferent,
a voyeur star-ing down, unsisterly,
thought slips on edgy gravel underfoot,
dice rolling echoes into silence;
it's time to spin like dust ...
escape in the rise of alien birdsong,
shiver through each tonal beauty
beside yours, so painfully untouchable
think i may have sorted out the volume issue!
yep it was my fault (not enough clicking on the sound editor boxes)
the text is here
i think it's a rubbish last line btw *grin
this is an older poem written with performance in mind, never thought i'd do it though *heh


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AO Express is a South Dakota grown company that was founded in 2007 by Austin Olson. Austin's parents, Dale and Jackie Olson, spent all of Austin's childhood years trying to instill in him the core values that it takes to survive in today's business world. Although Austin had an opportunity to move forward in the family operations in the area between Woonsocket and Forestburg, it was very evident to see that Austin's heart and soul was following his mind. Austin, along with his very used truck and trailer, started hauling. In a matter of only eight years that heart, soul, and mind has grown him to a fleet of hopper trains and liquid trailers that are powered by a fleet of late model Peterbilts. Austin wakes up every day to captain the ship that is AO Express and it's 50 employees. Austin has found himself leading us back to Dale and Jackie's most important value that they taught him as a young man; together we are a family.
ZZAO Express Inc.
This company is inactive
48130 South Dakota Hwy 42, Brandon, SD


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nearly forgot! – I'll by DJing at Remor in Girona (Barcelona) this Saturday May 24, and then on Saturday May 31 I'll be at the Novara Jazz Festival in Italy, and the Saturday after that you can catch me live featuring Jahdan Blakkamoore at Madrid's La Casa Encendida for only 3 euros!
+ + +
& now for youtube:
turntable rebajada from Sonido Martines. I like this one because the visuals are as simple as the rebajada itself – yet more disorienting. Andres Landero ground down to 33.
… which leads us to a cumbia utopia – in the sense of an impossible, impossibly pleasant location. I'm not just referring to the pretty girls dressed in haltertops or asymetrical synthetics who are dancing on a computer-generated plane with that radiant horseshoe crab in the foreground as brass notes flare near a pre-peak-oil fantasy truck sold on eBay by Mad Max, now sober, turned beekeeper to support his love of honey – although that is a part of it. There is also a sense of rescuing. And, as always, the cumbia itself. Herself? Spanish, a gendered language.


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You are now leaving this site and you'll be redirected to the Interbrand Global website.
Courmayeur's mayor and town council decided they needed to approach rebranding their Alpine getaway like a Best Global Brand. Their goal: give the city a unique and credible identity as the pinnacle of Italian spirit and high-altitude hospitality.
A mix of firsthand research and data analysis generated a list of attitudes Italian and international audiences held about the town and resort. "Elegant", "Discreet", "Italian", and "Quirky twist" were just a few. Courmayeur is magical, intimate, and unexplored, a place with the freedom and choice to do what you want, whether it's eat fine food, ski the slopes, or just relax. Courmayeur is the gateway to the summit of all your desires, with an added Italian flair. Thus, the final brand proposition: "Enjoying Italy at its Peak". The new logo and visual identity embodies the immediately recognizable silhouette of Courmayeur and Mont Blanc itself. The authentic and bold typography and colors assert the uniqueness of the venue and reflect its spirit. The use of icons and a texture based on contour lines enriches the identity and the brand expression while lending to the creation of new visual applications and merchandising.
With the creation of this new identity, the Courmayeur brand no longer represents just a place, but a whole ecosystem of products and services that people interact with—a truly radical transformation in how the city presents itself and engages citizens, tourists, and partners alike.


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Essays Without Concrete Information Are Quickly Forgotten
As I regularly tell students in my AP English classes, essays full of generalizations aren't worth the paper they are written on. An essay that fails to include concrete examples of the concept under discussion is forgotten the moment the reader reaches the end—if, indeed, the reader gets that far.
Samples of Writing With and Without Concrete Information
The above paragraph was itself full of generalizations. To drive the point home, I offer the following examples.
My AP Literature students just finished reading Pride and Prejudice. For their summative assessment, students wrote essays analyzing Darcy's character. Here's a sample paragraph:
At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Darcy demonstrates an outsized sense of pride in his status as an aristocrat. He regards it as beneath him to associate with the middle classes, barely deigning to speak when in their company. He also thinks his status gives him the right to be rude about Elizabeth's physical appearance. After a while, he falls in love with Elizabeth and proposes to her. His proposal, however, is insulting and she rejects him.
Shortly after reading this paragraph, the reader will recall nothing other than that we are supposed to regard Darcy as a snob. A couple of days later, we won't even remember how we were supposed to regard him. (Was it as a snob? Or was there something about being bad at making marriage proposals? I forget.)
Here's the level of detail that should be included to illustrate each point in the above paragraph:
At the beginning of the novel, Darcy demonstrates an outsized sense of pride in his status as an aristocrat. We first meet him at an assembly room ball. Unlike his friend Mr. Bingley, who dances gleefully with every girl in the room, Darcy dances only with Mr. Bingley's sisters, "declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party." When Mr. Bingley urges Darcy to dance with Elizabeth, Darcy responds—within Elizabeth's hearing!—that "she is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me." After several more encounters with Elizabeth, however, Darcy becomes aware that Elizabeth's face is "rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes." Unable to resist Elizabeth's charms, but still deeply conscious of his social superiority, Darcy proposes to Elizabeth. His brief declaration of love is followed by an extended articulation of his "sense of her inferiority—of its being a degradation—of the family obstacles" inherent in their widely differing social classes. Darcy evidently believes he is bestowing a favor upon Elizabeth in asking her to marry him. Alas! Darcy does not know Elizabeth as we do. Elizabeth roundly rejects his proposal and provides a frank assessment of his character:
From the very beginning—from the first moment, I may almost say—of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.
Upper class Darcy is sent packing by middle class Elizabeth, doubtless to the delight of Austen's largely middle-class readership.
Concrete Examples Tell Stories, and Stories Are Memorable
The second paragraph about Darcy is more effective than the first because it provides specific examples of each point of analysis, with each example essentially being a short story in itself. The paragraph contains a story about a ball, a story about Darcy becoming smitten with Elizabeth, and a story of a marriage proposal. As Jonathan Gottschall notes in The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, there is no more effective way to convey information or to persuade a reader of the truth of an idea than through story-telling:
As anyone who teaches realizes, most information bounces off with little impression and no recollection. Good professors and statesmen know the indispensable potency of story. This is not a new observation, but nowadays we have a better understanding of why it's true. Changing the brain requires the correct neurotransmitters, and those are especially in attendance when a person is curious, is predicting what will happen next and is emotionally engaged. Hence successful religious texts are not written as nonfiction arguments or bulleted lists of claims. They are stories. Stories about burning bushes, whales, sons, lovers, betrayals and rivalries. Story not only sticks, it mesmerizes.
Stories appeal to the emotions and thus help to form memories and persuade. As readers, we find the second paragraph about Darcy to be more compelling than the first because we can relate to our own experiences, ones doubtless charged with emotion. Who has not been rejected at some point? Who has not been slighted because of a relative lack of physical beauty? Who has not had their pride punctured when they least expected it? Who, then, cannot relate to Elizabeth and Darcy and be disgusted by Darcy's arrogance?
The Best College Essays Include Concrete Details and Elements of Story-Telling
The need to include concrete information applies as much to the college essay as it does to literary analysis. As a twelfth grade teacher and private tutor, I have spent many years coaching students in the college essay, and the process typically goes like this:
Draft #1: Students will generally describe themselves as leaders, athletes, activists, or volunteers, as the case may be. The essay at this stage would be forgotten by any admissions officer within a second or two of moving on to the next essay.
Draft #2: Students will provide examples of themselves in one or more of those roles, but the examples are still broad and contain few memorable details. These essays are better than the first, but students still fail to distinguish themselves from thousands of other applicants.
Final draft: Students tell stories about themselves, using vivid language and specific detail, to engage the reader's emotions. These are the essays admissions officers remember long after they have reached the end of the pile.
The best advice I can give to high school seniors apply to college, then, is to use the essay to tell stories about themselves—even if this means excluding other information they would love to convey. Essays that are essentially laundry lists of students' achievements will rapidly dissolve into the blah, blah, blah of thousands of other essays. But powerful stories well-told are rarely, if ever, forgotten.
Are you getting started on your college admissions process, and looking for some guidance?
Craving more on the subject of college applications?