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Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday rejected outright the result of last week's "sham" election, vowing to fight on after the protest-hit poll that handed President Uhuru Kenyatta a landslide win.
"This election must not stand. If allowed to stand, it will make a complete mockery of elections," he said in his first remarks on Thursday's presidential re-run, which his supporters boycotted en masse.
Without change, "elections will become coronation rituals," Odinga warned.
The vote, which saw Kenyatta winning with 98 percent of the votes cast, was the chaotic climax of two months of political drama and acrimony triggered by the Supreme Court's overturning of an initial August poll over widespread irregularities.
But Odinga did not say whether he would once again petition the Supreme Court to have the vote annulled, as he did back in August.
He spelt out a campaign of non-violent protest and disobedience that would ensure the government had "no peace" so long as there was no change.
The remarks are likely to extend the political uncertainty that has paralysed the country since September 1.
Despite his successful bid to throw out the results of the August election, Odinga withdrew from the re-run some two weeks beforehand, citing concerns the new vote would be neither free nor fair.
Last week, the 72-year-old leader pledged to transform his National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition into "a resistance movement" that would spearhead a campaign of "civil disobedience."
On Tuesday, he laid out plans for a programme of "vigorous" political action including "economic boycotts, peaceful processions, picketing and other legitimate protests."
"If there is no justice for the people, let there be no peace for the government," he declared.
– Odinga 'the unpredictable' –
In his western stronghold of Kisumu, Odinga's highly-anticipated speech drew a mixed reaction.
"It was a very good speech," nodded Linah Awuor, 42, who was selling plastic jerrycans in Kibuye market, saying she hoped the government would hear his "message of peace".
"I am happy that it's peaceful. It was not good for business lately, and I hope it will get better now."
And Nixon Juma, a 25-year-old who said he had taken part in every protest since August, said he was happy to follow Odinga's leadership.
"Raila has said dialogue first, so dialogue it is. We will see what happens," he said. "Raila knows that he can count on us, we are here, and we will be waiting for his word."
But 21-year-old taxi driver Samwell Ochyeng was a bit nonplussed, saying Odinga was definitely living up to his nickname Agwambo, a Luo word which translates as "the unpredictable".
"I don't understand, I am a bit disappointed. We were waiting for a crucial announcement, and he comes up with this speech," he said.
But in the end, they would follow, he said. "We are waiting, and whatever he says, we'll do."
Aside from some scuffles after the results were announced, things have been largely calm for the past four days although security was stepped up Tuesday as more than a million pupils aged between 13 and 15 began sitting their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.
– Victor but at what cost? –
In his victory speech on Monday, Kenyatta hailed the result as vindication of his triumph in the August poll which was later overturned.
But it proved to be a bittersweet victory.
Turnout was just 38.8 percent, marring the credibility of a vote that has deeply polarised the East African nation, sparking months of bitter infighting, legal wrangling and violent protest.
The last few months of chaos drew a sharp rebuke on Tuesday from the European Union's election observer mission.
"Actions by both sides of the political divide have been damaging to the electoral process and have put the people and institutions of Kenya in an extremely difficult position," it said.
"Such a divisive electoral process, with accompanying violence, has been detrimental to Kenya's democratic functioning and the rule of law, as well as its prosperity," the mission said.
And it stressed the "urgent need for dialogue between the two sides… and for grievances to be addressed through democratic and judicial channels", saying the onus was on the leaders to "find a way out of the current impasse".
But from a technical point of view, it said the actual polling and counting process appeared to be "generally well administered" with some technical improvements evident in the results process.
The political crisis is the worst to hit the country since a 2007 vote sparked months of politically-driven ethnic violence that left 1,100 people dead.
While the dynamics of 2017's political crisis are very different, the memory of the bloodshed a decade ago is never far away. ref:: Hazel Ward, AFP


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It's funny sometimes, how the human mind works. Of course, there's nothing actually special about leap years or leap days. They're just a relatively convenient way of dealing with the fact that one naturally occurring phenomenon (the time it takes our planet to rotate once about its axis) does not evenly divide another (the time it takes our planet to revolve once about its star). Nevertheless, there's something deep inside of us that marks this day as somehow special — maybe even a little magical.
So, what are you doing with your extra, magical day this year?
I confess, that I at first had two other idea for this blog post, but it turned out that neither was actually a good idea. (Well, they were both good ideas, in the abstract, just not good ideas for this blog).
The first was to suggest that you make leap day — both this year and every year — a second birthday celebration, but counting in leap years. The problem is, that idea stops being fun by about age 40. So, if you're 40, the idea would be you're celebrating your 10th birthday on leap day, and I think adults could throw quite the exciting "10 year old's party" for a 40 year old. Your average 24 year old could probably even have an exciting 6-year-old birthday party for himself, with cake, and friends, and maybe dressing up in costumes, and maybe going for a bike ride. And I still think this is a grand idea, but by the time you're your age, or the age of your parents, it doesn't sound like quite as much of a good idea. Maybe, just maybe, taking your 84 year old mom out for a shot on her "21st" birthday may be a good idea; but what would it even mean for a 76 year old to celebrate a 19th birthday?
The I thought I'd google around for what other people are doing on leap day. It turns out there are some very strange traditions. Apparently, it's the Sadie Hawkins Day of marriage (see items 5-7). I had no idea.
Bill Kalmar, a frequent op-ed contributor in our neighboring state to the north, put together an interesting list of things to do on leap day. He mentioned in that article that he has friends who were married on the 29th of February, which got me thinking that celebrating leap-anniversaries might make more sense than celebrating leap birthdays (been married 52 years so far? Why not celebrate your leap-lace anniversary?)
So, as I said, neither of those ideas were getting me anywhere. Which led me to where I finally got. To wit, asking you, dear readers: what are you doing with your parents on this magical, extra day this year? Comments below or on social media are highly encouraged!

subset: commoncrawl


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Best Of 2015: Diner
Best Of 2015: Green Chili
Best Of 2015: Late-Night Dining
Colorado Springs isn't exactly a 24-hour town, at least not if you're talking about 24 consecutive hours. But on late Friday and Saturday nights, long after most of downtown has finished rolling up the sidewalks, the King's Chef Bijou Street operation is still ladling non-GMO green chile onto the eggs, hash browns and other hearty ingredients that constitute daunting dishes like The Grump, The Thing and the altogether sublime Huevos de King Chef. The Costilla location, meanwhile, caters to a daytime crowd that prefers to eat at a single lunch counter tucked into a kitschy little purple castle. We like both. — Bill Forman
Price: $
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A late post due to a prolonged power cut in Cholsey today.
Another warm and muggy day with most birds seeking cover in the bright sunshine or being less active in the heat. Therefore mainly about the insects noted today.
Dragonflies: Azure Damselfly, Black-tailed Skimmer, Southern Hawker and Emperor Dragonfly.
Butterflies: Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Small Blue, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.


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Remove Newscommer.com (Removal Guide) - Free Instructions
Newscommer.com – a PUP which affects browsers and displays numerous ads to gain revenue
Newscommer.com virus is an ad-supported program which infiltrates the computer system through software bundles. Once inside the system, this PUP[1] launches numerous tasks in the system's background. Additionally, it modifies Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, and other web browsers to get an ability to fill them with sponsored content. As a result, the victim is interrupted by numerous Newscommer.com ads that can not only slow down the affected web browser but can also redirect the user to the malicious website. In most of the cases, such technique is used to promote fake software, infected updates, non-existent surveys, and similar content.
|detected as
|Danger level
|Low. Does not affect other computer systems
|To gain revenue from various pop-ups, pop-unders, coupons, banners, etc.
|Through bundles, unrecognizable sites, and links
|Avoiding methods
|Stay away from third-party software and installers, eliminate all questionable pages you enter, install an antivirus program
|Elimination process
|Use Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego to get rid of the PUP
Newscommer virus is similar to other adware-type malware[2] which causes these symptoms on the affected PC system:
- The homepage, new tab URL, and other settings are changed to the new ones;
- Your web browser starts struggling, even when performing simple commands;
- You start facing numerous redirects to sponsored sites;
- Numerous adverts start covering your favorite sites each time you try to perform a particular action.
No matter how harmless ads caused by this adware seem, you need to remember that this adware-type application can cause redirects to sites which are filled with harmful content or even malware. To avoid such possible damage, you need to install antivirus protection. We recommend choosing Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego anti-malware to remove Newscommer.com virus without a need to deal with unwanted consequences.
Nevertheless, the most important fact related to this PUP is that it might collect various non-personal and browsing activity-related details such as:
- IP addresses;
- Pages visited;
- Pictures viewed;
- Bookmarks;
- Links clicked;
- and similar.
As mentioned earlier, developers of such programs are seeking to gain revenue from numerous advertisements that they display. Not only that they are annoying and used to achieve the pay-per-click income, these adverts also might cause regular browser slowdowns and even crash downs. To return to the previous browsing routine, better take care of Newscommer.com removal. After you get rid of the PUP, a piece of advice would be to refresh browsers that were affected by the adware-type program to make sure that all unnecessary components are eliminated for good.
Newscommer.com - an adware which benefits from numerous intrusive pop-ups and pop-unders by collecting pay-per-click revenue.
Prevent your system from various adware infections by using simple tips
According to IT experts[3], PUPs such as ad-supported programs often come bundled with other applications. You can get the PUP installed secretly by downloading a simple download manager, PDF creator and similar program from the web. Furthermore, third-party installers can also be used to spread adware, so better use only official sources while trying to download software from the web. Additionally, make sure you select the Custom/Advanced installation option and opt-out of all unnecessary downloads you did not request for.
Moreover, P2P networks can also be used for the distribution of adware or other PUPs. Such sites are Torrents, eMule, and similar ones do not fit the security requirements, and, as a result, inject an adware into the system without user's notice.
Some advice would be to avoid suspicious-looking sites to stay safe from PUPs. If you ever encounter a strange-looking webpage – be quick to leave it permanently and never return. Additionally, make sure your system is protected by reliable antivirus which will keep your computer virus-free.
Get rid of Newscommer.com PUP with the help of the specific program
To remove Newscommer.com virus, you will need to choose from two options offered by 2-spyware experts. The first one is manual removal which requires going thru all system's settings manually and eliminating all unknown browser extensions and plug-ins from each web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, IE, Edge, etc. Instructions for this methods are given below the text.
If you want to proceed with the full Newscommer.com removal and be sure that are malicious components are gone, you can choose to do it automatically with the help of an anti-malware tool. This method will take only a couple of minutes of your time, all you need to do is install anti-malware. After the elimination is done, reset browsers that were affected by the cyber threat.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Newscommer.com, follow these steps:
Uninstall Newscommer.com from Windows systems
Remove adware from your Windows OS by following these steps:
- Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
Uninstall Newscommer.com and related programs
Here, look for Newscommer.com or any other recently installed suspicious programs.
- Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Remove Newscommer.com from Mac OS X system
Get rid of the PUP from Mac OS X by using this guide:
- If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
- Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Newscommer.com or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Delete Newscommer.com from Internet Explorer (IE)
Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Newscommer.com and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab.
- Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab.
- Here, select Reset.
- When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Newscommer.com removal.
Get rid of Newscommer.com from Microsoft Edge
Remove Newscommer virus and related components from Microsoft Edge with the help of this guide:
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
- Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
- Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
- Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
- Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can't see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
- When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
- Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
- Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Newscommer.com should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Erase Newscommer.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
- Here, select Newscommer.com and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Newscommer.com removal.
Eliminate Newscommer.com from Google Chrome
Refresh Google Chrome:
Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
- Here, select Newscommer.com and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
- Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
- When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings.
- Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
- Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Newscommer.com removal.
Uninstall Newscommer.com from Safari
Reset your Safari web browser by looking thru these instructions:
Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
- Here, select Extensions and look for Newscommer.com or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
- Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Newscommer.com removal process.
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
About the author
- ^ Potentially Unwanted Program. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia.
- ^ Adware. Techopedia. IT encyclopedia.
- ^ UtanVirus. UtanVirus. Malware experts.
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Send your email to Intex at the above address or you can personally visit the place on the given address.
Communicate with Intex through the email address displayed above for any query, help, suggestion and feedback.
Pick up your phone and call Intex on the specified contact number.
Open www.intexmobile.in website and get all required information from there.
Intex Technologies (India) Limited is a leading mobile and technology products manufacturer company in India. The company primarily is involved in the business segments of information technology, telecommunication devices and consumer durables through providing a comprehensive range of products and solutions. Today, the company has strong nationwide footprints through more than 30 branch offices and approximately 800 service touch points spread across India. Over the last few years, it has grown internally to become one of the most efficient firms in India with approximately INR 2056 crore in total turnover.Intex Technologies (India) Limited was formed in the year of 1996 and is situated with corporate headquarters in New Delhi, India. It sells products under the brand name of INTEX, and the brand is available in seven business areas including security surveillance, power electronics, IT accessories, enterprise solutions, retail, consumer durables and mobile phones. The INTEX brand is equipped with an extensive portfolio of nearly 30 product groups which encompasses in approximately 297 different items. Intex Technologies (India) Limited is also involved in retail business segments to distribute its products with a growing channel of hyper markets and specialty stores. The company's wide range of products portfolio includes TFT-LCD monitors, headphones, phone accessories, ethernet cards & switches, DVD players, power electronics, subwoofers, UPS systems, MP3 players, LCD televisions, mobile phones, structured cabling products, Webcams, consumer electronics, smartphones, cabinets and many more. It has workforce of more than 2000 employees in nation. Intex Technologies sells its products through a large network of nearly 1100 distributors and more than 40,000 dealers spread throughout the country. For its well satisfied customers services and products quality, the company has honored by various awards and certifications including 'Best Buy' Award (2007), 'Best Buy Silver' Award, INNOVATION CHAMPION & STAR ACHIEVER Award, Best Value Award, SMB Champion Award, Best Peripherals Brand, Most Visible Indian Brand and many more. The customer care number of Intex can be contacted from Allahabad, Trichy, Jamshedpur, Agra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Jaipur, Jammu, Rajkot, Maharashtra, Patna, Mangalore, Raipur, Faridabad, Bangalore, Noida, Amritsar, Meerut, Navi Mumbai, Karnataka, Ranchi, Jalandhar, Hyderabad, Assam, Dehradun, Ernakulam, Uttarakhand, Pondicherry, Gwalior, Chennai, Udaipur, Trivandrum, Kerala, Vellore, Kolkata, South Delhi, Salem, Ghaziabad, New Delhi, Madurai, Nasik, Pune, Aurangabad, Erode, Bhopal, Vadodara, Cochin, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Indore, West Delhi, Mysore, Rajasthan, East Delhi, Shillong, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Varanasi, Thane, Goa, Bhubaneswar, Gorakhpur, Vijayawada, Punjab, Sangli, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gurgaon, Coimbatore, Gujarat, Visakhapatnam, Patiala, Bihar, North Delhi, Orissa, Baroda, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Goregaon India, etc.


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Questions To Ask IT Consultant Alexandria VA For My Business
Questions When Hiring IT Consultant Alexandria VA
Bringing outside IT expertise into your business can help you dramatically. However, your perfect solution all depends on finding the right person—or company—to help you. When you choose to hire an IT consultant Alexandria VA, it helps to know how to find the best firm to handle your needs.
Here are some of the top questions to ask when you're considering hiring an IT consultant Alexandria VA.
Do You Have Experience Working with Businesses of Our Size?
Some firms only know how to tackle problems on a large scale. Working with small or medium-sized businesses takes a company with experience to complete your IT solutions. Your IT consultant Alexandria VA should understand how the size of your business will affect your ideal IT setup.
This is also a good time to assess your potential IT consultant's communication skills. Let them tell you about their experience in working with businesses similar to yours. Your potential new partner should work well with people and tell you about how they've worked with clients in the past.
Do You Have Experience Working with Businesses of Our Industry?
Skilled IT firms are experts in their own field of IT, but might not be familiar with the industry of your business. If this is the case, this company might not be a good fit for you. Understanding how your IT processes, hardware, and software need to work for your business is important. This is something only an IT consultant Alexandria VA who has worked with businesses of your industry before will understand.
Are You Motivated by Vendor Relationships?
Good vendor relationships are something you want in an IT partner. The right relationships can be an essential part in IT procurement as well as saving you some money in the process. However, some IT firms are financially motivated by certain vendors. This means they may provide you with "solutions" you don't need in order to maintain those relationships.
When hiring an IT consultant Alexandria VA, look for a firm that has your best interest in mind, not their vendors.
Can I See Your Portfolio?
Even if your potential new partner came highly recommended from someone you know, you should always review their past work. This means asking if you can see their portfolio. Their previous IT successes will show you the quality of their work and more importantly, will show you what to expect from them.
You can also take this opportunity to ask about their successes and failures with previous clients. They should be able to talk about what they've achieved as well as what could have gone better. A strong company will take responsibility for past mistakes and tell you about what they plan to do better in the future.
Are Your Certifications Up-to-Date?
In an industry as advanced as technology, it's crucial that your IT partner stay current on their certifications, continuing education courses, and any additional training. Ask about what certifications they hold. If it's an IT firm you're considering, ask what types of requirements they hold for their employees to stay up-to-date on the most relevant information.
In addition to inquiring about their portfolio, you should also check references of potential candidates for your IT consultant Alexandria VA. You may even consider doing a background check.
Now that you know the right questions to ask, you can move forward with hiring the IT consultant Alexandria VA that best fits your IT needs. From solving just one problem to resolving the most complex issues, trust an outsourced IT provider to bring you superior IT solutions for your business!


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Try Total Brain – a neuroscience-based mental health and wellness app! Founded on the notion that our mental health can be measured, improved and managed like our physical health, Total Brain measures the 12 brain capacities that define mental health, confidentially screens for the risk of common mental health conditions, creates self-awareness and accountability, and engages individuals in mental fitness programs that maximize their mental health.
Learn about your strengths, weaknesses and risk of mental conditions. Monitor the impact of mental fitness programs and mental health care.
Screen for risk of common mental conditions (including ADHD, Addiction, Anxiety, Depression, etc.) and receive immediate, in-app referrals to third party health services.
Leverage digital training as a self-administered, non-medical, adjunctive treatment. Proven results indicate a 39% improvement in Depression5 and 28% improvement in Anxiety6.
Measurable improvement across each of the 4 brain capacity categories, encompassing 12 distinct capacities, yielding an improvement in your overall mental health.
Total Brain offers unique benefits for consumers, companies and payers, providers and affinity groups. Learn more by visiting the page most aligned with your needs.
(1) NIMH https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml – 18% of US population has a clinical condition.
(2) Total Brain Internal data, n = 12,000. 61% of US employees screen at-risk of having one of 7 most common mental conditions.
(3) American Heart Association CEO Roundtable: Mental Health – A Workforce Crisis: https://goo.gl/torfyd – 19% of the US population reports "excellent health".
(4) Improvements in brain performance correlated with average of three hours of training. 2017 internal book of business data; N = 3,275; Users who assessed + trained at least twice
(5) Among Total Brain users who completed 2 or more hours of training, a 39% improvement in depressed mood was found.
(6) Among those flagged as at risk for depression or anxiety, a 28% improvement in anxiety levels was found for those who completed 2 or more hours of training.


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Stahl: But you know, your idol, as I've read anyway, was Ronald Reagan. And he compromised.
Oldies But Goodies: Da Doo Ron Ron
Cantor: He never compromised his principles.
Stahl: Well, he raised taxes and it was one of his principles not to raise taxes.
Cantor: Well, he — he also cut taxes.
Stahl: But he did compromise —
Cantor: Well I —At that point, Cantor's press secretary, off camera, interrupted the interview, yelling that Stahl was lying when she said Reagan raised taxes. As Stahl told "60 Minutes" viewers, "There seemed to be some difficulty accepting the fact that even though Ronald Reagan cut taxes, he also pushed through several tax increases, including one in 1982 during a recession."


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Once more, Viscom has confirmed it to be the reference event for all operators of visual communication.
In our booth we decided to offer visitors a full immersion in Stilista3 software with dozens of demonstrations every day. In this way, it has been easy to show how much our software is intuitive, easy and, above all, how much it meets the needs of versatility and productivity of customers. The ability to create, with only one software, designs with embroidery, cuts and/or laser engravings and rhinestones, is for the user a precious tool for increasing business potential.
All this has aroused the curiosity and interest of people and many have decided to visit our booth.
We thank all the people who decided to visit us and Studio Auriga's staff who exhibited the GMI PLT640-70 laser cutting and engraving machine.


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President Obama is stepping up his war on "obscene" Wall Street bonuses — and the investment bankers at Goldman Sachs may be firing back. According to The Times of London, Goldman is preparing to give CEO Lloyd Blankfein a record $100 million bonus, topping his 2007 bonus of $67.9 million. Goldman calls the Times report "speculative nonsense," but the Wall Street firm earned $1.8 billion more last year than in 2007, and Blankfein took no bonus for 2008. Is Blankfein, as a rival banker tells The Times, planning to cash a giant check as a way of "thumbing his nose at Obama"? (Watch a Fox report about Lloyd Blankfein's rumored bonus)
Not just at Obama: Blankfein and Goldman Sachs are thumbing their nose at all Americans, says John Vandenter at the SEIU blog. Remember, taxpayers "funded Goldman Sachs' bailout when the bank was on the ropes" last year — and now, as most of us are "struggling to make ends meet," our dollars are effectively being used to pay Blankfein's obscene bonus. Truly "unbelievable."
"Lloyd Blankfein thumbs his nose at us"
If he is, it's foolish: I certainly "wouldn't be surprised to find that Blankfein was a little annoyed at Obama," says Michael Corkery in The Wall Street Journal. Obama's continued his "fight" against Wall Street even with the lowered bonuses and increased charitable donations. But at a time when its lobbying machine is trying to prevent tighter regulation, "alienating the White House could have real consequences for Goldman."
"A $100 million bonus for Goldman's Blankfein… Really?"
The $100 million figure is probably exaggerated: "It frankly boggles the imagination that he's going to get anywhere near" that much, says Felix Salmon at Reuters. Aside from the political/regulatory suicide angle, "Goldman's rivals" — the purported sources for the figure — "couldn't possibly know what Blankfein's bonus is going to be." Sure, Lucky Lloyd will take home a fat check — eight figures — but it will be less than his $68 million from 2007.
"Blankfein's eight-figure bonus"
• Goldman Sachs' mandatory charity
• Hating Goldman Sachs
• Goldman Sachs' latest 'PR move'
• Goldman Sachs' charm offensive


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ANAHEIM – Pachyderms won't be parading through downtown Anaheim this week to tout that the "greatest show on Earth" is back in town – ending a years-long tradition by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Even though there were no known complaints in prior years, the annual elephant walk was canceled this year because organizers said they wanted to eliminate the usual traffic jams while finding a safer way to move the animals.
The walks were typically held two days before the circus opens as a way to promote the show to local residents.
Three years ago, for example, 200-plus showed up to watch eight 10,000-pound Asian elephants plod down a train platform, form a line with trunks to tails and trundle the half-mile route.
The elephants will instead be transported aboard a set of specialized trucks from the mile-long circus train to temporary animal enclosures erected at the Honda Center, said Steve Payne, vice president of communications for Feld Entertainment, the parent company for Ringling Bros.
The pachyderms were also packed into the trucks for recent shows in Los Angeles and Ontario, but the elephant walk is still held in some cities like Washington, D.C., Payne said.
"We believe this is the safest and most efficient way to move the elephants in and around the L.A. metro area," Payne said. "We're usually beholden to train schedules, and the elephant walk requires a lot of work and pre-planning with law enforcement, the venues and our personnel."
Circus fans can still get a free, up-close look at the elephants, tigers, horses and other creatures during an animal open house held for 90 minutes before every Honda Center show beginning Friday, Payne said. Trainers will be on hand to discuss the circus' Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.
Payne said he did not know if the elephant walk would ever return to Anaheim.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3769 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Stepping out of my "comfort zone"
Spending time at the golf course is supposed to be relaxing.
Depending upon your skill level, it can also be frustrating and at times embarrassing.
I'm preparing myself for the latter.
Today, I'll be taking part in the annual "Bob and Brian Open" at Grand Geneva. While hundreds of loyal 102.9 The Hog listeners hack their way around the beautifully manicured course, I'll be standing at a par-3 hole, playing the part of the "Beat the Pro" guy.
Basically, I'll hit a tee shot with each group that comes through. There may or may not be betting (for charity, the whole shindig is a benefit for the MACC Fund) and there will be some hooting and hollering.
Time for the excuses. I'm doing this as a favor to my friends, Bob and Brian, and the chance to network with a lot of friendly (and possibly sunburned and a bit tipsy) business contacts.
I just finished reading a book about networking (you'll hear about it next week here at OnMilwaukee.com) and the author stressed the importance of getting outside your comfort zone. He meant meeting new people and putting yourself in different situations.
Today qualifies for me on both fronts.
I don't play a lot of golf -- not enough to be good, anyway. I hate playing golf when I have to stand around a long time between shots. As I squeak into my mid-40s, I have a hard time staying loose.
I don't anticipate hitting many good shots. But, I do anticipate having a pretty good time. The only thing is, I have to condition myself to enjoy the day and not worry about the results or what people think about my golf game.
Hitting shots in front of a hundred or so strangers isn't my idea of a comfortable activity. When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?


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Why the NHS has to ration care: Nick Triggle in The Times 20th Feb 2013 reports:
What is health care rationing? ….The Kings Fund says to beware if it is not done by doctors… But they admit it has to happen (1999!!).. Rationing of services to patients is occurring but in a covert and post code manner different in different areas of the country. I would suggest that, if it is a National Health Service, that high end (expensive service) rationing should be universal and fair, but low end rationing could be local (and pragmatically but unfortunately unfair). Please let me have copy letters as examples of rationing – these will be listed at bottom of this post.
NHSreality welcomes suggestions to new links and articles regarding overt rationing around the world. Please contact me if you can make a contribution. The Nuffield Trust and the Kings fund are clear that we should be thinking about it, and if it has to be, that rationing should be overt. One of its foremost thinkers is John Appleby. If you would like to download the Kings fund document (2012) it is here.
The Nuffield Trust. Rationing health care: is it time to set out more clearly what is funded by the NHS? 27th February 2012
Too true it's time. The professions have been waiting for many years for the politicians to address reality. The problem is that by saying what is funded, they will by implication be saying what is NOT funded, and outwitht he NHS – i.e. rationed. And they still dont want to use that word and fear that the first party to do so will be anathema. So it has to get worse…
Want to read more about deserts based rationing?
he House of Lords has a Committee to consider the impact of demograhic changes on Public Services. Its original background report and "call for evidence" (also on You Tube) has been met, and the conclusion as reported in the BBC, is that we are woefully unprepared and that public services may disintegrate if we do not reconstruct and re-invent them.
There will be much debate about methodology once rationing is accepted. A suggested model comes from Holland.
Another country, which used to have an NHS like approach (Covert rationing by area and Post Code) has changed and for the last 20 years has controlled its costs much more effectively, whilst encouraging autonomy for high volume low cost items. This is New Zealand and this perspective by W. Edgar, director of the NZ National Health Committee makes the process overt. Discussion in journals such as Law Medicine and Ethics has also been interesting.
Is it time to look abroad (The Times) for new models?
Holland has an insurance based system with obligatory state cover for those without means.
Germany has a tiered insurance system.
Australia as New Zealand has a mixed service with co-payments for entry.
The Italian Healthcare system has a small but definite disincentive when you first see a GP, and uses Insurance to provide a tiered service. Latest figures for spending on Wikipedia are 9.0% of GDP, but I expect this has caught up with us by now.
Canada's system is based on the NHS but has a method of fiscal transfers (Health Canada is not responsible for the funding of Canada's health care system. The federal government provides funding to the provinces and territories for health care services through fiscal transfers.)
The USA is a complex picture of mainly private provision (for adults) and state provision newly agreed for children under Mr Obama. Improvements in child and perinatal mortality and morbidity are inevitable, and so opponents are going to do everything they can to sabotage before the same improvements we had in the UK are universal in the USA. Proof figures should come out in 2-3 years time… Meanwhile Wikipedia is the best site I have found for US heath care. Try the official US government portal, but remember you will not be covered unless you take out special insurance for a visit.
A comparison between US and Canada is also available on Wikipedia.
The Chinese medical hybrid system (Economist April 27th 2013) is under continuous change and subject to great pressures. China – Feeling your pain. An excerpt is below:
"In theory the system should offer better care than before for patients with serious diseases, but in practice the opposite is often true. Patients with minor illnesses benefit, but hospitals, under pressure to control mounting costs, turn away the very ill. This is because of the caps that have been placed on how much insured treatment a hospital can claim back from the government. Hospitals fear that, if they exceed the caps, they will have to choose between paying the extra themselves or turfing out patients like Mr Qin.
As health-care coverage has broadened and deepened, so the government's share of health spending has ballooned, from 16% in 2001 to 30% in 2011. Patients still directly bear more than a third of the total costs nationwide. Social and commercial insurance make up the rest. Over the past decade the country's total health expenditure has grown almost fivefold, to an estimated 2.4 trillion yuan ($385 billion) in 2011. McKinsey, a consulting firm, expects it to reach $1 trillion by 2020, roughly 7% of GDP. The health-care system will have trouble absorbing the added costs. Preliminary estimates by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing suggest that many local state-run health-insurance funds across China will begin to run deficits in 2017.
As in America, inefficient and unnecessary care has contributed to the growing cost of Chinese health care. Hospitals are allowed to charge a 15% mark-up on the price of medicines, which inevitably encourages low-paid physicians to prescribe more expensive drugs. This is combined with a fee system, in which hospitals are reimbursed by the government for each service, regardless of the quality of care, thus giving doctors an incentive to perform unnecessary tests and treatments."
The Irish Medical System has two leveover depending on means. The Irish dont try to pretend that everyone will have an equal service and so they ration healthcare effectively. Wikpiedia gives a non biased account. The Dutch and German models are also based on pragmatic reality.
Dutch GPs seem to be happier with their system and their lot: Why are Dutch GPs so much happier (BMJ articles 2016)
Examples of rationing.
- Infertility treatment access differs in different regions.
- Obesity surgery indicators differ in different regions.
- Prescription charges.
Cancer treatment. In most European countries a diagnosis of Cancer prostate would invoke an immediate referral for radiotherapy if that was part of the treatment of choice. Even in low grade cancer prostate, the reassurance that treatment is not delayed is helpful to the patient. Here is a Radiotherapy Wait 6m 032013, and when the patient asked the likely waiting time for radiotherapy the answer was "at least 6 months".
NHS NE Exceptional Treatment Policiesupdate and review Report.
This is an example, repeated across the country, of exceptions to treatment, this time in the North East. There are similar documents for all regions and PCTs LHBs. This is rationing, and simply obfuscatiing it under other names (exceptions, limitations, restrictions) hides the issue from the public, who only find out what is not available when they or their relatives need it.
In my own area, West Wales (Hywel Dda Trust minutes 27th Jan 2011), there is a "restriction" on second cataract operations, for which rules are unclear and subject to a "freedom of information" request.
Some Trusts have overt IFR (Individual Funding Requests) board rules. This is from Leeds.
IVF 'postcode lottery' to worsen, Lord Winston warns. 30th March 2013
IVF treatment will be down to a "postcode lottery" this spring when doctors take
control of NHS spending, Lord Winston has warned. I too would be forced to ration IVF under the budgetary constraints PCTs and their boards are under, but NOT if I was allowed to ration high volume low cost items such as Paracetamol or nits or verruca treatments.
Please can managers and other staff, from all over the Uk, respond by sending me links to, and documents about, their particular Post Code rationing, and if I get enough I will open a special page which could act as a national resource. Remember that until we are asked for ID cards (and Passports for Wales/Scotland) you can register anywhere in the UK. Some areas are asking for proof of residency (a utility bill with your name on) but some are not.
Comment from Laurence Buckman..
…with declining standards, or pragmatic and ethically challenging rationing, but with solvency. I submit on this site that overt rationing, if done after a debate, and if this debate is ongoing in the media, is an ethical way to ration..
The Nuffield Trust has surveyed Doctors with regard to their attitude to rationing.
Update 17th October 2013
Several articles in The Economist reflect the problems of Health Reform in India ( The Economist India Health International) and China (Economist Health care in China) and (China Economist Health Care Reform) two of the fastest growing economies, and Brazil (Economist Health care in Brazil)and the threat of civil unrest in all these countries due to inequalities is real.


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I have been playing, and you would have seen posted earlier, a faction of malevolent beings called the Cephalyx who use and abuse other creatures turning them into mindless drones through chemical, medical and psychological experimentation. A great bunch of guys really. For LoR I am going to be taking this faction and wanted to have some new stuff to put on the table unfortunately they have had no new model releases for a while and I was inspired by a conversion I had seen elsewhere.
I am going to take a couple of models from other factions and turn them to my servants. The beauty of the heavy kits from which I have built my Cephalyx army is there are always plenty of bits to use when you find a purpose.
So I am taking a a Troll Heavy and a Circle of Orboros Heavy and 'modifying' them to suit my needs.
|Heavy kits
|One of my my original Wreckers
|My original Warden
|Cephalyx box and parts from the heavy kits
First step build up with what I had including bits from the old Cephalyx box, The Head and arms were easy exchanges.
|Satyr Warden pre-piping
I melded the Troll head with the Cephalyx one, its very Robocop I think.
|Troll Wrecker pre-piping
Then The addition of piping and wiring I am pretty happy so far.....
|Satyr Warden
|Satyr Warden piping
|Troll Wrecker piping
|Troll Wrecker , Robocop face.


text: This sophisticated 2 Bdrm + den / 2 bath executive suite with floor-ceiling windows, Radiant Geothermal heating, and beautiful South West and North views. This home boasts hardwood floors, gourmet kitchen and granite counters, 2 parking stalls + Guest parking + storage locker. Walk to Urban Fare, the sea wall, Stanley Park and famed Robson Street. Moments from everything that Vancouver has to offer!


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Features- how do you write yours?
When writing a news story there are guidelines in place to ensure your story is straight to the point, structured and accurate.
All good journalism students are aware that the perfect lead should include the 'what' first, unless the 'who' is more important, the 'where' should also feature and the 'when' is usually incorporated at the end of the sentence. The lead should only be one sentence, two at the most, in order to state the main facts as simply as possible. The 'why' and the 'how' should be discussed high up in the story and the rest of the facts should follow in a set inverted pyramid structure. Three quotes is a good number and the first should preferably be in the third paragraph. There are exceptions, of course, but generally if you follow the rules you are onto a winner.
However, feature writing seems to me to be a little more difficult. It is the 'why' and the 'how' which often take centre stage. Following a large event or news story, features can provide the detail that readers want to know about. A writer can immerse themselves in the depth of the story rather than simply stating facts. They can even include their own opinions but supporting themselves using the solid groundings of primary reportage.
A journalist has much more creative freedom in which to entice the reader with. Firstly they must choose the type of feature which will best fit the information they wish to share. Lifestyle, backgrounder, profile, interview, how-to-do-it, opinion column… the list continues.
Then the style can be chosen. Do you wish to write in first person or third person? Perhaps in second person, including the reader at all times. Do you want your feature to read like a fictional book, full of description and painting a vivid image in the reader's mind? Or would you prefer a more simple approach, colourful and engaging, yet an easy read?
Another question that you must ask yourself is how are you going to grab the attention of your reader? Just like a news story, the lead is vital in hooking the reader. The difference is that you can take as many sentences as you like to do so.
You may wish to explain the topic straight away by asking a simple question, or you may use a delayed lead where you can take several paragraphs to get to the point, perhaps by using an anecdote to ease the reader in. How about a shocking, horrific or emotional introduction? Have you considered a contrast lead, comparing an idealistic beautiful image with a graphic and horrible reality? The latter seems rather depressing to me but the choice is yours.
In my opinion, more freedom = more fun!
Picture: google images
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text: Kettering University provides all alumni with a personalized email address for life which is administered through Google Apps for Education. In addition to your email account, as Kettering Alumni you will also receive access to a number of additional cloud solutions such as contacts, calendaring, storage of documents in the cloud and more. Learn more. Please complete the following web form to submit your request to the Alumni Engagement department to generate your personalized email and account login information. Example Format: email@example.com Note: If you have graduated after December 2011, Kettering has already created a personalized alumni email address for you. Please contact the technology Help Desk for assistance with accessing your email account. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! Alumni Engagement(800) 955-4464, extension firstname.lastname@example.com Technology Help Desk(800) 955-4464, extension email@example.com Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Monday - Friday) Identification Information First Name * Middle Initial Last Name * Last Name at Graduation Alumni Identification Number Birth Year * Kettering/GMI Graduate Information Graduation Year Degree/Certificate Earned BB AdministrationBS Applied BiologyBS Applied ChemistryBS Applied MathematicsBS Applied PhysicsBS BiochemistryBS BioinformaticsBS Business AdministrationBS Chemical EngineeringBS ChemistryBS Computer EngineeringBS Computer ScienceBS Electrical EngineeringBS Engineering PhysicsBS Environmental ChemistryBS Industrial AdministrationBS Industrial EngineeringBS ManagementBS Mechanical EngineeringBS Manufacturing EngineeringBS Manufacturing Systems EngineeringMB AdministrationMS EngineeringMS Engineering ManagementMS Information TechnologyMS Lean ManufacturingMS Manufacturing ManagementMS Operations ManagementMS Manufacturing OperationsCertificate BB = Bachelor of Business | BS = Bachelor of Science | MB = Master of Business | MS = Master of Science Home Address Information Street Address * City * State/Province * Zip/Postal Code * Country * Phone: * Please include a phone number where we can contact you to provide your new email and confidential account information. Kettering University will ask a few questions to verify your identity before disclosing your email account login and password. Preferred Email * Email address where we can send confirmation of your request. Comments Leave this field blank


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Afrotheria: Plate tectonics meets genomics
Afrotheria is one of the most remarkable hypotheses in mammal evolution. It suggests that one-third of the orders of placental mammals form an ancient group that evolved on Africa when that continent was isolated from others through plate tectonics (1). Although this hypothesis has been predicted by molecular clock studies (2), evidence for it has emerged only in the last 3 years from phylogenetic analyses of DNA and protein sequence data (1, 3–6). Many mammalogists remain baffled and see no support from traditional sources of data such as anatomy (7). The recognition of Afrotheria splits apart other established groups of mammals, including ungulates and insectivores, yet it is the most strongly supported grouping of mammalian orders in molecular phylogenies (4). In this issue of PNAS, van Dijk et al. (8) take a slightly different approach in analysis of molecular data and find additional support for Afrotheria.
The 4,700 species of living mammals are placed in about 20 orders, including such groups as the rodents (Order Rodentia), primates (Primates), and bats (Chiroptera) (9, 10). In systematics, taxonomic names often are treated as evolutionary hypotheses, implying that members of the group are more closely related to each other than to other species or groups. Afrotheria is a superorder (4) that contains six orders: the elephants (Order Proboscidea), sea cows (Sirenia), hyraxes (Hyracoidea), aardvark (Tubulidentata), elephant shrews (Macroscelidea), and golden moles and tenrecs (Afrosoricida) (Fig. 1). Some of the smallest (Lesser long-tailed tenrec, 5 g) and largest (African elephant, 5,000 kg) species of mammals belong to this group, and its members fill a diversity of ecological niches (11).
In most classifications, elephants, hyraxes, and the aardvark are considered close relatives of other hoofed mammals (ungulates) such as horses, rhinos, and allies (Order Perissodactyla) and cattle, deer, and allies (Artiodactyla). With the exception of the ant-eating aardvark, ungulates typically are herbivores. Golden moles and tenrecs previously have been classified with other insectivores such as shrews and moles (Insectivora or Lipotyphla). The living elephant shrews, mouse-like in appearance, are insectivorous, but their ancestors were herbivores; morphological classifications usually place them with rabbits (Lagomorpha) and rodents (12). The elephant shrews were so named because of their elephant-like snout (Fig. 1) and not because of any presumed close ties to elephants. Although sirenians appear the most ecologically and morphologically divergent members of Afrotheria, their anatomy and fossil record have indicated a close relationship with proboscideans and hyraxes (9). In general, the fossil record (12) and distribution of afrotherians suggest an origin in Africa.
The discovery of Afrotheria places more importance on plate tectonics in the early evolution of placental mammals (2, 13). However, this is another issue that is hotly debated (14). Molecular clocks derived from large numbers of genes have indicated that placental mammals not only were present deep in the Cretaceous [≈100 million years ago (mya)] but were already diverging from one another into clades that eventually led to the present-day orders (2, 15). Today, Africa is connected to Europe and Asia, facilitating dispersal of mammals among these three continents. But in the early Cretaceous (≈120 mya), Africa was connected to South America, with the two continents separating about 105 mya (16). Africa was relatively isolated between 105 and 40 mya (Fig. 2), and during this time afrotherians likely were evolving and adapting to different ecological niches. Around 30 mya, Africa began to collide with Europe and Asia, and since then these areas have been closely associated.
van Dijk et al. (8) subject existing molecular data sets to additional scrutiny by searching for specific amino acid replacements that might support Afrotheria. As expected, they identify a large number of sites in which an amino acid residue is uniquely shared (more or less) by afrotherians in three selected proteins. Next, they collected sequence data from other afrotherian species to see whether they possessed these diagnostic amino acid residues. In all six sites that were selected, the additional species were found to possess the diagnostic residues. Finally, the data were subjected to some statistical analyses that are unique but are not necessarily an improvement over current analytical methods. For example, the presence or absence of diagnostic sites typically contributes to statistical support in the widely used bootstrap method (17) and with fewer assumptions. Nonetheless, van Dijk et al. present new sequence data for the African otter shrew and other species that are important evidence in support of Afrotheria.
On the basis of the current composition of the group and limited knowledge of relationships, the Cretaceous afrotherian ancestor likely was a small forest-dwelling insectivore or possibly herbivore. What morphological characters, if any, are uniquely shared by these mammals and represent inheritance from that common ancestor? At first glance, the most obvious shared trait is the long snout possessed by several members of the group (Fig. 1). The sirenian snout is not long but is nonetheless enlarged and is used for grasping vegetation (underwater) in a way vaguely similar to the elephant's trunk. Except for hyraxes, the snouts of all are tactile and (except in tenrecs) mobile. Structurally, however, there is no evidence that these similarities are anything but superficial and are related to the ecology of the animals. Nonetheless, afrotherians in general have been poorly studied, and additional anatomical, developmental, and genetic studies are needed. The molecular evidence predicts that there are shared derived morphological characters that link together this odd collection of mammals. Finding those characters would help us to understand better the evolutionary history of this ancient clade of mammals.
For permission to reproduce illustrations, I gratefully thank Jonathan Kingdon for the elephant, elephant shrew, aardvark, and hyrax; Priscilla Barrett and Andromeda Oxford Limited for the dugong; and Dennis Ovendon and Andromeda Oxford Limited for the tenrec. I thank Alan Walker and Sudhir Kumar for discussion and Anthony Geneva for assistance with graphics. This work was supported by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration.
- Copyright © 2001, The National Academy of Sciences
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- Stanhope M J,
- Waddell V G,
- Madsen O,
- de Jong W W,
- Hedges S B,
- Cleven G,
- Kao D,
- Springer M S
- ↵
- Springer M S,
- Amrine H M,
- Burk A,
- Stanhope M J
- ↵
- ↵
- van Dijk M A M,
- Madsen O,
- Catzeflis F,
- Stanhope M J,
- de Jong W W,
- Pagel M
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- Simpson G G
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Wilson, D. E. & Reeder, D. M. (1993) (Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC).
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- Kingdon J
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- Benton M J
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- Smith A G,
- Smith D G,
- Funnell B M
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- Felsenstein J
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The Encyclopedia of Mammals (1984) ed. Macdonald, D. (Facts on File Publications, New York).


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That's what the physical therapist said.
Apparently a combination of the surgery going well and me doing what I was told lead to my knee looking damn good just five days after surgery. The PT couldn't remember seeing a knee with absolutely no swelling this quick before. He actually measured it vs. my other knee, and they were exactly the same.
That said, I like my new PT and the whole atmosphere at his place. At most PT's I've been to (and I've seen my fair share), it's always been the majority old folks who broke because they stopped using stuff or they fell. Every patient here was an athlete, and the therapists were high energy and motivational too. Bingo.
Today he started me out easy. We're working on basic range of motion and some simple exercises to wake things up a bit. From when I walked in, I went from bending my knee about 30 degrees to 85-90 when I left. We also did some exercises to make my quad more responsive, and I could flex it a whole lot more when I left than when I went in. I'm also supposed to drop the crutches unless I'm going a long distance.
Now I just have to go through this routine 2-3 times a day, and the progress should stay pretty steady. The plan is about 4 weeks of this fairly easy stuff while my knee heals, then we'll start working towards more fun stuff. Right now he said the goal is to be running in 3 months, but he thinks it could go quicker if this fast recovery keeps doing what it's doing.
Monday, February 2, 2009
"Poster Child"
Labels: Physical Therapy
4 comments:
- Run For Life said...
Awesome, that's good to hear!
- February 2, 2009 at 7:14 PM
- Bill Carter said...
Dude, you are going to heal like a champ!
Best of luck.
- February 7, 2009 at 8:02 AM
- Stuart said...
Good news, seems the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!
- February 13, 2009 at 9:10 AM
- jh said...
PT is hard, it's great you are doing so well. Knees are the oldest joint from an evolutionary standpoint--they just aren't built for us tall, active people. Good luck!
Jen Boda
Boda Weight Loss Blog
- May 14, 2009 at 8:21 PM
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This commentary originally appeared at 9:18 a.m. EDT on April 26 on Real Money Pro -- for access to all of legendary hedge fund manager Doug Kass's strategies and commentaries, click here.
It was a fun segment with Scott Wapner, who subbed for Mel last night on "Fast Money."
Let's go straight to the tape!
At the start, I reminded everyone that when discussing the markets on "Fast Money" during the first week of April, I suggested that we faced a correction of about 5%.
At the low on Monday, we got close to that loss.
What makes me more constructive now is that we have had a panoply of concerns but the market has only bent it has not broken. Some of the obvious concerns include an economic contraction in Europe, an Italian and Spanish debt crisis that shows few signs of stabilization, renewed questions regarding austerity in the EU as a solution to its fiscal woes, a potentially upsetting French presidential victory by François Hollande, a cut in the outlook for India's sovereign debt, a sudden and ominous drop in the yield on the 10-year U.S. note (from 2.38% to close to 1.90%), and a technical breakdown in the S&P 500 under important technical moving averages.
It's important to remember that, at times, it is how stocks react to news that is sometimes as important, or more important, than the news itself.
So I have concluded that the correction in April has discounted the known economic and market headwinds that I fretted about nearly a month ago on the show. (Interestingly, AAII reports this morning that investor sentiment remains sour (a contrarian signal) with bulls 27.6 vs. 31.1 and bears 37.4 vs. 33.8.)
But it's not just price action that is bringing us back to the land of the living (at least from an investment sense). It's also that:
- Overall earnings and forward guidance have been far better than I (and others) have expected. In fact, the earnings beat thus far in the first quarter is almost 600 basis points above consensus. This is serving to offset the squishy macroeconomic releases.
- Since we operate in the NBA -- nothing but Apple (AAPL) -- market, Apple remains a pivotal stock and an important contributor to aggregate corporate profits, and its blowout results cannot be overstated in consequence and effect on investor sentiment.
- The general concerns regarding domestic economic weakness might have been overstated -- my baseline expectation of a muddle-through 2% real GDP trajectory is now looking low, as first-quarter 2012 real GDP is trending close to 3% and second-quarter 2012 real GDP is tracking at around 2.5%.
- And I am looking at the bond market, which today went down on a weak durables number, which follows other ambiguous economic releases. This means that the important reallocation out of bonds and into stocks might have already started. It could be a powerful catalyst for equities.
From my perch, the U.S. stock market might now be heading back to new yearly highs.
To be sure, the ascent may be uneven, and the move higher could resemble more of a grind than a swift rise.
Scott asked me where I would put money to work and why financials have been underperforming.
I responded that banking industry net interest margins were squeezed in the first quarter by an across-the-board reduction in bond yields -- something I see reversing in the months ahead (as central to my thesis is a durable multiyear recovery in the residential real estate market).
I would take a broad and diversified approach to the markets with an emphasis on housing-related names, financials, consumer staples, and industrial and tech sectors.
My individual long picks mentioned on "Fast Money" included Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B), Goldman Sachs (GS), Ocwen (OCN), Altisource Portfolio Solutions (ASPS), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO), Intel (INTC), Broadcom (BRCM), iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund (FXI), General Motors (GM), Ford (F), Clorox (CLX), Procter & Gamble (PG) and PepsiCo (PEP).
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T.S. Elliot once wrote that, "April is the cruelest month." I have a tendency to agree. The first day is, after all, dedicated to fools. Followed closely by tax day here in the States. The only saving graces for THIS particular April, I suppose, were that Holy week and Easter were near its end, that (as a Catholic) Popes John Paul II and John XXIII were canonized and are now saints, and another part of our clan has had the opportunity to visit Paris. Paris — it's a good thing.
Our daughter, Veronica, is in Paris with good friends, Charles and Kat. She has been homeschooling our grandchildren and their oldest son, so it was a natural choice to have her travel with them to Paris, where they are performing at the Opera de Paris in the production of "I Capuleti E I Montecchi." While there, they were able to meet up with her cousin, Dominic, which was an added bonus! He's been living in Paris for a while now, though he travels the world as a professional Tango dancer and instructor.
There is much joy in "living Paris," once again, through our daughter's visit. While she and the grandchildrens' stay is for much longer than her sisters and mine was (7 weeks to our 9 days), it is wonderful to see how they are meeting people who live or work in the city, experiencing the everyday-ness of life there. Perhaps the only thing I do not enjoy is not being physically there with them!
One cannot help falling in love with the cemeteries of Paris. They are so hauntingly beautiful both in history and architecture. Take a snack, bring a book, stay a while (though perhaps not quite as long as its residents. Although…).
I'd be lying if I did not say that I wish it was me taking this photo of her ("Bonjour ma fille!"). I'm sure her sisters feel the same ("Bonjour ma soeur!"). The only thing better would be to have our entire family together — there — sipping café crème and chocolat chaud.
And while they might not see all the sights that we did on our trip in 2009, it is obvious that they are all having fun making memories and inhaling deeply each day as it unfolds Paris-style.
Someday I hope to visit Paris again. Hopefully, with a little more time to spend there, so that I can sit reading on a bench and picnicking on la Seine, drinking French wine with my love — with no urgency to be anywhere but "here." More time, so that I, too, can visit with artist friends like Laly Mille and Valerie Roussel, seeing the city and its art through their eyes.
Until then, "Ne changez rien vous concernant Paris !"


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On our way north, we stopped by Iowa City to visit Rufus and Elsa. They looked great and it was so great to get to mother them a bit. I captured part of our visit on video with my iPhone. We love the vintage leather sofa and we love each other.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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Mutual and cooperative insurers have significantly outperformed the total insurance market since the onset of the global financial crisis of 2007-08, according to the latest research from the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF).
The mutual and cooperative sector is the fastest-growing part of the global insurance market since the financial crisis.
The fifth edition of Global Mutual Market Share 2011, ICMIF's annual publication on the size and performance of the global mutual and cooperative insurance industry, highlights how the mutual/cooperative sector has continued to be the fastest-growing part of the global insurance market since the financial crisis.
Premium income of mutual and cooperative insurers increased by 26% in the period between 2007 and 2011, as the total insurance market had only grown by 11.2% during the same period. As a result, the global market share of the mutual/cooperative sector increased from 23.6% in 2007 to 26.7% in 2011.
The mutual and cooperative sector has greater levels of trust and satisfaction
Shaun Tarbuck, ICMIF CEO, suggests that the growth witnessed by mutual and cooperatives insurers is down to the greater levels of trust and satisfaction which they engender among customers. "There has been a growing disillusion in shareholder-owned banks and investment institutions following the financial crash. Some of the world's oldest insurance companies are mutuals or cooperatives and their approach is to take a longer-term view to protect the interests of the business and their customers," he says.
Life and Non-life insurance are performing well
ICMIF's research finds that consistent growth in life business by mutual and cooperative insurers contributed most significantly to the overall increase in their share of the global market, as life market share increased from 20.8% in 2007 to 25.1% in 2011. However, mutual and cooperatives hold a higher share of the total non-life insurance market, with a global market share of 28.9% in 2011(up from 27.7% in 2007).
About the ICMIF Global 500
The ICMIF Global 500 for 2011 is a member-only, definitive list of the world's 500 largest mutual and cooperative insurers in terms of premium income for 2011 year end. The sample size of this year's analysis has been extended to include 3,300 mutual/cooperative insurance companies from 77 markets (up from 2,900 companies in 75 countries in the 2010 report).
The 500 largest insurers have been ranked by premiums, with a more detailed analysis of the twenty largest, for life and non-life insurance business, and the fastest-growing companies.
The Global 500 report is solely available for members of ICMIF. To download the report please login or register.


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COVID-19 News
9660 Enterprise Way SECalgary, AB, T3S 0A1Phone: 403-255-1131Fax: 403-212-4755
Standard General – Calgary, is a major contractor in land development and road construction in key transportation infrastructure and networks around the greater Calgary areas.
Our services include but not limited to deep & shallow utilities; road building with gravel, asphalt and concrete complete; manufacturing of asphalt for our projects or external sales. We are capable of providing the full spectrum of project management for any civil engineering projects from initial shovel in the ground to the final tree being planted.
Our mission is to serve the infrastructure needs and growth of Calgary and all the satellite communities. This can be accomplished by continuously striving to bring excellence into our workmanship. In doing so, the end result will bring satisfaction to the communities that we serve and live in, bring pride to our employees, and more importantly, bring our clients back again and again.
Through our affiliation with the Colas Group of Companies, we are part of an organization that is the world leader in road construction. This group operates in over 40 countries on five continents with the main head office in France. The Colas group employs 73,600 personnel who work on more than 112,000 projects worldwide annually. These projects go from standard roadwork to large intricate expressways and rail systems.


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This article describes common symptoms that may occur from cancer in the anus. There are several different types of anal cancer. Many symptoms that arise from these cancers are similar.
The anal canal is about 4 to 5 cm long. The anus is considered not just the canal but the first inch of skin (anal verge), the muscles around the anus (the anal sphincter complex), and the glands that drain and supply mucus to the anal canal (anal crypt glands). The anal canal undergoes a gradual change from the lining of the colon to cells that are similar to the lining of the skin. During this transition, the nerves that supply the area also change. This is why the muscles near the outside are under voluntary control and sensation is similar to other skin areas compared with the upper part of the anal canal which is less sensitive and not under voluntary control. The drainage of the lymph fluid also changes through this transition zone.
There are many different types of diseases / conditions that might affect the anus including:
- Cancer
- Hemorrhoids
- Infection
- Fissure
- Trauma
- Weakness of muscles
- Nerve dysfunction
- Incontinence
- Venereal (genital) warts caused by HPV (human papilloma virus). Infection with certain strains of HPV increases the risk of cancer
It has been estimated that a large percent of anal cancers are caused by HPV, especially type 16. HPV is a common infection which resolves in most people, but can cause a number of cancers. Sexual abstinence, monogamy, and condom usage can lower the risk of HPV infection and therefore anal cancer.
There is now a vaccine available called Gardasil® that can prevent most cases of HPV that lead to anal cancer. It is FDA approved to prevent anal cancer and recommended for both teenage girls and boys. It is highly recommended that these vaccines be given before teenagers become sexually active.
There are also many different types of cancers that can affect the anus. A partial list of the common anal tumors includes:
- Bowen's Disease
- Paget's Disease
- Basal Cell Cancer
- Anal Margin Cancer
- Squamous Cell Cancer
- Verrucous Cancer
- Melanoma
- Adenocarcinoma
- Epidermoid Cancer
There is some overlap of these tumor types because they can occur in different areas of the anus and thus comprise a slightly different disease type.
Pruritus: Symptoms of anal cancers can be quite varied. A common symptom of the anal region is itching (also known as pruritus). Anal pruritus can be caused by a variety of non-cancer causes such as infection, poor hygiene, or hemorrhoids. Anal pruritus tends to be a self-perpetuating cycle because the more the area itches, the skin is abraded by itching causing more discomfort, and so on. It is usually not caused by cancer.
Bleeding: Blood seen in the anal region or with bowel movements is never normal and should never be dismissed as just "hemorrhoids." The problem arises in determining the source of the blood. The blood might have come from the anal region, a fissure, a colon tumor, or even a bleeding ulcer in the stomach. Proper evaluation of these will often include a physical examination and a colonoscopy. Bleeding that occurs with pain is commonly due to a benign cause called anal fissure. Anal fissure is a very small tear in the outside skin of the anus that can cause severe pain with some bleeding. Anal tumors can also cause pain and bleeding. When an anal tumor causes pain it is usually from invasion of nerves in the pelvis or near the anus and generally signifies an aggressive tumor.
Mass: Many anal tumors will cause a mass that can be felt by the person with the tumor or by an examining physician. Larger anal tumors may be visible as well. The feeling of a mass in the anal area is never normal and should be investigated. A mass in the anal canal may interfere with passage of stool and create constipation. An anal mass might occur either on the skin around the sphincter, on the sphincter itself, or just inside the external sphincter in the anal canal. There are other masses that might occur in this region that are not cancer such as hemorrhoids, viral infectious growths (such as HPV), and infection (e.g. perianal abscess).
Change in bowel habits: At times the only symptom that may occur is change in the frequency of bowel movements or difficulty in moving the bowels. These are also important symptoms that should not be overlooked. While dehydration or lack of fiber in the diet can cause these, they are never normal and should be given proper attention. Tumors of the colon, rectum or anus can cause difficulty with bowel movements.
Weight loss: Most cancers will cause some degree of weight loss as they grow. In a very simplistic explanation, cancers are very active and use a lot of calories to grow. Cancers also release hormones that may cause poor appetite and contribute to weight loss. Unexplained weight loss with a cancer generally means it is advanced in stage (i.e. not confined to the mucosa).
Pain : Pain in the anal area might arise from a variety of reasons such as anal fissure, anal trauma, constipation, infection, and cancer. When pain occurs with a cancer this is generally a bad sign and means the tumor is invading local nerves. Again, pain in the anal region is commonly referred to as "my hemorrhoids acting up." This is a common misconception as only thrombosed external hemorrhoids will cause pain. The vast majority of hemorrhoids are not painful, just uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, some anal cancers will occur without symptoms until they are quite advanced such as anal melanoma. Many anal cancers are very treatable if detected early. Anal squamous cell carcinoma is often curable without surgery by treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy (a.k.a. nigro protocol therapy). Some anal tumors are treated like a rectal cancer in that they require a combination of surgery and multimodal therapy that usually includes chemotherapy and radiation. Small, confined anal tumors may be treated just with a minor surgery to remove it.
- Townsend Jr, CM; Beauchamp RD; Evers BM; Mattox KL. (2008) Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 18th ed. Chapter 51. New York, NY: Saunders.
- www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV
- seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/anus.html
- www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/anal
- Cameron JL; Cameron AM. (2010) Cameron: Current Surgical Therapy, 10th ed. Chapter 196. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders
- This article was originally published on September 3, 2012 and last revision and update was 9/4/2015.
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When you build your home around a mature Valley Oak tree, other aspects of the site are likely to be distinctive from that point on — and that's certainly the case with this project by Kikuchi and Associates. With the home already possessing what the designers call "a strong visual 'indoor-outdoor' relationship," a renovation of the house also meant an enhanced outdoor living area. First, a simple Japanese garden was put in place that is a way to visually extend — and link — other rooms of the house. Then, the second phase of the improvements began on the two-acre site: a truly magnificent outdoor living and entertaining space. Now, a portico extends to the main pool and spa area, paved in stone and surrounded by greenery and plantings in a colorful, fragrant border.
A fully-equipped kitchen makes entertaining easy around pool or spa; a waterfall is a soothing backdrop to the proceedings. Proceed further along the stone path, up a series of steps, and there's another gathering area: a large circular fire pit, with ample room for seating and gazing, in turn, at the property's lush new garden additions from a whole different angle. In fact, from the fire pit, you can take in the entire scope of the outdoor living area, past the main pool to a stream, a sculptural addition, and several other water features. In toto, the description of this on the designer's site may be simply "Hillside Residence" — but now, it's as much an outdoor living space as an indoor one.


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Menanerie of birds 3 fold card by Mark Hearldby Art Angels
Menanerie of birds 3 fold card by Mark Hearld
£3.99 (£3.99 Incl. tax)
Free standing, message note, biodegradable envelope and cello wrap
Dimensions L22cm x H16cm Weight40gm
Dimensions L22cm x H16cm Weight40gm
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International & UK orders are shipped using RoyalMail and UPS. Standard Delivery is £3.95 for Royal Mail 48hr Tracked (times will vary depending on the service selected and your location). UK 1-2 days | INTL 2 - 5 days Returns and Refunds
Should you change your mind or are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us within 7 working days of receiving your order to request a refund or exchange. more info HERE


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Denmark is a nation that generally sends such bland entries to the ESC that it's easy to forget that they have actually won twice. Most recently in 2000, when the Olsen Brothers (no relation to the Olsen Twins ;-) swept Europe with their charming exhortation to Fly on the Wings of Love. Now that song is just sweet ... and being performed by two middle-aged men playing guitars only made it more adorable. :-) Their first win was in 1963 (they have been participating since 1957) with the lovely Dansevise. Now that is one fine song. The melody is so sweet and the lyrics so poetic and beautiful. (You can read them here, in original and translation.) But apart from that they've mostly sent songs that are just ... meh. There's nothing wrong with the Danish entries, they're perfectly acceptable, they just aren't very memorable. They're quite alright but they don't have what it takes. That IMO - and I think it's an opinion many others share - is the general standard of Danish ESC entries.
And this year? The same procedure as last year. :-) This song is OK, but nothing special. An uptempo pop song with very standard lyrics and a pretty original melody. What can I say? There just isn't much to this song either way. I don't think it'll do either very badly or very well. It may get through from the semi (they're in the same semi as us) but its results, I predict, will be middling. The singer is OK ... I don't know what to think about his voice, it's kind of unusual. I don't know if I like or dislike it. But he's just a thirteen-to-the-dozen singer that we always see a bunch of in the ESC. I don't understand what the Danish audience perceived as so special about this song that the international audience will remember it. This song is a lot like the UK entry last year ... and look how that went. >:-) There are 42 countries participating this year (since Georgia's been disqualified, alas) ... a song that's just fine but nothing special doesn't stand a chance.
Take a look - this is Niels Brinck performing Believe Again, which is written & composed by Lars Halvor Jensen, Martin Michael Larsson and, get this, Ronan Keating. :-o They will be competing for Denmark on May 14th.
Lyrics here.


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Trade is an important avenue through which countries transform their economies and raise standards of living. For African countries, trade in agricultural products offers great potential to boost incomes for farmers, processors and other agricultural value chain actors. The 2018 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM), the first in a series of annual reports assesses long-term and emerging trends and drivers of Africa's global, intra-Africa, and intra-regional economic community trade in agricultural products. It examines Africa's recent performance in different markets and identifies changes in the composition and direction of trade.
The Report is a collaboration between the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). It builds on the work of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) and the African Growth and Development Policy Modelling Consortium (AGRODEP) on trade, both facilitated by IFPRI under its work in support of the African Union Commission's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme.


text: SMS, an abbreviation for Short Message Service, has provided new and improved method of communication without disturbing others around you. You can see almost everyone smiling and making different facial expressions while looking at the screen of their cell phones. They go mischievous and naughty in messaging while others around them remain unaware of the underlined subject of the messaging. Cool enough! Isn't it? SMSes can be a very good mode of initiating conversation between persons of opposite sex who have just exchanged their cell numbers for one or the other reason. Talking in terms of flirting, people have utilized it most to impress the potential lover and express their unsaid-unheard love. This unique way of flirting comes with an added advantage that if the recipient of the message has any issue with the language or type of content then it can be settled by calling it as a 'group message' however, intentional and personal the message is. Here we are providing you some of the most effective and creative messages that can be very useful for you in the journey of expressing your love. Pick any of them and help your irresistible feelings to get conveyed through SMS. Have a look.


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McCain: Mattis' Ukraine Visit Opportunity to Provide Lethal Assistance
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' visit to Kiev represents an opportunity for the United States to provide lethal assistance to Ukraine, Senator John McCain said in statement.
"Secretary Mattis's visit to Kiev provides yet another opportunity for the United States to correct its policy toward Ukraine and provide the lethal defensive assistance the country needs to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," McCain said on Wednesday.
McCain said Ukraine would need lethal assistance in order to deter "Russian aggression" and achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
"Raising the cost of aggression may help to change [President] Vladimir Putin's calculus, pressure Russia to fully comply with the Minsk agreements, and, ultimately, create more stable security conditions on the ground that are essential for peace," McCain added.
The senator said President Donald Trump took a first "significant step" deterring Russian aggression by signing new US sanctions into law.
"Changing US policy to provide lethal defensive assistance to Ukraine would be another step in the right direction – sending a strong signal that the United States will stand by the sovereign right of its allies and partners to choose their own future," McCain said.
Russia has repeatedly said that supplying weapons to Ukraine would not contribute to the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, nor to the implementation of the ceasefire and might be perceived by Kiev as encouragement to take further military action.
Kiev launched a military operation in the east of Ukraine in 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the new government that came to power. A ceasefire agreement was reached in Minsk in 2015, brokered by the leaders of the Normandy Four group (Russia, France, Germany, Ukraine) but the situation has remained tense.


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Evening all, a quick post from me tonight, it's been a hectic week that's flown by in a flash and I have a busy weekend ahead
Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on my white card, I thought I was happy with it and then when I saw the work from the rest of the fabulous DT the doubts started creeping in, I'm so pleased that you all liked it and really appreciate you taking the time to let me know your thoughts
Onto this weeks challenge at Papertake weekly and the new theme is…
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is the 28th so we want you to make a card or project for that this week please, or you can just make something that says 'thank you'.
There's a voucher up for grabs for the lucky winner, and it's £10 to spend on some gorgeousness from The Ribbon Girl
Here's my 'thank you' card
I used one of the images from the new Lili of the Valley 'cute cottage garden' art pad, I love this pad, it's so pretty
I used Bonnets and Bowties papers and the sentiment is from Vintage Labels Occasions, both Lili of the Valley
I dug out 2 of my favourite dies which sadly haven't seen the light of day for a while, a fab Doohickey stitched border and the LaLa Land flag banner
Finally it's finished with a bit of scrumptious cotton lace trim from The Ribbon Girl and of course,as always, some stickles
PS. The little random blue flower at the bottom isn't supposed to be there lol! I couldn't understand how I came to forget to put a brad in the centre of it when I looked at the picture and then thought I don't remember putting a flower there. There were a few on my desk and I think it sneaked on while I was moving things around to take the picture!!
Hope you like it, have a fantastic weekend everyone


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The United Nations commissioner for Human Rights on Monday condemned the "routine" use of torture in Syrian detention facilities, as a new report describes how victims were raped, beaten and had their teeth and toenails pulled out.
Navi Pillay said torture was routinely used in government detention facilities as well as by some armed groups in the Middle Eastern nation, where more than 150,000 people have so far been killed in a bloody civil war lasting three years.
"When torture is used in armed conflict, in a systematic or widespread manner, which is almost certainly the case in Syria, it also amounts to a crime against humanity," said Ms Pillay.
The UN report, based on accounts by 38 survivors, detailed the systematic persecution of men, women and children in the war-torn country.
When detainees arrived at state detention facilities, they were "routinely beaten and humiliated for several hours by guards in what has come to be known as the 'reception party'," it said.
A 30-year-old university student described how he was beaten, had his beard pulled out and his feet burned at an Air Force Intelligence facility where he was interrogated in 2012.
In another session, "they pulled out two of my toenails with pliers," he said.
And a 26-year-old woman gave an account of being beaten, raped and having her teeth pulled out.
"They called us prostitutes and spat in our faces," said the woman, whose family rejected her after learning she had been raped.
Nearly half of Syria's population have been forced to flee their homes since peaceful anti-government protests that began in 2011 spiralled into a violent conflict.
Investigators also found that several armed groups, including the al-Nusra Front, had used torture against men, women and children.
Human rights activists and medical workers seen to be affiliated with other armed groups were particularly vulnerable.
Ms Pillay said torturers must be brought to justice and victims given treatment and fair compensation.
She also reiterated her call for Damascus to allow the UN and other international bodies to monitor conditions in detention centres.
Meanwhile, rebels and the government are blaming each other for two alleged chemical attacks last week.
Syrian opposition activists have posted photographs and video that they say shows an improvised chlorine bomb used by President Bashar al-Assad's forces on a rebel-held village in the central province of Hama, 125 miles north of capital Damascus.
However, state television on Saturday accused the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front of carrying out the attacks, which it said wounded dozens.
Both sides claim chlorine gas - a deadly agent widely used in World War I - had been used. The gas, which has industrial uses, is not on a list of weapons that Assad declared to the global chemical weapons watchdog last year for destruction.
Eliot Higgins, a UK-based researcher who identifies weapon usage in online videos of Syria's civil, said that while videos did appear to show an industrial chlorine cylinder, he could not unequivocally verify the opposition's claims.
"It looks like they (the government) have taken an industrial chlorine cylinder, put it in a improvised barrel bomb and dropped it out of a helicopter," he told Reuters.
The yellow paint on the cylinder complies with international standards on industrial gas colour codes indicating it contains chlorine, he added.
A UN inquiry found last December that sarin gas had likely been used in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta, where hundreds of people were killed.
The Syrian government and the opposition have each accused the other of using chemical weapons on several occasions, and both have denied it.
The Ghouta attack sparked global outrage and a U.S. threat of military strikes, which was dropped after President Assad pledged to destroy his chemical weapons.
Syria has so far destroyed or surrendered 65.1 per cent of the 1,300 metric tonnes of weapons it reported to possess, but is running several weeks behind schedule with the deadline of June 30 to completely abandon its chemical programme.