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The Hidden Cost of Employment
When employing new staff there are many hidden costs that are not always factored in. We have provided a case study below to ensure you have taken all of these areas into account.
- Base Salary. This is normally quoted as the base excluding any on costs such as superannuation. For our example we will use a base of $50,000.
- Superannuation. The employer must pay 9.25% superannuation (from 1st July 2013) for all employees earning more than $450 in a calender month. On a base of $50,000 this would equate to $4,625.
- Annual Leave is normally 4 weeks per year. Remember that you are therefore paying the base of $50,000 for only 48 weeks work per year. To get the proper annualised cost of employment you need to include the annual leave cost at 7.69% (4/52). In our example this is $3,846.
- Public Holidays. The are usually 10 public holidays in Australia each year. This is another 3.85% (2/52) to add to the total cost. This is $1,925 for our case study.
- Sick Leave. Most awards allow for 10 days sick leave per annum so add another 3.85% at $1,925.
- Workers Compensation Insurance. This can vary broadly depending on the risk of the industry. The rate is fixed each year by statute and cannot be negotiated. We have clients that pay up to 15% of the total of their annual wages. For our example, let's use 5%, so that's another $2,500 to our employment costs.
- Payroll Tax. This is a state government tax that is levied once your annual payroll (including super) exceeds a certain threshold. The rate and threshold varies slightly for each state but we will use NSW for our example. The threshold is $689,000 (this is budgeted to change) and the rate is 5.45%. Remember, you may not exceed this threshold now but if you're planning on expansion, this should be built into your rates for when you exceed it in the future. In our example this amounts to $2,725.
- Recruitment. The average cost recruiting a base-grade employee is around $5,000. This includes recruitment costs, down-time and training. We'll assume your employee stays for 2 years so the average cost is $2,500 pa.
So the cost of employing someone on a base of $50,000 pa is actually $70,046. This is an extra 40% to their base salary and does not take into consideration leave loading or long service leave accrual.
While this example applies to all aspects of employment within your company, it demonstrates why it is worth looking at areas within your company which may be suited to outsourcing to a specialist provider.


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July 12-14, 2016
Moscone Center
San Fransisco, CA
We look forward to seeing you!
Harmonic Drive is a world leader in the design, development and manufacturing of zero-backlash motion control products. Our servo-actuators, gearheads, and gear components achieve accuracy better than 30 arc-seconds and repeatability of +/- 5 arc-seconds. A wide variety of standard and customized designs are available to meet the high precision requirements of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and robotics. Application engineers with expertise in motion control are available to assist you with your concept and detailed designs, free of charge. Harmonic Drive® products are used extensively in wafer and flat panel transfer robots as well as CMP and ion implant equipment. Our products provide the highest torque density of any product in its class and are available in sizes ranging from 13mm to 330mm in diameter. Our US Headquarters and manufacturing facility in Massachusetts, is ISO 9001 and AS9100 registered and produces the majority of products we sell.
Harmonic Drive LLC announces new mini actuator with Dual Absolute Encoders
Panel mount connectors with 4 exit options
Peabody, MA, June 14, 2019--- Harmonic Drive LLC, the leader in high precision motion control announces new encoder options for our 24VDC FHA mini actuators. Featuring dual absolute encoders and panel mount connectors, these extremely small actuators deliver high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability.
Both encoders utilize BiSS-C bi-directional communication. The dual encoders are incorporated in essentially the same package size as the long-standing FHA-C mini single incremental encoder version. Without increasing the size, the dual absolute encoder offers single turn absolute position at the output, without the need for battery back-up.
Panel mount connectors come standard, and customers can choose between 4 exit options. Together, these new features offer the design engineer more flexibility and reliability
A single turn 14 bit (16384 cpr) gear output sensing encoder has been integrated along with a single turn 14 bit (16384 cpr) motor input sensing encoder providing a true absolute encoder that does not require a battery within 360° of rotation of the output. Typical multi-turn encoders monitoring the motor input shaft require a battery to store the current position when power is lost to the system; however, the dual absolute encoder overcomes this need. In other words, No Battery Required. When power is restored the actuator knows its position.
The FHA-C Mini series actuators with dual absolute encoders are among the latest products developed at HDLLC in Peabody, MA.
About Harmonic Drive LLC
Harmonic Drive, LLC engineers and manufactures precision servo actuators, gearheads and gear component sets. We work closely with both Fortune 500 and companies of all sizes to understand their application requirements and provide a standard or, in most cases, a custom-engineered solution to enable the success of their design project. The majority of the products sold by Harmonic Drive, LLC are proudly made at our manufacturing facility in Peabody, Massachusetts. The Harmonic Drive Group Companies are comprised of Harmonic Drive, LLC (United States), Harmonic Drive Systems, Inc. (Japan) and Harmonic Drive AG (Germany). We have shared core values, product designs and quality standards. State of the art manufacturing facilities in the US, Japan and Germany enables us to locally serve the needs of our global customers providing both custom-engineered solutions and standard products.
With over 50 years of experience, our expert engineering and production teams develop enabling technologies and products to meet the needs of an evolving motion control market. We are very proud of our outstanding company history. Our high-precision, zero-backlash Harmonic Drive® gears and Harmonic Planetary® gears have, and continue to play critical roles in robotics, spaceflight applications, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, factory automation equipment, medical diagnostics and surgical robotics. More information can be found by visiting the company's website at www.harmonicdrive.net
Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive Systems.
Harmonic Drive LLC, a leader in high precision motion control announces the addition of 80:1 and 120:1 reduction ratios for CSD and SHD zero-backlash gears. The addition of these new ratios enhance the already successful product lines.
The ultra-flat, zero backlash CSD precision component sets are available with standard hollow bore or an oversized (BB) hollow shaft. CSD and SHD zero-backlash gear units are housed gears available in versatile designs such as hollow shaft and lightweight. Select the size, configuration and ratio that is right for you.
Three Product Types:
Component Sets
Harmonic Drive® precision component sets are the core motion control mechanisms. These zero backlash products offer the widest design flexibility. Products can be selected which offer the optimum dimension and performance based on the available volume within the customer-designed housing. High Torque, Ultra Flat, and Hollow Shaft Options are available. These high accuracy gearing components are often used as the core building block for custom high performance servo actuators and motion control mechanisms. Customer-supplied servo motors can be easily integrated into the design
Gear Units
Gear units are housed zero backlash Harmonic Drive® component gears combined with a precision cross roller output bearing & flange. Gear Units are very compact, robust and easy to use gearhead/gearbox solution. Our Simplicity Gear Units are Non-housed component gearing combined with a precision cross roller output bearing. Simplicity Gear Units do not include the housing and output flange, which allows for even tighter integration into the customer's housing or machine structure
Simplicity Gear Units
Our Simplicity Gear Units are Non-housed component gears combined with a precision cross roller output bearing. Simplicity Gear Units do not include the housing and output flange, which allows for even tighter integration into the customer's housing or machine structure. Axially compact, they feature a large hollow input shaft and a robust cross roller bearing so loads can be mounted directly to the unit without the need for additional support bearings.
With the addition of the 80-:1 and 120:1 ratios for these product lines, it is even easier than ever to find the exact speed reducer to optimize your project.
Harmonic Drive, LLC engineers and manufactures precision servo actuators, gearheads and gear component sets. We work closely with both Fortune 500 and companies of all sizes to understand their application requirements and provide a standard or custom-engineered solution to enable the success of their design project. The majority of the products sold by Harmonic Drive, LLC are proudly made at our manufacturing facility in Peabody, Massachusetts. Harmonic Drive Group Companies in, Japan (Harmonic Drive Systems, Inc.) and Germany (Harmonic Drive AG) provide additional products. We have shared core values, product designs and quality standards. State of the art manufacturing facilities in the US, Japan and Germany enables us to locally serve the needs of our global customers.
These extremely small servo actuators utilize zero backlash Harmonic Drive® precision gears, a brushless servo motor and an incremental encoder to deliver precision motion control. The RSF Supermini series is designed to operate with a wide range of third party drivers as well as Harmonic Drive LLC's DCJ Series, DDP Series, DEP Series, and HA680 drivers. The units are small enough to fit inside the finger of a robotic hand.
Key Features:
HMA Hollow shaft servo motors are available in 5 frame sizes. Large Hollow Shaft design allows cables, shafts or lasers to pass through the axis of rotation.
Key Features:
217 (131072)
Multi-turn revolution counter *4
(battery buffered)
* B indicates with brake
* 1 The table show typical output values of actuators
* 2 Value after temperature rise and saturation when it is used with aluminum radiation plate shown below:
HMAC08: 320 x 320 x 16 [mm], HMAB09: 350 x 350 x 18 [mm], HMAB12: 400 x 400 x 20 [mm], HMAB15: 500 x 500 x 25 [mm], HMAA21A: 650 x 650 x 30 [mm]
* 3 This is the value of the phase EMF constant multiplied by 3.
* 4 The range of the multi revolution counter is from -32,768 to 32,767.
SEMI Global Headquarters
673 South Milpitas Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 95035
Tel: +1.408.943.6900
Tel: +1.408.943.6986
Copyright 2018, a2z, Inc. All rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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KittenDecember 27, 2009 at 1:30 pm | Posted in Big Problem, Small Cat | Leave a comment
Tags: Cheating, Kitten, Problem
Kitten – Kitten is a small cat. If you dream of a kitten, this means that someone will cheat you and you will have a big problem.
Visual source: westword
DoctorOctober 28, 2009 at 11:56 pm | Posted in Bad condition, Big Problem | Leave a comment
Tags: Destistry, Doctor, Medicine, Personal condition, Practitioner, Problem, Professional Help, Veterinary Medicine
Doctor – Is a practitioner of medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine. If in your dream the doctor is examining your condition, this indicates that you will be needing a professional help in your problem.
Visual source: usatoday
Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.


text: Cockneys vs Zombies is a 2012 British zombie comedy film directed by Matthias Hoene and written by James Moran and Lucas Roche. The plot centres on a group of Cockneys who arm themselves to rescue their grandfather and his friends from their retirement home as a zombie apocalypse takes place in the East End of London. ... more on Wikipedia


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Texas fisherman bitten by shark off Galveston coast
A Texas fisherman is recovering Friday from injuries he sustained after he was bitten by a shark in the Texas coastal waters off Galveston, KPRC-TV reported.
Charlie Gauzer was fishing off Galveston Island when he said the shark approached his boat and bit down on his leg.
"I started to feel pain...I looked down and I had blood coming out of my leg," Gauzer said. The shark bit deeper into Gauzer's leg as the fisherman tried to escape.
"It was gashed pretty good, down to the bone," Gauzer said. The shark missed the artery but did severe Gauzer's Achilles tendon.
The attack on Gauzer is the second shark attack near Galveston's 8 Mile Road Beach in less than a month.
A surfer, injured by a shark bite at the end of June, required 60 stitches to repair the gash made by the shark.
"The problem with Galveston is, especially right now, is that the water is all stirred up and brown and it's hard to see," Gauzer said.
Galveston is located more than 50 miles southeast of Houston.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/t ... z0ttZRjkH5
07/16/2010 Charlie Gauzer ( Texas )
Recent listing of shark attacks 2010 and Shark Attack Related Incidents in 2010.
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07/16/2010 Charlie Gauzer ( Texas )
If you or a loved one was involved in a negative sharky encounter please contact us!!!
http://sharkattacksurvivors.com/general ... ivors-only
http://sharkattacksurvivors.com/general ... ivors-only
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René Redzepi was already familiar with hard-shell tacos out of the box, a fairly common product in Denmark, the taco-deficient nation where he lives and runs the influential restaurant Noma. But those aren't the tacos that changed his life.
Late one night, just about a decade ago, Mr. Redzepi arrived hungry in Mérida, Mexico, and stopped on the street for tacos al pastor — hot, fresh corn tortillas piled with thinly sliced pork that had been browned on a vertical spit. The meal was quick, simple, but skillfully executed, and it made an outsize impression on the chef.
"The next day, I started delving into it," Mr. Redzepi, 38, said in an interview last week in New York. "Tortillas led me to masa. Masa led me to nixtamalization. I realized, there were thousands of years of history in every bite."
Since then, he has taken vacations to Mexico with his wife and children every year. Next April, for more than a month, his entire Copenhagen-based staff of about 90 people will join him to run a Noma pop-up in Tulum, inspired by the broader scope of Mexican cuisine.
The restaurant, Noma Mexico, will serve dinner five nights a week at $600 a person. (The high price, Mr. Redzepi said, is meant to ensure that travel, accommodation and salary costs are covered for his staff for the duration of the pop-up, which has no outside sponsors.) Reservations can be made on the restaurant's website, starting Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. Eastern time.
Unlike the other two extended pop-ups Mr. Redzepi has overseen — the first in Tokyo in 2015, the second this year in Sydney, Australia — the new project in Tulum is a joint enterprise. His creative partner is Rosio Sanchez, who worked as Noma's pastry chef and, later, in the restaurant's test kitchen.
Ms. Sanchez, 31, was raised in Chicago by parents from Mexico. She traveled through Mexico as a child to visit extended family, and as a chef to research the cuisine before opening her Copenhagen taco shop, Hija de Sanchez. There, she imports corn from Oaxaca to grind, soak and process her own masa for fresh, flexible tortillas, a rare delicacy in Denmark.
For the next two weeks, Ms. Sanchez will travel with Mr. Redzepi and a handful of other cooks through the Yucatán Peninsula — a regional focus of Noma's menu — tasting ingredients to supply the Tulum restaurant, observing new techniques and commissioning artisans to produce glassware and ceramics.
"We'll try some exotic fruits, and we're definitely going to make cochinita pibil," said Ms. Sanchez, referring to the habit-forming Yucatecan dish of pork rubbed with achiote paste and sour orange juice, slow-cooked in a stone-lined pit.
This rich jumble of influences will weave its way into Noma's menu, though Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Redzepi can't say how just yet. Noma, one of the world's most acclaimed restaurants, is set to close soon and reopen later in 2017, with a new menu, in a new building on the outskirts of the city's Christiana neighborhood.
They won't start experimenting with dishes in the Tulum kitchen until six weeks before that restaurant opens.
What they do know, though, is that the Noma team will add at least four local cooks to produce fresh tortillas in an outdoor kitchen outfitted with grills and two comals, cast-iron griddles. "And we'll cook everything over fire," Mr. Redzepi said.
The entire dining room, like many restaurants in Tulum, will also be outdoors — in this case, on the cleared edge of the jungle. The foundation for the new structure is being laid near La Zebra, a small hotel where Mr. Redzepi and his family have stayed.
Though the restaurant will keep with Noma's established fine-dining style. it will be a bit looser than the pop-ups in Sydney and Tokyo: Waiters will deliver their brand of polished service in shorts and flip-flops, Mr. Redzepi said.
"And we won't be open at lunchtime," he said, "because at lunchtime, let's face it, everyone will be at the beach."


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Hispanic lawmakers seek DREAM Act vote
Congressional Hispanic Caucus leaders huddled with President Barack Obama on Tuesday to discuss immigration issues and the lame-duck Congress, but no clear strategy emerged.
WASHINGTON - Congressional Hispanic Caucus leaders huddled with President Barack Obama on Tuesday to discuss immigration issues and the lame-duck Congress, but no clear strategy emerged.
Obama and Hispanic Democrats reiterated their support for the DREAM Act, which would provide a path for citizenship for immigrant youths illegally brought into the United States before they were 16, and both called for the House and Senate to vote on the measure before Congress adjourns for the year.
"We need a clear Democratic commitment in order to persuade Republicans, who are needed to get us over the finish line, to step forward," said Rep. Luís Gutierrez, D-Ill.
The push for immigration legislation by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus comes as Latino Democrats select new leaders this week.
Rep. Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, is running unopposed for the CHC chairmanship after Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, said he would seek the first vice chairmanship and support Gonzalez for the top spot.
No other candidate is publicly seeking the chairmanship.
A last-minute push for the DREAM Act comes as Republicans prepare to take control of the House and pick up seats in the Senate in the 112th Congress, which convenes in January.
Obama met at the White House with Gutierrez, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., the outgoing CHC chairwoman.
The Hispanic members asked the president's help in seeking a vote on the DREAM Act before Congress adjourns.
Both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said they would seek a vote on the measure in their respective chambers over Republican opposition.
Democrats failed to get the DREAM Act passed in the Senate earlier this year when they attached the immigration measure, as well as a repeal of the 'don't ask, don't tell'' policy on gays and lesbians in the military, to a defense spending bill.
Republicans who once favored the Dream Act opposed it as an addition to the defense bill, and further pressure is mounting on GOP members who favor the immigration measure from tea party activists who oppose it as an "amnesty."
More Information
The DREAM Act, or Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, would require the affected youths to enter the armed forces or attend college for two years, clear a background check and have no criminal records to be eligible for citizenship.
Roughly 800,000 teens and young adults would be eligible, according to immigration rights groups.
The DREAM Act enjoyed bipartisan support in the past. It has since been caught up in the rancorous immigration reform debate.


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Bold blossoms in full bloom on a lawn base from Lecien's Memoire a Paris collection.
About the Collection
The concept is "little girl in Paris" I want to enjoy my fashion with a whimsical touch! Even as an adult, I will never forget being a girl at heart! A pretty and elegant small floral print!
Fabric measures 42" (110 cm) wide. Printed on 100% cotton lawn. Made in Japan.
Sold and priced in 1/4 yard increments. We cut additional increments of fabric continuously. For example, if you select 4 units (which equates to 1 yard), you will receive a single piece of fabric that is 42" wide and 1 yard long. We regret that fabric, once cut, is non-refundable.
This fabric sells for $11/yard or $2.75 for a quarter yard strip.


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Cathy provides a warm and contemporary photography service, and is also a CASA Certified Drone Pilot to give your business an additional aerial perspective. Cathy has written and photographed for many commercial clients such as Tourism Queensland, RACQ, Southern Queensland Country etc. and continues to shoot news and feature stories in the area for the Courier Mail. Teaching photography in Toowoomba for Studio Fifty Three, you can also take your own photography to new levels with Cathy by joining her on a Photography Workshop or travelling with her on a Photography Tour to some of Australia's most scenic spots. Cathy's warm and friendly nature ensures all of her shoots are fun and enjoyable, placing everyone at ease. She loves to
Cathy Finch Photography services Finnie, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Granite Belt
Vizerk Photography is a photography studio based in Toowoomba, Australia.
Photographer are available for wedding, portrait and wedding photography.
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In the liberal world of building gorgeous custom motorcycles, it is rather convoluted to bring about a design or a concept that presents a mix of form and function for real world use. And few of such builders who do manage to achieve that, leave a trail behind. One such outfit has to be the Spain-based XTR Pepo spearheaded by ace builder Pepo Rosell. A man committed to building machines that not only look the part but are also race-spec and prepped for competition, Pepo's creations have always left us begging for more, you can see why from his earlier build.
And once again this time the custom house has delivered a gorgeous build called the 'Raid', based on the modern-day BMW R nineT. Primarily a tribute to Pepe's favourite racer – Hubert Auriol, the first man in the history of Paris-Dakar race to win on two as well as four wheels, the 'Raid' signifies the Frenchman's success in the sport and his contribution to the famed Dakar rally as a race director. Auriol won the 1982 Paris-Dakar rally on the iconic BMW R80G/S and Pepo's has tried to recreate a machine of that era in the form of the 'Raid'.
And we must admit, like his previous builds that we have seen and featured here, the 'Raid' too is a fine mix of drool-worthy design yet built with a focus on real world racing potential. Now we all know that the BMW R nineT Urban G/S is more of a soft-roader focusing largely on the urban side of things. But herein Pepo has tried to transform the urban onto the legendary Dakar-style off-road racer with a host of modifications and custom parts that truly bring the 'Raid' up to spec to suit the Dakar rally heritage of its predecessor the R80G/S that won in 1981 and 1983 in hands of Auriol.
Rightfully then, the 17-litre stock fuel tank was replaced with an original R80G/S tank boasting a whopping 26-litre fuel capacity, true to the adventure motorcycle range we find nowadays. It wasn't a direct swap and Pepo has to make a lot of amends to fit in the new tank, but the result as we can see was stunning. The tank was then given the traditional BMW white paint job done by Artenruta from Madrid and then decorated with the true-blue BMW coloured stripes and decals of the eighties as seen on the original R80G/S that was raced by Auriol.
When dealing with off-road machines, low-slung exhausts aren't the best design, but if you are going to be taking the motorcycle off-road over rough terrain and rocky patches. So Pepo sat down and redesigned the exhaust system with a high-pipe constituting of a 2-into-1 Supermario configuration built in-house by XTR. While the seat came originally from Luis Moto, Pepo furthered altered it in-house to suit the design and fit in neatly with the custom side panels flaunting the racing numbers, design again by XTR. The front and the tail mudguard were ordered from Luis Moto while the entire front headlight assembly and fairing is taken straight from another iconic machine from the old days, the Bultaco Cross.
With a lot of mix and match and several combinations later, XTR Pepo has truly transformed a modern-day neo-retro machine into a classic icon that has presented BMW with a long-lasting legacy in the Paris-Dakar rally. But it's not all vintage on the 'Raid', as sitting up front is a Motogadget digital dashboard giving out critical information to the rider, while the stock air-filter unit has been swapped for high-performance twin DNA air-filters. Another area where work was intensive was recalibrating the electrical system to fit in the exhaust pipe routing. So out went the bulky and space-eating stock battery for a lightweight and compact battery from LIPO.
Straddling the machine, the flat Boxer engine nestling below the riding stance is off-road ready with the raised bars from Acossato seem just right for this machine. The protruding engine heads on either side are protected by solid cylinder protectors made by Unit Garage – a necessary piece of equipment on the Boxer engine that is going to see a lot of off-road and play in the rough environment. And resting on the engine guards are two big Hella high-beam projectors that complete the look of this custom adventure/enduro machine ready for some serious fun in the dirt!
And just when you think it's done and over with, there is a Unit Garage side bag mounted on a custom rack that can hold tools and other important bits needed when going adventure riding and it looks sick, especially when dirty and dusty with some mudslinging over the rough roads. If you ask us, this is the truest interpretation of the original icon, the R80G/S of the eighties in every possible way, but with modern underpinnings that truly present it with modern-day reliability and handling benefits packaged with a character of a truly timeless and classic machine from an era bygone.


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Kansas Ex-gunslinger Dodge Mercer seeking a quieter life drifts west. When Mercer joins up with the Lilley clan in the rugged Tonto Basin of Arizona, he finds himself involved in a blazing feud. But he runs up against the Southwest's three most dangerous things: a beautiful young woman, sorghum booze runners, and hot-flying lead. Another great western written by the supreme story teller of life in the West.
Click here to hear a sample of this audiobook
Read by Gene Engene
Approx. 5.5 Hrs.
Rated PG


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Tue, 7 September 2010
Jonathan Coulton is an hilarious musical nerd icon. If you don't know who he is I am surprised, but this is a good place to meet him. We chat about touring, the crafting of nerdy songs, and leaving safe but boring jobs to pursue unsafe but unboring jobs. PLUS JoCo plays a few songs, one of which is BRAND FRIGGIN NEW. Listen! Now! Really!
Direct download: Number_35_-_Jonathan_Coulton.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:42am EDT


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You may know by now that I am prone to certain anxious tendencies when it comes to games... so, when I saw Gardens Inc. From Rakes to Riches, I knew I wasn't going near that game unless there was a Gardens Inc. From Rakes to Riches Walkthrough live and ready to help.
Even then, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. You see, life being the stressful thing that it is recently, I was not entirely convinced that I needed to add a stressful time management game to my docket.
However, we did just have family yard day a few days ago. That's when you entice your family members to come over with awesome food and drinks and then hand them a rake and tell them to have at it.
Unfortunately, I was on the receiving end of this old trick, and we all went over to Tracy's house for about 5 hours of hard labor. (Of course the food was indeed excellent and so somewhat worth the effort.)
Of course, not being accustomed to such hard labor, my body aches in places I never knew could ache. So, a much-needed rest was in order. Still, I felt "springy" and wanted to play a game that matched my mood. Gardens Inc. From Rakes to Riches seemed a good way to satisfy this craving without moving too much.
So, with some hesitation I began to play. It seemed easy enough at first, but it wasn't long before I was studying our Gardens Inc. From Rakes to Riches Walkthrough, thankful for the videos of each level so I could see exactly how to beat each chapter.
I'm not sure this game is really my cup of tea, but it did provide me with a sense of satisfaction when I could beat the level on expert (of course, I wouldn't have even come close to that without the walkthrough).
So, whether you're a newbie to time management games like me, or you're a hardcore junkie, (you crazy, crazy people), our Gardens Inc. from Rakes to Riches Walkthrough is here to help!


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Big, handsome and ready to perform, what is not to love about Brian Kent? He was brought to my attention by Rich Overton, who has a stable full of talented and good-looking singers under the banner of RJO Artists. Rich recently tweeted about the latest video, so I had to click fast to check it out. Man, am I glad I did. So I got to see the video for I'll Find A Way, and it made my day instantly better. It started off with a montage of faces over a swell of music, which soon kicks into a driving dance beat. In no time you discover the video is not just a bunch of pretty people dancing, but instead about the labels society places on people. What a wonderful message, great song, and fantastic video!
If you loved that song as much as I did, you can find it on iTunes here. He is finishing up work on his soon-to-be released second album, which I really look forward to hearing. This did lead me to some investigation, and I found his debut album, Breathe Life, released in 2007. Filled with great high-energy dance music, this album would be perfect work-out material - if I ever got off my ass to work out, of course. Take, for example, Whatcha Doin' To Me. Bold and strong, the song is backed with a gorgeous video.
The title cut might be my favorite off the album. A beautiful message of love with a great beat, Breathe Life is filled with both energy and emotion. Kent takes it to the next level with his fantastic vocals.
Breathe Life and the next clip were both directed by Joerg Fockele, who had also directed episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I'm Not Crazy was Kent's first video, and it was a great beginning.
You can purchase Breathe Life on iTunes here. Tracks on the album have hit the Billboard Dance Tracks chart and hit #1 on Sirius Satellite Radio's Hot 20 chart. The videos spent time on LOGO's Click List Top 10, and by year's end, was named one of LOGO's Top 10 Artists of the Year. For more about Brian Kent, check out his official website here. Or if you run into him, tell him


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On 17 September, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Culture Mr Francesco Bandarin signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Ms Francine C. Berkowitz, Director of International Relations of the Smithsonian Institution, creating an unprecedented agreement between the two institutions for cooperation on cultural and natural heritage programmes. Ms Berkowitz signed on behalf of Mr Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture.
Together the Smithsonian and UNESCO will develop programmes and work together on a wide range of projects, including a travelling exhibition and an international conference on the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 2012. Other initiatives will be directed to conserving natural World Heritage sites, developing outreach on World Heritage and indigenous issues, conducting research on the means of preserving the world's languages, activities for the dissemination of traditional music, and aiding in the recovery of Haiti's cultural heritage following January 12 earthquake.
Based in Washington, D.C., USA, the Smithsonian Institution was created in 1846 and has established museums, research centers and programmes dedicated to the understanding and preservation of humanity's cultural heritage, contemporary cultural creativity, and the sustaining of the planet's biodiversity.


text: Unique to Silver Cloud, the Photo Studio offers a multitude of options to take your pictures from inside your camera to onto your walls. A vibrant, creatively inspiring space where you can not only master the art of digital photography with Masterclasses in editing, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, but also an editing suite where you can print images (including postcard, panorama and A2 prints). State-of-the-art equipment for both MAC and PC users, highly technological printers plus a dedicated photo manager to guide you through the many techniques to help you define yourself as a serious photographer. Even the smartphone photographer can become pro level with specialized training on how to use your camera phone its best possible advantage. Printing fee applies.


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Wooden Shjips have unveiled their new epilepsy-triggering video for their psyche-out stomper 'Lazy Bones'. Their recently released album West sets the bar high for all Neo-Psych revivalists and leaves them standing in a dusty pile of worn-out Doors shirts.
The videos DMT-laden fuzz screeches through morphed VHS aesthetics and everything dissolves into some sort of digital Stan Brakhage blaze. It was produced by none other then New York-based experimentalists Black Dice.


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I did a blog post a short while ago about Social Media Gurus and Social Media. This post created quite a bit of dialogue about the term social media guru, the length of experience that those gurus have, the origins of social media and how people define social media. Ummm musta' HIT a nerve with some of the GURU's. So lets just consider this a bit of a follow up to that post.
While gaining my Masters Degree in Internet Marketing I learned Advanced Internet Marketing Strategies, New Media Marketing Technologies and Social Media Optimization, Search Engine Optimization and more. I do have a firm understanding of what Social Media is; However, like anything everything is a matter of interpretation and someone may very well view things differently than I may. I am quite qualified to state my opinion as are others.
I am a firm believer that Facebook is the driving force behind the social media driven world that we are in now. In spite of that, I did in the previous post and still do acknowledge that there were a variety of online platforms that proceeded Facebook.
I am not saying that online interaction was nonexistent in the earliest stages of the Internet hitting mainstream. I am saying that businesses were not involved with Social Media as it is now….
That Was Then…This is NOW and The difference between then and now is the profound effect that the FACEBOOK ERA has had on our entire lives and businesses in particular. I'm not talking forums, online resume platforms or pre-web 2.0 platforms. YES I agree, there were indeed platforms around such as Friendster, Hi5, blah, blah, blah, blah, blahhhhh….I get that. One of those channels from that era is, LinkedIn which by todays standards is considered a social media channel. However back in its initial stages, Linkedin was considered a channel that allowed one to create an online resume. This platform encouraged PRIVATE interaction between people that have connected, not SOCIAL interaction as social media encourages. In addition, Linkedin did not offer the opportunity to share content which is a driving force behind social media as we know it now. Take a look at the image below of the LinkedIn interface as it displayed in 2005.
One of the driving forces of Social Media as we are experiencing it now, provides a platform for individuals and BUSINESSES to engage with a strong motivation to share content. This is a really cool experience for individuals as it has increased social interaction, but for businesses it is huge.
Businesses within the past two years have recognized the power of Social Media and has been embracing this new and exciting way of engaging, connecting and increasing its brand recognition by way of this phenomenon that has really taken the world by storm. Although we know that there have been other channels of online interaction, none of those channels have promoted the change as Facebook has. The growth of this phenomenon has change how we interact, how we behave online and how businesses market their brand. This is what has thrust businesses into the social media fray. NO other online channel, forum, platform whatever you want to call it has changed the fabric of marketing like the Facebook propelled social media era. This is the era of social media in which businesses are in need of experts, not gurus with an exaggerated ten years of experience.
Yes, there were other online channels, but we all know that NONE of the other channels have had the power to change the world from, what it was THEN, to the SOCIALLY ENGAGED world that it is NOW, except Facebook. Facebook has created entire industries, applications, phones geared toward the technology and more. Although Facebook did not start online platforms, Facebook is the driving force behind what we now call Social Media. Let's not pretend otherwise…
The Take away:
The good thing is that based on the Facebook Era of Social Media, the world is a much more Socially Engaged place and we are all literally living through history in the making. Call it what you want, but this Era of Technology is exciting and I'm sure everyone is excited to be a part of it. I know I am!
Related articles
- YOU may be a Social Media Guru but YOU DO NOT Have 10 years of Social Media Experience (anisesmithmarketing.com)
- 2012 The Year For Those In Internet Industries (anisesmithmarketing.com)
- But I Don't Have Time For a New Social Media Platform (anisesmithmarketing.com)
- Sales and Account Managers ADD A Little #SocialMedia To Your Strategy & Your Email (anisesmithmarketing.com)


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Barely a week goes by without yet another stunning fact from the Chinese economy. Last Friday brought news that despite spending billions on the world's largest fiscal stimulus package to help escape the global downturn, China's vast foreign exchange reserves shot up by another 23% in 2009, to a stunning $2.4tn (£1.4tn) – almost twice the GDP of the UK. Official figures this week are expected to show that while the rest of the world was struggling to emerge from recession, Chinese growth was running at a rampant annual rate of more than 10% in the final three months of the year.
With China barely breaking stride during the Great Crash, and set to surpass sickly Japan as the world's second-largest economy by the end of 2010, it would be easy to see the turmoil of the past two years as setting the seal on the inexorable rise to dominance of the eastern giant.
However, dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. First, there are mounting fears over China's dramatic bounce-back – bubbles are inflating in the stock market and housing that could burst, with catastrophic results.
Capital controls protecting the currency from a financial exodus mean it's hard for domestic investors to send their surplus funds abroad – so with banks directed to pump up lending, cheap cash is pushing up asset prices at home. Bank lending in December was more than 95% higher than a year earlier, according to the People's Bank of China.
"Ample liquidity and capital controls, having protected China from the worst of the global financial crisis, now threaten economic and financial stability," said Ben Simpfendorfer of RBS in a note last week. "Investors are searching for yield, but are limited in their choices. Higher inflation and the state council's reluctance to raise interest rates may only accelerate the rush into equities, property, and, increasingly, into repackaged loans."
The Chinese authorities are well aware of the risk of a bubble, and have taken a series of steps in recent weeks, including increasing banks' reserve requirements, to try and cool things down. "They've got very scared that they can't control it," says Mark Williams, senior China economist at consultancy Capital Economics.
With China battling to secure enough raw materials to feed roaring growth, inflation is also a considerable risk, and analysts believe the authorities will raise interest rates by the end of this year to prevent it running out of control – though with rates so low in the battered western economies, that risks attracting an unwanted influx of foreign funds. "These problems are big, they're real," says Gerard Lyons, the chief economist at Standard Chartered, who travels to China regularly.
Second, even if fears about financial and economic instability prove unfounded, there are political obstacles on China's path to permanent prosperity.
Google's contretemps with the Chinese government last week underlined the fact that Beijing has achieved its extraordinary economic rise without playing by the west's rules. But the spat over business ethics is likely to be dwarfed in the coming years by the bubbling tension over China's trading relationship with the US and Europe.
Williams, of Capital Economics, believes that China will escape the risks of overheating or out-of-control inflation, but that its growth will create increasing political confrontation. "It's obviously good if incomes are going up; that's good for hundreds of millions of peasants, you can't begrudge that – but it's throwing up all these challenges; there's a lot of frictions," he says.
Even before the credit crunch, congressmen in America's rust-belt states blamed China for "currency manipulation" – fixing the yuan at an artificially low exchange rate against the dollar, so that it could benefit from cut-price exports, and get a leg up the world economic league tables.
Now, with the Asian recovery in full swing, exports of goods from China are exploding, stealing market share from the traditional manufucturing powerhouses of Germany and Japan, both countries desperate to use their traditional export-led growth model to restore their economies to health.
There have already been a series of protectionist moves against China since the downturn began. The US has invoked World Trade Organisation rules to slap tariffs on Chinese tyres, paper and steel products; the EU has done the same to exports of aluminium wheels and steel products, as their producers struggle to compete with the Chinese juggernaut. The chorus grows ever louder from politicians around the world calling for Beijing to allow the yuan to appreciate. Japan and the eurozone in particular are likely to feel that China is growing at their expense.
Not every analyst agrees that the right solution for China is to float its currency, cross its fingers and hope for the best. Its enormous trade surpluses and mountainous foreign exchange reserves partly result from weak demand at home – because Chinese consumers save so much of their income, around 35%.
That forces the government to keep exports surging ahead to maintain rapid economic growth, and avoid the social and political crisis that could result if the economy slowed down and millions of jobs were lost. Solving that problem and generating domestic-driven growth could arguably do as much to tackle the "global imbalances" of vast surpluses in China and deficits in the US, as a depreciation.
Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley, Asia, backs Beijing's insistence that the best way to tackle its sickly consumer demand is not to unleash the forces of the foreign exchange markets on the yuan, but to use domestic policy. The Chinese authorities have recently announced plans to improve social safety nets, so that families don't feel the need to salt so much of their income away for a rainy day, and switch spending from shiny new construction projects that may never be occupied, to education and health.
"There is good reason to believe that China gets it – and is about to take dramatic steps in rebalancing its domestic economy in a fashion that would provide a sustained and meaningful reduction in its current account surplus," Roach says.
Qu Hongbin, HSBC's China economist, agrees that what he calls "China's New Deal" will help to boost consumer spending, so the country can continue expanding without overheating. "We believe the jump in government spending on the social safety net, combined with surging consumer credit, will encourage consumers to loosen their purse-strings and lower their savings rate by five percentage points over the next three years," he says.
Lyons says: "If you're going to pick an economy that's going to come out of this well, it's China – but if anyone thinks it's going to be a smooth path, with no bumps along the way, they're wrong. The west has to realise there's a business cycle in China."


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A dungeon-crawling card game for 2 to 4 players
A mad rush to make your connecting flight for 2 to 4 air traveleers.
New variants and some designers notes for each of the games from 2000.
Use that box of dice to strategize with two to four high-rollers.
I used to play Lincoln Logs like this: Build towers just to knock them down with two to four players.


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Vegetable of the week:
In Season this week:
Strawberries, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, garlic scapes, herbs
Kids Corner this week:
Plant seeds
Story Hour at 10 a.m.
Music this week:
William Beakley. William Beakley is a rising sophomore at CCHS. He enjoys playing the guitar and various other instruments.
Community Table this week:
Grow a Strong Family. Grow A Strong Family is a small 501c3 non-profit social service agency that provides services to families managing mental health issues in loved ones. Our catchment area includes Carlisle, Bedford, Billerica, Chelmsford, Concord, Lexington, Waltham, and wherever the need is! We offer free seminars, a free weekly support group, and customized services for reasonable fees. For more information, please visit our webpage: www.growastrongfamily.org
This week at the Market


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Happy Friday everyone!
Can you believe that we're one Friday closer to Christmas?
We are really getting into the spirit here at home and I'd like to extend some of the holiday cheer to you.
My new book Adam and Amelia's Christmas Cookie Catastrophe will be available on Amazon soon, but enjoy this colouring book in the meantime:
I'll be posting updates on this book very soon so watch out for that.
Let me know what your kids think of this colouring book by commenting below!
Love and Blessings,


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Campagnolo Record Rear Hub 32H Black with Spokes set
Brand: Campagnolo
Model: Record
Body: freehub compatible with 9,10 and 11 speed Campagnolo
Body size: for oversize 17mm Axle
Weight: 231g
Holes: 32
Spokes: INCLUDED, 295mm, color black with nipples
Spoke Nipples: INCLUDED
Condition: Used, but in very good condition
Campagnolo Record Hubs have been for years and still are among the best road hubs on the market. Over the years Record hubs gained very good reputation for being light, durable and smooth. The latest Record hubs feature oversize alloy axles for increased stiffness and lighter weight, adjustable 15-ball bearings for easy maintenance and lightweight alloy freehub bodys compatible with 9,10 and 11 speed Campagnolo systems.


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I was thinking about a few things the other day. (Thinking always gives me a horrible headache so I never do any more of it than I have to.) What I thought about was the mess the world has gotten into in the last year and a half or so. It seems to me that we, as a planet, have a great opportunity hiding within this mess. Today we look at that opportunity.
Thankful Friday
As always, we take a few minutes on Friday to express our thanks. Today I want to thank my friend Judy for the wonderful Reiki treatments she has given me in the last few weeks. Judy – thanks for all the help.
We also always thank WordPress and FeedBurner for providing the tools that make this blog free for all of us. Thanks WordPress and FeedBurner.
What a mess
As some of you know I am a cineaste (cinema enthusiast). I particularly like movies from the great Hollywood directors of the 1930's and early 1940's. One such director is Frank Capra. Most of us know him for "It's A Wonderful Life".
Frank Capra also made a film called "Meet John Doe". In this movie the character played by Walter Brennan says a line that is one of my all time favorite movie lines. "I don't read no papers, and I don't listen to radios either. I know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber, and I don't have to read it."
Well – I think the world has once again been shaved by a drunken barber. We don't have to read about it or see it on TV.
Where it came from
Part of the reason that we have the mess that we do is that a group of people attempted (and are still attempting) to divide us from each other. They have a vision of the world wherein they feel safe only if they are in control of things.
In order to gain this control they have attempted (and often succeeded) in dividing us into smaller groups. Once they have divided us, they then attempt to get us to fight with each other. Once we start fighting each other we are no longer paying attention – or resisting them.
This has made it much easier for this group of people to consolidate the power that they think they need in order to maintain their control. When you look at the overall economic and political situation in the world for the past ten years you can see how many of us paid more attention to things like gay rights, abortion, illegal immigration, and fear of terrorists than the real political and economic issues. While our attention was diverted we gave away our power.
The opportunity
Here is the opportunity hidden within this current mess – we can now learn to work together. We have had many years of a small group working against the interests of the large group. We now have a chance for the large group to learn to work together in a way that helps us all.
We have the chance to learn that when we help each other we are actually helping ourselves. We can choose to work together for the good of all of us.
We can also choose to only work for what is good for ourselves right now – and the hell with anyone else – let them take care of themselves.
All the great men of all the great religions have always encouraged us to work together and help each other. Ignoring those that we can help only diminishes us.
Here is the way to help all of us – working together for the common good. Let's all of us choose to work together. We will help each other and the world will be a better place.
Have a great weekend
This weekend is a special time for many religions. My hope is that all of our readers observing religious events this weekend have a safe, happy, and holy weekend.
Until tomorrow –
Es kava turen hai
We work towards an identical goal.
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Were currently in Gulu–our last trip here. The purpose of the visit is a combination of saying goodbyes and having a few meetings related to our work for assetmap.org.
Yesterday we had dinner with a Catholic priest who has become a friend and host for us on several visits here. During the meal he recounted a recent visit to his home village in Pader District. He was asked to moderate a dispute between a new widow and extended family over how to handle her late husband's estate (apparently this problem is global).
Father also told us another thing that was on everyone's mind in his home village–the recent influx of iron sheets, farm implements and other "resettlement packages" that the government is currently handing out to local communities in the conflict-affected areas. At first I was happy to hear that government is doing some of this. But, then Father explained how the process is unfolding. According to the people Father spoke with, government officials were handing out the items to selected people with the clear quid pro quo that their "support" was expected in upcoming elections. When Father suggested that maybe the people should be pragmatic and accept the much-needed items but then refuse to support the government at the ballot box, he was told that the gifts were being given with a "clear understanding" that government would be following up to see which recipients had "followed through on support" and which had not.
It is this sophisticated use of patronage and fear that keeps the government here going strong. Slowly but surely, they strategically distribute development gifts (usually paid for with aid money) that people desperately need. Logically weighing short-term need over long-term principles, people accept them with open arms. Then, once people are bought, government strong arms them into maintaing the regime while making threats of a return to past violence or new forms of future retribution.
I suppose this form of government functioning is not altogether unique…sounds quite like many governments in the world and is not so different from the way Chicago worked for decades, albeit to a lesser degree. But, that still makes it unfortunate and, ultimately, unsustainable.


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From 1301 Penn: A Quarterly Report on the National League of Cities' Recent Accomplishments
We helped municipal officials share great ideas by ...
* Hosting the 83rd Annual Congress of Cities and Exposition for more than 5,600 people in Reno, Nev., featuring four general sessions; 42 workshops; more than 375 exhibits; mobile workshops; meetings of NLC's Board,Advisory Council, panels, councils, committees and constituency groups; and formal and informal networking opportunities.
* Providing TV coverage on National City Network of general sessions at the Congress of Cities and conversations with officials about award-winning city projects.
* Convening the first meeting of NLC's new School Improvement Task Force.
* Convening NLC's Council on Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) to discuss President Bart Peterson's media violence initiative and to develop a new strategic plan for NLC's YEF Institute.
* Conducting cross-site meetings for eight cities participating in an afterschool technical assistance project and five cities involved in a project to expand options and alternatives for students who struggle in a traditional high school setting.
* Sponsoring an Afterschool Leadership Academy for 50 municipal leaders and collaborating with the Freddie Mac Foundation and the Metropolitan Council of Washington Governments to sponsor a Cities Supporting Parents of Young Children Leadership Academy for 60 officials.
* Hosting audioconferences for more than 300 participants on municipal strategies to familiarize residents with the Earned Income Tax Credit, protect the safety of children and youth, promote youth engagement and participation in local government, and encourage residents to save a portion of their tax refunds.
* Conducting workshops at conferences of the National Community Tax Coalition and the National Transitional Jobs Network.
* Hosting meetings of the Education Policy and the Afterschool Policy Advisors Networks.
* Selecting 14 cities to participate in the first Combating Childhood Obesity Leadership Academy.
We provided resources to solve city problems by ...
* Welcoming more than 5,000 visitors to National City Network.
* Publishing several helpful research reports: the 2006 NLC Futures Report on Economic Vitality, Your City's Success in a Changing Economy;Tapping the Power of City Hall to Build Equitable Communities: 10 City Profiles; Tapping the Power of City Hall to Build Equitable Communities: 17 Promising Practices; Vital Partners: Mayors and Police Chiefs Working Together for America's Children and Youth: City Fiscal Conditions 2006; Guide to Successful Local Government Collaboration in America's Regions; Guidebook on Building Democratic Governance; and the State of America's Cities Survey on Housing.
* Publishing NLC municipal action guides on greenroofs, municipal workforce housing, partnerships for economic vitality, and building on your city's strengths.
* Releasing an action kit for municipal leaders on combating childhood obesity.
We helped municipal officials sharpen their leadership skills by ...
* Conducting a regional Leadership Training Institute program on "Economic Growth and Development: Self-Interest or Public Interest?" as well as "Dilemmas and Decisions: Practical Ethics for Public Life" in conjunction with the North Carolina League of Municipalities. …


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Prahlad Nagar
TG Stays Anand Nagar Cross Road
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B-301, Scarlet Heights on Anand Nagar Cross Road, Opp Rahul Tower Prahlad Nagar, Prahlad Nagar, AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, India, Pin-380015 , Ahmedabad
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Specturm Hospitality & Event Organisers LLP Prahladnagar 2 - 1 is a luxury serviced apartment situated at Prahlad Nagar in Ahmedabad. This service apartment offers all luxury comfort to the travelers. It has three bedrooms. Each unit of this property is spacious and well decorated. The rooms are equipped with modern amenities like the attached balcony to enjoy the view, tea/coffee maker, bathroom toiletries, wardrobe and hot and cold water facility. The travelers can avail all the essential features offered by the property. It has a garden for relax and for comfort. There is a swimming pool to keep the guests rejuvenated. Private vehicles can be parked in the free parking space of the hotel. In order to cater to the needs of the new-age travelers, the hotel has internet connectivity. Guests can start their morning with having morning breakfast. Some of the unique features of the hotel are medical service, laundry facility, health club and 24 hour security will be provided for the guest comfort.
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Earlier this week I had the good fortune of being a part of a round-table panel that was gathered to discuss the future of the Stanley Milner public library.
At first I was surprised to have been asked to be involved, I'm a cook after all, and don't exactly spend much time at the library. It wasn't until I found out that EPL was looking to add a culinary department to the renovations of the library that I began to understand why they had reached out.
As the committee gathered I was impressed to see the mix of people from the community that were asked to be a part of this program. Gathered in the room were members from the YWCA, the Edmonton Food Bank, the City Centre Farmers Market, fellow chefs, nutritionists, dieticians, and social workers, all with the common goal of making the new library a place for community to gather.
As I sat among such a diverse group I could see the endless possibilities that this project could lead to for those in the community.
As the conversation began we focused on what uses could a community kitchen and learning centre could have. It was interesting to see everyone share their perspective on how it could benefit the overall community.
There were so many wonderful ideas from teaching cooking classes to those who have been without a home for several years and maybe haven't had to the practical experience of cooking for themselves in a long time.
There was the talk of the nutritional education for young kids teaching them the value of choosing wisely when you eat, preparing simple meals that include vegetables and grains. There was talk of inter-generational classes, where grandmothers could teach children their traditional recipes and techniques so that their traditions could continue into the future.
We talked about capturing these recipes and moments, archiving them for future generations to learn from, much the same way a library uses literature and history books to capture the past.
The process also reminded me just how much food is about community. It can mean something as simple as the family gathering in the kitchen while grandma creates her secret family recipe that only her hands can manage to get just right. It's more than that though.
It's also about the foods and traditions that bring us together as one. Canada, and western Canada more specifically, is unique to some degree in that way. Our communities are young relative to the rest of the world and I feel that we are still in the infancy of defining what is Edmonton cuisine, what defines us as a food community.
It's exciting to step back and take that in occasionally, it helps to remind me that we are all a part of developing that. I also feel that our lack of a defined cuisine in Canada is what actually defines us as a culture. While we are still trying to define what is truly ours it may be a question we never answer because we as a society are so diverse, offering us a look into the food and ingredients of many different cuisines.
While I felt blessed to be a part of the conversation I don't envy those that have to make the final decisions about what the kitchen facility ends up being used for. No matter what the decisions, I have no doubt that the city of Edmonton is much better for having a place where we can gather over the experience of food. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the end result, which, along with the rest of the library project, is scheduled to be unveiled in early 2020. Stay tuned to see for yourself!
With that in mind I thought I would share a recipe that my wife's grandmother shared with her, who shared with me. Like many recipes that I have had passed down to me, it's vague and lacking in detail, as those traditions had to be passed on in person.
She had prepared it her way forever, even growing the beets herself, until an unfortunate stroke years ago left her unable to continue the tradition. Thankfully my wife was able to watch and learn from her grandmother and use those techniques to keep the tradition alive. She makes these pickles at home every year and we wait with anticipation for them to be ready.
While I think they are fantastic, Kristina always feels that they aren't quite as good as her grandmother's. There's just something about a grandmother's magic that never translates to a recipe card. Either way, I am fortunate enough to use her recipe at the restaurant and happy to share it with you today. Hopefully they turn out almost as good as grandma makes.
Pickled Beets
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: about an hour
Special Tools: Pickling pot, pickling jars & lids, pickling tongs help
Makes: about six 1lt. jars
If you wish to preserve your pickles for long term storage follow this basic method for sterilizing the jars and sealing the pickles safely.
5lbs. red beets
10 cups vinegar
5 cups sugar
5 cups water
10 tsp. pickling salt
6 tbsp. pickling spice
- Place the beets in a large pot and cover generously with water
- Bring to a simmer and cook the beets gently, until fork tender, about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets
- Remove from heat and drain, cool quickly, using an ice bath
- Once the beets are cool to the touch, gently peel the beets, taking on as much skin as necessary, but as little as possible
- Cut the beets into manageable wedges and place them in sterilized jars
- In a pot combine the vinegar, sugar, water and pickling salt, bring to a boil
- In each 1 lt. jar, palce one tablespoon of the pickling spice
- Pour the brine over the beets and then proceed to seal the jar, following the preservation method, in the event that you are short a little bit of brine, follow the same ratio to make a little more
- Let the beets store for at least 3 weeks before eating, store them in a cool dark place until ready to upon, if canned properly, they will last up to a year or more
Who's hungry?


text: Bob Plath was a veteran airline pilot who invented the first carry-on bag with wheels. His invention has forever changed the way people travel. Travis Perry was a guitar teacher when he decided to invent a simple device that would make it easy for anyone to learn how to play Guitar. He named it ChordBuddy and made millions. Mike Miller was teenage inventor when he came up with a fork and knife combo called a Knork that is changing the way people use cutlery. Leslie Scott took a childhood game of stacking blocks and made it into the hugely successful and timeless game called Jenga.


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Xiaomi says it's misunderstood. Once compared with Apple for its sleek smartphones and charismatic leadership, the Chinese startup is seeking an image makeover as it tries to recover from a sales-growth slide.
And the brand its billionaire co-founder Lei Jun wants to be compared with: Costco Wholesale, the Issaquah, Washington-based warehouse retailer that sells everything from wine and diamond rings to bulging boxes of cereal and fruit at knockdown prices.
Xiaomi's revenue will probably reach $15 billion this year as the Beijing-based maker of products ranging from pens and air purifiers to TVs and smartphones adopts a new business model and fine-tunes operations, Lei, 47, said in a recent interview.
"We are not Apple," Lei, clad in a black polo shirt and blue jeans, said at Xiaomi's Bengaluru office in India, its biggest overseas market. "We have the same value system as Costco. We want users to enjoy better products at an affordable price."
While Apple commands premium prices and enjoys the highest margins in the brutally competitive $425 billion global smartphone industry, Costco sells merchandise at razor-thin profits while fueling earnings from its 35 million annual memberships. As Xiaomi embraces a new strategy to fuel growth, Lei's goal is to pull in more revenue from apps and services, which delivered $1 billion in sales from 10 million-plus monthly active users last year.
It's a far different strategy than the one it used to claim the top spot among China's smartphone makers and a valuation of $45 billion that made it, briefly, the most valuable startup in the world. Instead of the online flash sales and inexpensively-sourced components that it used to disrupt the mobile industry, Lei wants to bring internet-inspired efficiency to offline commerce. He's also turning to India to revive Xiaomi's fortunes as China grows more competitive.
'Make History'
Here, 20-something workers in denim jeans and T-shirts huddle in groups or sit behind shiny white desks separated by foot-high red, yellow and green partitions. Exposed-brick support columns and tube lights suspended below bare pipes and air-conditioning ducts make the office feel more like it's inside a Brooklyn loft than an industrial park.
Dozens of circular mobiles swing from the lights, with phrases encouraging staff to "Let's make history together." A scattering of motivational cartoons sketched on whiteboards promote Xiaomi's aims and achievements. Now six years old, Xiaomi's meteoric rise has been usurped in recent quarters by competitors replicating -- and succeeding at -- the very model that enabled it to vault ahead of Apple and Samsung Electronics Co. in its home market.
The risk for Xiaomi in India is that it will go the same way as China: toppled by rival brands such as Oppo, Huawei and Vivo.
Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research, said Xiaomi is taking a risky approach. The company's rivals have been able to sell the same number of phones in India, even though their products cost as much as three times more. As Xiaomi seeks to expand sales volumes, it will have to sell more of its high-end models. "Their margins are thin and when they go offline, their expenses will shoot up," he said.
Modi Meeting
During his third visit to India -- a week-long trip that included a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- Lei summoned a town hall-style staff meeting to rally a team he praised for making Xiaomi the No. 1 online-selling smartphone company in the country the past two quarters. Their goal now, he said, was to the cement that position in the next three to five years.
In India, "incomes are low and everyone wants good products," Lei said in a glass-walled conference room, flanked by several of his top executives. Lei is trying to reignite the buzz in the offline or "new retail" market, he said. "Everyone realizes the online market is very limited."
In China, Xiaomi accounts for only a 10th of total smartphone sales, Lei estimates, leaving bigger opportunities in the traditional bricks-and-mortar approach. Lei aims to have 1,000 so-called MiHome retail stores with sales topping $10 billion annually in next three years, he said.
MiHome stores will offer just two dozen Xiaomi products, according to Lei. Pointing to a single line of $1 apiece writing pens, two types of air purifiers, and three kinds of smartphones, he says he envisages selling no more than 100 product types in coming years, versus the hundreds, or even thousands of stock-keeping units maintained by some manufacturers.
New Beginning?
"Our toughest times have passed starting this year, and our main strategy now is to bring the internet way of thinking to offline in China," Lei said. The plan is to integrate multiple links in offline commerce and avoid the bottlenecks that can occur as products move along the supply chain through manufacturing and repair to logistics and sales.
But even the "new retail" strategy risks being copied. Lei spoke publicly about it one morning and the head of an e-retailing behemoth used the same term hours later, he said. Competitors have in the past paid the ultimate price of copying Xiaomi's approach, Lei said, declining to give names. "One company lost $1 billion last year, maybe even more," he said. "Game over."
Microsoft Rival
Lei's ideas were shaped by past ventures. He previously ran Kingsoft, a software maker that competes with Microsoft's enterprise software sales in China, and his e-commerce company Joyo.com was acquired by Amazon.com and renamed Amazon China. Lei is convinced his retail plan will revive the growth prospects that helped earn Xiaomi its lofty valuation.
Sales began to stagnate in 2015 and shipments plummeted in China last year, with the company refusing to release 2016 numbers. In January, former international head Hugo Barra left for Facebook, raising questions about Xiaomi's ability to navigate its way through what Lei had described as "unforgettable" challenges.
In India last week, Lei insisted that revenue never slowed during the past two years, and that "Xiaomi has resumed rapid growth." Suggestions that the company's value had sunk to $4 billion "hurt us a lot," he said, refusing to be drawn into a discussion on its current value.
"It was never as bad as it was made out to be," he said. "Our investors are not worried. I have explained to them clearly. And to our users, we say, 'It takes 10 to 15 years. We need time. Trust Mr. Lei.'"
Enough Cash
There is no pressure on cash flow and no need to raise funds, he said, adding: "We have more than enough cash." Lei declined to comment on whether Xiaomi has any immediate plan for an initial public offering. Right now, he's focusing on India, including the potential to open physical stores in the nation with the world's largest youth population.
Xiaomi is planning a third factory in India, where Lei says he's prepared to take more risks, including doubling investments to $1 billion over the next few years.
"In the next two years, we want more and more influence in India," Lei said. How he will do that plays on his mind constantly he says, as he reaches for a black backpack and fishes for one of 10 phones inside.
"I keep thinking about how to perfect my products," Lei says, clutching a phone with a metallic, pale blue finish. "For instance, how come Indians don't like this 'Tiffany blue' colored phone?"
That's just one of many things that perplexes Lei about the India market. But he's determined to figure it out: "This is what keeps me awake at night."


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What is pain? And how can it be changed?
How many of you have made pain a wrongness? How many of you have an answer to what pain is?
I am sure most of you are aware of Louise L Hay's brilliant book called 'Heal your life'. In the back is a chart of 'pain' or symptoms in different parts of the body and what it means. I remember one that says lower back pain is about money issues. Now that may be true for 52% of the population, but what if you don't fit in to that 52%? If you buy that as a fixed point of view, as 'THE' answer it means that if you have a lower back pain you will be looking for money matters in your life, and guess what if it is not a money matter you will be searching in vain. What if pain was a question?
What? yes, you are getting it already what if pain was a question, What if each time you had a pain you went in to question? So lets question pain, and remember what is light for you is true for in this 10 seconds what is heavy is a lie for you in this 10 seconds
What if pain was an awareness that you were not willing to receive?
What if "pain" in your body was actually the awareness of a possibility that you have not yet created?
What if the pain was not even your body's but some body else's?
And then there the is how can it be changed bit. What if it was not about how but about what were choosing as your life? Like in the story in the video. Now having said that I have a whole bunch of tools and processes that I would love to share with you around pain. If you would like to come and get 'em whilst they are hot, come along to the tele class. Click HERE.


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Coast Abracadabra - Tula Explore (6-in-1) Baby Carrier
Coast Abracadabra - Tula Explore (6-in-1) Baby Carrier
Feel the cool shine of Coast Rainbow Stars! Celestial skies filled with soft rainbow-colored stars cover the deep navy blue background to create a subtle yet magical design. A pop of color is added with teal breathable mesh in the center panel and detachable hood. The print continues onto the carrier inner and outer framed panel, straps, and waistband.
1. Stay cool mesh carrier panel
Large mesh panel provides extra ventilation for optimal breathability to keep wearer and baby cool.
2. Breathable & lightweight material
Soft and lightweight 100% cotton certified according to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® with a large breathable mesh panel and hood that's easy to clean and machine washable.
3. Every carry position your baby will need, including facing out
Multiple positions to carry baby including front facing out*, facing in, and back carry. Each position provides a natural, ergonomic position best for comfortable carrying that promotes healthy hip and spine development for baby.
4. No bulk, innovative body panel with an easy-to-adjust design
Adjusts in three width settings to find a perfect fit as baby grows from newborn to early toddlerhood. Can be used from 7 - 45 pounds, no infant insert required.
5. Padded, adjustable neck support pillow
Can be used in multiple positions to provide head and neck support for newborns and sleeping babies.
6. Padding where needed for extra comfort
Padded shoulder straps provide optimal neck & shoulder comfort and offers quick adjustments for multiple wearers. Wide padded waistband helps evenly distribute weight. Padded leg openings to keep baby comfortable.
7. Waistband pocket and removable hood
Large pocket on the waistband to store necessities. Coordinating removable hood with snaps to support baby's head while sleeping, sun protection while out and about, and extra privacy while feeding baby.
* Before beginning to use the Explore Carrier in the facing out position, your baby should have head and neck control and their chin should clear the top of the panel when facing out. We also suggests a weight range for the facing out position of 13-22lb for shorter intervals of time for optimal comfort. Watch baby for signs of sleepiness or over-stimulation. Baby should not sleep in the front carry facing out position.
Depending on the snap setting, the seat panel width is adjustable from 5" - 15".
Depending on the neck pillow placement, the height of the panel is 13.5" tall when the pillow is snapped down and 17" when snapped up.
Hip Belt Measures 5" tall and 27" wide. Additional webbing extends approximately 30" (waistband total of ~ 57" long).
Weight of the carrier: 1.7 lbs.


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The administration of the Federal Capital Territory says it remains committed to ensuring it staff's healthcare challenges are attended to.
The Director and Chief Executive Officer, FCT Area Council Pension Board, Mr Nimzing Ndem stated this Wednesday during an eye testing exercise for staff conducted by his board on the directive of the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello.
Correspondent Ikharo Attah completes the report.