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Katie Wright asks the experts for their gym kit tips
WARM weather calls for gym gear that's cool and breathable yet still supportive - and of course, we all want to look good while we're working out. How to strike that balance? The instructors at London's trendy KXU always manage it, so we decided to ask the gym's most stylish residents for their fitness fashion advice.
"I bounce around London like a ping-pong ball, so my go-tos are ones that I can teach, train and travel in without feeling restricted," says yoga teacher Danielle Wills.
"I'm pretty minimalist with my wardrobe - monochrome is the way forward - so I'm so happy that many brands are bringing out clean-cut, beautiful pieces that can be worn and loved, day in and day out!"
And the good news is that it's not all niche and uber-luxe labels for these fitness gurus - they love big brands and bargains too.
Here, Wills and four fellow KXU crew members share their summer sportswear favourites...
Danielle Wills, yoga teacher
"My Lululemon Align leggings definitely work the hardest of anything in my wardrobe - they hug and hold and move into the most ambitious of yoga postures, but they're so neutral that they look great on the street as well.
"I'm always a die-hard Adidas fan - an Originals bomber jacket is always useful to throw over anything, and their Warp Knit Crop holds a special place in my heart."
"I also just got an oversized jumper from Gymversus, who only do monochrome... it's softer than butter.
"For kicking around though, my Vans get me through everything. from breakfast meetings and weight training to an animal flow class - there is nothing they can't do!"
Laura Hoggins, HIIT and strength trainer
"My go-to brand for summer 2018 sportswear is Reebok, they blend performance with style and have some incredible new designs that can take me from squatting in the studio to bubbles and brunch and back again!"
"I like to mix up my training with a blend of both strength and conditioning, so I need a training shoe that is light, comfortable, durable and can stand the heat!
"My all-time favourite cross-training shoe is the new Nano 8 Flexweave, I can box-jump, deadlift, and push a prowler in style!"
Pete Geracimo, metabolic conditioning trainer
"My sports brand of choice is 2XU (pronounced two times U). They are an incredible company to work with and really put special care into all the products that they produce.
"Regardless if you are an Olympic or recreational athlete, 2XU will have what you need in order to excel and perform at your best. Their compression fabric is highly powerful, lightweight and flexible for the ultimate performance.
"By increasing blood flow, reducing blood lactate and increasing lymphatic drainage, it enables me to train harder, perform stronger and recover faster."
Alex Rogers, spin instructor
"A few of my favourite sportswear brands have to be, firstly, Victoria's Secret Pink for really fun basics with cute colours and bright prints, this brand is good quality but very affordable.
"Freddy is an Italian brand that specialises in sculpting the fine female form, their leggings are designed to make your bum look more peachy and pert!
"Last but not least, Spiritual Gangster. I love every piece this brand creates! Their slogans are beautiful and their materials are super cosy and soft. Best for soft baggy muscle tanks and cosy tracksuits."
Saskia Vidler, yoga teacher
"The only brand-snobs are my feet - Adidas UltraBoosts are perfect for running and getting me from A to B. Otherwise, I'm not brand loyal; ultimately I'm happiest wearing colourful Nike retro shorts and an oversized T-shirt.
"For hoodies and tees, Free City is a Californian brand I've been obsessed with for years. Super-soft cottons and incredibly cool prints.
"My legs love 2XU black compression leggings as they feel and look great in them. Otherwise, it's the colourful collection of The Upside; their shapes are incredibly flattering and prints are original."


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Library for digital signing and verification of digital signatures in mail, PDF and XML documents.
Project description
Python library for digital signing and verification of digital signatures in mail, PDF and XML documents.
The ASN.1 implementation depends on asn1crypto. Cryptographic routines depends on cryptography library.
For certificate verification OpenSSL is used but I would not trust it, next version should switch to cryptography.
This library implements S/MIME handler which can encrypt and decrypt S/MIME messages using a public RSA key, in AES-128/192/256 CBC/OFB modes. It can also sign and verify S/MIME messages.
This library implements CAdES-B handler for signing and verifying PDF documents in Adobe.PPKLite/adbe.pkcs7.detached form. It can sign documents during generation using a modified version of pyfpdf which is included in this library. It can also sign documents generated by external programms.
This library implements XADES-BES handler for creating signed xml files.
This library implements CMS handler for signing and verifying plain text files with detached signature files.
This software is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file in the top distribution directory for the full license text.
## Requirements
- Python 3.*
- cryptography
- asn1crypto
- lxml
- pykcs11
- Pillow
- cert-make.py
- Create required certificates (password is 1234)
- cert-make-hsm.py
- Create required certificates for SoftHSM (password is secret1)
- pdf-make.py
- Create simple two paged PDF document which is used in pdf-sign-cms.py.
- pdf-sign-cms.py
- Create signature in externally created PDF.
- pdf-sign-cms-hsm.py
- Create signature in externally created PDF but signed with key stored in SoftHSM.
- pdf-sign-fpdf.py
- Create signature while creating PDF.
- pdf-verify.py
- Verify prevously generated files (cms/pdf).
- plain-make.py
- Create simple UTF-8 text file.
- plain-openssl.sh
- Sign, encrypt and decrypt text file with help of openssl executable.
- plain-sign-attr.py
- Sign text file with 'extended' CMS attributes.
- plain-sign-noattr.py
- Sign text file without 'extended' CMS attributes.
- plain-verify.py
- Verify all generated signatures for text file.
- smime-make.py
- Create simple UTF-8 text file for use in following examples.
- smime-openssl.sh
- Create signed S/MIME file, encrypted S/MIME file and decrypt generated S/MIME file with help of openssl executable.
- smime-encrypt.py
- Create encrypted S/MIME file.
- smime-decrypt.py
- Decrypt encrypted S/MIME file.
- smime-sign-attr.py
- Create signed S/MIME file with 'extended' CMS attributes.
- smime-sign-noattr.py
- Create signed S/MIME file without 'extended' CMS attributes.
- smime-verify.py
- Verify all generated S/MIME files.
- xml-make.py
- Create simple xml file for use in following examples.
- xml-xades-bes-sign-b64.py
- Create xml file with base64 encoded embedded source file inside own content.
- xml-xades-bes-sign-xml.py
- Create xml file with not encoded but still embedded source file inside own content.
- xml-xades-bes-sign-xml-detached.py
- Create xml file with signature in detached mode.
- xml-xades-bes-read.py
- Decode generated xml signatures and extract their content.
Online pdf validator pdfvalidator or verapdf. Offline Apache pdfbox java based validator. Free S/MIME certificates (usable for documents signing) can be obtained from actalis.
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subset: commoncrawl


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With digital projection becoming the industry standard, getting to see a film print projected is becoming a very rare experience. Even IMAX has moved to digital projection with their new laser projection system arriving in 2015. While I understand why the industry has moved to digital projection, like many of you, I miss the texture and imperfections that only comes from watching a movie on film. Also, as much as digital can recreate a moment on screen, there is just something cold about the image, and while it's suited for some movies, it hasn't been as effective for others. It's still got a long way to go to recreate the magic of film projection.
While IMAX had previously announced that Christopher Nolan's Interstellar would be shown in the large screen format due to most of their theaters going digital, many have been wondering just how many theaters could project his movie on celluloid. According to Greg Foster, President of IMAX Entertainment, the number will be "somewhere around 50" screens globally. Hit the jump for more.
As most of you know, Christopher Nolan loves IMAX. He shot part of The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar in IMAX, and came away with amazing results. I don't know how many of you got to see The Dark Knight in IMAX, but I'll never forget the first time I saw the opening of the film at the Citywalk in Los Angeles. It was one of those times I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, and I left the theater with my jaw still on the floor. While 3D can be used to great effect, I think most blockbusters should be shot in IMAX.
With Nolan having shot his recent films in IMAX, I'm expecting great things from Interstellar. Especially when we learned that he strapped an IMAX camera to the front of a learjet! Click here if you missed that story.
Last night on the Hong Kong red carpet for the world premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction, I asked Greg Foster, President of IMAX Entertainment, if Interstellar would be projected using IMAX film prints and he said that "somewhere around 50" theaters globally would be doing it. He also went on to talk about IMAX's relationship with Nolan and the importance of being able to offer filmmakers choice not only with the camera they want to use, but how they want their movies to be shown.
Watch what Foster told me below. Expect a list of IMAX theaters around the globe showing Interstellar on film in the near future.


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Emirates Flight Catering Job
Based at Dubai International airport, Emirates Flight Catering provides airline, events and VIP catering, plus ancillary services including laundry, food production and airport lounge food & beverage. We passionately promote excellence and efficiency and that's why we're industry leaders.
In July 2007, we propelled a cutting edge complex committed to adjusting the flights of Emirates. With a developed range of more than 56,000m2 and a creation limit of more than 115,000 suppers for each day, it's the biggest office of its kind in the world.The complex's refined mechanization incorporates a 2.55km electric monorail framework for transporting dinner trucks, a canister transport framework to exchange clean things from the Warewash region to the Production and Operations divisions, and a vacuum waste framework with channels more than 600m long.
Our staff are our greatest strength. Their passion, dedication and commitment ensure we maintain the highest possible standards of excellence and efficiency at every level of our operation.From the creativity of our chefs to the expertise of our events coordinators, Emirates Flight Catering has access to some of the world's best. Because they're at the top of their game, they keep us at the top of ours.


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Jason Redick
Jason lived most of his life in South Dakota where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Toni. They later moved to Missouri where they both graduated from Southwest Baptist University in 2001. Jason Graduated from SBU with a degree in Religious Education with a focus in Youth Ministry. Jason and Toni have since been blessed with two beautiful daughters , Samantha and Collyn, who have brought so much joy to their lives.
Jason began serving as the Student Pastor at Heritage in February of 2007 and in June 2015 transitioned into the Associate Pastor role. In March 2017, the church voted to call Jason as a co-Senior Pastor.
His hobbies include watching and attempting to play pretty much any sport that uses a ball. He also loves spending time with his family and friends.
Tim Howe
Tim joined the Heritage staff in July of 2015 as Youth Pastor. In March 2017, the church voted to call Tim as a Co-Senior Pastor of Teaching and Discipleship.
Tim and his wife Valissa both grew up in Lebanon, MO (they were in the same 2nd grade class!). They were married in June 2012. They both attended Southwest Baptist University where Valissa majored in Elementary Education and Tim majored in Biblical Studies. Tim later received his M.Div. in Christian Ministry from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Old Testament at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
The Howes have two daughters and one son. Tim and Valissa enjoy family time at home, watching Tim Hawkins, reading, and riding in the car together. They also enjoy board games, particularly Settlers of Catan, and baseball.
Charlie Pentecost
Charlie and his wife Sherri have been involved in ministry in a wide variety of areas for most of their 27 years of marriage. Before coming back to the Lebanon area in 2007, Charlie served as Minister of Music and Youth at Southern Heights Baptist Church in Berryville, Arkansas. For 6 years Charlie and Sherri were involved in the communication ministry (website development and social media communication), and the worship ministry at Heritage. In January 2016, Charlie assumed the role of Children's Pastor where he and Sherri strive to partner with parents to help the children of Heritage build a solid foundation for their Christian walk. Seeing the need for this foundation with children in the church, Charlie and Sherri work to provide meaningful worship, Bible lessons, and activities centered on Jesus Christ. In June of 2017 Charlie's role grew as he accepted God's call to become the full time Next Generation Pastor – guiding our Children's and Youth Ministries – allowing for a consistent and ongoing building and strengthening of our young people's foundation in Christ.
Charlie and Sherri love the Heritage family and are thankful for the opportunity to serve along side the people of the church as we Reach, Restore, and Recreate in the Lebanon community and surrounding areas.
Valissa Howe
Valissa has served at Heritage in varying capacities since July 2015. Her main responsibility is overseeing Journey Zone Daycare/Preschool, a ministry of the church which launched in January 2016. Valissa is married to Tim, and together they have two daughters, Adali and Selah.
For more information about Journey Zone, please call 288-2045.


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Congratulations on getting engaged, but it is important to know that the actual planning has just begun. To find an intimate wedding venues in Melbourne and plan such a wedding is literally a hassle if you haven't decided on anything as yet. We have gathered some of the tips that will guide you on how to plan an intimate wedding that you have always desired for.
- Elope
A lot of meaningful weddings can be seen by planning a wedding that would only consist of the bride and the groom to their favorite spots in the world alone with each other without having to plan a large wedding. A lot of couples these days can be seen using this idea where they prefer spending their big day with each other entirely rather than planning a big gathering where the main attention will be diverted.
- DestinationWedding
If you want to have an intimate memorable wedding and have no budget issues, the best way is to go for a destination wedding. Planning a destination wedding consists of only a fewer important people which you would like to have to be there in you happiness. Not only a destination wedding allows you to visit to a place you haven't before but also gives you an opportunity for creating lifetime memories by providing you with new and unique experiences.
- On-Site Lodging
Whether you have plans on having a large wedding or a small one, it is always suggested that if you are looking for an intimate wedding, you should go for venue options that offer on-site lodging so that you can spend quality time with your friends, family and of course, spouse. It is suggested to go for options such as a villa, boutique hotel, or a private estate.
- Limiting the Guest List
If you want to make sure that your wedding is just as the way you have always thought of it to be as, make sure that you limit your guest list and do not make it a larger one by inviting your parent's friends and acquaintances. There is its own charm of having a small wedding with only close people attending who actually care about you and your happiness. This allows to capture some of the most memorable events of your big day to be photographed.
- Writing own Vows
Sometimes it's not in your hands and you often tend to host a larger wedding with a lot of guests which isn't quite as intimating as it would be if it weren't that grand. But to keep the charm of intimacy alone in such events, one can always write their wedding vows on their own as this is one of the easiest way to bring intimacy to your event.


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moving average convergence/divergence (MACD)
A popular technical indicator that is used to signal trading opportunities and to detect overbought and oversold conditions, as well as early signs of an end to a market trend. To use the MACD to identify buying and selling opportunities, technicians overlay it with a nine-day exponential moving average (EMA) signal line and watch for one to cross over the other. A significant divergence between the MACD and the signal line can indicate an overbought and oversold condition and a divergence from the price of a security can signal the end of the current trend.
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I'll admit it. A group cannot compensate for a really bad PUG tank, at least not with the Troll Heroics.
Last night I log off after getting my dailies sorted out, doing a heroic and then doing a couple of regular dungeons on my DK tank for my brother-in-law (a.k.a. BIL) along with my sister and John (thanks John!). I poke around a little in Minecraft, just moving stuff around prepping my mine for some building then UFTimmy sends me an IM saying he's going to do some heroics.
I'm dead tired so I tell him so.
A few minutes later he sends me another one saying it's mostly a guild group; him, Jason and Bitterdan so should go fast. It's 11:30pm… I say fine, should only be 30 minutes tops with that sort of firepower. Log in (after a short patch) and queue up.
Dungeon pops in about five minutes, I hit enter dungeon and… fuck. It's a troll dungeon. You douchebag!
I grumble at him in Vent but stick through it because his reasoning is sound, "We'll roll through this."
Until we realize the tank is really damn slow. It was so bad even I was losing my patience. So we starting rushing things, pushing him along using MD and Tricks to get shit on him. Nope, we wipe to bad interrupts. So we start CCing some. Get to the serpent boss (or whatever – the one with the eggs) and we wipe there because the tank stands in the bad and dies. We give him shit (well, mostly Bitter and Tim) and do it the second time. Moving through he's still damn slow and starting to get mouthy. He then stops tanking (we only slightly noticed because it wasn't like he was holding agro well before) after a pull.
Tim votes to boot him.
At this point it's well after midnight so we pop it back into the queue and get a druid tank. The guy was good. We cleared the rest in short time with no other issues.
Bad tanks r bad. n u cant carry dem too far cuz dey too heavy in all dat armurs.
Now I'm dead tired on the last day of work before a long weekend and week off. Focus? Where are you?


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The pugs' first human interactions were as pets of Buddhist monks in Tibet. British raids in 1860 of the Chinese Imperial Palace in Peking took a large number of breeding stock as part of the booty.Today, pugs are loved worldwide -- and some by famous people. Paula Abdul, Woody Harrelson, Ted Danson, Andy Warhol, Jenna Elfman, Lou Ferrigno, Sammy Davis Jr., Paris Hilton, Debra Messing, Denise Richards, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugh Laurie and Billy Joel are some of the celebrities who have shared their lives with pugs.
George Clooney
This actor is well-known for sharing his Hollywood Hills home with Max -- a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig -- for nearly two decades. Yet George Clooney is also a canine lover. His two bulldogs Lou and Bud died in 2005 and 2006, respectively. In December 2010, a photo of Clooney holding a pug puppy made its round on the internet causing the hearts of pug-loving Clooney fans to skip a beat. Trouble is, nearly every posting of the photo is captioned with the same question: What is the pug's name?
Gerard Butler
Here's another heart throb with a soft spot for pugs. According to a report on Cele|bitchy, Butler doesn't mind sharing his bed and breakfast with his pug, Lolita. While staying at a West Hollywood hotel in October 2011 to promote the movie, "Machine Gun Preacher," Butler told room service staff to put breakfast on the bed where he and Lolita were snuggled up. Lolita, a light fawn-colored pug with a dark face, quickly gobbled up one plate of scrambled eggs, according to the report.
Tori Spelling
She's the daughter of Aaron Spelling, a Hollywood producer who made his fame producing daytime dramas. Tori built on her family's legacy with the help of her now deceased pug Mimi LaRue who played a leading role in Spelling's two reality television shows, "So noTORIous" and "Tori & Dean: Inn Love" in the mid 1980s. Mimi LaRue died in June 2008 due to complications from long-term hip and neck medical problems. Spelling's pug was one of the original canine fashionistas often sporting an outfit matching her human companion.
Jessica Alba
Alba made her acting debut in at age 13 in "Camp Nowhere" but earned her spot as an acting mainstay via television's "Dark Angel" series from 2000 to 2002. With more than 40 titles to her credit as of 2013 and two children with husband Cash Warren, Alba is more focused on her home life. This includes two dogs -- one a pug named Sid. A Modern Dog article details Alba's search for a Los Angeles home with a large yard. She partnered with Kari Whitman, a designer who renovates homes to create a more canine-friendly environment. For Alba's home, that included removing Spanish tile with a synthetic material made from recycled tires.
Historical Pug Owners
In 1572, a pug named Pompey owned by Prince William of Orange of The Netherlands thwarted a Spanish attempt to kill the prince as he was on his way to England to be crowned king of that nation as well. In 1790, Napoleon Bonaparte's wife Josephine put secret messages under the collar of her pug Fortune. The canine was the only visitor Josephine was allowed during her imprisonment.
Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom's Prime Minister during World War II, is rumored to have signed letters to his wife, Clementine Hozier, with a hand-drawn picture of the family's pug next to his signature. Queen Victoria of England was the human companion of six pugs named Bully, Olga, Pedro, Minka, Fatima and Venus, according to a Daily Mail article.
- Celebrity Dog Watcher: Celebrities Owned By Pugs
- Daily Mail Online: Beloved By Royalty And One Of Our Most Fashionable Pets
- Pug Village: Famous Pugs
- datSplat: Famous Pugs And Famous People And Celebrities Who Own Pugs
- The Fun Times Guide: Dogs: Since George Clooney Is The Sexiest Man Alive
- Cele|bitchy: Gerard Butler Treats His Pug Lolita Better Than Any Girlfriend
- People: New YorkMan Accuses Gerard Butler Of Hitting His Dog
- Dog Channel: Tori Spelling's Pug Dies At 11
- Modern Dog Magazine: At Home With Jessica Alba
- Guys And Dogs: George Clooney
Photo Credits
- PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images


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The Joys of Line and Form
This summer, the ceramics of Lara Scobie and the precious jewellery of Joanne Garner come together for Concrete Wardrobe's July Makers of the Month exhibition.
Scobie's work combines decoration with functionality, and includes a range of small vessels, tall jugs and bowls.
Garner uses precious metals and textiles to create striking mixed media jewellery. Inspired by the bold colours and repetitive patterns found in nature, she creates fluidity and freedom within her beautiful designs.
Scobie's work is predominantly concerned with the dynamic interplay between form and pattern. This is explored through drawing, surface mark making and volume. Surface patterns and details observed in botanical life have enabled Scobie to explore her love of colour and abstract design. Her simple, considered forms are constructed from soft slabs of clay, with delicate rims and edges. The off-centre ellipses of the individual pieces echo the line drawings and ornamentation of the painted surfaces.
Garner's use of textiles alongside precious metals infuses her jewellery with colour, and the contrast between soft and hard materials produces tactile pieces with an organic feel. The intricate shapes and linear forms created through the use of fine wire enables the jewellery to move fluidly with the wearer, generating a flow of movement and energy within each piece.
The making process plays an integral part in the development of Garner's designs, and she works instinctively with tools and materials to create her work. "I enjoy the challenge of working with non-traditional jewellery materials, and find the different techniques allow more freedom within my designs."
Scobie has exhibited widely and her work is on display in public collections internationally. She has also gained awards for her work, and has recently been selected (alongside only one other Scottish maker) for the British Ceramics Biennial in Stoke.
Concrete Wardrobe brings together the work of two highly trained Scottish based makers, both intrigued by natural forms and their organic interplay, in very different mediums.
Lara Scobie and Joanne Garner's work will be on display at Concrete Wardrobe from 1st to 31st July 2013.
Concrete Wardrobe is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm. (Sunday 12 - 5pm.)
Concrete Wardrobe 50a Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3SA
PR: Katherine Emtage. Co-Owners: James Donald & Fiona McIntosh.
New jewellery is in this week by Kinross based Ebba Goring.
Goring creates her jewels by transforming her own handmade, delicate lace and crochet pieces into solid precious metal, combined with sparkling stones. The result is luxury jewellery with a timeless elegance. Gorgeous.
Stitch 'n' Stack Rings. (set of 3)
Stitch Stud Earrings
There are beautiful bags a plenty at Concrete Wardrobe this month. Not only do we have the scrummy designs of Blair Sorley as May Maker of the Month, we also have a selection of Catherine Aitken's new summer range in store. Made in linen with waterproof bases, these simple yet spacious bags will see you elegantly through summer, holding all your beach and shopping essentials.
Blair Sorley's handbags and purses are so delicious, they need to be handled carefully, so you don't accidentally pop a corner of one in your mouth.
Her colour palette is spot on for this season, and the designs are so deceptively simple you automatically feel engaged with each piece.
Here's a sneak preview of the new Frame Bag, in case you've not been down to Concrete Wardrobe yet. £57.50 each.
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Clue: With vitriol
We have 1 answer for the clue With vitriol. See the results below.
Possible Answers:
Related Clues:
- With bite
- How bitter enemies speak
- How diatribes are delivered
- In a sour fashion
- With a sharp tone
- With tartness
- In a biting way
- Sharply
- With bitterness
- With venom
Last Seen In:
- New York Times - January 10, 1998
Found an answer for the clue With vitriol that we don't have? Then please submit it to us so we can make the clue database even better!


text:
This event takes place in the past.
University of San Francisco Representative visit
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Transfer Center, Registration & Student Services Bldg., (2nd Floor)
Transfer Center
(408) 864-8841
Meet with a University Representative for drop-in advising.
All scheduled campus visits are subject to cancellation or change without notice.


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Menopause at a glance
- Menopause is signaled by absence of menses (menstrual period) for 12 months, indicating that a woman is no longer releasing eggs and her ovaries' production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone is reduced.
- Menopause, which renders a woman infertile, is a natural process that generally happens in a woman's 40s or 50s, with the average age of menopause in the United States being 51, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Most women will start having substantially decreased fertility in their late 30s or early 40s, and this decrease is dramatically lower in the mid-40s with the start of perimenopause, which can begin six to eight years before menopause.
- Lifestyle changes can help women manage the symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and emotional upset.
- Women who experience severe and debilitating symptoms are often treated with hormone replacement therapy.
What is menopause?
Women are said to enter menopause, a normal part of aging in females, when they have not had their monthly period for a year. Women who reach menopause cannot conceive a child naturally or through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Menopause generally occurs in a woman's late 40s to early 50s, with 51 being the average age in the U.S.
Most of the time women experience natural menopause, when their eggs are depleted and the ovaries reduce production of estrogen and progesterone, the hormones that control menstrual cycles and other functions of a woman's body. Women who enter menopause naturally go through gradual changes beginning with perimenopause.
Perimenopause, which occurs when the ovaries begin slowly producing less of the hormone estrogen, can begin eight to 10 years before full menopause, with an average duration of four years. Women still have periods during perimenopause and can still become pregnant. During the last year or two of perimenopause, many women begin to experience symptoms of menopause (see below) because the drop in estrogen production accelerates at this time.
After perimenopause and menopause, women are said to be in postmenopause. Most women notice a drop in symptoms at this time. Since estrogen levels are so low in postmenopause, many women are at higher risk of heart disease and osteoporosis.
This is the time when hormone replacement therapy or lifestyle changes may be recommended to reduce a woman's risk of these conditions. Each woman's situation is different, and a thorough discussion with her physician is in order before taking steps to prevent such conditions.
Menopause can begin sooner for some women due to their ovaries not functioning, because of medical treatments such as chemotherapy, or having an oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries). When menopause happens to a woman before age 40, it's called premature menopause or primary ovarian insufficiency.
There's usually no need to diagnose menopause due to obvious symptoms. Occasionally doctors may use urine or blood tests to check for hormone levels indicating whether a woman is close to menopause or already has gone through it.
Symptoms of menopause
Symptoms of menopause often begin in a woman's 40s and can last for up to a decade. They are caused by hormonal changes.
A woman's menstrual cycle is regulated by the ebb and flow of reproductive hormones that trigger the chain of events in menstruation. In menopause, this cycle of egg preparation no longer occurs, and the hormones that were involved are significantly decreased. However, the ovaries and the adrenal gland continue to produce androgen (male) hormones, such as testosterone.
The levels of all of these hormones vary among individuals, affecting the presence and severity of menopause symptoms a woman may experience. Symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Night sweats.
- Hot flashes (sudden warmth spreading over the upper body).
- Mood swings, depression, anxiety, irritability.
- Irregular menstrual cycles.
- Urination urges such as frequency.
- Vaginal dryness.
- Dry skin, eyes or mouth.
Women in perimenopause may also experience irregular periods or skipped periods. Symptoms of a racing heart, headaches, urinary changes or other symptoms are cause for seeking medical attention.
Individual women experience a variety of symptoms and in varying degrees. Symptoms can come and go at different times. It's important for women to pay attention to how they react to symptoms and to see a doctor if they feel their symptoms are unusually severe.
Treatment of menopause
There is no "cure" for menopause, but there are some treatments for menopausal symptoms that may be particularly useful for women experiencing severe symptoms. Lifestyle changes can alleviate symptoms and so can hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A woman's decision to try treatments depends on her health in general, the severity of her symptoms, and her personal preferences.
Hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy replaces the hormone estrogen, and sometimes the progesterone hormone, that a woman produces less of in perimenopause or menopause. Hormone replacement can reduce symptoms, particularly hot flashes.
HRT should only be considered after thorough counseling with a physician who is familiar with the woman's health history. There are several studies that question the benefits of HRT and others that suggest it may increase a woman's risk of developing heart disease, breast cancer, blood clots and stroke. Women should speak with their physician about the potential risks and benefits of HRT.
Some guidelines for HRT include:
- HRT can be used for women recently entering menopause.
- HRT should not be used longer than necessary.
- HRT is not appropriate for women who entered menopause many years prior.
- Women at risk for stroke, heart disease, breast cancer or blood clots should not use HRT.
- Vaginal estrogen can be applied topically (locally) to reduce vaginal dryness.
In addition to HRT, some medications can reduce hot flashes, moodiness and other symptoms. These include some antidepressants, the blood pressure medication clonidine and the seizure drug gabapentin.
Lifestyle changes
Women can alter their behavior in order to adapt to the symptoms of menopause. They can identify and avoid things that trigger their symptoms, such as spicy foods that cause hot flashes.
Lifestyle changes include:
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Include calcium and vitamin D in diet.
- Eat soy foods, which contain estrogen.
- Exercise frequently.
- Get stress reduction treatments, or do yoga or meditation.
- Do Kegel exercises.
- Manage weight.
- Do deep breathing when hot flashes come on.
- Keep having sex and use water-based lubricants or a vaginal moisturizer.


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Arkansas - Valley Springs
Sales Tax Calculator of Valley Springs for 2020
Calculation of the general sales taxes of the city Valley Springs, Arkansas for 2020
How 2020 Sales taxes are calculated in Valley Springs
The Valley Springs, Arkansas, general sales tax rate is 6.5%. The sales tax rate is always 8.25%
Every 2020 combined rates mentioned above are the results of Arkansas state rate (6.5%), the county rate (1.75%). There is no city sale tax for Valley Springs. There is no special rate for Valley Springs.
The Valley Springs's tax rate may change depending of the type of purchase.
Please refer to the Arkansas website for more sales taxes information.
Valley Springs city rate(s)
8.25% is the smallest possible tax rate (72682, Valley Springs, Arkansas)
The average combined rate of every zip code in Valley Springs, Arkansas is 8.25%
Last sales taxes rates update
The last rates update has been made on July 2020.


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Zebra River Lodge map: Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia
Below is the most detailed current Google satellite map of Zebra River Lodge. To zoom out, to see more, click the minus sign (-) at the bottom of the bar on the left.
For a Google map of all the lodges in the area, including Zebra River Lodge, see our Google map of Namib-Naukluft National Park.
For a more graphical, original map, also with clickable lodges, see our Namib-Naukluft National Park reference map.
Navigating around this Zebra River Lodge map
Drag-and-drop the sliding marker along the vertical scale to zoom the map in (+) and out (-).
Move the mouse over the pins to see lodge names.
Click on a blue lodge pin to open a bubble with more information. In the bubble, click on the lodge name to read more information about the lodge.
Brown pins indicate points of interest, while black pins show important villages and towns.
|Zebra River Lodge
Namib-Naukluft N.P.
|No. of bedrooms: 16 rooms
|Season: Closed 24–27 Dec
|Zebra River Lodge offers a range of hikes around the Tsaris Mountains from a comfortable and homely base.
|Read more about Zebra River Lodge
|See satellite map of Zebra River Lodge


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Director of Communications
(615) 741-9010
Public Relations Media Manager
(615) 741-9069
Communications Content Manager
(615) 532-7822
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The future stars of NASCAR will return June 2 for the K&N East Series Memphis 150 presented by AutoZone at Memphis International Raceway.
Tickets are on sale now with the race featuring 25 more laps of action-packed, short track racing.
NASCAR had a successful return to the Mid-South's premier racing destination in 2017. The K&N Series has served as a launching pad for many of today's top NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series stars including Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson and 2017 series champion Martin Truex Jr.
Second-generation star Harrison Burton won at Memphis International Raceway's 3/4-mile oval last June on his way to capturing the K&N East Series championship.
Tickets start at just $20 for an action-packed program that features practice, qualifying, drivers autograph session and the race. Tickets for children 6-12 are $5, and those 5 and younger are admitted free.
The VIP Driver Meet & Greet Experience, a big fan favorite, is available for just $89. It includes a meet-and-greet, lunch with the drivers and access to VIP tent hospitality throughout the day.
NASCAR Pit Passes are also available. They are $40 for NASCAR members and $50 for non-members. The Pit Pass provides access to the infield and garage area.
For tickets and more information, visit www.RaceMIR.com.
About Memphis International Raceway
Memphis International Raceway™ (MIR) is the Mid-South's premier racing destination for racers and spectators alike. The facility is located minutes outside of Memphis in Millington, Tenn., and includes a 1/4-mile drag strip sanctioned by the International Hot Rod Association, a 1.8-mile road course and a NASCAR 3/4-mile paved tri-oval.
Prestigious events such as the original Super Chevy Show, NASCAR races and the IHRA Summit World Finals take place at the facility. For more information on MIR, visit RaceMIR.com or connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @RaceMIR.
# # #
Director of Communications
(615) 741-9010
Public Relations Media Manager
(615) 741-9069
Communications Content Manager
(615) 532-7822


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Freezing bread slices 10 to 15 minutes or until firm makes it easier to cut the sandwiches into small pieces.
How to Make It
Step 1
Combine first 11 ingredients in a bowl until blended. Cover and chill 3 hours.
Step 2
Spread 2 tablespoons egg mixture evenly on 1 side of 11 bread slices. Top with remaining 11 bread slices. Cut each sandwich into 4 finger sandwiches.
Step 3
Note: For testing purposes only, we used McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning and Pepperidge Farm Very Thin Sliced White Bread.


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Ahmad winning the TPOC 2011
First of all, I would like to congratulate Ahmad Sophian commonly known as "Vandal" for winning the 2nd placing in Division 1 category of the final leg of Thailand Paintball Official Circuit 2011. Ahmad has come a long way in paintball... locally, Ahmad is also known for his leadership in Team Ballistics which also claimed the 2nd position in Open Division of the Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 2. I have been thinking of writing this topic for the longest time and finally set some time aside. I am now in the US awaiting for the start of the Paintball Sports Promotion (PSP) event - World Cup. I would have never imagine coming to a PSP event a few years ago, let alone say becoming the first Singaporeans to play in a PSP World Cup event. In this event, 3 players from the Red Sevens team will be participating in Division 2 category with Team Tyranny (sorry guys, another paintball history...)
Me in the PSP World Cup 2011
2011 has been an amazing year to my paintball journey, I have been to places that I would have never imagine going if not for this crazy sport. Just this year alone, I have been to no lesser than 6 countries for paintball events and India being one of them... who would have think that I will go to India for paintball? sometimes, it amazes me too... Which brings about the point that I am going to raise: "How far are you willing to go for paintball?"
Ahmad Sophian is the most classic example... and to be really honest, I do see some resemblance in him as well (okay I am not talking about our complexion). As a pilot by profession, Ahmad started his interest with paintball while part timing in Red Dynasty Paintball Park and since then, his paintball journey has took him to countries such as Thailand, Philippines and Australia. In Singapore, Ahmad captained Team Ballistics but outside of Singapore, Ahmad has played with some of the most amazing paintball teams such as Rage City from Gold Coast, Australia, Team Hellborne from Thailand and even a fling with Red Sevens from Singapore in PALS Philippines. This guy is never afraid to play anyone or any team. All the talk about being divisional class players simply do not mean anything to him and does not exist in his dictionary at all. Ahmad has stepped out of his comfort zone to perfect his own paintball knowledge and take on anything that is being thrown to him and he has definitely done that! The more games that he has played and the more teams that he is being associated with, Ahmad brings these knowledge back to his team, Ballistics. You will be blind to have not observe that transformation in him. His willingness to take on whatever that is being thrown at him is nothing but admirable. Playing out of one's comfort zone can only make you a better player and thus allowing you to broaden all you need to know about the sport of paintball. Paintball is just like fencing... the more you fence, the better you will become. So, how far do you want to go? Ask yourself that question and ponder hard...
So here's to Ahmad, our local Singaporean boy, you have took the courage to play and you have seen the results you truly deserved. Well done!


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Welcome, Nazul Rostello!
Hello Nazul Rostello, welcome to the Elder Scrolls Wiki! We're building a collaborative source of information for the Elder Scrolls, and we need your help.
We saw you making some changes to our articles, and thank you for it. Hope you choose to further this project, and that we'll see you around in the future. If you choose to stay, here are some links to help you out:
Editing policies
User policies
I hope you enjoy editing here! If you have any questions, see the help pages or ask one for our administrators.
Please don't add fan made or unofficial maps to the wiki. Thanks.
Jimeee (talk) 09:05, June 28, 2013 (UTC)
Forum images Edit
Images uploaded solely for use on the forums are not allowed. Thanks. Kroq-gar78 (talk) 23:16, September 5, 2013 (UTC)
- I don't believe Wikia uses bbcode-like markup for comments and forums; I think it only uses wikitext. I seem to remember a user embedding an external image into a forum post, but I don't recall who it was. We allow links to image-hosting sites, though. Kroq-gar78 (talk) 00:00, September 6, 2013 (UTC)
Re: Edit error Edit
The reason your userpage is in the category is because you had pasted the contents of a Daedric Prince userbox to create one for Mehrunes Dagon but forgot to remove the transclusion tags ("noinclude","includeonly") when doing so. Strangely, though, even after removing the category, it still says that your page has it. Try asking Flightmare for assistance, as I think he is a bit more knowledgeable in this area. Kroq-gar78 (talk) 02:53, October 8, 2013 (UTC)
New Ruler Part 4 Wanna come back?
Orc named sue (talk) 00:04, April 29, 2015 (UTC)


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Open carry advocate to moms against guns: 'Put a d*ck in your mouth and shut up'
In an expletive-filled video diatribe directed at gun control group Moms Demand Action, a gun rights activist pushed back at the group's latest attempt to limit the open carry of weapons, telling the women to "Put a d*ck in your mouth and shut up!" in a video discovered by Liberaland.
Phoenix resident Rob Kinnison — who uploads pro-gun rants on YouTube under the name Raging Rob — posted the video in response to Moms Demand Action's drive to get the country's largest supermarket chain, Kroger, to ban open-carry in their stores.
In a bleep-filled tirade, Kinnison vociferously explains that he is going to continue sending photos of himself bearing his gun while at Kroger stores.
"I'm gonna send photos of Kroger, of me inside Kroger, outside Kroger, with my gun, inside Kroger … whatever," he states, before adding, "And I'm going to send those photos to mothers demand … momsdemandaction.org, and I'm going to send them every f*cking day until Moms Demand Action shuts the f*ck up!"
Following some unintelligible and heavily bleeped yelling, Kinnsion then tells the group to "Put a d*ck in your mouth and shut up!"
When not posting videos defending open carry, Kinnsion maintains a Twitter account @Robhot1982, comprised mostly of retweets and videos from neo-Nazi and white power groups calling for a "White Revolution," as well as racist and homophobic tweets from an account called 'N*gger Basher.'
Watch the video below:


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Agence France-Presse
Seven inmates were killed and 17 others injured in a riot at a maximum security prison in South Carolina, the southern US state's Department of Corrections said Monday.
The department said the riot erupted Sunday evening at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina and was brought under control at 2:55 am on Monday.
"The incident at Lee CI resulted in 17 inmates requiring outside medical attention and 7 inmates were killed," the department said on its Twitter account.
All prison guards and law enforcement authorities who responded were "safe and accounted for."
The department had initially described the riot as an "ongoing incident," revealing the scope of the problem hours after its start at 7:15 pm Sunday.
"The incident involved multiple inmate on inmate altercations in three housing units," the department said.


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Build 3D structures, with just freehand movement
User the 3DGo to bring your imaginary worlds to life, without limits. Build, experiment and navigate in 3D. Share and load your creations into Minecraft.
Create animated 3D movies
Campfire is a minecraft for making your own movies by just moving real figurines with your hands! Customise your characters, discover worlds and be the film director: as you move the figurines with your hands, you control spaceships, animals and more on screen. Press the record button and save your own movie!
Color and paint in 3D
The first 3D colouring book! With Crayon3D discover and paint worlds in your own colours, save and share your creations with your firends and family. 3D creation was never that fun and easy!


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Hoofing It With The HSUS
Beginning tomorrow, and lasting through August 20, the city of Denver will promote the gratuitous slaughter of animals who were raised with love. On Sunday you can get bison; Monday "sheep is the star"; Tuesday is pig night; Wednesday it's cow. Every meal will be served at a restaurant that prides itself on morally commmodfying sentient animals who farmers respected while they lived, before selling their bodies for cash. The event is called "Hoofin It" and "farm to table" is the mantra. As The Denver Post reports, "a different hooved animal will be showcased every evening." Cost of the showcase: $60.
Now, critics of animal agriculture, as well as animal advocates, have become all too familiar with these sort of Orwellian stunts. Essentially, what these events do is obscure systematic suffering under the false guise of humanity in order to serve a range of financial interests and a popular taste for animal flesh. It's insulting, really. We're especially accustomed to the oxymoronic–not to mention moronic-sponsorships of these moral carnivals: ethical butchers, humane animal farmers, compassionate carnivores, and the like. It thus may come as a surprise that the sponsor of "Hoofin It" is . . . . The Humane Society of the United States. As you might imagine, there's been outrage over this. Why would an organization that works so diligently to reduce the consumption of meat promote the consummation of meat?
One letter I received from a Colorado critic of the event explained: "Needless to say, the vegan community in Colorado is quite upset with HSUS' sponsorship of this event and has notified HSUS of their concern."
Here is what HSUS wrote by way of an explanation:
Our farm animal efforts are two-pronged: reduce the number of animals being raised and killed, and reduce the suffering of animals who are being raised and killed. While the meat industry's leadership reviles The HSUS, there are also farmers and ranchers who agree with us on gestation crates and other aspects of industrialized agriculture. They're a powerful voice in our campaign to end unacceptable and particularly inhumane practices. We need the public's support to pass these laws, and it's a potent statement to have farmers assert that they oppose gestation crates (and other factory farming practices). We've always believe that politics is about addition and not subtraction, and some of the most powerful allies are people that some may think are unlikely allies. That's why we do outreach to small farmers on factory farming issues. This event, sponsored in connection with our Colorado Agriculture Council, is part of our growing work with farmers and ranchers to fight inhumane practices such as gestation crates and tail docking. We support farmers and ranchers who give proper care to their animals, and act in accordance with the basic ethic of compassion to sentient creatures under their control, and practice and promote humane and environmentally sustainable agriculture. We also sponsor VegFests along with other vegan and vegetarian events around the country. The HSUS takes a big tent approach to combat factory farming and both our employees and our supporters consist of those who choose to eat meat and those who choose to be vegan or vegetarian. You can read our full statement on farm animals and eating with a conscience here. My thoughts on this response too are many to articulate, and none of them are in sympathy. But in a nutshell it's safe to say that there's a fundamental difference between encouraging more humane methods of animal agriculture and throwing a party to celebrate animal slaughter.
There's simply no hoofin it around HSUS's craven capitulation to compromise on this event. Shame.
(HSUS's response came from Sarah Barnett. You can reach her here: Sarah Barnett )


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You are here
Funding to total $10 million with industry contribution
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that DOE will provide a total of $7 million for five cost-shared projects for solid-state lighting (SSL) product development. Solid-state lighting has the potential to more than double the efficiency of general lighting systems, reducing overall U.S. energy consumption and saving consumers money. Companies selected are from California, Massachusetts, and New York. They will provide a 30 percent average cost-share, demonstrating a strong industry commitment to the technology.
"Solid-state lighting is a key part of President Bush's energy policy and the Department of Energy's overall strategy to increase energy efficiency," Secretary Bodman said. "Not only does this technology have the potential to greatly reduce lighting energy consumption in U.S. buildings, but it will also enhance our energy security."
Secretary Bodman made the announcement while offering remarks at the Community Power Alliance's (CPA) Reliability Leadership Conference. While there, he discussed the importance of electric reliability and the important role that the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is playing to ensure America has an affordable, reliable electricity supply.
These projects continue DOE's public/private partnership on high-priority activities that will advance state-of-the-art SSL used for general lighting applications. Unlike incandescent and fluorescent lamps, solid-state lighting creates light without producing heat. A semi-conducting material converts electricity directly into light, which maximizes the light's energy efficiency. Solid-state lighting includes a variety of light-producing semiconductor devices. SSL includes light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). LEDs are found in all kinds of devices; they form numbers on digital clocks, light up watches, and transmit information from remote controls. Consumers would also see LEDs in brake lights, traffic signals and exit signs. OLED technology is more commonly used commercially, for example in small screens for mobile phones, portable digital music players, and digital cameras.
The unique attributes of SSL drive a need for a coordinated federal approach that encompasses research, development and commercialization support. DOE's commercialization support strategy includes the use of design competitions such as Lighting for Tomorrow and the development of ENERGY STAR® criteria for SSL products. The Department is also working closely with key standards-generating organizations to coordinate and accelerate the development of test procedures and standards for SSL. For more information on the DOE solid-state lighting portfolio, visit http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/.
The SSL product development selections announced today are:
Color Kinetics Incorporated (Boston, MA): An Integrated Solid-State LED Luminaire for General Lighting. This proposal seeks to develop replacement lamps for 60-watt incandescent light sources with a 4x increase in efficacy to 80-lumens per watt. The proposal targets package and system integration technology through the development of a novel hybrid-LED source which combines direct emission sources with phosphor down converted emissions. A luminaire "houses" the lamp (source - incandescent bulb - possibly several bulbs) and other electrical parts; and distributes the light to where it is needed.
Project value: $1,125,452
Applicant cost share: 25 percent
Duration: 18 months
Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester, NY): OLED Lighting Device Architecture. The objective of the proposal is to increase performance in OLED devices to 50-lumens per watt. This will be accomplished by focusing on light extraction efficiency enhancement, low-operating voltage materials and structures, create longer-life, high efficiency OLEDs with novel layering techniques.
Project value: $1,945,473
Applicant cost share: 40 percent
Duration: 24 months
General Electric Global Research (Niskayuna, NY): Phosphor Systems for Illumination Quality Solid State Lighting Products. The proposal seeks to build upon previous successful work that incorporates the use of novel nanophosphors to create white light from violet LEDs. The project goal is create a LED lamp to replace incandescent bulbs. This lamp will be about as efficient as present fluorescent lamps, with comparable color quality of the light.
Project value: $3,718,430
Applicant cost share: 35 percent
Duration: 36 months
OSRAM SYLVANIA Development Inc. (Beverly, MA): Phosphor White LED with High Package Extraction Efficiency. Light is created inside of the LED lamp, but has a difficult time escaping from the LED lamp and other optical parts. The goal is to have as much of the generated light escape as possible, and be put to good use. There are several methods to enhance the amount of light that escapes. This proposal seeks to increase the external quantum efficiency using remote phosphors and employing a multi-layer thin film coating technique to increase the probability that scattered light will escape out of the device. The team targets 80 lumens per watt in the bulbs.
Project value: $603,705
Applicant cost share: 20 percent
Duration: 24 months
SRI International (Menlo Park, CA): Cavity Light-Emitting Diode for Durable, High-Brightness and High-Efficiency Lighting Applications. This proposal seeks to develop a surface-cavity-injection process to increase the efficiency of OLEDs. The result is an increase in efficiency by channeling light out of the device thereby reducing optical loss. The team goal is a 5x increase in the external quantum efficiency over standard OLEDs at twice the brightness.
Project value: $2,607,966
Applicant cost share: 20 percent
Duration: 36 months
Media contact(s):
Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940


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A fast-moving fire torched a south Bexar County home on Sunday morning.
When county fire crews arrived in the 14600 block of Flatten Rd. just after 9 a.m., the fire had consumed the two-story house.
Firefighters said there was little they could do to save the home, so they immediately went into a defensive mode, trying to keep the flames from spreading.
"It was a two story structure," said Chief Rodney Schlather with the Harmony Volunteer Fire Department. "We have multiple units here to help us put out the flames."
Sheriff officials said initial 911 calls coming in Sunday morning were reporting that there was a woman trapped inside the burning house.
Firefighters said someone managed to rescue her before they arrived. An ambulance transported her to the hospital for observation.
Schlather said the home is a total loss and what caused the fire is still under investigation
"You couldn't even see the house," said April Dietz, a neighbor. "It was totally engulfed. It was awful. You couldn't see anything, but smoke and the trees and the fire."
For a list of recent stories by Stephanie Serna, click here.


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Welcome to our website! As we have the ability to list over one million items on our website (our selection changes all of the time), it is not feasible for a company our size to record and playback the descriptions on every item on our website. However, if you have a disability we are here to help you. Please call our disability services phone line at (270) 527-2400 during regular business hours and one of our kind and friendly personal shoppers will help you navigate through our website, help conduct advanced searches, help you choose the item you are looking for with the specifications you are seeking, read you the specifications of any item and consult with you about the products themselves. There is no charge for the help of this personal shopper for anyone with a disability. Finally, your personal shopper will explain our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and help you place an order if you so desire.
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Blog Archives
High Expectations
"Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness."
– Corrie ten Boom
Jesus was oppressed, persecuted and betrayed by the religious leaders of his day – those who said they represented the very God who stood in front of them. Corrie ten Boom was imprisoned, tortured and nearly starved to death by an evil empire ruled by a hate-filled despot. What's the difference?
Who is more difficult to forgive:
• Those who have served God alongside of you for many years who then disrespect, betray and shun you? These would be fellow Christians who have been your spiritual leaders, your friends, people who you've shared meals with, traveled together, taught together and even looked up to. Pastors, family members, band mates and mentors.
• Evil people who you'd expect to act this way? Dictators, thieves, criminals and money-hungry bankers, mortgage lenders and politicians.
Does God allow us room to withhold forgiveness from those who have been our closest friends and spiritual leaders? Jesus certainly didn't wait to forgive those who betrayed Him. He hung on that cross and asked the Father to forgive them, to refrain from judging them. Does He understand the depth of betrayal we feel from those who name His name? Of course He does. Jesus was also persecuted, tortured and put to death by an evil empire – those who did not name the name of God – and it didn't make any difference to Him. He extended forgiveness to all.
I've talked to many people who've left churches for a variety of reasons – many of which are legitimate and understandable – who feel judged, shunned, "unfriended" and betrayed. In almost every case, they've found it very difficult to forgive and forget, to move away from the deeply held hurts and wounds, and to get a sense of freedom from the pain they feel.
I also know a lot of people who have been victims of crime, or treated unfairly by those who are not Christians, those who don't necessarily follow the Golden Rule. Mostly, I've heard that it's easier for them to move on from these violations, and to forgive those who have wronged them.
It seems that it's a matter of expectations.
We expect fellow believers to walk in love. We expect pastors and Christian leaders to treat us fairly and to remain humble. We expect pastors to be faithful to their wives and families, and to resist pornography, adultery and other sinful behavior. We expect our brothers and sisters in the Lord to defend us when we are wronged, and to love us when we differ in theology or when we resist the latest wind of doctrine blowing through the Church.
On the other hand, we really don't expect evil people to act righteously. When they steal from us or harm us in any way, we're not surprised. Forgiveness seems easier to give because we fear for their souls, and we want them to know the Lord. We love them quickly because we desire for them to sense the love of God and come to Him. We can even see God's hand in allowing their actions, because it gives us an opportunity to love the evildoer and shed God's love into their hearts.
But judgement, mistreatment and arrogance from another Christian – especially a pastor? Boy, does that wound go deep! I've spent time with that wound, and can speak from painful experience. And I'm not alone. It's very difficult to "forgive and forget" when we've been hurt by another Christian, and only the love of God, working in our hearts and minds, can free us and help us to extend that kind of forgiveness.
When we finally reach that precious milestone, though, it's freedom. No longer are our minds bombarded with thoughts of "righteous anger." No longer are we held captive by resentment. No longer do we hold God accountable for the actions of a few weak people. No longer can the devil use other people's sin against us.
When we forgive – no matter what the offense has been, or who has carried it out – we're free.
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
Now, now my friends – I understand your strong and emotional feelings for matters of the heart, like salvation, sin, forgiveness and grace. But we can all do a better job of exercising some love toward one another, don't you think?
As with any interchange of ideas, there will be disagreements – but that's the whole point! You should not enter this discussion if all you want to do is foist your opinions as total truth on someone else.
You should only take part as you open yourself up to new ideas, explore fresh ways of looking at old ideas, empathize with your brothers and sisters who write opposing points of view, and prepare yourself to respond in the love of Jesus toward one another.
Is that possible? Yes. Let's do it.
Let's not see this debate slow or stop – there's something good happening here and I would love all of you to share this blog with your friends and families and invite them in.
Ask your unsaved friends to read and comment. Encourage your relatives who've always gone to "traditional" churches to take part. Please find a few atheists and open the doors for them to have a part! How about former church members who have been hurt and are disillusioned with the whole organized church scene?
Do we just write everyone else off as being in error, or do we take our time and calmly listen, then reason together until we all gain understanding?
How did Jesus handle this type of situation?
Wouldn't it be beautiful if this became a forum whereby we could be honest with one another, grow together and become "fitly joined together," as the Bible says?
Gee whiz, saints, the world might even see this and be impressed!
OK, everybody, let's just take a breath here and pull it back a notch.
Obviously, the response from the article "IT'S BEEN A WHILE" has been overwhelming but revealing, to say the least. What it shows me is that there are plenty of wounded people out here – mostly people who used to get along with one another.
What's going on?
Let me say right here that any nasty comments will be edited or deleted because the object of this debate is not to hurt each other – it's to debate, to discover, to provoke, to rethink, to reveal truth. Yeah, truth. But we must do it in a loving way.
Let's speak the truth in love, OK?
I'll start by saying that I was personally offended by comments about my wife and I that weren't true. We stand accused of "tearing down our brothers and sisters," "taking off and abandoning friends," "being petty" and carrying out our ministry as a job or looking for a job, when none of those things could be further from truth or reality.
We have faithfully worked in local churches and overseas for more than 34 years, never expecting nor taking anything in return. Anyone who really knows us knows that we have always wanted only to serve God, our church and our brothers and sisters, here and around the world. That's the truth, and we've given the best years of our lives exemplifying that truth. No one can take that away from us.
However, there came a time when we saw things coming in and taking root in our church that we felt weren't scriptural, that were out of balance and that we had to speak up about. So we did.
The reason people think we abandoned them after 16 years is that we left quietly. We had no desire to cause a disruption in the body, because we love the people we served with for so long. The last thing we were going to do was start a campaign to defend ourselves or try to turn people against one another.
We spoke our peace behind the scenes, to the pastors and elders, and were pretty much ignored or dismissed. As an elder, I shared my heart, my dreams and my God-given vision with the pastor for more than two years – several times to the point of tears. It was very frustrating not receiving any encouragement or direction, even after asking for it, directly, eye-to-eye.
In the midst of this we saw doctrinal error and danger, and were told there was none. We saw imbalance, and heard that everything was fine. We witnessed the loss of a vision, and were instructed that the original vision came from naivete and a youthful arrogance.
We kind of liked that naivete. It smelled of faith. Of dreams. Of multiplication. Of working together toward a goal that would stretch us all to the limit, but one that would bear fruit.
So we had no choice but to leave. No fanfare. No thanks. No goodbyes.
And the explanation was left up to the pastor.
So if any of you got the impression that we abandoned you, or that anybody was blindsided, you got bad information.
Let me ask you this: If any leader of a local church leaves unexpectedly, shouldn't that arouse some curiosity amongst those who think they're sensitive to the Spirit of God? Shouldn't those same people ask their leaders why these people left? What's the real story? What's really going on, because something just doesn't smell right?
I think some smellers are off, because it appears that most – almost all – of our friends just believed what you were told, and didn't bother to check with us to see if it was true. A few of you called and asked, so we told you why we left.
But it hasn't made a difference. The error is still in the church, and it's because most people don't want to see it, don't care enough to speak up or are too afraid to do so. It seems there's so much apathy few truly care – either about us or how the church is run. And when people like us do say something, we're misrepresented or worse.
Some of the recent comments on this blog have been harsh, and that's because good people have been hurt by other good people. Feelings run deep, and that's OK. I pray the discussion continues and grows, because there's a greater discussion that demands attention, and it's not about one local church in a small suburb of Detroit.
It's about the condition of the Body of Christ in the western world, and the model we're supposed to be following. It's going to take courage to look at ourselves honestly, admit our mistakes, correct our errors, forgive one another and ultimately let the world see Jesus through our love for one another.
Maybe that love starts right here, in the midst of a painful argument, just like families sometimes do. Maybe God will use this as a starting point for aiming us all in the right direction.
Or maybe nobody will read this blog again. I don't know.
It's up to God, isn't it?
What do you think?


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(This is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive list of the works of Jeremiah Burroughs)
[Preface to] The Christian's Portion [by Richard Sibbes].
The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit: Delivered in a treatise upon the 14. of Numbers, verse 24
(1638, to the Earl of Warwick and a company of his friends)
The Excellency of Holy Courage in Evil Times
(1661; preached 1638 {?}to the Earl of Warwick and a company of his friends)
The Sea-Mans Direction in Time of Storme. Delivered in a sermon from Psalm xclviii. 8. upon occasion of a strong stormie wind lately happening
(1640; preached 1638 or 1639, to the English Congregational Church in Rotterdam, Holland)
Moses' Self-Denial. Delivered in a treatise upon Heb. 11, the 24. verse
(1641; preached 1638 or 1639, to the English Congregational Church in Rotterdam, Holland)
Moses' Choice, with his eye fixed upon heaven: discovering the happy condition of a self-denying heart: Delivered in a treatise upon Heb. xi. 25, 26
(1641; preached 1638 or 1639, to the English Congregational Church in Rotterdam, Holland)
Sion's Joy: A sermon preached from Isai. lxvi. 10. to the Honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament at their publique thanksgiving, September 7. 1641. for the peace concluded between England and Scotland.
(1641, London, to the House of Commons)
A briefe Answer to Doctor Fernes Booke, tending to resolve Conscience, about the Subjects taking up of Arms
(1642 or 1643)
An Apologetical Narration Humbly Submitted to the Honorable Houses of Parliament [co-author]
(1643, London, to the Houses of Parliament)
An Exposition of the Prophesie of Hosea. Begun in divers lectures upon the first three chapters
(1643, St. Michael's, Cornhill, London)
The glorious Name of God, The Lord of Hosts. Opened in two sermons at Michael's Cornhill, London, Vindicating the Commission from the Lord of Hosts, to subjects, in Some Case, to Take Up Arms, from Isai. xlvi
(1643, St. Michael's Cornhill, London)
Speech in Guild-Hall on . . . the sixth of October, 1643. In, Four Speeches delivered in Guild-Hall, etc.
(1646; preached Oct. 6, 1643, London)
A Copy of a Remonstrance lately delivered in to the Assembly. (co-author)
(1645, London)
The Reasons of the Dissenting Brethren against the Third Proposition concerning Presbyterial Government, etc. (co-author)
(1645, London)
The Difference between the Spots of the Godly, and of the Wicked.
(1668; preached July-August, 1645, St. Giles Cripplegate, London)
Gospel-Worship: or, The Right Manner of Sanctifying the Name of God in generall. And particularly in these three great ordinances, viz. 1. Hearing the Word. 2. Receiving the Lord's Supper. 3. Prayer
(1648; preached 1645–1646, London)
A Sermon preached before the . . . House of Peeres from Phil. iv. 12. in the Abbey at Westminster, the 26. of Novemb. 1645. Being the day appointed for solemne and publique humiliation
(1646; preached Nov. 26, 1645, London, to the House of Peeres)
Irenicum, to the Lovers of Truth and Peace. Heart-divisions opened, in the causes and evils of them: with cautions that we may not be hurt by them, and endeavours to heal them
(1646, London)
A Sermon preached before the Honorable House of Commons Assembled in Parliament, from Mat. v. 6. at their Late Solemne Fast, August 26. 1646 (1646, London, to the House of Commons, London)
A Vindication of Mr Burroughes, against Mr Edwards his foule aspersions in his spreading Gangraena, and his angry Antiapologia. Concluding with a briefe declaration what the Independents would have
(1646, London)
The Eighth Book of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs. Being a Treatise ofthe Evil of Evils, or the Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin
(1654; preached 1646, London)
Gospel-Remission: or; A Treatise shewing, that True Blessedness consists in Pardon of Sin, wherein is diacovered the many gospel mysteries therein contained, glorious effects proceeding from it, great mistakes made about it, true signs and symptoms of it, way and means to obtain it. Being several sermons preached immediately after those of The Evil of Sin
(1668; preached 1646, London)
Gospel-Conversation: wherein is shewed, 1. How the conversation of believers in Christ ought to exceed what could be by the light of nature. 2. Beyond those who lived under the law. 3. And suitable to those truths which the gospel reveals: In seven sermons, preached from Phil. i. 27. in the years 1645, and 1646. And three sermons, from John xviii.36. wherein the nature of Christ's kingdom is explained; and a Gospel-Conversation answerable thereunto is warmly recommended.
(1648, London)
The Misery of those Men who have their Portion in this Life, from Psal. xvii. 14.
(1648, London)
Jacobs Seed: or the Generation of seekers. And Davids Delight, or the Excellent on earth
(1648, London)
The Saints Duty in Times of extremity. Opened in a sermon… occasioned upon the news of extraordinary loss to the Parliaments forces in the west
(1649, London)
Two Treatises . . . The first of earthly mindedness . . . The second treatise of conversing in Heaven, and walking with God
(1649, London)
An Exposition with Practical Observations on the Prophecy of Hosea continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of the Prophesy of Hosea. Being first delivered in several lectures
(1650, St. Michael's Cornhill, London)
An Exposition with Practical Observations on the Prophecy of Hosea continued upon the eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth chapters of the Prophesy of Hosea. Being first delivered in several lectures
(1654, St. Michael's Cornhill, London)
The Saints Treasury; Holding forth, The incomparable excellency and holiness of God.--Christ's All in All--The glorious enjoyment of Heavenly things by Faith.--The Natural Man's bondage to the Law, and the Christian's liberty by the Gospel.--And a preparation for judgment: Being sundry sermons preached in London
(1654, London)
The Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Books of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs: containing three treatises: I. of Precious Faith. II. of Hope. III. The Saints walk by faith on earth; by sight in heaven. Being the last sermons that the author preached at Stepney
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Wherein in Shown, 1. What Contentment is, 2. The Holy Art or Mystery of it, 3. Several Lessons Christ Teaches to Work the Heart to Contentment, 4. The Excellencies of it, 5. The Evils of Murmuring, 6. The Aggravations of the Sin of Murmuring
(1655, London)
Gospel-Reconciliation: or, Christ's Trumpet of Peace to the World, .Wherein is Shown (besides many other gospel Truths) that there was a breach made between God and man). 2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 20. To which is added two sermons; one from Hos. ii. 14. and another from Prov. xvi. 31
(1657, London)
The Saint's Inheritance and the Worldling's Portion Representing the Glorious Condition of a Child of God and the Misery of Having One's Portion in This World, Unfolding the State of True Happiness with the Marks, Means, and Members Thereof
(1657, London)
Four Books on the Eleventh of Matthew: viz. I. Christ Inviting Sinners to Come to him for Rest. II. Christ the Great Teacher of Souls that Come to him. III. Christ the Humble Teacher of those that Come to him. IV. The only Easy way to Heaven.
(1659, London)
Gospel-Revelation: In three Treatises. 1. The Nature of God. 2. The Excellencies of Christ. 3. The Excellency of Man's Immortal Soul
(1660, London)
The Saints Happinesse; Together with the severall steps leading thereunto: delivered in divers lectures on the Beatitudes, Being the last sermons that ever he preached
(1660, London)
Gospel-Fear: or the Heart trembling at the Word of God, evidenceth a blessed frame of spirit. Delivered in several sermons from Isa. 66:2 and 2 Kings 22:14
(1674, London)
Jerusalems Glory breaking forth into the World, being a scripture-discovery of the New Testament Church in the latter days immediately before the Second Coming of Christ. [Three Sermons]
(1675, London)
Four Useful Discourses. I. The Art of Improving a full and prosperous Condition, for the Glory of God; an Appendix to the art of Contentment, in three sermons from Phil. iv. 12. II. Christian Submission, from I Sam. iii. 18. III. Christ a Christian's Life; and Death his Gain, Phil. i. 21. IV. The Gospel of Peace sent to the Sons of Peace: Six sermons, from Luke x. 5, 6.
(1675, London)
The Complete Works of Jeremiah Burroughs
(This is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive list of the works of Jeremiah Burroughs)


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Taiwan, Taipei : Day #1 (Rainbow Hotel)
Five days after our solemnization, we headed to Taiwan for a mini-honeymoon. This was in fact our second trip to Taiwan, having visited two years ago as well. With our flight at 12:20pm, we left for Changi Airport at 9am to do an early check-in plus breakfast. The weather hasn't been kind these couple of days, and it was just as wet as we were waiting for our flight. Roamed around the transit area after breakfast and there it was, a second Dunkin' Donuts outlet right in front of our eyes! (There is another one at Orchard ION.)
The flight from Singapore to Taipei took about four hours. We flew on Singapore Airlines, which provided great service and food as expected by us. The only hiccup was during the serving of meals, when they actually ran out of 'International' selection, so we had to settle for *gasp* 'Oriental' food instead. Alright, the food was fine though, not bad at all. Managed to catch Sherlock Holmes via the in-flight entertainment system before we landed in Taipei. Nice!
As we descend into the dark and gloomy clouds of Taipei, we were obviously disappointed to see that it was drizzling in Taipei, just as the weather forecast had predicted. Passing through immigration and waiting for our baggage took quite some time, perhaps due to the large group of tourists arriving from another flight.
Interesting system at Taoyuan International Airport because there will be a person at the designated exit for taking cabs, asking you where you're headed. Upon knowing your destination (either short or long distance), they will assign a cab to you and the cab driver would help you to load up your luggage. Plenty of cabs at the airport, so there is no need to arrange for transport in advance unless you are able to get a cheaper rate or if you're travelling in a large group.
Although we reached Taoyuan International Airport around 4:30pm, it was already 5:30pm when we hopped on a cab. The journey to Rainbow Hotel (長虹大飯店) took slightly longer (approximately 1.5 hours) because we were stuck in peak-hour jam! The trip cost us NT$1200, and we finally arrived at Rainbow Hotel at 7pm.
One thing to note is that the streets just outside Rainbow Hotel is not open to cars from 11am to 11pm. Our cab driver didn't know the place well and had dropped us off some distance away, which made it a real hassle to drag our luggage all the way in the light drizzle. We later realized that the nearest drop off point is at the junction near 三兄妹 ice dessert shop, just 1-minute walk from Rainbow Hotel.
Well, Rainbow Hotel looked exactly the same as it was two years ago. We even got the same room, room no. 902! Funny thing was, we didn't know exactly what type of room we would get until we got to Rainbow Hotel. Initially, we couldn't get a room via the official website, and so we booked a room for three nights with Agoda instead. We called Rainbow Hotel before our trip to confirm our reservation, but the hotel staff couldn't confirm the room type either. Weird system eh?
The reason we chose the hotel is because of its excellent location, right in the middle of Ximending (西門町). Street food (路边摊) and all kinds of stores are located just around us! Of course, we're pretty satisfied with the room, having stayed in the same one two years ago. It's located on the highest floor at 9th storey, so noise from the outside isn't much of an issue. Sound-proofing between rooms leave much to be desired though. Also, the room isn't small at all considering it only cost us SGD$369, or SGD$123 per night.
Quickly settled down in the room, left the hotel, bought two umbrellas, and took a cab to mystery location #1.
Mr. J French-Italian Restaurant (Mr. J 義法廚房)!
The name itself should give a hint of what kind of restaurant it is. In all, there are two outlets. Two years back, we visited the 北医 outlet, which was a real nightmare to find and locate. Even the locals that we asked didn't know where the restaurant was. This time round, we got smarter, and gave the cab driver the address of the 光復 outlet! However, even the cab driver had some trouble finding the place. Somehow, we got lucky as we were cruising along a small alley and found it!
Located in a small residential alley, the elusive two-storey restaurant must have been visited by tonnes of Jay Chou fans. I'm sure the poor location will not deter any fans of Jay Chou from hunting down the place! The rain kept coming down, which kind of restricted the photos we could take outside the restaurant.
Mr. Qute, a pastry specialty store, is located adjacent to Mr. J and is under the same group of restaurants.
Went inside, and up to the second level of the restaurant. As expected, the restaurant is designed with a specific style in mind and generously decorated with Jay Chou related stuff like oil paintings.
Generally, service in Taiwan is prompt and very good, and Mr J. was no exception. Made our orders, and obviously Shan was happily taking photos of the place! We ordered a pasta set meal and a risotto set meal, with escargot for starters and milk pudding for dessert. Yummy!
Filled our tummies with our first meal in Taipei, and we deliberated where to go from here. We had intended to visit Mr. Qute next door, and decided it wasn't that special after all. It seemed to operate out of Mr. J and the staff wore the same uniform as well.
Decided to head back to Ximending (西門町) for a little walkabout. Shan bought a couple of magazines and posters before we decided to call it a night and return back to our hotel to unpack and rest for the night. A couple of interesting signage we spotted in our hotel room :
For more info, please visit Shan Blog or Shan Flickr!
Travel planning related information :
- Cab ride from Taoyuan International Airport to Ximending (NT$1200, 1.5 hours)
- Cab ride from Ximending to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Metro Station area (NT$200, 15 minutes)


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After a little break away in the sun; I have returned to normality and my usual routine. While being on holiday is normally a time to rest and relax, I have found that my body has not recharged itself until I got back into my routine. The excitement of being on holiday and exploring a new country takes its toll. I found myself getting stressed with planning both before and during the holiday, and ended up waking a lot earlier than planned every day I was away. Amidst long days out and coupled with broken sleep I was left exhausted by the time I hopped on the plane home. Not long after take off I completely knocked out and fell asleep!
After being back to work for a week my body has finally gotten back into my usual sleeping routine. I have managed to get back into swimming after a little hiatus, and also changed my eating habits back from the late Spanish meal times. Change is good every now and again but it is always comforting to come back to a 'normal' lifestyle.


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A new approach to museum visits is here!
We are luckily introducing the Fun Museum Talks. We would like to invite our fans, followers and readers to join the Fun Museums official Twitter page, and make a tweet using #FunMuseumsTalks, or simply #MuseumsAreFun, to tell us something about their own fun experiences in museums, or even fun initiatives they do in their own museums.
The origins of this idea lies in a conversation with the Portuguese artists Afonso Cruz, who expressed his opinion that museums are just artificial places. We think that he is much right, because in many cases, museums are not the most wanted places. However, we believe that
On this page, we'll be posting ideas told by Twitter users.
We also have an alternative for our fans from Croatia – you can join the locally-oriented Facebook group, where you also get information about the upcoming Fun Museums events in their country. If you want to get a Facebook group in your own country, please contact us. 🙂


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Name of Organisation/service provider: Centre for Development Enterprise (CDE)
Name of Project / Intervention: Research on Induction of New Teachers into the Teaching Profession
Duration of Project: January 2015 - October 2015
Province, area: National
This document summarises the key findings of a research study undertaken by the Centre for Development Enterprise to explore a range of teacher induction models that could be tested and implemented in the South African context.
The research was conceptualised by the CDE with the input of the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Zenex Foundation.
The DBE and DHET acknowledge the importance of providing induction for its teachers. They argue that an induction programme can offer invaluable support at this first crucial stage of a teacher's career.
CDE used a variety of research methods to investigate teacher induction. These included:
- Literature review: Both local and international literature was reviewed to establish the range of models and lessons for effective implementation.
- Stakeholder engagement: This involved conducting interviews with key stakeholders to establish their views about induction, specifically the role of induction and the possible models that could work in the country.
- Costing model: Following the literature review and discussions with the stakeholders, two models were costed based on their viability (based on the view of stakeholders) in the South African context.
Key Findings
International Literature Review
While there are varying definitions of induction, this report defines it as a medium term process of not less than a year and involves a formal programme of professional support to make sure that a new teacher is able to establish the necessary competence to become a professional educator and operate effectively in the school and classroom.
It typically involves mentorship to provide professional direction and assistance, as well as emotional support. It can include networked learning opportunities, action research and exposure of the teacher to new learning opportunities and educational thinking through individuals, peer groups, seminars and conferences.
The literature suggests that investing in induction of NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) is a cost-effective way of keeping them in the profession after the high cost of initial teacher education (ITE) and ensuring that they reach the peak of their performance as quickly as possible.
The literature identifies three broadly different approaches to teacher induction. These can be typified as:
- A 'Western' professional model where the individual teacher takes up his or her first teaching post after graduating and is supported one-on-one by a trained mentor in order to gain specific professional skills, including those of classroom management, teaching techniques, assessment modalities and administrative compliance.
- An 'Eastern' school community model where the new teacher is inducted into teaching through communities of practice in the school and the local community served by the school. As with the 'Western' model, there is focus on mentorship and lesson observations, but these are more community activities rather than individual ones.
- An 'ad hoc' approach, which is typically the default position in African countries and other developing nations. It consists of multiple modes of orientation and induction borrowed from the Western and Eastern approaches. Very few African countries have policies and for the few that do have policies that refer to induction, there is little evidence of teacher induction in the majority of under-resourced and dysfunctional schools.
The literature suggests that the best results are achieved in countries where induction involves a purposeful, structured approach which is context specific and combines the intensive mentorship of the Western approach with sense of school community and collective responsibility from the Eastern approach. This approach is evident in Canada, Australia and Germany.
South African literature review
The research indicated that there is little published and documented work on induction in the country.
Despite the prioritisation in DBE and DHET policy documents and the proposal by the South African Council of Educators (SACE) to make induction mandatory, there are a few orientation programmes and only one induction programme in the country. None of these programmes have been implemented on a large scale and none of them have been evaluated.
In addition, the capacity to implement induction remains a challenge at a number of levels. Firstly, the cost to implement an induction programme is extremely high. Secondly, SACE's administrative capability to monitor and manage this process is weak. Thirdly, there is a lack of capacity and skills to train and implement induction across the sector. This includes lack of capability to monitor and manage this process and availability of mentors at school and district level.
An Induction initiative for new Teachers
The study found that the only active induction programme in the country is called the Joint Mentoring Project which is being implemented in the Western Cape. The project involves supporting a group of 30 NQTs over a two-year cycle.
Although the project has not been independently evaluated, the project does use a number of tools to monitor the project. This includes attendance registers, classroom observation schedules and reflection discussions with the teachers. PSP has indicated that the teachers they support rarely drop out of teaching in their first few years, and are more confident and competent than those that are not on the programme.
Stakeholder Engagement
This involved conducting of interviews with 18 education stakeholders from 16 organisations.
The following are key findings from the stakeholder engagement process:
- There was widespread agreement amongst stakeholders that induction should serve to bridge the gap between university-based teacher education and the realities of teaching.
- There was strong agreement that mentorship should represent a core feature of an induction programme.
- The selection process of mentors was viewed as being crucial to the effective implementation of any induction programme. There is widespread acknowledgment that facilitators and mentors must have the relevant expertise and experience to support new teachers.
- There was agreement that an induction programme should be at least one year long.
- After deliberation, it was agreed that teacher induction be offered as a post-degree programme.
- After deliberation it was agreed that teachers must be given provisional registration with SACE until they successfully complete induction.
Two models for induction in SA
Following the literature review and stakeholder engagement process, two models were identified and costed for implementation in South Africa: a less intensive centralised model and a more comprehensive school-based model. The induction period for both models was assumed to be one year long.
Model A: Centre-based model
- A NQT will be allocated to a facilitator through a national or provincial system organised centrally by a dedicated DBE directorate or institute working with a provincial department.
- The facilitator, based at District Teacher Development Centres (DTDCs), education district offices or other accessible nodes, would be trained by universities or other registered institutions using audited programmes delivering a nationally accredited course.
- NQTs would be trained at a central location, four times a year, during vacations using national training modules supported by technology.
- Teachers would be assigned temporary or provisional SACE registration following successful completion of their ITE degree at a university. At the end of the one year induction period, the teacher would be assessed for registration against professionally developed practice standards by SACE or an authorised quality assurance agency once facilitators believe that they are ready.
Model B: School-based model
- Each NQT will receive training from a centralised location 4 times per year.
- Each NQT is allocated a school-based mentor.
- The school-based mentor will be trained and certified by universities or other registered institutions.
- School-based mentors would have a reduced workload in recognition of this service.
- The school-based mentors could call on support from the trained centre-based facilitators, who would be based at designated centres.
- Teachers would be assigned temporary or provisional SACE registration following successful completion of their ITE degree at a university. At the end of the one year induction period, the teacher would be assessed for registration against professionally developed practice standards by SACE or an authorised quality assurance agency once mentors believe that they are ready.
The centre-based induction approach is more cost-effective than the school-based model. The former does not require capacity at school-level and instead requires more national, provincial and district-level management and capacity. The school-based approach has significant challenges with respect to implementation, firstly because of the lack of capacity at school level and secondly because of the challenge of implementing a teacher substitute system that varies from school to school.
The researchers believe that the most viable option with the resource and capacity constraints is the centre-based model. It is hoped that over time the capacity within the system and in service providers to provide effective induction to teachers will grow in the country.


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- Fitted jogger pants.
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