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The entire HVAC system requires proper maintenance to work safely and efficiently, but it is not uncommon for the ductwork to get the least amount of attention and care. This is certainly a mistake. With proper air duct maintenance, you will enjoy higher indoor air quality and energy efficiency. Find out what it includes.
The job of the air filters is to trap particles which would otherwise go into the ductwork and get circulated around the house. Hence, with timely air filter cleaning and replacement, you can help the HVAC system work effectively in more ways than one. The classic disposable pleated filters should be replaced every three months and possibly more often if you have small children, allergy and asthma sufferers and/or pets at home. Permanent filters should be washed regularly and replaced when they come to the end of their useful life.
A close examination will reveal any damage to the ductwork in addition to accumulations of contaminants. Unfortunately, leaks are not uncommon, especially in older systems or ones with less durable ducts which are prone to damage. Air duct seal repair should help to eliminate the problem. If there is more serious damage, the duct itself will require fixing. When the damage is beyond repair, replacement will be the only solution. The sooner it’s implemented, the better.
Cleaning involves the removal of all contaminants present in the ductwork. These include dust, pollen and dirt and debris particles. Mold can be effectively removed with proper cleaning. The same applies to any pests which have infested the HVAC ductwork and have been exterminated.
Air duct sanitizing is practically disinfecting the surfaces. The antimicrobial effect means that there will be no germs, mold spores or any other microorganisms on the surfaces. This is essential for protection from disease. Without proper sanitizing, the air passing through the ducts will just take these microorganisms and spread them around the house.
In some cases, the air ducts of the HVAC system may require long-term protection. It is typically needed when the conditions causing mold growth cannot be changed. The solution usually involves the setup of UV cleansers. They work to provide effective mold control by producing ultraviolet light which destroys the spores.


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Kenneth R. West, Inc. was organized in 1983 to provide the most professional service available to those looking for help in satisfying their real estate needs primarily through appraisals at that time, but with some venturing into residential sales, management and construction. In 1993, the company was put on hold after Mr. West accepted a position with London and Stetelman Commercial Realtors as Commercial Sales and Property Manager. After almost 20 years of successful involvement in those fields, he had an opportunity in June of 2012 to reopen Kenneth R. West, Inc. He now offers approximately 41 years of experience in handling all types of commercial and residential real estate projects including sales, management, development and consultation to any who may need professional, experienced, and above all, courteous help with real estate needs.
Ken is a long time member of Petal Harvey Baptist Church where he serves as Deacon and formerly taught the 5th & 6th grade boy's Sunday School class. Hattiesburg Area Association of Realtors, Mississippi Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Hattiesburg Multiple Listing Service.
" My primary goal is to provide the most professional, accurate, and up to date service to our customers and clients, whose interests are in the pursuit of professional help for the management, listings, sales, and development of commercial properties within our market!"
Ken is the responsible Broker for Kenneth R. West, Inc. He held a General Appraisal license for the State of MS. (Ga-332), for over 36 years and recently resigned as a state licensed appraiser to devote his time totally to management and sales.
He has over 41 years of experience in the appraisal, sale, listing and management of commercial and residential properties in this area.
Contact us today to schedule a meeting so that we can properly assess your real estate needs and tell you how we can best meet those needs.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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The latest example comes to us courtesy of New York State.
The New York State Assembly voted to fund college tuition for illegal aliens and refused to fund college tuition for children of fallen and disabled veterans.
The New York Democrats supported spending $27 million to fund the Jose Peralta New York State DREAM Act. The fund is meant to support illegal immigrants who qualify for state aid for higher education.
A week prior, the Democrats in the State Assembly blocked a bill that would have expanded college tuition aid for the children of deceased and disabled military veterans.
Answer: Because there was not enough money in the state budget for the Gold Star families.
Really? New York State has a $175 billion budget. They had no problem setting aside $27 million for illegal immigrants to go to college; but the children of the fallen and disabled soldiers get nothing.
The Chairwoman of the Education Committee, where the funding was blocked, justified her decision by pointing to an existing program which allocated $2.7 million toward the children of the fallen.
However, by my calculations, $2.7 million is a lot less than $27 million. It is obvious where the Gold Star families rank in the priorities of the New York Democrats.
Democrats across the nation support soft immigration policies, such as their support for funding “sanctuary cites.” Sanctuary cities refuse to enforce federal immigration laws, but still receive federal funds. The Daily Signal reported that in 2017, more than 100 sanctuary cities across America received a total of $27 billion in federal funds. Nearly 300 jurisdictions — states, counties, or cities — have some form of sanctuary policies.
And these cities are run by Democrats, of course.
Illegal immigration is a huge drain on taxpayer dollars. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimated that the total cost to American taxpayers is $116 billion annually. That is $8,075 for each illegal immigrant.
The unlawful immigrants receive government benefits and services on the dime of American taxpayers. Liberals are always talking about how unfair policies are against minorities. It doesn’t seem fair that people who break our laws get supported by American citizens, does it?
The funding of illegals in New York is even more egregious because it funds them at the expense of the children of the fallen.
Our servicemen and women paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. However, liberals in New York prioritize the lives of non-citizens over those of the fallen.
Those who died for our nation deserve to have their children taken care of. These children no longer have parents to take care of them … That is why our nation should ensure that they are looked after.
It is deplorable that the Democrats in New York aren’t properly honoring the sacrifices that our fallen service members made. Our heroes deserve better!

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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When the figure was introduced in 1967, the accessory pack was available exclusively through Sears Roebuck & Co.
The accessory set came in two forms, the regular window box set and the gift box set, which included more accessories than the window box set.
In 2010, a Canadian Mountie G.I. Joe action figure sold for $630 on online auction site eBay.
Some collectors believe that a complete boxed Canadian Mountie G.I. Joe set is worth up to $4000.

industry_corpus2: Others


text: December, AD39. While enjoying the Winter Festival holiday at his adopted daughter's home in the Alban Hills, Marcus Corvinus discovers that an outwardly respectable pillar of the community, local politician Quintus Caesius has been discovered beaten to death at the rear entrance of the town brothel. Questioning those who knew the victim, Corvinus is dismayed to find Bovillae a place of small town secrets, bitter feuds, malicious gossip and deadly rivalry: a world away from the sophistication of Rome. As he is to discover, there are several suspects with reason to bear Caesius a grudge. But who would hate him enough to kill him? And what would a supposedly solid citizen be doing visiting the local brothel?

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Each day, the engineering team is working to meet some of the most unique and exciting global challenges. In order to maintain our role at the forefront of technology, we continue to seek talented, ambitious individuals to join our engineering team. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and are looking for an opportunity to apply your technical expertise, then we have a great opportunity for you. We are seeking an innovative, data driven, results-oriented engineer to contribute to our continued legacy of innovation.
The Senior Embedded Software Engineer on the research and development team at DCT helps develop the architecture and implement embedded software solutions in our company’s primary hardware products. These products provide real-time controls for a variety of applications and are typically written in C or C++ and make use of a wide range of technologies. The candidate should be an expert in embedded solutions using Linux. The candidate will help architect new solutions and flesh out the product ideas that meet high level product management goals. The candidate must have strong interpersonal skills, be able to closely collaborate with others in an agile environment, and champion software craftsmanship practices. The ideal candidate will aspire to be a lifelong learner who can identify, understand, and train others on new technologies that will improve our products and team performance.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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November 1st, it seems like a long time ago. That was when I embarked upon this blogvember challenge and I’m pleased to say that with this post I’ve completed it: 30 posts in 30 days.
At the end of October there were 10 posts on this blog and now there are 40 (there’s no doubting my mathematical ability). Over the course of the last 30 days I’ve written 18,571 words including the ones in this post. The shortest post I wrote during this exercise was a pithy 382 words (about Platini and the Qatar World Cup) and the longest was 1,006 (debating the question: which is the best league in the world? Answer: the English Premier League, just).
It’s actually been quite exhausting and there were definitely a few evenings when I came very close to going to bed without a post written. I’m glad I stuck with it though as I feel I’ve learned a few things.
Most importantly I’ve learned that it is possible for me to find the time to blog regularly. I have a full time job which involves quite long hours, two young children and in the last few weeks I’ve also been training for two 10k races (the second of which is next Sunday). I’m not asking for a medal – I get one every time I finish a race – but it’s been good to prove to myself that I can write on a regular basis.
I have quite a few writing projects that I want to undertake and this month has shown that I can churn out a reasonable amount of words reasonably quickly. I think the overall quality has been reasonable too although I am conscious of a few places where tiredness is evident and inspiration a bit lacking.
That was actually one of the most difficult aspects of the challenge, finding something new to write about every day even with a subject as fast-moving and talked about as football. The posts in the last month tended to be topical but there were still quite a few that weren’t.
The topics covered have been quite diverse – everything from my love of Italian football to the prospect of the Football Manager computer game being added to the physical education curriculum in some Scottish schools (a terrible idea in my view). I’ve covered Moyes’ move to Spain, Messi becoming the top scorer in La Liga, the absurdity that was the Argentina v Portugal friendly, Rooney and the England captaincy, and much more besides.
I hope you’ve enjoyed at least some of it. By far the most popular post (most popular of all time so far on the blog and not just the last month) was the one I wrote about my audition for the role of a footballer in a movie. I’m still awaiting the casting decision and will keep you posted. Other popular entries include the one that announced the blogvember challenge on the 1st of November, the one about which league is best, and Rooney.
It will probably be a few days until the next post arrives on this blog. I’ll be taking a short break but I aim to settle into a schedule of two posts per week. That should seem quite easy (I hope) after the last month. Thanks for reading and if you like it, please feel free to tell your friends.
This entry was tagged blog, blogging, blogging every day, blogvember, finding time to blog, football blog. Bookmark the permalink.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s golf team begins the 2017-18 season ranked No. 18 in the Bushnell Golfweek Division II Coaches Preseason Poll.
Under the direction of ninth-year head coach Troy Halterman, the Tritons begin their quest for a fifth straight NCAA appearance on September 5 at the annual Arch Cup at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis.
UMSL is coming off its sixth NCAA Regional appearance in the last seven years and a 2016-17 campaign in which they won four tournaments and placed in the top four in nine. The Tritons also posted a school record single season scoring average of 291.25.
UMSL will be led by senior Markus Lindberg, a two-time All-American and the reigning GLVC Player of the Year. As a junior, Lindberg led the Tritons with a 72.64 average, which ranks as the program’s best single-season mark. Lindberg had five top-10 finishes, including three first place showings. In the Tritons’ first tournament during the fall season, Lindberg became just the 10th collegiate player at any level to shoot a round of 60. He enters his senior season with a program-best career scoring average of 74.25 and as the co-career leader for rounds of par or better (29).
Other returners include junior James Henderson, who owned a scoring average of 75.17, and sophomore Chris Ferris, who competed in 10 tournaments in his freshman campaign, posting a scoring average of 76.55.
UMSL will play in five tournaments this fall, which includes hosting the Midwest Regional on Oct. 9-10 at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo.
The spring portion of the schedule features another four tournaments with trips to South Carolina, Las Vegas, Alabama and Florida.


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Today's topic will solve your this problem!!!
PAGE REBOOT allows you to continually refresh a website of your choice, which is great for watching the closing minutes of an eBay auction, making sure you don't miss the start of those ticket sales, and anything else you can think of.
Its very Simple to use.
Just go to PAGE REBOOT. Fill the url of the webpage you want to refresh automatically with the time period after that u want to refresh it.....and press Start..... it will take you on your required page...and will reload automatically that webpage for you after the giving time period.


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At GDC 2015, Electronic Arts' Veronica Zammitto gave a talk (with a case study of Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare) that was all about what to do when you start testing early, and keep testing -- all the way through until the final leg of game production.
At that final leg, Zammitto says, you may not be able to respond to testing feedback with the sort of radical changes you could pull off early on, but you can (and should!) still act on testing data by making fine-tuned adjustments and pivoting your game in response to player feedback.
Her talk was concise, practical, and all the more relevant today when so many games are launching early and evolving as live services. If you missed the talk in 2015, don't miss your opportunity to now watch Zammitto's presentation for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

industry_corpus2: Gaming


text:
There are several major categories of discounts available to fleets. But, even experienced fleet managers are sometimes confused about what discounts they can reasonably hope for and how favorable each one is.
This is typically the best price small fleets can obtain and should not be pursued unless the fleet is small (five or fewer vehicles) and no inventory is kept on hand.
Don’t be misled by the term “dealer.” In most cases, dealer prices are only slightly lower than fleet prices and are not typically adequate for moderately-sized fleets.
This is the price paid for stock by smaller parts houses. Most jobber operations sell to the general public at something off list price. If a fleet purchases its merchandise from a jobber, it is paying more than jobber prices.
Any fleet that keeps an inventory in the $20,000 range or above should purchase from a warehouse distributor.
This is the price paid by a warehouse operator who has been authorized to purchase directly from a manufacturer. Since these suppliers are in a position to offer significant discounts, they should be sought out when negotiating for the best prices.
Remember, however, that this distributor might not be an authorized distributor for every line of desired merchandise, so don’t expect less-than-jobber prices on every line.
Find out the product lines for which a warehouse operator is willing to sell at or below jobber prices.
Determine the distributor’s ability to service the fleet adequately.
Check on hours of operation, inventory volume and condition of the distributor’s delivery fleet (deep-discounted parts lose much of their attractiveness when they’re delivered late).
Avoid stifling negotiations by insisting on one and only one brand of a part. Be flexible and explore competitive brands.
Purchasing directly from manufacturers is possible in many cases, particularly when the manufacturer is a fairly small company. It is important to remember, however, that service is as important as price.
Bolts, nuts and other shop supplies constitute an often neglected expense that can be significantly reduced. If these are purchased from a salesperson who offers free bolt bins and other “incentives” to buy, fleet could be paying from two to five times more than necessary.
While many think these are small-ticket items, such supplies will generally account for around eight percent of the total parts bill per month. Much of this is waste attributable to poor purchasing habits.
To streamline the process of ordering and purchasing fleet parts and supplies, check out our new Purchase Orders module!
We outline how to further reduce parts expenditures and explore the financial benefits of healthy parts purchasing. View the post!

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


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Dr. Sonia Bhalla is an MBBS graduate from LLRM Medical College, Meerut in 1999. She is a senior consultant, practising for the last 16 years. She is a Medical Retina Specialist with a keen interest in Diabetes. She is also proficient in anterior segment surgery including Phacoemulsification Surgery. She is the recipient of Gold Medal during her M.S.
Member of Delhi Ophthalomolical Society.
Member of All India Ophthalmological Society.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


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Our local agents at Langel's Insurance Agency, Inc. in Bensalem, Pennsylvania will be happy to review your auto insurance policy with you. We can help ensure that you have the coverage and policy limits to provide the comprehensive protection you need.
August 4th, 2017 by Langel's Insurance Agency, Inc.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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We loved the look of Kyrenia Palace Boutique Hotel when we found it on gonorthcyprus.com. Stayed for a week in a lovely clean room in a beautiful building not far from the old port. Ideal secluded spot for couples on a relaxed getaway. Small menu of exceptionally cooked dishes, we really loved the food and the romantic ambience of the restaurant. The restaurant manager is very friendly too. You can walk to the harbour and the castle in a matter of minutes, the location is superb. Overall we couldn't fault the place! Highly recommended.
Liked — Everything. Lovely secluded location, delicious food, romantic atmosphere and friendly staff.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Ann plays the keyboard and sings, while Dean plays the guitar, saxophone and sings. We play a variety of new and old country favorites and tasty old rock. Our focus is on good dance music. And we know dancing music, because we dance.
Ann and Dean have been participating in dance classes for years, and really understand what good dance music is, for all of the styles listed, and some that are not. Many songs lend themselves to more than one dance style, such as either a 10 step or a fast polka , a cowboy cha cha or a drifter or horseshoe. A fast west coast swing or a triple step east coast. A 2 step, or a fast east coast swing or a jitterbug. Or maybe just a good old free style rock dance.
For people who love to dance, we know you will appreciate being able to request a dance style and we know what you are talking about, because we dance, too..

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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The mandate includes amplifying the digital presence of the brand across digital platforms. The agency will work on crafting out digital strategy and execution for the successful launch of the brand in North East, West and Central India.
Having signed Preity Zinta as the ambassador, HSL is determined to compete with the contemporary brands in affordable smartphones category. The brand has invested great efforts for a year in establishing the distribution, servicing and logistics for a robust retail presence.
Commenting on the account win, Jay Thadeshwar, CEO & Founder of Poised Media said, “We’re super excited to work with HSL. They have a wonderful range of products and our aim is to leverage the same to generate buzz around the brand on social platforms. Our team is excited and charged up to be a part of their growth story.


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Check out the latest mural titled: ‘Far From Tired’. Dutch duet street artists Telmo & Miel created this extraordinarily detailed mural for Pow Wow Longbeach just a few days ago.
As a part of the Mural Social Club Festival that is taking place in Ukraine the renowned Greek artist ‘Fikos Antonios’ decorated a 16-floor high building in Kyiv with possibly the world’s biggest Byzantine painting.
Said Dokins has shared with us a mural that contributes in honoring women’s social struggle. Said made this wall in the city of Coachella, California, for the “Coachella Walls” Festival, with the support of Med Sobio (33 Third Media) & Date Farmers.
The new wall by Dinho Bento illustrates endangered species in South America. The mural is located near the city of Ouro Preto. This region is one of the major mineral exploitation places in Brazil, which contributes to the disappearance of many species.
Dont miss the very first awards of the Dutch Street Art awards. Taking place on the 25th March 20.00p.m. , judges are out to pick the very best of works in what might seem just impossible. Among some great artworks, they aim to draw a winner!
The Contemporary Art Museum of Rome MACRO houses the first exhibition devoted to the “Forgotten Project”. Forgotten… (THE EXHIBITION) will be on view from April 13th to May 15th inside the 9A wing of MACRO Testaccio.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


text: With more than 40 years of experience, a reputation for excellence, and the best brands, there's no one better than Alan Doxey Fireplaces Ltd when it comes to fires and fireplaces in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and the surrounding local areas. Our Gas Safe-registered engineers carry out excellent fireplace installation for clients and you always receive a manufacturer's guarantee from our team. Our family-run business regularly offers great deals to customers, so get in touch today to discuss your requirements.


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LL Cool J has become the first rapper to receive the prestigious Kennedy Centre Honour at the weekend, in a ceremony which also recognised Gloria Estefan and Lionel Richie.
LL Cool J has become the first rapper to receive the prestigious Kennedy Centre Honour.
The 'Mama Said Knock You Out' hitmaker was recognised with the US' highest achievement for a performer in a ceremony on Saturday (02.12.17) evening, with Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, 'All in the Family' producer Norman Lear and dancer-and-actress Carmen de Lavallade also picking up the accolade at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C..
The 'Lip Sync Battle' star was introduced to the room by Darryl 'D.M.C.' McDaniels, who said it was "crazy" for a rap star to be included, a sentiment echoed by LL Cool J, who described himself and his friend as "the guys on the other side of the tracks".
He added: "I want you to know that the inner city is a whirlpool. Every now and then somebody like me will make it out.
"What you're looking at is possibilities - what every young inner-city black man could potentially be if given the opportunity and if someone put their arm around him."
And after the event, the 'Phenomenon' singer paid tribute to other hip hop stars on his Instagram account.
He wrote: "I believe that we are built to do anything we put our minds and proper actions to. You have all the tools inside you that are required for you to fulfill your GOD given purpose.
"This one is for those who came before me and those who followed me. We were sent to this planet to love and inspire one another. Manifest our dreams and make them a reality. I hope you're inspired by me because I'm absolutely Inspired by you.
"Mic check 1212 Let's ride!! #KCHonors #StateDepartmentDinner #hiphop (sic)"
Kenneth Edmonds, who is better known as Babyface, praised Lionel as a "surprisingly nice" guy for a "superstar genius".
The 'Hello' singer opened his speech by saying "I love you", noting his fans always want to hear him say that.
He added: "I'm in the business of reminding the world that love is the answer."
Gloria was honoured by Rita Moreno, actress-and-choreographer Debbie Allen toasted Carmen, and journalist Bill Moyers celebrated Norman.
The event is usually attended by the President and First Lady, but President Donald Trump avoided a showdown in August when he revealed he and wife Melania would not be attending, following Norman's declaration he wouldn't attend if the controversial US leader was there, while other artists had expressed an unease at meeting him.
Kennedy Center officials previously admitted they were "grateful" to the couple for not attending.
Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter and Chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a statement: "In choosing not to participate in this year's honor's activities, the administration has graciously signaled its respect for the Kennedy Center and ensures the honours gala remains a deservingly special moment for the honourees."
Ahead of the intimate ceremony, the honourees attended a state dinner the evening before.


text:
Meet my beardie! + HELP ME NAME HIM! • Bearded Dragon . org .
Meet my beardie! + HELP ME NAME HIM!
Hey there! This is my baby haha he is not really a baby but i love him to the moon and back .
after seeing an ad on craigslist and I immediately fell in love with him. He was not the most nicest when we first picked him up he was actually showing a lot of signs of aggression but, he has really warmed up and i can definitely tell he is a sweetheart!
I really need some names for him! I was thinking of naming him Richard but it doesnt fit him well.
What do you think fits him??
Hi there my name is Joelle, I am a proud beardie owner. I have a 1 year 7 month old male bearded dragon! I love him to the moon and back. He was not the sweetest when i got him on 1/25/2019 but he has warmed up a lot and has been the best boy we could ask for.
Re: Meet my beardie! + HELP ME NAME HIM!
Welcome! You know, he kind of looks like a Richard to me. HAHA! Although you would know best given you've seen how he is and I'm basing it off the pics.
Cool looking chap by the way ... I like how he has a bit of orange coloring around his eyes.
Wow, he looks a lot like my beardie with the orange around the eyes. What about Fygar? He was a funny little fire-breathing dragon on the Dig Dug video game.


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Our Wide Range of Houston Corporate Relocation Services Can Accommodate The Needs of Any Customer, Never Mind The Complexity or Distance of The Move.
It makes no difference if your company is moving across town, across the country, or across continents, we can draft a corporate relocation program specifically for your needs and those of your employees. The provisions we offer go from the most essential relocation services, to installation, to records management and so much more in between. A lot of corporate clients seek us out for our employee relocation and real-estate assistance. In addition, we frequently handle logistics shipments – moving those select high-value pieces for which only the safest, most efficient transport will suffice. Rest assured, all of us at A-1 Freeman Moving Group are passionate about providing you and your staff with an amazingly convenient corporate relocation experience – an experience that minimizes your downtime.


text: Tiffany Studios. Our offers are competitive and our payment is immediate. We will arrange the packing and shipping at our cost.


text:
Mrs. Crumplebottom❣FFU has SuperGems for first Snoozy Dwarf!
I miss you so much. Please come back soon.
Superfood for Prof Dwarf! Come get your Fairytale seeds...All welcome!


text:
#MALOSSICAMP: IT’S A WEEKEND OF GREAT EMOTIONS!
Is Turkey the new motors homeland?
News > Events > Malossi Camp > #MALOSSICAMP: IT’S A WEEKEND OF GREAT EMOTIONS!
On Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th June the first edition of #Malossicamp was held in CERVESINA (PV)!
10 guys between 14 and 18 years, 10 Piaggio mopeds Sì, Bravo and Ciao, Henry Favre, a great desire to get their hands dirty.
After the selections held on Malossi social network, Henry Favre, Malossi’s historic friend accustomed to great adventures (as America in Ciao and North Cape with Ape), prepared a two-day camp for 10 boys who wanted to revive the spirit of the legendary 90s: Piaggio moped, a great desire to develop an engine, a great desire to be together.
Malossi provided all the boys with the new MP – ONE carter for Piaggio, the muffler and other countless components and has made them available all the experience of its mechanics.
The boys were also able to get to know their idols Mauro Sanchini and Guido Meda, who visited them.
We are already organizing the 2019 edition … so keep on following us on our social networks … and you’ll know when and how to apply!

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


text:
As a young man in 1941, Millard Saxton founded the Engineered Products Company working from his garage, in Flint Michigan, making storm door locking mechanisms. His vision was to create a hardware company with unsurpassed customer service, product innovation and reasonable pricing. In the 1960's Hayes Scott Sr. acquired EPCO and rapidly established the company as the first choice among professionals in the cabinet making industry.
Today, over 75 years after Millard Saxton first opened his doors for business, EPCO is a recognized and trusted brand name for hardware. We invite you to learn more about the EPCO brand. We hope our architectural and functional hardware products will enable you to better serve your customers and we thank you for your continued support.


text:
Harry O’ Grady had only been out of Boot Camp, San Diego, for five months and was ready for the open sea. It was in his blood all the way back to his great grandfather and now he would have his chance to show that he had what it takes. He had been around water all his life and had his first sailboat at the age of fourteen. The Puget Sound was his playground in Washington State and he knew it was only a matter of time when he would sail the seven seas.
When Harry reported on board his very first ship, his heart felt like he was at home. It didn’t take long for him to learn the ropes, so to speak. He could chip paint with the best and make his bunk up like he had been told. His shoes were shined to perfection. The uniforms were clean and ready for anything they would have him do. He could see his great grandfather in his dreams and he was pleased. He had been told that they were soon to be underway to the islands of Japan. There they would ready the ship for Korean patrol, as the “Police Action” was near its end.
That morning came and the sailors on the pier let go the lines as the ship begin moving slowly towards the open sea. The men looked sharp standing at quarters lining the rails in their white uniforms. She was a proud vessel with all pennants flying, the flag of our nation high above the rest. Each stood at attention as they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge and the captain blew the ships horn. They were notified that they might not return for six months to a year.
Six days out and the Destroyer ran into their first typhoon of the season. Harry had the 2000 (8:00 PM) to 2400 (Midnight) duties as the starboard lookout. He had been told to report any and all things that he sees or thinks he sees. It was hard to keep his mind focused on the sea with the ship taking water over the bow and dousing him on the open bridge. There was suppose to be other vessels with them as they made their way toward Mid-Way Island. But he had seen only one since the storm started. It was to be a long watch with the misery of standing wet the whole four hours. He kept telling himself that if his great grandfather could do it, then so could he. Besides, how wonderful his bed would feel when he got off duty. The bow went under and the sea again poured down on all on the open decks. After the first two hours, he visualized that hot shower and the warm pad. At the third hour, he thought, just to get dry would be a pleasure.
The watch was relieved and Harry started below. He was forced to hang on to anything he could, as he made his way down to the main deck and through the long passageway. The ship was rolling and pitching in every direction. When he reached the end of the passage and was about to go down to his quarters one deck below, the hatch on the portside opened. Somehow the handle that held the hatch had shared off and swung open. Harry worked his way over so he could close it. The ship rolled to port and took the young sailor out on the open deck. He fought to hang on to anything he could grab. The waves were crashing down the deck with every roll the ship took. It was like a hand grabbing at him, trying to pull him to his doom. As he slid out of reach, he could see a sailor grab the hatch from the inside and close it. His screams went unheard, as they were swallowed up in the wind. The waves rolling down the deck now grabbed him and shoved him into the netting at the stern of the ship. Every time the ships bow rose with the next wave, the stern would go under. Harry went under and when he surfaced, he saw the stern light leaving him behind. He fought with all he had to stay above the waves. His mind ran in circles as he tried to stay afloat. The next wave took him up to its crest of sixty feet and pushed him down into the trough. All the time he tread water he tried to think of the things that he had been taught at boot camp. He was alone and there was no chance of help on the way. Oh what can he do? It’s his life! If he is to be saved, he had to put his skills to work Now!
As he struggled to stay afloat, he remembered. At the crest of the wave he took a breath and went under. Pulled his pants off and tied the leg openings shut and came up for air. On the crest of the next wave, he pulled his pants high over his head and filled them with air. Now he had a floating devise that could hold him up. It worked so well, he thought that he should have patted himself on the back, if only he had the strength. As he rose with every wave, he could not tell where he was, nor could he see any lights from the ships. He was alone in a vast ocean in the middle of a black night.
“Man Overboard,” “Man Overboard.” Squawked the ship’s speakers, as the report came to the ears of the captain. “Come About,” were the orders as the captain received the information about the young recruit. The helmsman spun the ship’s wheel hard to port and the big vessel made its turn. “It has been six hours from the time he left his watch. In this storm there isn’t much of a chance,” he said. Orders went out over the airways to the rest of the flotilla and the full search began in earnest. Through the rough seas the whole flotilla turned about and headed back the way they had come.
The sea had a good hold on the young seaman, as it tried to dislodge him with every huge swell of salt water that carried him farther away. He found that although his inflated makeshift life preserver held him up okay. It had to be re-inflated every half an hour or so. Just about the time that he could relax a little, the air would be gone and he had to use more of his failing strength to capture more. The salt-water taste that he had in his mouth caused him great thirst. It was like a dozen salt tables had gone down and there was no fresh water to get rid of it. After what seemed like half a night had gone by, he crested the top of a wave and thought he had seen lights. Could it be that they had found him gone? On the next crest he did see searchlights playing on the waters far in the distance. “They are looking for me!” he shouted, as the wave threw him down again into the trough.
The winds started to die down somewhat and the waves grew less intense, as the night struggled reaching for the morning sun. Still the search went on in hopes of a recovery. The wave height had now dropped to twenty feet and visibility had increased greatly, but still no sign of the missing recruit. “We will carry on with the search until noon and if there is no sign. We will return to our original course,” said the captain over the radio to the flotilla.
Daylight was fast approaching and he was still hoping that he would be seen. He just couldn’t imagine himself dying at sea when he had his whole life before him. Thoughts came of his mother and father, his brothers and sister. How terrible it would be for them to hear of his missing at sea. Is it to be that he could not fulfill his dream of following the family tradition? The thirst was again causing his throat to swell; it was hard to swallow. At the height of the next wave he thought he saw some ships, his heart started to dance with hope. On the following wave, his heart dropped a beat. “They were moving away.” And on the next, they were out of sight.
The storm blew it self-out and the skies cleared. The seas became calm and the wind stopped completely. It was almost like some force had turned toward the other extreme and caused the heat of the sun to bake the surface of the water. Harry hung on to his flotation trying to save his energy as much as he could. It would be just a matter of a few more minutes before he had to re-inflate. His throat was now parched and the salt on his skin dried sticky. All that day the heat and salt tormented him to the point that he knew no one would come for him. For the next five days with his arms aching, he hung onto life. Through salt incrusted eyes lashes he saw an aircraft flying high in the heavens and thought how wonderful it would be to have a seat on the flight. To be anywhere but here. From that height, no one could have seen such a small spot on the vastness of the ocean.
Harry was beginning to realize that all his efforts to stay afloat seemed to no avail as he continued to inflate. His mind told him to give it up and make peace with his maker. After six days hanging on to his makeshift life saving pair of dungarees, he grew weaker and his hands could not hang on much longer. “Lord,” he began. “I’m sorry for not coming to you before this.” His throat was so sore he could hardly get the voice above a whisper. “I have not always done the right things that I had been taught. My life has been one, which has been self-centered and not always looking out for my fellow man. I have now found myself in this predicament that I am unable help myself. I now ask for your help in this matter before me.” He wasn’t sure, but he felt like he had gained some strength in his arms. If only he could hang on a little longer.
A car with US NAVY on the side pulled up in front of the O’ Grady home and an officer stepped out. The husband, Timothy O’ Grady and his wife Molly greeted him at the door. “May I help you officer?” asked Mr. O’ Grady. The officer was invited into the home and offered a chair. “Thank you but no I should stand,” replied the officer. “Mr. and Mrs. O’ Grady I have been sent by the department of the Navy, to inform you that your son Harry O’ Grady Seaman Second-class, has been reported missing at sea.” After which he saluted them, took off his hat and held it to his side. He then told them what had happened that night onboard the Navy Destroyer their son had been assigned. How the efforts of all had failed and how sorry he was for their possible loss. He also informed them that the chances of finding their son were almost impossible. With that he pardoned himself and departed.
Molly felt faint and was helped to a chair by her husband. He pulled another chair up to her and sat in front holding her hands as the tears begin to appear on their cheeks. Michael, their second son came home from a job that he had been at all afternoon. “What’s the matter dad?” he asked as he stood before them. Timothy let him know what had just happened. “Please call your brother and sister for me please,” he said. Michael went to the telephone and made the calls.
The clouds begin to darken over the spot where Harry was treading water. He could hear thunder in the distance and a bolt of lighting. Soon the skies opened and the rains came down. Harry opened his mouth as far as he could, without cracking his lips and stuck out his tongue. Every drop of fresh water he could gather would be to his betterment. He was so tired of hanging on that he had put the belt on his pants around his chest to hold him up. So when the rains came, he laid his head back against his floater and let his face wash of salt. It felt so good, but he was so tired. His throat began to clear and he could now swallow once more. Suddenly there was a movement near his legs and he knew that he would be eaten any minute. So he stopped moving and slowly he tilted his head downward to have a look. There were small fish swimming around his legs. “Food” came to his mind as he slowly slid his hands along his legs. He opened the right hand very slow and waited. A small fish moved into his palm and begin checking the hand for morsels. Harry closed the hand quick and caught it. He held on with a grip of death. He had never eaten anything raw before, but then this was a must. It all took time, but he managed to catch three more.
Although his skin had begun to shrivel, his strength had gained a little. “If I can only have a little food now and then with some water,” he thought. “Who knows how long he could last.” As the day moved on, Harry found that the little nourishment that had provided him. Allowed his muscles to continue on with his lifesaving of himself. Throughout the night times when it rained, he tried to save as much strength as possible. The days was where he needed all the strength he could muster. For everyday there would be a few small fish to catch. Could it be that his prayers had been answered? Or was this just a stroke of good luck?
The currant pushed him into warmer waters and he found that he was not so cold anymore. But with the warmth came other things that he didn’t expect. Like one large Portuguese man-of-war, with its tentacles hanging below its body. With each movement of the surface water, brought it closer to him. He had heard of them, but had not seen one. The instructors had said that he was to stay clear. As he watched it move toward him he thought, “Why its just a big jellyfish and it sure is colorful.” It was about that time one of its tentacles touched his right leg and right hand. The pain shot through his extremities in a flash and he couldn’t move them. Some how he wiggled free and screamed with all that he had in him. His leg and hand begin to swell. They turned to a light purple. What was he to do?
The dark clouds returned with the wind and thunder. Off in the distance, lighting would strike the surface and sent tinkles through this drifting human flesh. With each roll of thunder he thought he heard in a soft voice say, ”Be still my son, be still.” The winds pushed him away from the danger and the tinkling grew less with distance. The clouds cleared from the sky and the sun brought forth warmth once more. He began to relax a little and took a look at his right hand. All the purple color had disappeared and the same with his leg. There was no more pain.
The drifting continued on in a never-ending circle of life. One day after another, with very little brake in the routine. Rain then the fish, then the sun and so it went. On the twenty second day after the overboard, Harry raised his arms again to fill his floatation, but one leg would not hold any air. It was then that he discovered the threads had separated where the knot had been tied. And he soon realized the other one was about to give way as well.
“Oh Lord is this it for me? Will this be the last day that I know of this misery? Can you now take my life and do what you must? I am too tired to go on, so let it be now. I thank you for trying,” he muttered. “Let me be with my great grandfather, he will understand why I didn’t make it.” Suddenly there was the sound of splashing waters to the left side. Harry turned toward the sound and saw several cold black fins heading for him. “Well this is it I’m sure. But to be done in by SHARKS! Now that’s not the way I want to go!” He said and he started to kick his feet as hard as he could. In his condition, there was not much of an effort. Closer they came and soon where bumping up against his upper legs. There where so many that he just quit fighting and let it go. The air in the other leg was starting to run out anyway.
They pushed into him and instead of sinking, he was moving ahead at a good clip. “Hey wait a minute,” He said “These aren’t SHARKS these are DOLPHNS. Laughter came to his lips as he yelled like a rodeo bronco rider, “YA-HOO!” They traveled a long ways before he was left to himself once more. “Okay Lord,” He asked. “Now what?” There was nothing else and he was set adrift again with one leg of his pants filled with air. Only now the refilling became more frequent, as there was only the one leg and it was leaking. His efforts to stay afloat took its toll on the already tired body. The sun and salt had taken their turn in deteriorating the pants material. The threads unwound one at a time.
The captain gave the orders, Surface, Surface and the vessel rose from the depths that they had been operating at for the last two weeks. Their assignment was to chart all volcanic activity around the Hawaiian Islands. This was to be their last run on this side of the islands, before they returned to port. All hands on board were ready for a little relaxation. To be in a submarine any longer than necessary was not what these civilian sailors needed. They worked for a private firm and had no desire to play the part of a naval vessel.
The tabs were trimmed and the steal tube broke the surface. “Let’s open the hatches and get some fresh air in here,” said the captain. “Aye Captain,” was the response. With the sub now on the surface, the men came pouring out for that big breath. “What the,” said one as the rest stopped in their tracks. “What we got there Campbell?” asked the captain of his first mate while looking down from the conning-tower. “I’ll take a look captain,” replied Campbell. With sub now rolling with the wave action he had to hang on to the lifeline that ran towards the bow. “Looks like we caught a big fish, captain,” yelled back the mate. “No wait a minute, here men give me a hand. Captain we have a body here and I think that he is still alive, maybe.” “Get down there men and give a hand. Take him to sickbay,” was the command.
It was touch and go as the submarine moved at top speed towards port. The ships cook also handled most emergencies so he jumped right in trying to save this wayward sailor. They could tell he was navy, from what was left of the tattered uniform that still clung to this badly beat body. A message was sent to the Naval headquarters at Pearl Harbor and as soon as their lines were tied to the pier, the navy took charge. He was carefully loaded into an ambulance and whisked away to the hospital. The next four weeks was spent bring this lad back from the dead. He thought that he must be in heaven, for the last thing he knew was the bubbles that filled his eyes before he passed out. Finally all the tubes came out of his mouth and the investigators were able to make sense out of his ordeal. It wasn’t until they received word from his ship, that they began to believe his story.
Fifty-two days after he went overboard, he was reunited with his family who had flown to Hawaii to be with him. As they sat in the visitor’s section of the hospital, the naval base admiral along with the captain of his ship came into the room. The captain walked up to him as Harry stood and saluted, put his arms around him and said, “Am I ever glad to see you again sailor. Now my heart is relieved.” “Thank you sir. I did my best to get back,” replied this recruit. He had spent more time in the sea than on it. “I believe that the admiral has something to say,” said his captain. “Seaman second class Harry O’ Grady, because of what you have been through. I want to award you this survivor’s metal and to promote you to Boatswain mate third class. After you have had two months leave with your family, your captain has asked that you be reassigned back to his ship. If you would agree, that is.” “YES SIR,” replied the new petty officer. “ “It would be my pleasure sir.” “Only this time we will tie a line to you and keep you onboard,” added the captain. With that everyone had a smile.


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18. The only thing that would make you happier than the demise of IE6 is world peace.
It just gets bigger and better every year — this time at the U of M’s Coffman Union! I hope to see you there Saturday, May 10th!


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A new UN report stresses the need to recognize diversity among smallholder farmers and adopt more targeted approaches for linking farmers to markets.
Small-scale farmers like Janise Gitonga, shown here tending a passion fruit vine on her farm in Kenya, are crucial to global food security. After all, smallholder agriculture is the main source of both food and income for millions of families in the developing world. A new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) calls for better integration of smallholder farmers into markets in order to alleviate hunger and poverty.
The report emphasizes the need for more nuanced strategies and policy-making to boost smallholder farm output. “Smallholders and small family farms are not homogeneous and face different sets of constraints to participation in markets,” the report states. Therefore, approaches for enhancing farmers' integration and participation in markets should reflect this diversity.
TechnoServe has been working to help smallholder farmers participate in markets and improve their livelihoods for more than four decades. Programs like Project Nurture — a partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that aims to help more than 50,000 small-scale fruit farmers in East Africa double their incomes — utilize key strategies identified by the FAO, including supporting inclusive market development, strengthening farmer organizations and fostering private-sector investment. We understand that confronting the challenge of rural poverty requires thoughtful, market-based solutions.
Read the full FAO report.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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Retracto, the Correction Alpaca, posted a retraction request on Big Journalism Friday, claiming New York Times writer James C. McKinley Jr. falsely reported that a Big Government contributor and FBI informant Brandon Darby "encouraged" anarchists in firebombing plot involving the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Last week, we asked the New York Times to correct an article by James C. McKinley Jr. that falsely claimed FBI informant and BigGovernment contributor Brandon Darby “encouraged” the left-wing terrorist plot to firebomb the 2008 RNC convention on which he blew the proverbial whistle. First, we pointed out that this assertion had been debunked by both the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota and one of the convicted plotters. We then brought in journalist Matthew Vadum, an expert on Darby’s incredible story, to write up a more comprehensive article to provide broader context to the Times’s smear. But the record went uncorrected.
I sent an email to the NYT reporter this morning. In it, I said that I covered the case and that Darby was never proven to have encourage or participated in any violence. I told the reporter that [David McKay] made that assertion and won a hung jury, but later admitted that he lied when it became apparent that [Neil] Crowder would testify against him.
According to Walsh’s email, Times reporter James C. McKinley Jr. is now crystal-clear that there was never any evidence to suggest Mr. Darby did anything to encourage the plot to murder Republicans, yet his article remains uncorrected.
What was the offending reference to Darby in the McKinley piece, anyway?
McKinley wrote one sentence: "An F.B.I informant from Austin, Brandon Darby, was traveling with the group and told the authorities of the plot, which he had encouraged."
Big Journalism believes that a brief response to an email from Star Tribune writer James Walsh was proof that McKinley was now aware that Darby did not "encourage" anarchists and that a retraction was due, but does Big Journalism really have the facts straight?
Retracto references a Big Journalism post by Matthew Vadum, in which Vadum cites a James Walsh article where Walsh quotes one of the anarchists, David McKay, as saying he lied about the participation of Darby in the plot. Conveniently, this statement by McKay came right before his sentencing - it has been noted that throughout the trial, McKay tried to place the blame on everyone else but him.
While Walsh, Vadum, and Retracto buy into McKay's "admission," which would exonerate a member of Big Journalism, the Department of Justice and the FBI had a completely different take on the matter.
On May 21 in Minneapolis, United States District Court Chief Judge Michael Davis sentenced David Guy McKay to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release on one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, one count of illegal manufacture of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm with no serial number. McKay pleaded guilty on March 17.
Today’s sentence included a finding by Judge Davis that McKay obstructed justice at his January trial by falsely accusing a government informant, Brandon Darby, of inducing him to manufacture the Molotov cocktails.
I find the demand of a retraction from The New York Times to be very interesting because it sounds very familiar. The attack against McKinley and the defense of Darby is reminiscent of the right-wing defense of other Big contributor Lila Rose and her activist videos smearing Planned Parenthood.
Retracto wrote that it was "crystal-clear that there was never any evidence to suggest Mr. Darby did anything to encourage the plot to murder Republicans, yet his article remains uncorrected."
Has it not become "crystal-clear" that there was zero evidence implicating Planned Parenthood in the many crimes alleged by Lila Rose and her cohorts?
Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli even stated on Fox News that there was no indication from the edited tapes that Planned Parenthood did anything illegal, although he did insist a "willingness," but that didn't stop Big Journalism for putting a spin on the matter. Lila Rose jumped on her computer and wrote a post for Big Journalism, defending her videos and detailing how she believed Planned Parenthood is guilty of aiding and abetting child prostitution rings - she even claimed that them contacting the FBI is proof they were not serious about stopping supposed illegal activities in their clinics, but if that is the case, and Rose believed Planned Parenthood to be acting against the law, why did it take her longer to contact authorities?
If you don't like the Lila Rose comparison, just look to any of the pieces written by Jim Hoft of Frank Gaffney for any of the Big sites. Hoft accused Obama of laundering money for Hamas and Gaffney believed Obama was a crypto-Muslim and was submitting to Shariah Law because the redesigned logo for Missile Defense Agency, authorized under the Bush administration - resembled a crescent - not to be outdone, Hoft also had a logo/cresecent reference on his own Gateway Pundit later that year (also mentioning the Missile Defense Agency logo).
It seems that the contributors over at Andrew Breitbart's websites are prone to error, so where are the retractions on Big Journalism apologizing for their failure to get the facts right?
The judge specifically ruled that McKay lied about the encouragement. This is not the first time the Times has published demonstrable lies and refused to retract them. They figure that if they keep posting the lie eventually it will become truth.
Being a Republican means never ever saying you're sorry, and never ever admitting a mistake. The proper words when caught in a lie are "I misspoke," and "My words were twisted by the liberal media."
I have read nothing stating the judge "ruled" that McKay lied about the encouragement.
Before Davis imposed sentence, McKay tried to explain that phone call.
"My belief was that Brad was going to say something that was not true to protect himself," he told Davis. But he admitted that he'd done the same thing. "I embellished -- I guess actually lied -- that Brandon Darby came up with the idea to make Molotov cocktails."
It seems McKay mentioned his lying about Darby only to try and get a reduced sentence. The prosecution even pointed out how Darby was blaming others in his defense and that was a partial reason why he got such a long sentence. So when the verdict is reached, why all of a sudden would he come out with the "truth?"
Also, another point to this article is the hypocrisy of Big Journalism and the hack job they do at reporting. Consider the Retracto call for corrections - they claim an email from Walsh and a one-sentence response from McKinley was evidence that he "acknowledged" the alleged smear, and subsequently ignored it.
If Walsh and Big Journalism were so interested in getting down to the bottom of things, why did they stop with a one-sentence response? Why did they not try and seek an interview or a more detailed response?

industry_corpus2: Media & Journalism


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So two of fishing’s biggest trade shows have come and gone for another year. Companies have presented their sparkliest, shiniest new inventions to the world – time will now tell which of those products plant their feet firmly in the tackle-buying landscape and which ones drift away. Here’s the stuff we’re most excited about.
OK, so the Sage SALT Fly Rod picked up the Best of Show award at IFTD 2014, but it’s hard to get too excited about another range of $800+ rods that most of us simply can’t afford, however good they are. Scott’s new Tidal Series looks a much more exciting proposition for anglers of the salty persuasion. These rods come with all the precision engineering you’d expect from Scott, they’ve been rigorously tested on the flats of Florida Keys, promise to add distance and power to those of us with the more, ahem, modest of skills and look really very tasty indeed. Retailing at around $475, we expect these to fly.
An excellent bit of wet-weather gear, this. It’s lightweight and breathable, with neoprene panels to give you more flexibility and mobility, plus plenty of internal and external pockets for storage. This will work for both fly and lure fishermen. Looking forward to giving one of these a thorough workout.
Now here’s something we’ve been waiting an inordinately long time for – a convincing crab lure. There are loads of shrimp patterns and baitfish imitations out there, but until now the humble crab (a staple of fish the world over) has been disappointingly under-represented in the top-quality artificial arena. Step forward Savage Gear, purveyors of some of the most exciting, innovative lures of recent times. Utilising a 3D scan of a live crab as the template, the SG folks have come up with crazily life-like pattern – the legs skitter and vibrate as it falls through the water and the matching stand-up jig-head means it remains in a claws-up, defensive position when you twitch it along the bottom. We know plenty of saltwater bass anglers around Europe who are particularly excited about this, but its appeal will stretch far beyond. A potential game-changer.


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September 7, 2018 – Los Angeles – The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is excited to announce International Soccer Association as a member starting with the 2018 Fall Season.
Based in Boca Raton (Fla.), International Soccer Association started UPSL play in the Southeast Conference Florida South Division on Sunday, Aug. 26, and will host its UPSL home games at South County Regional Park () in compliance with UPSL Minimum Standards.
United Premier Soccer League Florida Divisions Manager Christian Vallejos said, "It's great that ISA has made the choice to jump to the UPSL. International Soccer Association has had great success cultivating youth talent and they're a first-class club. We're pleased to welcome ISA to the UPSL."
Anthony Olischar is Director of Coaching and the Head Coach of ISA. A native of Florida, Olischar, 28, played two seasons at Florida Memorial University (NAIA) and stewards the club's first Pro Development initiative.
International Soccer Association Director of Coaching Anthony Olischar said, "We're primarily popular for being a youth club, and we've been a pretty big youth club but now we want to find our place on the Pro Development side so our 16s, 17s, 18s and 19s will get a chance to place at another level. What I'm trying to create now is an environment where I have all the youth club kids at the games so it's a family atmosphere. I want to create that environment where people can go and watch games, and they're going to watch because they see the connection."
International Soccer Association is a competitive youth club with more than 400 members, ages 5-to-18, and has trained professionals like Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Shawn Barry (Real Salt Lake) and Manny Gonzalez (Miami FC).
Famous Brazilian referee Guilherme Ceretta de Lima also is playing for the club this season.
International Soccer Association is an American Soccer club currently based in Boynton Beach, Fla., and a new member of the United Premier Soccer League. International Soccer Association will begin play in the UPSL Pro Premier.
Founded in 1999, International Soccer Association can participate in the qualifying rounds for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation and membership with the UPSL, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).


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We hear from media and school attendees that one of the great advantages of being part of the MaKi Network, and attending the conferences held around the world, is the quality and professionalism of the people who convene in each location from the world’s top business schools and universities.
Many of the schools below have attended since our first conference held in London in 2005, and it is always a delight to share best practices together and to introduce them to new friends and media at each event. It’s not only two days of intense learning, but this group also has time to network offline together during our cocktails, dinners and special events.
Below is a list of schools from over 20 countries who make our community so special.


text: Between 2010 and 2018 Siegfried Wolf ( born on October 31, 1957 in Feldbach, Austria) served as the Chairman of the Board of Russian Machines Corporation as well as Chairman of the Board of OJSC GAZ Group (until Feb. 2019). In these capacities he took strategic responsibility for the companies‘ core business lines of commercial and passenger vehicles, railway transportation and aircraft manufacturing. Wolf continues to be a shareholder in OJSC GAZ. Prior to joining Magna, Mr. Wolf worked as General Manager and Vice President at Hirtenberger AG and as Assistant Director, Quality Control, at Vereinigte Metallwerke Wien. Siegfried Wolf trained at Philips as a tool and die-maker and continued his professional training up to obtaining an engineering degree. Wolf is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sberbank Europe AG and sits on the boards of a number of other leading international banks and businesses (Banque Eric Sturdza SA, MIBA AG, Continental AG and Schaeffler AG). In 2002 Siegfried Wolf was awarded the title of Honorary Senator of the Technical University of Vienna and in 2009 the title of Honorary Professor of the Technical University of Graz.


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Mechanical and plant engineering is a leading market in Saxony-Anhalt. The companies operating here include MEWA GmbH. Thanks to highly qualified employees, highly modern production machinery, and the digitalisation of work processes, the company is a reliable producer and supplier of precision parts made of metal.
When large cruise ships sail safely upon the oceans, even in fog at night, or travel up to the Arctic ice edge, then captains, crew and passengers can trust in the reliability of the precision technology of this metalworking family company from Saxony-Anhalt.
MEWA GmbH from Klein Wanzleben, to the south-west of Magdeburg, produces, among other things, the mast mountings and gearboxes, together with inner workings, for ship’s radars. Precision is needed for the production and assembly, because the radar beams, which are easily three metres long, have to rotate evenly and reliably around the clock and even in stormy seas with high waves.
Gearboxes for ships’ radars are not the only safety-relevant components and assemblies produced by the employees of MEWA GmbH. “Our production portfolios are diversified and we can react flexibly to the market”, says Stefanie Brockhaus, Managing Director of this medium-sized company. “So far, our customers come from the industries of shipbuilding, rail vehicle construction and medical technology, among others.” Special parts made of steel, stainless steel, aluminium and metal foams are produced at the customer’s request. The company supplies prototypes, custom-made items, and also short runs of several hundred pieces.
The range of products is very wide. It includes flywheel masses weighing almost a tonne with gas-nitrided sprocket for large ship’s diesel engines, and counterweights for the ship crankshafts, vibration dampeners for bogies of rail vehicles, floor trays for WC cabins, and many small components used in medical technology.
“For us, the highest precision and swift order fulfilment are not mutually exclusive; combining them is our strength”, emphasises Quality Manager Franke. All the metalworking steps from drilling, turning, milling, edging and shearing, pressing-in and welding, are certified to the currently highest level. In its handling of orders, MEWA GmbH cooperates predominantly with industrial partners from the region. For example, they take on other processing steps such as metal cleaning with sandblasting, priming and painting.
This family company was founded 69 years ago, on 23.2.1951, as a purchasing and supplying association of the metalworking trade. The family company has always remained loyal to the site in the vicinity of Magdeburg.
The production and assembly of special parts and modules made of different steel grades and metals has been substantially expanded during the past five years. More than 700,000 euros have been invested in the modernisation of the company’s own machine park and a modern production and assembly hall on 700 square metres of built-over area.
Drilling, turning, milling and pressing-in machinery meeting the current state of the art is used for production. The latest investments are a bend press and a guillotine shear. The bend press, weighing almost 14 tonnes, makes it possible to produce components with narrow radii and elaborately shaped precision parts. The high-performance guillotine shear can be used to cut through steel sheets up to 12 millimetres thick and more than three metres long. The time-consuming post-processing of metal parts by hand is effectively no longer necessary thanks to modern bending, pressing and cutting technology.
The employees possess the highest qualifications and certifications, including for welding processes such as stud and orbital welding.
The company from the Magdeburger Börde has recently also recruited a mechanical engineer specialising in aviation technology. Two years ago, the young man came from Syria to Saxony-Anhalt as a war refugee and now already has a good mastery of the German language. “He wants to help us to further expand our production capacities”, says MEWA Managing Director Stefanie Brockhaus.


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SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- Male buddy films dominate the local industry these days following the back-to-back box-office successes of several films of the kind since early this year.
They include "Confidential Assignment" starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, "The King" featuring Zo In-sung and Jung Woo-sung, and "New Trial" with Kang Ha-neul and Jung Woo.
Most recently, Han Suk-kyu and Kim Rae-won's "The Prison" performed strong, ranking high on the local box office charts for more than a month in the traditionally low spring season.
In this "golden holiday" period of early May, the Korean film industry is bringing us Choi Min-sik and Kwak Do-won in the political drama "The Mayor," Lee Sun-kyun and Ahn Jae-hong in the historical comedy "The King's Case Note," and Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong and Kim Sung-kyun in the crime comedy "The Sheriff in Town."
South Korea marks Buddha's Birthday on May 3 and then Children's Day on May 5. Having a day off on May 4 can make it a five-day holiday.
The thriller "The Tooth and the Nail" with Go Soo and Kim Joo-hyuk is scheduled to hit theaters on May 9 and the period drama "Warriors of the Dawn" with Lee Jung-jae and Yeo Jin-gu opens May 31. "The Merciless" starring Seol Kyung-gu and Im Si-wan is also expected to be out within the month.
Industry officials say the influx of bro films demonstrates that depictions of "boys being boys" is still widely popular among all ages and genders, especially with young women being the majority of the ticket buyers.
"Although the audience demographic has broadened, the role of male actors is still great in attracting the audience, mostly women in their 20s and 30s, to cinemas," said one of the officials.
On the contrary, female-centered movies are hard to find in the market or can hardly draw attention from the audience.
"House of the Disappeared," led by Hollywood actress Kim Yun-jin, has received critical acclaims for its unique subject matter, but was driven out from the box office only two weeks after it opened because of its weak performance. The movie will become available on Internet TV and video-on-demand platforms from Wednesday.
The romance "Oneday," starring Kim Nam-gil and Chun Woo-hee, has drawn only 220,000 moviegoers since its release on April 5.
In January, "Misbehavior" became talk of the town for being a rare female-dominated film featuring Kim Ha-neul and Yoo In-young. It quietly disappeared from the box office after collecting 118,000 admissions nationwide.
"The drought of female-centered films has continued for several years in the industry," an official with a local movie distributor said. "We all know that there should be more diverse films but it isn't easy to produce such films when their commercial value and ability to lure investment are considered."


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Quotations of grain on the U.S. markets in recent weeks were doing exceptionally well. The price of corn grew rapidly and is currently standing above the $4 per bushel. Last week, the price per bushel exceeded $4.3. The quotations of soybeans climbed very quickly during trading last week and reached the level of $12 per bushel. Soybeans followed a generally upward trend since March. The rise in prices in April and May was mostly caused by heightened concerns about the supply of soybeans in Argentina.
The beginning of this week was marked by reduced prices of these two grain types, following the release of the U.S. Department of Agriculture publication. The weekly report on the pace of sowing and the condition of cereal in the U.S. noted that 75% of the domestically grown corn was of good or very good quality. The reported results were unchanged from the previous week, yet it created a positive outlook since the investors were expecting a decline in the quality of grain. In addition, the results from the same period last year were recorded at 73%.
The statistics of the cultivated soybeans in the United States also showed the good levels of quality as the USDA reported that 74% of soybeans were of good or very good quality at the end of last week, which signified a two percentage point increase from the same period with the week before that. Additionally, this recorded much better results than 2015, when the quality level stood at 67%.
Despite the provision of good data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the discount of corn and soybeans remains insignificant. This is due to the ongoing concerns regarding the supply of these two grains as forecasts predicted a dry season in July in the key cultivation areas of corn and soybeans in the U.S., which can result in the slightly worsened quality of the harvest. Moreover, the demand in the corn and soybeans market stimulates higher demand for grain in the United States, which, in turn, causes lower supply in South America. Difficulties weather conditions in Brazil and Argentina led to the less optimistic forecasts on crop production in those countries, which made the investors buy larger quantities of grain from other countries, including the U.S.


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Prefabrication or house-building factories are no”silver bullet” for the stretched residential construction sector,says an industry chief whose businesses use traditional techniques.
Commenting on his expectations for Thursday’s Budget, Grant Porteous – managing director of Deacon Holdings which is the master franchise-holder for more than 20 G.J. Gardner building franchises – said prefab housing was no quick solution.
“The Government is being misled about prefab plants or modular housing being a silver bullet and dramatically reducing the time and cost of construction of new homes. That is giving false hopes and misleading many people. I can demonstrate quite the reverse is the truth. That is, modular housing costs more and takes more time to build from conception to the factory to completion on site,” he said.
Housing Minister Phil Twyford has said he wants a”significant” number of KiwiBuild houses to be prefabricated.
Porteous said his franchised businesses were by far the largest house-builders in New Zealand and he was concerned about prefab expectations.
“What we would like from the Government is the demonstration of a desire to move forward plus not be seemingly supporting businesses that may have manufacturing plants but very weak balance sheets and looking to put public money at risk in these ventures,” he said.
“We built 1680 new homes last year which is just under$600 million in new housing excluding land. Additionally we would have bought and sold over $400 million worth of land through some of our larger franchisees in the Auckland area so transacting in excess of $1 billion in relation to new housing,” he said.
“We do not build modular or prefab homes but we do use a level of prefabrication and smart systems and processes to speed up the entire build process,” Porteous said.
Bindi Norwell, Real Estate Institute chief executive, said Auckland was short of about 60,000 residences. She wants to see more investment in infrastructure from the Budget, immigration to keep pace with demand in the sector, particularly for KiwiBuild, and more prefab homes.
“The speed at which prefabs can be built will result in a 10 per cent lift in construction industry productivity,” Norwell predicted.
Leonie Freeman, a former Housing New Zealand general manager and Goodman Property Trust director, said: “The most important aspects to be addressed in the Budget involving housing is affordability, infrastructure provision to enable housing to be built, social housing – particularly a clear comprehensive plan for the elderly – homelessness and the construction industry’s capacity and capability,” she said.
Housing looks to be a high Budget priority, but won’t necessarily result in change, she said.
John Dakin, Property Council president, wants the Budget to address transport, skills and infrastructure.
“We want cities that work, which people like and want to live in. New Zealand’s cities need to be nuclei for economic and population growth and community wellbeing.
“A good budget from council’s perspective is one that invests in making it easier to get around our cities, to work, shop and play,and provides investment that allows our cities to grow out and up affordably;keeping pace with population and economic growth,” Dakin said.
“We want the Government to unlock the potential of future high growth areas. We realise the money New Zealand needs for infrastructure can’t all come from central and local government, so we’d like innovative alternative funding solutions. We’d like to see more funding for skills in the property sector, and we think it will be important to start giving employers incentives to employ apprentices,” Dakin said.
Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon said the Government would need to find a way around the construction sector’s capacity constraints”just to achieve what was already in the Half-Year Fiscal and Economic Update plans, let alone adding more to the pile”.
Mr Gordon’s colleague at Westpac Satish Ranchhod said the latest data confirmed that the brief resurgence in the housing market is over.”Market turnover is down, house prices are now falling in Northern New Zealand, and the rate of house price inflation has slowed elsewhere, most notably in Wellington,” the economist said.
“We have long been forecasting a modest decline in house prices due to a raft of expected law changes. The first of these was the extension of the Bright Line Test, introduced at the end of March.
“Property investors must now hold a property for five years before selling if they want to avoid being taxed on capital gains. Later this year we will see a foreign buyer ban come into force, and next year property investors’ ability to claim tax deductions on rental property losseswill be phased out. Finally, later this year the Tax Working Group will report back, and will probably recommend further taxes on property. We would be stunned if these changes failed to dent house prices.


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For all you out there who may not understand the difference between MLM & Network Marketing…here is a small article that may help you.
When searching for ways to make money, or home business opportunities, you will consistently come across one business model. You will see this referred to as mlm or network marketing.
This brings up the question of whether there is a difference between network marketing and mlm opportunities? MLM is short for multi-level marketing. This business model has been around for over 50 years. The co-founders of Amway are credited with starting multilevel marketing.
The concept is that you get paid on several levels of business partners underneath you. This is what multi-level means.
Over the years this carried the negative reference of being a pyramid scheme. In reality honest MLM companies are not pyramid schemes.
This is true for a couple of reasons.
1. You can make more money than the person above you. 2. You can achieve a higher position and climb through the various ranks faster than the person above you.
In a true pyramid scheme the person at the top of the pyramid would be the one making the most money. This is not true in MLM companies because there are numerous examples of people climbing to the top of the company they are in no matter how late they started.
Several years ago mlm opportunities began to be referred to as network marketing. This phrase was coined to offset the bad reputation multi-level marketing had developed.
This is actually a better way to describe this business model because so much of your success is built on networking and relationship building. Even for marketers who primarily use the Internet, social networking has became a big part of growing an Internet business using mlm marketing.
That is not the only change that has happened in this industry. Almost every MLM company has an online presence.
Because all of your sponsoring and retail sales can be done on the Internet, this makes it easier to build a business quicker. You can use the Internet to sort through prospects and develop new leads for your business as well.
Network marketing companies now provide websites and marketing materials that you can begin promoting immediately. They also handle all product shipments and send out commissions to your downline as well.
You can also be in more than one mlm business at once. This was not possible before.
However, it’s not unusual for successful network marketers to be promoting more than one opportunity at a time. This really makes it possible for you to create residual income in more than one way.
It is also smart for you to join an MLM company that you have a need for a product in. This way you can develop customers to help generate income in that niche as well as purchase products from yourself.
In summary, when we look at whether there is a difference between MLM and network marketing, the answer is yes. The business model is the same, but the opportunities are greater today.
I hope this article brought you some insight. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Below I included additional articles on the subject that you may enjoy!
Remember success always starts with the Proper Mindset. I invite you to join our live daily morning calls hosted by Mr. Paul Hutchings.
RSS has become a useful tool when it comes to getting your posts to your subscribers, but those people will quickly leave if you aren’t giving them what they ask for. The three tips below are the ones the experts use when they want their subscribers to remain just as they are.
The first thing to keep in mind when you want people to see your blog as something valuable is to refrain from creating paid reviews. Even if you are writing them, always ensure that you are keeping them to a minimum. The reason you’ll want to stay away from paid reviews is because there is a stigma attached to them and people’s motivation is typically money-motivated instead of providing an honest review. The whole reason you’re doing reviews is so that you can weigh the pros and cons of the products. Paid reviews aren’t going to seem very genuine. If people sense that you’re doing this, you are going to have people unsubscribing from your Blog’s RSS feed left and right.
The best way to get people to remain subscribers is to provide true value without distracting them. For example, when you include too many hyperlinks, you will see people divert in other directions. You want their whole focus on whatever content you provide, so that it benefits them the most. That’s why you don’t want to leave too many ways for them to escape. Whenever you post, you need to focus on providing true value, so that your readers always feel satisfied that they got what they came for. Readers are always searching for those webpages that offer the entire bulk of the information they seek, as it’s annoying to have to go searching for more. Links are ok to use after your posts, as they’ll be done reading and ready to go somewhere else. The bottom line is that your subscribers should always get just what they came for when it comes to your page.
Your readers should always feel as though you care about their needs or else they won’t be subscribers for long. That’s why you will always want to respond to their communications and also to whatever feedback they offer. This will reveal to them that you actually do value them that you took time out of your day to answer their communications. Not only that, but it gives you the opportunity to find out how to talk to your readers and also how they feel about your product. This goes beyond the typical customer service because here you’re genuinely trying to help your readers, which gives them a reason to stay connected to you.
You should now see that keeping your Blog’s RSS subscribers is actually quite easy. Just always remember that your Blog’s RSS subscribers are on your list because of the value you provide, so never ignore that.
I hope this post brought you value. We would like to hear from you. Please comment below.
What is Virtual Marketing Empire?
Virtual Marketing Empire, LLC was founded by Adele Coco Roberts and Christina Forestieri in 2013. Together both Founders have a combined 40+ years of successful business experience from the Fitness industry to the Non-Profit industry. Adele and Christina are both pioneers in regards to both marketing and operations. The Virtual Marketing Empire corporation was created as an official site for all top of the line online marketing products, tools, home based business opportunities and free online training center for all the products and businesses this site offers.


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Team CarnoSyn®, has been put to the test. Working with the amazing coaches at TEST Football Academy – and aided by a daily regimen of at least 6.4+ grams of CarnoSyn® – our world class athletes have been getting stronger, faster and mentally prepared for their journey to the NFL. For three of our players – defensive end Marquis Haynes from Ole Miss, tight end Ian Thomas from Indiana, and linebacker Tegray Scales from Indiana – the most important showcase of their talent and progress came at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, February 27th-March 5th. We were there to witness it.
For those who don’t follow football, the NFL Combine is THE center of the NFL world after the Super Bowl. Every team coach, scout and media outlet attend the event to assess the incoming rookie class. In spite of the immense pressure on the players, we’re happy to report that Team CarnoSyn® made us proud! In the time we spent with the athletes, while they were warming up and preparing the night before they participated in their Combine events, we experienced alongside them moments that were surreal. With so much weighing on their performance, they displayed superhuman focus and fortitude. We were also fortunate enough to see Kevin Dunn and Geir Gudmundsen, from TEST Football Academy, deftly coach the athletes toward success. An emotional experience, sending off the athletes to their next challenge of their careers was described by the coaches as akin to sending your kid off to college.
Our primary goal at the Combine was to support our athletes and to tell the story of their journeys through social media. As such, we co-sponsored the TEST Football Player’s Suite with Inner Armour Sports Nutrition, where we displayed life-sized banners of our CarnoSyn® athletes and premiered footage from their training sessions at TEST Football Academy.
With the NFL Combine in the rear-view mirror, and the NFL draft now just a week or so away, the journey continues for our Team CarnoSyn® athletes. With hard work, dedicated coaching from TEST and supplementation with CarnoSyn®, we have no doubt that they will continue to get faster and stronger, and prepare themselves for the biggest challenge they’ve ever faced – making the NFL.
We can’t wait to document their progress and write the next chapter. Stay tuned and visit http://team.carnosyn.com/ to learn more.


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In 2015, the United Nations unleashed its ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework. Whilst financial literacy does not find an explicit mention, there are at least nine out of 17 SDGs which require a basic level of economic well-being. The absence of poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable energy; decent work; reduced inequalities all require a certain degree of economic well-being. A common denominator in achieving economic well-being and thus a better quality of life, is financial literacy. Additionally, gender equality cannot be achieved if women do not have the means to being economically empowered.
The lack of financial literacy is a global problem although it is accentuated in lesser developed countries and is far more acute in the case of women world over. Globally, two in three adults are financially illiterate. World Bank; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) promoted International Network for Financial Education (INFE); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Mastercard Foundation and Financial Literacy Around the World (FLAT World) are actively involved in raising financial literacy and education internationally. These efforts are supplemented by central banks; country and region-specific NGOs and Foundations.
Financial literacy means different things to different people and these vary by geography and strata of society. In its most basic form, it requires imparting the fundamentals of opening and operating a bank account to people who are illiterate (often referred to as the “oral” segment). Its more advanced connotation would cover imparting knowledge of finance, banking, credit, investments and protection to people who are otherwise literate. The important point is that financial literacy has a range of applications that can vary from bringing marginalized communities into the mainstream in developing countries to removing gender disparities in affluent countries.
In 2014, Standard & Poors in partnership with Gallup World Poll conducted the FinLit global survey. The FinLit survey tested respondents on very basic concepts of risk diversification, inflation, numeracy and compound interest which required intuitive answers rather than computations.
The 2014 FinLit report surveyed about 150K individuals across 140 countries. The survey revealed that whilst the problem is universal, women, poor and lesser educated people suffer from greater gaps in financial knowledge. Country-level financial literacy rates range from 71% (Scandinavian countries) to 14% (Afghanistan, Albania) of the adult population. Only one in three adults, globally, are financially literate. Worldwide 35% of men are considered financially literate while 30% of women are considered financially literate leading to an average gender gap of 5%.
The EU itself is divided with a big contrast between levels in North and South Europe. Financial literacy rates vary from 71% in Denmark to a low of 22% in Romania. Countries admitted to EU after 2004 are much lower on the scale. In the BRICS bloc, average financial literacy rates are 28% and varies from 42% in South Africa to 24% in India.
Countries enjoying highest financial literacy levels are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K. In contrast, countries with the lowest rates are Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Armenia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Haiti, Nepal, Tajikistan, Somalia and Yemen.
The stakeholder system is vast, disparate and far-flung across the globe but there is adequate availability of resources.
Technology: There are several start-ups, consulting firms and quasi-governmental organizations that have developed low cost assets or solutions for financial literacy. For e.g., the start-up awaaz.de in partnership with Gates Foundation , has created mobile podcast videos focused on financial literacy. These efforts have been supplemented by Foundations such as CRISIL Foundation which runs a successful program called mein-pragati (literally “I Progress”). Similarly, MicroSave, a U.K. headquartered financial inclusion consulting firm has set up ePaathshala a digital library on financial literacy for agents and customers.
Funding: is coming from different sources, both government and non-government. The earliest champions of financial literacy, U.K.’s Department for International development (DFID) created the Financial Education Fund between 2008 and 2013 for promoting financial literacy in several countries in Africa. During the same period, we witnessed the prevalence of a highly successful run of mobile money in Africa, chief among them being mPesa in Kenya. In 2008, the Russian federation established a financial literacy program trust fund of $ 15 Million at the World Bank to support the topic.
Networks and Research: Ample research artifacts can be accessed through websites of World Bank, OECD and INFE. The list includes white papers and standards setting. World Bank has developed baseline information and analytics. Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) and Gates Foundation have devised criteria for impact evaluation of financial literacy and info exchange. In developed countries like the U.S. several initiatives have been taken. Chief among these are Women’s Institute for Financial Education (WIFE) and Financial Literacy Organization for Women and Girls (FLOW).
The simplest of the indicators are captured in the FinLit survey. These include the rate of literacy and gaps in literacy rates in terms of age, gender, nationality or income group. A higher financial literacy rate conveys a better grasp of understanding the basics of finance, credit, investments and protection. It includes fundamental knowledge of operating a bank account, ATM and on terms such as simple and compound interest; terms of a life policy etc.
In addition, one can rely on other indicators that show the levels of financial literacy improving. One such case study is of India’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (Prime Minister’s Peoples Economic Progress) bank accounts. In the last three years 300 million+ fresh bank accounts have been opened in the banking system. Most of these have been inactive and the average balance in these accounts have been nil or negligible. As and when financial literacy improves, we can expect these accounts to have larger balances and also greater activity. A sure measure of financial literacy is to observe, over a period of time, the increase in the average number of financial products in a household. For example, is there an increased off-take in credit or life, accident and health insurance policies? Is there an increase in the number of digital financial transactions?
From an advanced economy perspective, the indicators could include reduced gaps in financial literacy rates in women or reduced gaps among adults who are differentiated on the basis of their education i.e. primary/secondary/tertiary.
Overall, if the U.N. were to achieve its SDGs by 2030, it would only be accomplished by higher financial literacy and education measures.
Progress is not entirely dependent on public policy but public policy can help make the problem much easier to take on. Sooner or later, 193 Governments that belong to the U.N. will realize, to achieve SDG’s, the degree of financial literacy needs to be sharpened. World Bank, OECD and others in many ways try and influence public policy. In some countries like India, financial literacy targets are being set-up and mandated by the banking regulator. Also, larger foundations like Gates Foundation have evolved to the extent of influencing public policy in addition to providing funding.
Lastly, there is common ground for public, private and social sectors in the pursuit of higher financial literacy rates. There are many organizations in the social sector, that have been championing financial literacy. The Institute of Financial Management and Research in India has conducted several pilot programs in this area. But it is a known fact that whilst the social sector can lead in terms of innovation, scaling up cannot be achieved without public sector support. In the case of financial literacy, the private sector is an equal partner in this exercise since it represents a strategic proposition. Banks and financial services providers are the biggest direct beneficiaries of higher financial literacy rates as it would result in widening the size of the market pie and eventually a higher off-take of financial products and services.


text: Renuka Sharma, Is one of the writer who love to read and write about latest gadget and trending apps. She also loves to surrounded by the technology and cover wide range of technology changes. Rather then technology photography is another thing which attracts her.

industry_corpus2: Technology & Research