text:
Considered an abstract-figurative artist, the paintings created by Richard Burlet are born of an inspiration that is French by inclination and Viennese by influence. The complex imagery of Burlet's figurative paintings pays homage to a tradition in art that reigned supreme in Vienna in the late 1800s. The art, architecture and design of Vienna's "Golden Age", and the highly praised works of Gustav Klimt, are the greatest influences to Burlet's artwork.
Burlet's paintings are richly colored compositions in collage and oil and each displays a brilliant pastiche of ornamental detail that does not simply embellish the art, but becomes its content. His palette often reflects his affinity for red and purple – strong colors – and he strives for "a contrast of colors, of heat, contrast between some delicate, graceful faces, and an intense and powerful set of colors." For Burlet, the interplay of figure and background, flatness and depth, object and image is the key to heightening the experience of his creations. His paintings evoke a dreamlike, floating state in which fantasy liquefies the world, tinting and bending to its own desires. It is in this approach to his artwork that Burlet's paintings have an affinity with the most classic of figurative studies while also harkening to the psychedelic nature of 1960s art and design.
Burlet's sensual figurative works have an abstract quality achieved by his use of collage and heavy paint on canvas. There is flatness to the imagery, yet rich dimension is created by myriad colors laid one on top of another with 24-karat gold and silver leafing then applied giving the canvas tone and texture. He uses gold and silver "for it's light – no color can compete with it. It is an element that naturally does not belong on the painting, and therefore is thrilling to try to include it." Another "material" that Burlet works with is memories. "The more distant they are, the more interesting they get, because they are distorted by time and living. They reappear through certain colors, certain shapes, even if they remain hazy." The art is at once classic and exotic, sensual and tame. The figures appear as if in a dream, the colors intertwine with collage to create both mood and a multi-dimensional surface.


text:
One of the biggest questions that people ask upon discovering Rock Lords was "did they make any other episodes apart from the movie?" The answer is, of course no. Apart from when they did. You may be familiar with the Japanese anime 'Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos', which featured the Rock Lords and was even broadcast in France under the title 'La Revanche des Gobots' (Revenge of the Gobots), apparently dubbed as a direct continuation of the Hanna-Barbara Gobots show... somehow. When I was told about a French Rock Lords cartoon, I assumed it was this that was being referred to.
Hold onto your hats, because your mind is about to be blown. The Rock Lords also appear in an official capacity in the 1986 French cartoon 'Bleu, l'Enfant de la Terre' (Blue, Child of the Earth).
This was a 13 episode 26-minute cartoon about a blue man flying about on a hover sled (pretty much the Silver Surfer) in a post apocalyptic world. The production company IDDH had a deal with Bandai, and so forced the producer to put Rock Lords in it in order to push the new line of toys (the Rock Lords movie was released in the UK/US in early 1986, I don't know when the French release date was).
Apparently this upset the creator, Philippe Druillet who is a serious artist, not a man who sells out! He was keen to control every aspect of the show to fit his vision, which sadly transforming plastic rocks did not fit into. The show was originally supposed to have 26 episodes but this was cut to 13, and due to a tumultuous production was eventually broadcast four years later, in 1990 on Canal+ (this is all the information I could find about the production, let me know if you have any more!).
I only have access to the first episode, but be in no doubt: these are Rock Lords. They use the same designs, same transformations and characters even refer to them as Rock Lords. It was officially endorsed by Bandai. This is a real thing that actually happened! The first episode focuses on them quite a lot, though in a disposable way - half of the episode is them happily playing on the beach before the plot kicks in and they run away, leaving Blue to save the day.
The history of this show gets even more exciting, as it turns out that it was dubbed into English, broadcast on Nickelodeon (or one of its precursors) in the UK. Don't believe me? Take a look at the UK opening (sadly there are no Rock Lords in it!) Videos of the actual English dubbed episodes haven't surfaced, but it would be fascinating to see if they were called Rock Lords in that as well!
Below, we'll look at the first episode. It will get picture heavy, but I'm sure you're all as excited as I am to see these Rock Lords in action!
Episode one is called 'The Black Galley' and is a straightforward affair, with plenty of Rock Lords. It opens in the lair of one of the villains, who is a naked cyborg with a little baby head attached to his face.
This is all well and good, but more exciting than that is who his friends are! There is a long sequence where his comical minion is chased around by a very angry, tiny floating Brimstone.
The villain has an army of large red robotic creatures. I don't recognise these - are they original or are they other Bandai figures that are being advertised? Brimstone himself is tiny and floats about in the air, waving his arms and legs angrily. Interestingly he is yellow, not read. We'll see later that the other Rock Lords are very close to the original designs which begs the question as to whether Brimstone was originally going to be released in yellow.
Each of the big robots has their own little Brimstone floating besides them. The animators use the fact you can see his face in rock mode to good effect here.
It's nice to see the care that has gone into the animation model - it is very clearly based on the toy to the extent that it has the same hollow areas in the legs that allow it to transform!
Brimstone transforms into rock mode and flies after the comical minion, eventually getting caught in the naked cyborg's hand. You can see by the scale of the table how small Brimstone is - all the Rock Lords are around the size of a fist. It is also worth noting how scary Brimstone looks flying about like that!
The story then moves onto a long sequence on a beach. A very long sequence in fact - it lasts about half the episode and is pretty much just the Rock Lords having fun. Here we see Crackpot tripping over a crab.
The blue character is one of Blue's (the title character) people. She is playing catch with the Rock Lords. Like Brimstone, they can fly in rock mode, but here they half transform to do so. Boulder and Nuggit are seen above, and their toys can actually fit into those transformations!
The game of catch is also played with a lion from Voltron (no seriously it is, as we'll see later), showing that Bandai were determined to give the viewers the best value for money and upsetting the creative vision of the show even further. Above are Pulver-Eyes and Granite. Granite is consistently coloured with a yellow face here.
The Rock Lords decide to form a tower, and so we get a good look at them in a panning shot.
Marbles. His skin tone is much closer to the Japanese version than the European reissue, though he does seem to be lacking his distinctive head shape and indeed, a face!
Boulder. Like Marbles, he is lacking a face, and doesn't have his distinctive red helmet either.
Pulver-Eyes. Pulver-Eyes looks adorable here. For some reason the animators have chosen to depict his orange pincers as rosy cheeks!
Crackpot reaches the top of the tower (sadly we don't get a panning shot of him, but he's featured heavily in the episode anyway).
The Rock Lords do their half-transformation thing and fly about Voltron-lion's head.
The characters eventually meet up with Blue, who has found Crackpot after getting hit by the ball. As an aside, I like Granite's flying mode with his arms stuck up. I read a forum comment recently by someone who said as a child he didn't have the Transformer Laserbeak, and would (for some reason) pretend Granite was Laserbeak. I like to believe this is how it was done!
The plot suddenly kicks back in, and the half-naked cyborg with the baby face meets the big villain and gets some orders. There's no Rock Lords content here, I just wanted to share the full horror of the above image.
We're back into pulse-pounding action as the Rock Lords continue to play on the beach. Boulder is doing a hand-stand.
Pulver-Eyes and Marbles are playing leapfrog.
Granite is watching Boulder do a handstand.
Boulder and Granite watch Blue in the sky on his surfboard. There's a cute bit as Boulder's hood keep flapping down over his face and he has to repeatedly push it up.
The Rock Lords are chilling with the Voltron lion.
The plot actually kicks in properly now. The villain arrives and kidnaps the lady. The Rock Lords all shake their fists at the sky and then turn into rocks and fly up. Boulder's hood keeps dropping down on his head.
Blue flies off on his surfboard with Voltron lion to save the day. But something very strange happens to his Rock Lord pals which I'm really confused about. Is there anyone who speaks French who can help?
The Rock Lords fly up into formation below the surfboard.
And turn into a ball of light! And promptly vanish from the action.
The rest of the episode is pretty standard and unnoteworthy both in terms of plot and in Rock Lords content. If you were wondering, Blue fights the naked baby-faced cyborg and saves the girl. There's also some blue ladies above who bear a striking similarity to Solitaire, though this may be a coincidence as they're normal-sized, not tiny.
There's also a place that looks like it could be inspired by Stonehead, or just a coincidence.
There is no Rock Lords content here, I just thought you'd appreciate that the naked cyborg gets himself a big red cloak.
The day is saved, and our heroes fly back to find their Rock Lord friends playing with whales. Nuggit is floating atop a whale spout.
And yes, see, it is a Voltron lion. Hands up who didn't believe me?
I hope this was an exciting glimpse into a Rock Lords cartoon that no-one really knew existed. While we don't see all of the Rock Lords, it's interesting that the good Rock Lords are hanging out with the good guys, and it's Brimstone that is with the villains - a coincidence or commitment to keeping the good/evil divide of the toys?
The Rock Lords clearly are nothing to do with the original vision of the show, and vanish as soon as the plot begins, but it does spend literally half the episode showing them playing and having fun. I like the idea of the Rock Lords being as small in real life as the toys are - it's a completely new vision for Rock Lords that has become lost in obscurity.
Do you remember this show? Did you see it when it was broadcast in English? Do you have access to any of the other episodes and can shed light into their Rock Lord content (if any!) Let me know!
The idea that there was a unique French Rock Lords cartoon that no-one has heard of, featuring a main character called Blue... I really should have saved this for April 1st as a double-bluff! It's literally unbelievable!

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


text:
> The problem with most of the certifications is some (previously) clueless person goes to bootcamp to do an exam-cram for a week (or 2, at most) and then go take the exam and pass it.
> double or triple negatives and other trick type questions. If they didn't do that, way too many people would pass.
> To really test comprehension of subject matter, you need to pose a problem and then have someone solve it. (I've been told that SANS does this with some of their tests, although GWEB wasn't one of those; if so, good for them.) Generally, you want them to write out their answer, which means at least short answer, or perhaps essay questions. Unfortunately, those are somewhat subjective to grade.
> An alternative might be provide multiple test answers and a working demo similar to WebGoat that they can test against and ask them to find a particular SQLi or XSS.
> a) It is possible to insert a new admin user into the Users table.
> b) It is possible to dump the Users table along with the hashed password.
> c) It is possible to execute a command on the DB server.
> d) It is possible to bypass the login form using SQLi.
> That at least has an objective answer to it, unlike short answer / essay.  The problem in my experience is that those types of really good questions take about an order of magnitude to come up with.
> You could also show code snippets and ask questions about "what is wrong with this code?" (as in what type of an attack does it allow) and "which of these is the proper fix for xyz attack on this code snippet?", etc.
> Instead, we have centered OWASP around builders, breakers, and defenders. Those areas are highly specialized. I know experts whom I respect that work in one area that couldn't pass a test in the other two areas and that's okay. The more specialized in-depth knowledge you get the more you have to ignore outside your fields. The idea of a plug-compatible member of technical staff is a management myth in information security engineering just as much as it is in any other engineering discipline.
> create and maintain certification questions.
> 3) None of the question bank workers can apply for the certification.
> 1) We can use a formal testing center like http://www.sylvanlearning.com/who takes a cut from the cert to deliver it.
> 2) We probably need a FTE to manage this process.
> who can help us do this with academic integrity.
> in some govt and large company communities.
> at the moment but I was curious on the status.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text:
NEW - Atelier for Young Festival and Cultural Managers Shanghai 2017 - Apply by 31 March!
The Festival Academy (an initiative of the European Festivals Association) is delighted to launch the call for applications for a new programme, the first Atelier for Young Festival and Cultural Managers. This programme is set up and developed by The Festival Academy and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
The first edition of this Atelier is supported by the European Commission through the newly set up Cultural Diplomacy Platform and by the Ministry of Culture of the PRC, in the framework of The EU-China High Level People to People Dialogue between the European Commission and the People’s Republic of China.
All partners involved are delighted to open the global call for application for this first Atelier for Young Festival and Cultural Managers to take place in Shanghai, China, from 17 until 23 October 2017.
In lectures, one-on-one talks, group discussions as well as intense workshops on case studies, issues such as artistic vision, public responsibility, cultural policy, creation and coproduction, internationalisation, audiences, networking, renewal and sustainability will be explored.
Participants of the Shanghai edition will become part of The Festival Academy‘s unique global network of future festival leaders, which counts 450 alumni from 67 countries after eleven Ateliers for Young Festival Managers since 2006 in Gorlitz, Varna, Singapore, Izmir, Ljubljana, Edinburgh, Poznan, Beirut, Gwangju, Budapest and Chiang Mai and two Festival Production Management Training in 2016 and 2017.
Procedure: submit your Application Form. For selection criteria, selection/application procedure, course fee etc. check the Atelier for Festival and Cultural Managers Shanghai 2017 website at www.TheFestivalAcademy.eu or www.artsbird.com.
China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) is a state-level annual international arts festival hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and undertaken by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. Since 1999, more than 1000 units including arts festivals, theatres, agencies, performing groups and professionals from about 100 countries and regions have attended the China Shanghai International Arts Festival becoming a flagship project for cultural exchange of the country as well as one of the most influential festivals in the international art circles. The Atelier Shanghai 2017 will be the first activity organised by The Festival Academy / EFA between EFA, the cultural sector in China, the European Commission and the People’s Republic of China which goal is supporting the development of culture in Europe and China within a global cultural reality. The Festival Academy and EFA have the ambition to continue this collaboration in the next years.


text:
Abstract- Zero-based control can serve as a year-round strategy for American companies trying to regain lost profitability. The strategy seeks to maximize resources by requiring suitable justification for the procurement of these resources. The zero-based control strategy requires a suitable amount of equity, cost variability and the justification of part-time and full-time hiring and marketing and advertising. Effort devoted to accounting is maintained at minimum levels through the use of accounting software with the essential basic functions. The interior design firm Interior Elegante is used to illustrate the application of the zero-based control strategy to small businesses.
Interior Elegante is a company which started with a zero-based-control mentality back in 1988. It is a small company and therefore illustrates zero-based control concepts in simple, easy-to-understand terms. But the concepts apply to all organizations, or parts thereof.
Interior Elegante is a privately-owned interior design firm. It started operations in a fancy shopping center whose stores specialized in the home furnishings industry. The anchor store of the shopping center had 35,000 square feet of showroom space representing all kinds of furniture and accessories. Its president lived in another town. Its audit staff reviewed the operation periodically and stayed in fancy hotels when in town. It had a well paid manager and quite a full complement of employees. Its advertizing campaign was expensive and farfetched. Other stores in the center were small or medium-sized. They mostly operated their shops six days a week, nine or 10 hours a day. Most of the firms had bank loans exceeding their equity.
Most stores in the shopping center started advertising and employing personnel as soon as they opened, and filled their showroom space with all kinds of products so their customers would be enticed and encouraged to buy. Interior Elegante had a different approach. The showroom was tastefully decorated but not cluttered. It included items that people needed but in limited quantities. In fact, there were only one each of most of the items in the store including mirrors, paintings, prints, accessories, floral arrangements, and furniture items. The design center of the showroom displayed hundreds of fabric samples and furniture catalogues with little or no waste of space. While other shops became known as furniture stores, lamp stores, and accessory stores, Interior Elegante became known as a design showroom. There were over 20 design- related stores, but there was only one design showroom, Interior Elegante.
Interior Elegante was capitalized at the ratio of 2/3 equity and 1/5 debt, with the interest at a very competitive rate. The owner who had a position elsewhere, worked in the store for free on weekends until the entity was well-established. Only one designer was hired to staff the showroom, with the flexibility to work fewer or more hours as necessary. Other designers were hired strictly on commission and as circumstances justified.
After an experimental period, Interior Elegante discovered that there was little traffic early in the morning and some days of the week appeared to be better than the others. The designer in charge was assigned to maintain statistics of the traffic during the day by hours. The analysis showed that it was almost pointless to open the design showroom before 11am, and very few came after 5pm during the week. Very little transpired on Mondays and Fridays whereas, middle of the week and Saturdays were fairly active. The analysis and casual interviews with potential customers led to the decision to open the showroom on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, from 11am to 5pm. The store opened its premises at other times for convenience of customers by appointment.
Most of the stores in the shopping center opted for a computerized or a mechanized cash register. Interior Elegante went for a $15 cash box, because there were few cash sales. Most of the firms in the area had elaborate stationery and office supplies-not Interior Elegante. Its staff bought invoice pads from an office supplies company with a pad of blank papers and a stamp pad-all for a cost of $19.
The outside neon signs were usually on at the shopping center from before dark until the following morning, usually from 5:30pm to 7:30am. Interior Elegante studied the times that there was any traffic whatsoever in the shopping center, was evening between 6pm to 8:30pm. Its neon sign stayed on only for those 2 hours.
Most firms in the shopping center kept their track lights on all day and at least half of them on all night--not Interior Elegante. Only one display light remained on for show and security, and the rest of the showroom lights were turned off when the store was closed. And even then, most floor and ceiling lights remained in an off position until a customer walked in. The lights were automatically turned on when a customer entered the premises.
The firm made sure that it brought the best possible products and introduced them to the public at 1.5 times wholesale cost whereas most other stores expected a mark-up of 100% to 200% in order to pay their expenses and have a fair return on their investment. Major customers received complete service with a mark-up of only 15% inclusive of the design fee. Most companies in the area prepared requisitions as well as purchase orders and receiving reports for all items purchased. Interior Elegante did not see the necessity for all these forms. Only purchase orders were used for ordering goods. Suppliers were asked to send two copies of their invoices, one of which was used as a receiving report signed by the clerk receiving the goods.
Most stores at the center had one full-time or part-time accountant-- not Interior Elegante! Accounting was kept to a minimum by using a simple accounting software where receipts, disbursements, and accruals were entered on a weekly or monthly basis depending on the volume of transactions. Accounts receivable were kept primarily in open invoice files by customer, supported by a general ledger account which was closely monitored by the owner. Accounts payable processing was kept to a minimum by direct transfer and withdrawals from the bank account wherever possible. Money generated from sales went to pay off loans before any return to investors was allowed. This decision was made when a downturn in the economy was anticipated, and the owners decided to trim the loan amount and any other expense in order to weather the hard times.
Purchasing was through a committee action once a month when complimentary merchandise was ordered to keep the showroom stocked and looking respectable.
Marketing was primarily performed by direct calls on residents in a five-mile radius who had moved into the area within the last year; were within a certain income bracket; and potentially needed some design assistance. This was in contrast to other stores which spent thousands of dollars on general advertising. Too many stores, hard economic times, and fewer housing starts created panic among store owners. One by one the stores, including the giant anchor store, either went out of business or went bankrupt. No new entrepreneurs were found to replace these tenants. But Interior Elegante stood firm as a rock. The only change was to approach the landlord now that every one had deserted the area, and request the landlord to share in the risks and rewards of the business. Ultimately, the rent became primarily a variable cost as well, i.e., a small amount of fixed rent plus a percentage of gross sale.
* Make your costs variable to the extent possible; let everyone--- employees, owners, banks, landlords, et. al. share in the risks and rewards of the business to the fullest extent possible.
By Roger K. Doost, Clemson University.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


text:
I’ve been almost completely offline the past couple weeks, so I’m behind on everything. But I just noticed that Leadership Journal published my review of Scot Mcknight’s new book The King Jesus Gospel.
McKnight’s central critique is that contemporary evangelicals have reduced the gospel to the plan of salvation, or to the question of how an individual gets saved. McKnight is careful not to dismiss the importance of personal salvation or of justification by faith, but he contends that the plan of salvation is not the whole gospel, and that in equating the two, evangelicals have made a dangerous mistake.
This expanded understanding of the gospel shifts the terms of the discussion. In a brief interaction with John Piper, McKnight points out that asking whether Jesus preached Paul’s gospel is a legitimate question, but that the question is backwards. Since the gospel comes from the Gospels, he contends, we shouldn’t be asking if Jesus agrees with Paul, but whether Paul agrees with Jesus. For McKnight the primary presentation of the Good News comes from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. To define the gospel as the plan of salvation (and specifically, justification by faith) is to ignore this crucial fact.
Does he unpack the characteristics of a king?
Greg, no, he really doesn’t. It’s much more about the relationship between the kingship of Jesus and the place of justification.
Thanks, Christopher. It’s a good read!

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


text:
NetScaler Gateway supports IPv6 addresses for ICA connections. Connections with IPv6 to the Web Interface or StoreFront work the same as IPv4 connections. When users connect by using the NetScaler Gateway web address, NetScaler Gateway proxies the connection to the Web Interface or StoreFront.
You can configure IPv6 for NetScaler Gateway deployed in one DMZ or deployed in a double-hop DMZ.
Enable IPv6 on the appliance.
Set the DNS resolution order.
Set the Web Interface or StoreFront web address.
Bind the Secure Ticket Authority (STA) to NetScaler Gateway.
By default, the mapped IP address does not support IPv6 addresses. To route user communications to the internal network, you need to create subnet IP addresses and then and configure NetScaler Gateway to use the subnet IP addresses.
If you deploy multiple IPv6 subnets in your network, create multiple IPv6 subnet IP address on NetScaler Gateway, on for each subnet in your network. Network routing sends the IPv6 packets to the respective subnets by using the subnet IP addresses.
Log on to NetScaler Gateway by using a Secure Shell (SSH) connection, such as from PuTTY.
At the command prompt, type enable ns feature IPv6PT. This enables IPv6.
At the command prompt, type enable ns mode USNIP. This enables the use of the subnet IP addresses.
At the command prompt, type: set vpn parameter -wihome http://XD_domain/Citrix/StoreWeb.
Where is either the domain name or IP address of StoreFront.
If you use the IPv6 address to configure this parameter, the IP address must be contained in brackets.


text:
We've been moving away from even selling the UK Trades. They're kinda hard to get a hold of in bulk and they almost always arrive in pretty poor condition.
I was thinking more along the lines of slipcases for the older titles like you guys are thinking about doing for the U.S. editions but I also understand that you guys are in the publishing business, not the slipcase business. And I'm not sure there'd really be a market here for it as I'm sure not everyone (King fans) even collect U.K. editions. Plus the older U.S titles are probably on hand for measurements whereas the U.K.s, not so much. But you guys must be doing something right. Browsing through eBay for shits and grins; folks are asking almost double the issue price. Not sure if they are actually getting it though.
I was thinking more along the lines of slipcases for the older titles like you guys are thinking about doing for the U.S. editions but I also understand that you guys are in the publishing business, not the slipcase business. And I'm not sure there even really be a market here for it as I'm sure not everyone (King fans) even collects U.K. editions. Plus the older U.S titles are probably on hand for measurements whereas the U.K.s, not so much. But you guys most be doing something right. Browsing through eBay for shits and grins; folks are asking almost double the issue price. Not sure if they are actually getting it though.
Yeah, it's the per unit cost of production that makes it tough for us to produce slipcases for the UK editions. When we were announcing brand new SK titles from the UK publisher, we'd just barely get enough orders to keep the price reasonable for the UK slipcase. We don't want to charge a "crazy" amount for a slipcase, you know? I'm sure some collectors wouldn't mind the higher prices and would understand how production costs work (less volume = higher cost to us that has to be passed along in the form the retail price), but a lot of the more "casual" SK fans lose their minds over the pricing and it becomes a hassle for Mindy.
So doing slipcases for the older UK titles probably wouldn't generate enough orders to keep things reasonable, unfortunately. I, personally, really like my UK hardcovers, though!
I hear ya, Brian and appreciate the personal reply; being a fellow King nut and all . I like a lot of the UK hardcovers (not all) vs. the US hardcovers myself but I only have a few on hand as I'm just starting my UK collection. If you want to get crazy and make me some one off UK slipcases, I'll foot the bill!
Dan/Brian - With the recent move to clean out the warehouse, have you guys by any chance come across any extra traycases for Legacies? My copy has a damaged case and would love to upgrade.
Yep. Send me an email.
Another use for the CD red slipcase. Perfect fit for October Dreams II although an orange or black would be a better match.
Last edited by Brian861; 02-06-2016 at 06:55 AM.
Got my replacement traycase this weekend. You guys are great!
One off Firestarter 1st/1st slipcase up for auction for The Haven Foundation.
Two more on the way from JW.
Few more slipcases from JW. The UK The Fireman slipcase will fit the US edition as it's only slightly shorter. The UK EOW slipcases will not fit the US trade.
I have recently received a CD slipcase from the secondary market for a trade edition and it's lovely (Doctor Sleep).
Brian/Dan - I don;t suppose that you have any slipcases for US Trade HC first Stephen Kings lying around that are not for sale on the website?
I don't think so. We usually keep that stuff up until we run out.
Yeah, I thought so. Thanks for the reply.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


text:
As a self-employed photographer it was always difficult to establish a sense of professionalism. Word of mouth marketing had worked well for Khalid Lone for a long time, but he needed to enhance his portfolio to gain an edge over his competitors.
Never before had Mr Lone used social networks to market his work. He also lacked the confidence to use standard advertising to encourage future work. We wanted to encourage him, with the hope that if his site was available on social networks he could ease the costs of traditional marketting and still keep his preferred word of mouth policy. With a carefully crafted design and user centric approach - to make the pictures the biggest impact, we felt his confidence could return.
It had to be simple, traditional and yet feel modern and complete. With a white canvas we started to adorn hints of decorative flourishes and elements to keep the theme in mind but the desirables above ball. Several logos were declined in the process, but it allowed us greater control over the brief as in what the client wanted in a final solution.
With the use of Drupal, he is now able to update the site easily and efficiently. Replacing pictures in seconds with ease and complete control over all his content. He now has access to statistics to keep a track on which pictures give him the biggest boost for his business.
Combined with traditional offline marketting and online social networks, like youtube, facebook and twitter we are confident "Lone Photographic" is getting more attention. With an increasing support of facebook followers, Mr Lone, now has the confidence to increase his rates and truly advertise himself as a professional photographer.


text:
Personalised Imprinted Discount Drop Ship Sport Fan Products Wholesalers-Customized Sport Fan Products.Personalized imprinted promotional products and gifts for corporate marketing !
Description: At present, we are looking for friendly importers,distributers,wholesallers and companies to develop foreign market for our products. If you are interested in this business, please feel free to contact me.
Description: The Best quality and reasonable price is your most wise choice.
Description: High quality products and efficient service,inquiry would be welcomed with prompt respond.
Description: Main products: underwear, yoga wear, dance wear, socks and so on.
Description: Packing:Individual Polybag Attractive and comfortable to wear.
Description: Attractive and comfortable to wear. Available in assorted colors and sizes.OEM work are welcome.

industry_corpus2: Sports


text:
TRABZON: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey is ready to do its part to de-escalate tension between Pakistan and India.
Addressing a campaign rally in Trabzon, he hailed Pakistan’s move in handing over an Indian pilot downed in the recent tension, adding that he looks forward to seeing similar steps from India.
“I spoke with the Prime Minister [Imran Khan] of Pakistan. Turkey has sincere relations with Pakistan. Increasing the tension and adding fuel to the flames have no use for anyone.Turkey will do its part for the tension to be de-escalated,” Erdogan said.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Russia Venkatesh Varma said India will not accept any offer of mediation.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


text:
I am here to do a quick review for this LipIce Sheer Color. This is going to be an HONEST review. Every user/consumer got their own perception, ok.
Let’s start with a simple intro of the product.
LipIce, the No. 1 lip care brand in Malaysia introduced the newly upgraded LipIce Sheer Colour. It designed to work like magic on the lips, the color changeable lip balm glides on clear when it is first applied on the lips. In just a few seconds, your lip colour changes to a natural sheer pink unique to the individual that enhances the beauty of her lips.
With an upgraded Beeswax and Argan Oil formula, the new LipIce Sheer Colour provides moisturizing properties and also helps to brighten dull lips to reveal healthy, pink lips. Now, with just one swipe of the lip balm, everyone can have fuller and bouncy lips! Apart from that, the LipIce Sheer Colour is also infused with Commiphora Mukul Herb Extract to smoothen fine lines and keep the lips bouncy.
To represent its total LipIce range, LipIce has signed on Korean singer and actress Kim Jae-Kyung as its brand ambassador.
*I am only having the pink one, so I will review this range only.
The LipIce Sheer Color is available in three variants namely Strawberry, Shimmer and Fragrance Free. The one that I have is strawberry (pink). It may brighten your lips up to more natural looks. The long lasting pink color really good for people who worried about the fading lip color. Color will turns on after a few seconds. Kinda cool right!
*I did shower and shampoo my body. But I take the experiment with non rubbing the color area and the color stays about 3days!!! Surprisingly!
Everything looks good after you apply. The color comes out, the moisture is there too.
But there is a thing.
On the packaging itself shows ‘LipIce Sheer Colour provides 10 hours moisturizing properties‘ but after 4hours, my lips totally DRY OUT! I was thinking might because I am in the aircond room thats why it dry out fast.
So I take another experiment when I am outdoor and normal temperature. IT DRY OUT TOO! WHY?!
This is a bit disappointed.
I personally like the vibrant pink very much. When it comes to the ’10hours Moisture’ I can’t agree it. It is really dry out my lips after 4hours. If you’re looking for moisture lip balm, this might not be your choice!
Priced at RM15.80 each, it will be available at all leading pharmacies and major supermarket outlets starting March 2016.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


text:
We are nearly two months into our marriage and it has been an amazing. Honestly, it has been way better than I expected it to be. And I had high expectations.
Everyone warned us that the first months of marriage are very difficult, but we've found the transition to be rather smooth. I think it helped that we worked out so many of the adjustments when we moved to San Diego together in January. We didn't have to spend our first two months of marriage organizing closets, sorting out responsibilities and developing a routine.
1. Well, first, I gained 3 lbs. Woohoo! But honestly, I'm okay with it. I worked out so hard before the wedding, so for the past two months I've cut myself some slack. I'm enjoying ice cream, cookies, pizza, and my own creation that I call "Brownie Batter Fudge" (recipe to follow soon).
2. I've been cooking a LOT more for my husband now than I did before the wedding. I think it's because I'm not as worried about being judged when I experiment in the kitchen. I know he'll like it because his wife made it for him with love. Check out my recipe for 4-Step Protein Packed Breakfast Burritos here.
3. We turned a combined two years older. Wes turned 28 on July 22nd and I turned 26 on August 28th. Wes says that "he is much too young to feel this old," but I think 28 looks pretty hot on him. I'm looking forward to this next year... time to start researching an anti-aging skincare regime.
4. We are planning financially as a team for some big future events.... medical school, kids, college savings, a house, etc. We both entered marriage with our own individual investment strategies, but now we're strategizing together.
5. Wes sold his motorcycle (disclaimer: it wasn't my idea). He had been thinking about selling it for about 2-3 months before our wedding, but we were waiting to get an offer for the right price on Craigslist/eBay instead of selling it to a dealer. It finally sold right after the wedding. I have a feeling he might get another one someday.
6. I started my side business, Community Canine Care. Check it out here!
We have planned a lot of newlywed travel! So far we have booked Maui for 6 days in September, a long weekend in Virginia in October, Cabo for 9 days in November, and Minnesota for 10 days in December. So excited! Tip: We got this great Citi credit card that gives you any 4th night at a hotel for free. No annual fee if you're military!
The next couple of years will have lots of moving pieces, but we'll be sure to be blogging about the updates along the way. P.S. Stay tuned for Wes's next blog post this week!

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
These submersible pumps are powered by the hydraulic circuits of a utility truck. They can also be run with a portable power unit or any other hydraulic source as long as the pressure and flow are within the correct range.
A great feature is that they are self priming and can also be run dry without damage. These hydraulic pumps are typically used by utility companies working in manholes but can be used for many other applications.

industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


text:
i take information from a database and then have the collected values entered into a form with hidden fields.
when i submit the form with all the other text fields filled out......then in the file to save it to a database it brings up the error....."undefined index" although i only have 1 index set.
// Select column 1 from table name where column name = $your_var.
// If mysql_query returns false, we'll die with the error.
An "undefined index" warning means that you tried to get an array element that does not exist.
Simply look through your code and find the array element the warning specified.
Make sure the spelling is correct and that the element is properly initialized.
If you are getting the elements from an outside source (HTML forms, XML, etc...), make sure that the array element actually does exists before you use it.
The isset function is great for that.
Using the short-tag syntax (<? ... ?>) to open a PHP block is a very very bad habit. They are disabled by default, so you are practically asking for future compatibility issues when using them.
It's always best to use <?php ... ?>. They always work, on all PHP servers.
Undefined index. script works, why is this error occuring?


text:
Very fast gluten free dessert. By Nicky. And Jamie.
Having gluten free mates over for a meal can be challenging. I mean it’s hard enough to organise a menu, cook AND keep the house in some sort of vague order, let alone research and understand gluten free options. I don’t like feeling like I am a burden to my mates when they are faced with what to feed me. For the first year of my new Coeliac life, I didn’t really speak up much about it, as I didn’t want to seem needy or picky. Which is actually a bit selfish, as people go to lots of trouble to cook for you. And often I’d just plain forget, until a few minutes before arriving at a dinner. Other than being not very cool, you also end up being quite hungry.
I still find coming up with simple gluten free dessert ideas to be a challenge. As do my mates. So this recipe is a good one to have up your sleeves. It’s easy, fast and tastes unreal (thanks Jamie for the execution, and Nicky for the brains).
A dodgy iPhone shot – and it still looks great.
Meringue shells (packet job). One or two each – depending on hunger and sweet-tooth levels.
Fresh berries – strawbs, raspberries & blueberries are all good.
Get the meringue shell. Fill it with yoghurt. Cover with berries (artistically). Add chockie (if using).
Get back to your conversation.
Previous postChicken schnitzel with spaghetti - man grommet food. Next postMother's Day breakfast - the report.
Thanks for makiing me Rockstar famous Ness. It only took 2 minutes to make but the thought and research was long (despite the Low flying Chook like Creature website). This desert is best served with a sticky white and not the 12 year old Shiraz we had. it was like eating a steak with icecream.
OK got that sorted out….!
unfortunately for you horris – your friends are more inclined to believe your missus … looks v nice Nic!!
YUM! I have made this with marscapone and it never fails to impress. Can also mix up the toppings for variety.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


text: *During checkout, enter your coupon in the box Coupon Code / Promotional Code. Coupons can't be stacked or combined with other special offers or promotions. Prior purchases are excluded from these coupons.


text:
01. Training of NAS Mock Test.
02. Work shop for NAS paper assessment.
03.Work shop for NAS paper scanning.
04 Training of Guidance for Virtual class online lesson Telecast.
05.Module writing workshop for NAS examination.
06. Module writing workshop for social science resource person.
08. Training related to education base on learning learning outcomes.
In the year 1947 our Govt. of India Education Department had decided path coming era we will provide education for all. Education for all is a basic or fundamental right to all. So our Government had formulated Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE). In the year 1986 national policy on education has decided to continue Elementary Education and to achieve the 100% literacy rate. And that time former Prime Minister Mr. Rajiv Gandhi had permitted to formulate the district level training institute for primary teachers. And in the year 1986 (DIET) District Institute Of Education & Training exist. Before DIET, in each state SCERT formulate. In our Gujarat, we called GCERT (Gujarat Council of Education Research & Training).
And Education Department, GCERT Gandhinagar through Bharuch DIET came into exist in 01/07/2005. Earlier days Rajpipla DIET was combined both district Rajpipla (Narmada) & Bharuch. At present our DIET running at Near Manan Ashram, Opp. Revadarshan Society, Zadeshvar, Bharuch.


text:
Series: Advent (5), Sunday Mass (1), Easter (8), Lent (6), Ordinary Time (33), Christmas (3).
Service: Sunday Morning (54), Special event (2).
Preached by Fr. Bill Moisant on December 25, 2018 (Special event).
Preached by Fr. Bill Moisant on December 7, 2018 (Special event).
Preached by Fr. Bill Moisant on November 25, 2018 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Fr. Bill Moisant on November 18, 2018 (Sunday Morning).
Preached by Fr. Bill Moisant on November 11, 2018 (Sunday Morning).


text:
How to keep the girls still for two seconds?
The girls are always go, go, go and hardly stand still for petting. I feel like I'm just annoying them when they have so much "stuff" to explore, and things, including me to pee on! I can almost hear them whining for me to put them down and let them cause mishchief instead! My Meisha will give kisses, groom, and stay with me for a while, but she is the only one. The other girls will groom and kiss me in the cage only. Outside of the cage, they will climb all over me, but never just take a breather to just chill out with me for a moment.
Does anyone have any secrets to win over the girls? Where do they like to be pet the best? Nothing seems to work. Or is that just the nature of the female rat? Maybe once they get a little older they will slow down? My oldest three are 1yr old, followed by 7 months and 5 months.
Re:How to keep the girls still for two seconds?
LOL! I was never able to find anything that could slow Mocha down. She never stopped for anything. But by letting her run around and do her own thing, she always felt free to come back to me. And she always does. Now she has a tendency to follow me around because she knows that I am the source of all kinds of yummy things and interesting places. When she needs a place to crash after all her running around, she always comes back to me. She perches on my shoulder, climbs straight up my leg, crawls around in my shirts, hides underneath my hair, grooms me in all my ticklish spots, kisses me regularly. I know that Mocha loves me as much as I love her. She shows me ALL the time.
So let your girls have their fun. Become a part of their fun. I think you'll find that they'll love you all the more for it.
Almost forgot: one trick that I use without shame is to wait until Mocha (and Smores) find a place to nap after an exploring session. It does take hours for them to calm down, though. I make sure to wait until they are in some serious sleeping. Then I quietly go in, rub my fingers next to them a little bit to let them know I'm there, and then I rub them over the top of their heads and under their jaws and behind their ears. They're sleepy and content already, so when I do this I get some serious bruxing action every time. They'll even tilt their head so I rub them in just the right spot. Oh, my babies.
My two slowed down as they grew up. When they're young it's like zoom, zoom, zoom!
Well, I do let them do their own thing. I leave their cage doors open for about 2 hrs at a time, and they come and go as they please. It's funny, they will stop what they are doing, go back to their cage for a drink and a bite to eat then rejoin the group. I leave the room to go to the bathroom and get drinks and stuff, but other than that I'm with them letting them climb on me, look through my hair like monkeys, shoulder ride(most of the time ALL of the rats try to shoulder ride at once!), and tunnel under my clothes(Although I'm not to fond of that because they make my skin red and irritated).
I just feel like once in a while it would be nice if they would cuddle, ya know? I know that is a lot to ask of the "Zoom Zoom girls" though! Maybe my next generation of ratties will be boys? I love the girlies just the same though!


text: We at Edison Mortgage Group want to thank our client Kaiely Thorn for being an amazing client. The team work between you and your Realtor Nancy Garcia-Nunez made this Florida Home Loan transaction go very smooth. We hope you are doing well in your new home and hope you have many happy years there.


text:
Mary Jean Keck Beardsley Mason, 77, passed away at her home in Tremonton, with her husband by her side on January 15, 2019. She was born on July 3, 1941 in Hart, Michigan to Fred & Florence Keck. She was raised in Michigan, where she attended and graduated from Farmington High School.
Mary lived at various places throughout her life, including: Michigan, Montana, and most recently in Tremonton, Utah. While living in Montana, she met Elden Mason. They were married on October 31, 1974 in Brigham City, Utah.
She worked at Smith’s Grocery in Sunset, Utah. She retired from there in 1998.
Mary was very creative and loved to quilt and craft.
She is survived by her husband, Elden Mason; children: Jim, Steve, Scott, and Tony.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, and brothers David & Jerry.
Funeral services for Mary will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, January 21, 2019 in the Rogers & Taylor Funeral Home (111 N. 100 E.- Tremonton). A visitation will be held prior to the service from 10-10:45 a.m. Interment will follow in the Tremonton Riverview Cemetery.


text:
“If we ever close the door to new Americans, our leadership role in the world will soon be lost.” I doubt former President Ronald Reagan would be allowed in President Donald Trump's administration saying such things today.
There's no doubt our immigration system is broken. Both parties are guilty of ignoring it for decades, but we need to carefully consider the policies that are being proposed by this administration.
Whether Miller said it or not, that statement sums up this administration's immigration plans. Their policies are designed not only to stop people from entering illegally, but to drastically reduce legal immigrants as well as asylum seekers.
This administration's “zero tolerance” policy caused the loudest outcry when people realized our government was separating children from their parents with no plan on how to reunite them. The policy was designed to be as harsh as possible in order to deter others from trying to enter our country.
It was reported that almost 500 parents were deported without their children back to the horrific violence they tried to escape in Central America. We'll never know if the U.S. is responsible for making any of these children orphans.
If that isn't horrific enough, a recent report from government inspectors shows that the Trump administration most likely separated thousands more children from their parents than was previously believed.
Our country already has a stain on our collective conscience from our treatment of people seeking refuge. In 1939, over 900 mostly Jewish people boarded the SS St. Louis, a German ocean liner, to escape the Third Reich. Due to anti-Semitic protests only 29 people were allowed to stay in Havana. The rest were denied refuge by the U.S. They were told to wait their turn. The ship returned to Europe and at the end of the Holocaust, 254 of them were dead.
Past generations have used that exact rhetoric to describe immigrants including Italian immigrants like Kelly's maternal grandfather who never spoke a word of English and made his living peddling fruit in East Boston.
Trump prefers immigrants from Norway, and none from "sh—hole countries" like Haiti and El Salvador. However, I doubt he would have been so welcoming to the dirt poor Norwegians (my ancestors) who came here over a century ago.
European immigrants at that time fueled the same fears we see directed at people trying to cross our southern border today. Now those Europeans are idealized as coming over with nothing but the shirt on their backs and living the American Dream.
This is a pivotal moment in our nation's history. I hope Congress can craft an immigration policy using a fact-based needs assessment to guide them in securing our border while maintaining our soul.


text:
Numbers 22 through 24 is the story of Balaam and his hire by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel who was camped at their doorstep peacefully asking to pass through the land of Moab. Balaam is told by the Lord not to go the first time Balaam was asked. The second time Balak sends messengers Balaam is told to go. On the road, the angel of the Lord appears in order to destroy Balaam. Famously, his donkey refuses to approach the angel, saving Balaam’s life, and speaks to him.
This is an interesting back and forth. It’s hard to tell what’s right. God tells Balaam not to go, but Balaam asks a second time and is told to go. But then God has an angel accost Balaam and almost kill him. Balaam arrives at the border of Moab, makes sacrifices and God gives him words to say which turn out to be blessings for Israel instead of the curses Balak purchased. Was Balaam doing right, or doing wrong? Was He following the will of the Lord? If so, why did God send an angel to destroy him?
There are several things to remember here. One is that Balaam is not a man of God. He is a diviner, one who reads omens for money. Two is that he was told once by God not to go, but asked a second time. Even though God gave permission after the second request, that did not mean it was okay to go. A man of God would’ve simply refused the money Balak was offering. The angel tells Balaam (Numbers 22:32) that he risked death because of his perversity. So three, Balaam was being perverse which means going against God. Balaam really, really wanted to go. He did not really, really want to listen to God. Peter (2 Peter 2:15) says that Balaam “loved gain from wrongdoing.” Balaam wasn’t motivated by love of the Lord, he was motivated by love of money. His love of money kept him questioning God because he didn’t really, really want to do what God said.
This is a story of how God used a perverse person to do something according to His will though the person was trying to work his own will. Just because God gave the man permission to go, does not mean that it was in the will of God for him to do it. A man of God wouldn’t have even had to consult God. He would’ve known that Israel was God’s chosen people, and would not have entertained the notion of cursing them for any amount of money. This is why the story seems to have odd ups and downs.
Lots of things we do in life we do because we really, really want to. Some of those things might be against God’s will. Sometimes God makes the things we do work His will anyway though we might not have intended it that way. We don’t even ask God what His will is many times, yet His will is always being worked out. It behooves us to prepare ourselves beforehand to conform to His will in all things by consulting the words He has given us and being obedient to them. Then when He gives us a personal direction we are more ready to hear it and do it.
Just because we CAN do a thing, doesn’t mean we SHOULD do a thing. The way to tell up from down is to hear and obey on a daily basis, strengthening our faith by working with the Word constantly. We work out with the Word regularly so that when heavy lifting is required, we know when and where and how God wants things done.
Just an update to let people know we have uploaded 14 videos to our youtube channel so far. Subscribe so you can get notice of new postings. View, like and comment also to help get the Word out! This is why we’ve been fairly quiet lately. It takes some time to make them and do the post-production work.
In Peter’s Place, What Would I Say?
I was thinking about this event today, and I wondered what I would say had I been in Peter’s place. Pete was motivated by a desire to protect Jesus from the authorities, not quite realizing yet the full extent of who Jesus was and why He was going to have to suffer. Peter’s motives were perhaps “good,” but they were wrong. So wrong in fact that Jesus rebuked the person behind the statement (Satan) who had motivated the response of “This shall never happen to you.” Not only does this show that motives, even if we would classify them as “good,” can still be wrong, but it shows us that motive alone is not enough. We need to be in line with God’s will in order for even “good” motives to be actually good.
The thing that really got me with this situation though is that, knowing what I know now, what would I have said? Could I have looked into the eyes of the most humble, loving man ever and said, “If you don’t die I cannot live?” Would I have been able to say to God almighty that, “We need to get you to Jerusalem when it is time so that your miserable death can save the whole world?” Knowing that He is my Lord and Savior, God in the flesh, perfect and without shadow of turning in every way, could I have encouraged Him to suffer a vastly painful, torturous and ignominious death at the hands of murderers in exchange for my ugly, pitiful, sin-filled life? Would I have had the faith to trust and obey God’s will in this matter?
I don’t know. Jesus had to die, but woe to the people who did it, and woe to those who refuse to accept what He did. I thank Him every day and in every way I can think of for His sacrifice by reading every Word from Him and putting it everywhere in my life. He asks so little of me. Living the whole of His Word is such a small thing to do for a God who died such a huge death for me.
Where God Guides, God Provides?
Did you ever hear this statement? Have you ever heard a statement that is dumber?
“Where God guides, God provides.” Does this mean that if a project, like a mega-church, has His name on it, that means He was the one who wanted it built? No. Is money the only determining factor? No. Can a church be built for other reasons than God’s? Of course it can. Can a ministry not have money and still be God’s? Yes. So is this popular saying from God? No.
Did God not provide enough money to Jesus? Is that why He was killed? He had a few disciples who deserted Him at the end, and no money. Does this mean that God wasn’t guiding Jesus? See how stupid this bumper sticker Christian statement is?
I think in some ways God’s provision is exactly the opposite. If you don’t have money, or scads of acolytes, there’s a much greater chance that you are being guided by God.
The determining factor is the Word, stupid.
I probably won’t keep posting these, but they’re so useful I want to make sure people get the word. Our youtube channel is wholebible if you want to bookmark it. This video is on Reintroducing Whole Bible Christianity. If you’ve been reading the book you’ll notice right away that it provides much of the text for these videos. Just another format to get the word out about the Word.
Hey there groovy guys and groovy girls, what’s happening? We are pleased to announce our first video title The New Covenant. It is the beginning of a lot of videos using material in our book Whole Bible Christianity. Take a look. Give us your comments. Share it. We’re sure it’s going to shake things up here and there.


text: The Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem implies the ubiquity of manipulators — voters who could change the election outcome in their favor by unilaterally modifying their vote. In this paper, we ask what happens if a given profile admits several such voters. We model strategic interactions among Gibbard–Satterthwaite manipulators as a normal-form game. We classify the 2-by-2 games that can arise in this setting for two simple voting rules, namely Plurality and Borda, and study the complexity of determining whether a given manipulative vote weakly dominates truth-telling, as well as existence of Nash equilibria.


text:
CatEye Strada Digital Wireless Computer - Compatible with all ElliptiGO models 0 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 0 user reviews.
The Strada Digital Wireless combines all the cycling functionality of the popular Strada Wireless computer including distance, speed, average speed, odometer, time, and wireless cadence. Using the latest 2.4GHz digital wireless speed and ISC-10 cadence sensor, the Strada Digital Wireless RD410DW is now virtually interference free and features automatic sensor recognition so you can track all your rides no matter which bike you choose.
ElliptiGO installation recommendations: To aid you in configuring the Strada Digital Wireless, the ElliptiGO wheelsize is 1516. The sensor should be mounted on the rear frame of the ElliptiGO on the non-drive side (opposite of the chain). The wheel magnet gets mounted on the rear wheel spoke and the cadence magnet is mounted on the inside of the crank arm between the longest and second longest hole position.


text:
The third session of Design your own Herb or Physic Garden will focus on propagation methods and when to plant your seeds or cuttings.
A little of the time will be in the Education Classroom where we will discuss planting using a biodynamic calendar, whether to plant seeds, take cuttings or buy small plants from a garden centre or online. By this time you may have settled on 10 or 12 herbs for your own garden and we will try our best to cover the propogation of these by the end of the session, if possible.
Most of the time will be spent outside getting hands-on experience of propagation so bring gardening gloves and be prepared for the weather.
A kettle and herbal teas will be available in the classroom and the Paxton House tearoom will be open if you wish to buy a snack or coffee or stay for lunch at the end of the session.


text: Developed by CIFR, in collaboration with IDC, this three-page quick reference guide assists states, LEAs, and stakeholders to better understand the basic local MOE requirements stipulated in IDEA. The guide describes the consequences of failing to meet MOE, standards for calculations, allowable exceptions, and reporting obligations. It concludes with questions and additional resources for states to consider.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


text:
Very cool. Though 3/152 is still a little high, isn't it?
Well, 3 of 152 is only 1.97%.
We're assuming that the prosecutors felt this was such a statistically small number that they could state with some degree of confidence "yes, this fur was from the perp's cat."
At least that's how we read it!
Then there is the difference between the concepts of scientific measurement/data/degree of uncertainty and what the court cares about to consider, too! MOL!
Wow, that is pretty amazing! I hope the kitty found a new home, though! 'Cause I am assuming the perp had to serve time.
I'm sensing a whole new TV series!
Most interesting! Presumably this could give our humans the idea that they could DNA test our yakked up grass so that blame could be fairly attributed. Pöh. In a multi-cat community, sometimes it is nice to be anonymous.
We loved your comment on our bloggie and Äiti says she couldn't resist this: she would be uncertain about Heisenberg; Faraday would need a cage and Maxwell would be a little demon. Shall we whap her one for being too obvious ?
Another victory of justice caused by a cat!
We read the story and just thought how brilliant. Well done Watson sorry Wetton. Have a fabulous Friday.
That's very interesting indeed. Yay for the cat!
That sure was cool !


text:
Amazon Price: $259.99 $259.99 (as of April 21, 2019 11:41 pm – Details). Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the Amazon site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Thinking about purchasing a robotic vacuum cleaner? If you can manage it, the POWERbot R7010 is an excellent robotic vacuum to clean your floorings when you are away from house.
After reading R7010’s manual and finding out how many features it’s lacking compared to higher-up models I felt disappointed. Controls are super simplistic so it will either work for you or not – there’s no way to adjust it -even ‘schedule’ is just a 24h timer.
Watch out Roomba and Neato! Samsung outdoes you at a quarter the cost!
As someone who’s owned several brands and several models of robotic vacuums, Samsung is the only brand getting this right! I’ve got another earlier model of the Powerbot, and this model is a great improvement on a proven original concept. I’ve been so happy with both of them, and this newer model is no exception. This model work so well and cost of ownership is very low in comparison to competition. There’s a ton to talk about here, I’ll write in list format for likes and dislikes.
I’ve owned a competing brand of robot vac in previous years and found the Powerbot R7010 to be more powerful and less noisier of the two. Ive grown accustomed to “noise checking” on the status by listening to the robot vac from another room but this by far not the case with this robot vac upgrade. The EdgeClean Master is a brilliant solution to getting dust and debris out of tough spots and the R7010 also does a great job of keeping itself out of tough spots where the other brand used to get stuck. I’ve grown accustomed to the benefit of a robot vac, and the new Powerbot does it better without me having to worry if it did a good job. Exceeded expectations and would recommend.
I have had this vacuum for about 2 weeks and love it. I was hesitant about getting a vac like this because all the automatic vacs seemed too small to be effective and I thought I would need to be constantly emptying it. To my surprise it picks up great and I only need to empty it after it has completed a whole level (I have a 3 level town home). It navigates well and I have yet to have it get stuck. Definitely a good buy.
I received this powerbot as a gift from my son and I love it! I schedule it to run everyday so my house is constantly clean. I am older now and using the upright vacuum once a week was getting to be too much but this baby is a back saver. When I first got it I thought it was cute (love the white) but wouldn’t really clean well.In fact this thing hunts the dirt it hugs walls and is short enough to get under my bed so the entire house is clean. Another thing is it’s super quiet I watch TV and talk on the phone and it does not disturb me. Yet even though it is quiet it is truly powerful really gets the dirt off the floor I no longer wear sandals in the house just barefoot and it feels soo good. I would recommend this to friends and family and for the price it’s hard to beat in my opinion.
One week in, and I’m loving this! This is my first robot vacuum, and after much research and review-reading, this seems to check all my boxes (admittedly, one being price). I bought the refurb, which didn’t come with a manual, and I haven’t gone online to find it yet, so I’ve just been pushing buttons to see what they do so far, but it’s been great so far. watching him (yes, I’ve named and gendered him, Sam Sung Un) poke and prod around my apartment (half tile, half plush carpet), and it’s like having a puppy who cleans messes rather than makes them! No, there’s no remote or app support, but for my little apartment, it’s not needed, as Sammy seems to hit all the open spaces and crevices just fine. He got lost under the couch one time, and the poor thing fell asleep trying to escape (battery), but that’s to be expected of new pets, right? I mean vacuum. Totally not a pet.
YES for customer serive, NO for Amazon certified product.
They get 4 stars, mainly because of customer service. The product arrived not only defected but not clean either. I mean I understand and aware that it’s not brand new but the product is Amazon warehouse CERTIFIED, which never disappointed from the Amazon brand. But this time, the product came with clay stucked on wheel and most importantly it did not working at all.


text:
What Is Yoga and How Can It Benefit My Child with a Visual Impairment?
There has been a lot of talk about yoga lately. Many people tout the benefits of yoga, including improved energy levels, cardiovascular health, and increased flexibility. While the general public has seen dramatic results from incorporating yoga into their lives, yoga has even more benefits for children with visual impairments.
Yoga is a safe and effective exercise for children with visual impairments. Because of the gentle nature of this exercise and its tactile barrier of safety (our yoga mats), the exercise practice of yoga boasts a plethora of benefits for children with visual impairments.
When I first started teaching at TSBVI, the ever-wonderful Linda Hagood was teaching yoga to children with visual and multiple impairments. I was lucky enough to see first hand the miracles that were happening with our students. From better communication skills, self-determination skills, to increased literacy. Of course, as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist, I was most fascinated by the increased motor planning and spatial awareness skills.
This simple form of exercise has helped to shape hundreds of lives of children with visual impairments. It can help your child improve their life as well.
First of all, what is yoga?
Yoga is a form of exercise that focuses on both your body and your breath. The breathing component is what makes it so powerful as a tool to use after the yoga session is over. As a practice within our schools, yoga is NOT a form of religion or spirituality. It is simply a very accessible mode of exercise that is motivating, fun, challenging, and beneficial to people with visual impairments.
You may have been to a yoga class or seen one depicted on the media. Just like those classes, children often use yoga mats or other soft, non-slippery surfaces to practice. People move their bodies in different poses within this space to get exercise and to focus on their breathing. As with any exercise, yoga helps make you happy, gives your heart more power, and helps release stress. Aside from the exercise benefits, our children with visual impairments benefit greatly from this practice.
1. Increases motor planning by having to learn new movements.
Yoga poses are not typical walking, sitting, standing postures. Many of the poses are new movements for our children. As you teach your child how to move in a new way, their brain is learning new ways to plan their movements. The brain creates new pathways with this new information. Then, as they begin to plan movements off of the mat, their brains can readily pull out the information about the new movement pattern. For example, if your child has been experiencing difficulty getting their backpack off their shoulders and onto their school chair, they may start to use the twist that they learned in yoga to help them move their body and put their backpack on their chair.
2. Increases body and spatial awareness by having to move your body in new ways.
When your child is asked to move one arm above their head, they may lift their arm out to the side. Yoga creates a safe space for the caregiver to gently help your child learn where “above” their body is. By helping the body move in to the correct place around their body and the proprioceptive feedback given to the brain from the position, the child then has a better understanding of where “above” her head is.
3. Increases communication skills when the child is asked to communicate during the session.
In typical yoga classes at a studio, a teacher often gives directions to the class and the class members move without talking. Yoga with children with visual impairments is wildly different than your “typical” class. In a yoga session with children with visual impairments, the children are often active participants in their literacy and communication. Not only are children often asked to engage with one another (if there is more than one student in the session), but they are also encouraged to engage with the teacher. They may be asked to make a choice between yoga poses, plan a story to be read within the yoga session, or engage in a conversation about the yoga session.
4. Increases self-determination skills by giving the students challenges that they can eventually overcome.
The inherent challenges that we face when we are asked to do something new facilitate self-determination skills. Many children find yoga poses to be a fun challenge. Once they learn how to do the pose, their sense of self-determination increases immeasurably! Any exercise program that you complete once a week for at least 12 weeks has scientifically been proven to increase your self-determination skills as well.
5. Increases literacy when stories, lists, and other literacy are infused.
When practicing yoga, many teachers use braille, large print, or tactile symbol lists to help their students practice literacy skills in a fun and engaging way.
Ready to try yoga with your child with visual impairments?
Try incorporating these three poses into their day. You can have a separate yoga session, or incorporate these poses into a “yoga break”, where they can do a little movement between seated activities.
Bring your hands together so that your palms touch.
As you breathe in, keep your hands together and lift your arms up towards the ceiling.
As you breathe out, separate your hands out to the side and bring your arms down to your sides. (Teacher’s note: Have the child place their hands on either the ground or the seat of the chair).
Continue with this breathing pattern for 5 breaths.
Lift your arms up towards the ceiling, strong and straight.
Feel your belly get bigger when you inhale.
Blow out and feel your belly come down.
Have the student breathe in and out for 3-5 breaths.
Hold your hands together. Interlace your fingers. (Use other words such as “glue your hands together” if those concepts work better).
Lean over to the left.
Breathe in, feel your belly get better.
Breathe out, feel your belly come down.
Have the student breathe in and out for 3 breaths.
Keep your hands together, arms strong and straight, and lean over to the right.
Note: Get creative and use the words that are appropriate for your individual student. For example, if a student does not know what a ceiling is, you may want to either use the teachable moment to explore a ceiling, or use the word “sky” instead.
Leave a comment below and let me know which pose was your child’s favorite. How did you work these poses into your child’s day? How did they make your child feel?
Yes- to ALL of this!!
Previous comments for What Is Yoga and How Can It Benefit My Child with a Visual Impairment?
Have you gone to a toddler yoga class with him? I bet if you called the yoga studio before hand and explained the situation, they would be able to accomodate you. Since you have experience with yoga, I bet you'd be able to figure out what to do. With little ones, it's all about having fun anyway. As long as you guys have a good time together- it's a success!
I just wrote a blog post sharing my yoga practice with my 2 year old. There are descriptive photos of the sequence on the post. There is also a video. Though, admittedly, it's not as descriptive as I was hoping for. Having a two year old running around made it super hard to talk quickly enough! You can check out the post at www.kassymaloney.com if it interests you.
Nice blog post! Yoga is a great medicine to keep your children healthy, active and happy. To maintain your kids physical and mental health, send them to yoga class on a regular basis. I have researched on the internet and found Little Warriors Yoga class (http://www.littlewarriorsyoga.com.au/) in Albert Park. I am thinking about sending my kids over there.
Check out http://blindyoga.net/ for audio yoga tutorials.
Absolutely, Torie! The term "yoga" is so broad. Every style and teacher are so different. Sometimes people can have a hard time sifting through all of the offerings to find what they are looking for. Just like I focus on movement and spatial awareness in class, Linda focuses on improving communication. We could have the same exact poses in our sequence and still improve in different areas.
What other information would you want to see in order to feel like you could start trying to incorporate yoga in to your students' curriculum?
Thank you so much for adding these ideas, Linda! I can never express the communication concepts as well as you do. You are the OG yogini who really paved the way for others to adapt what you were/are doing for our own specialties and needs. I actually photo copied these exact activities from your book for a friend this past week!
For anyone who is reading this later, please check out Linda's book. Chapter 7 has a lot of yoga activities. The entire book is a wonderful resource that never leaves my desk.
Thanks for the nice comment Kassy! I'm not a yogini, just a speech therapist who's really found yoga to be a rich activity for bringing teams together and connecting with kids. Your post reminded me that we all might have different goals for students when engaging in yoga activities. I've really loved the kundalini children's yoga program that is promoted by Shakta Khalsa (childrensyoga.com). It is great for kids who are visually impaired because it has lots of mantras and songs. When I have adapted this program for v.i., I have addressed 3 different goal areas for communication, and they are described in my book entitled Better Together: Building relationships with people who have autism and visual impairment (2008) TSBVI.
1. Connection with others. Activities ike "passing energy" in which we sit in a circle and pass sounds or words around, squeezing hands to indicate connection, the "trees and the forest", in which students try to do the balance pose with arms up and standing on just one leg (usually quite a challenge), then connect to each other in a circle, arms on each others' shoulders to be a forest --the message is "we are stronger together as a forest than alone as a tree."
2. Self-regulation. The mantras and songs, as well as the rhythmic movements in kundalini yoga are helpful for teaching kids that they can control the loudness, speed and intensity of their body and voice. There are mantras such as satanama that can be chanted at loud, soft and medium volumes, ending with a silent chant that is "inside your head" (beginnings of meditation). Activities like carrying a bell across a room without ringing it to deliver it to a friends also teach self-regulation.
3. Creativity and symbolic thinking. You mentioned stories, and I have had great experiences building yoga stories. Some kids learn poses (asanas) first, and this is a good way to begin to represent concepts like "mountain" and "moon" and "tree" or animals they may never have seen. Other children, like one I remember who had Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and associated movement anxiety, like to write a yoga story first, bringing it to the group and teaching them how to do the movements that accompany the story. This young woman's yoga stories usually involved her own anxieties--the nervous butterfly, who has to try satanama chants, ommmmmm chants, child's pose, and snake to calm down. Another example was the butterfly who couldn't find a friend, trying the elephant (too big), the lion (too loud), the dinosaur (too slow), finally locating a bird as a good friend who shared the joy of flying. After she had brailled the stories, she was more willing to come to yoga and to use the stories to support demonstration of the poses with other kids.
I have loved doing yoga with O & Ms as well as OTs and classroom teachers. Its a great place for me to observe how others might interact with students. Thanks for starting this conversation!
I am a visually impaired adult,, and never thought of yoga being used to help children with a visual impairment. When you think of it though, it teaches you how to move within space, how to know where you are on your mat, how to listen to what you are being told, how to focus on what you are being told. The list is endless. I have attended different yoga classes, all taught slightly differently. Some may have music the whole way through, while others only have music at the start or end of the class. Some may have no music at all. Some may last an hour and a half, while some only last an hour. The yoga class i attend is very much focused on what you want to do. If you don't want to do a posture, you just breathe it out or modify it to suit what your body feels like doing.


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But wait ... is this even a problem for CMOs and their marketing teams? If you look at all the data out there, it seems like the biggest problem that exists with the current state of marketing analytics stems from a lack of marketing analytics implementation, not an over-dependency.
According to the latest CMO Survey, 65% of companies fail to leverage marketing analytics in their marketing projects. A recent IBM Global CMO Study also reported that more than 70% of CMOs feel they "lack true insights" and are underprepared to manage all the data at their fingertips. Furthermore, a 2011 CMO Council survey found that CMOs feel overwhelmed and under pressure to understand the influx of data available to them.
Given the rapid pace at which new technology and software is emerging for marketers -- and as a result, how much more data is available to them -- these statistics are totally understandable. In fact, Gartner predicts that CMOs will outspend CIOs by 2017.
And as we mentioned in our 2013 Marketing Trends and Predictions Guide, while Gartner also predicts big data will drive $232 billion in IT spending through 2016, so far, it has been for engineers -- not marketers. In 2013, however, we expect to see a rise of startups that are dedicated to making big data more accessible to folks on the front end, such as salespeople, business development reps, and marketing professionals. Origami Logic, to name one, aims to give marketers access to big data in a way that is digestible and usable by them specifically.
While technology has afforded marketers with a lot more available data, it's not enough just to collect it. The power in data really boils down to your ability to effectively analyze and draw insights from it. And let's face it: That's a skill in itself.
The misinterpretation of data is a common thing. Mark Twain once said, "Figures don't lie, but liars can figure." That's not to say that all marketers out there are purposely skewing and manipulating data in their favor. A lot of times, the misinterpretation of data happens accidentally, or as a result of misunderstanding -- like thinking correlation is the same thing as causation. And believe me, it's all too common. In fact, Smart Bear Software Founder Jason Cohen wrote a great article back in 2010 -- "Avoiding Common Data-Interpretation Errors" -- about this very problem. See how easy it is to unintentionally muck up the numbers? Data is some very sensitive stuff, and you can probably guess how this could affect your marketing decision-making ... and not in a good way.
Don't get me wrong. CMOs and their marketing teams should embrace data. It's just important to be mindful of some of the dangers that come with a dependency on metrics.
Bad data is one of these dangers, and unfortunately, there is a lo-hot of bad data out there, especially when you start to consider and question how much of it is the victim of what we just discussed: misinterpretation. That being said, there is a host of other factors that contribute to bad data: out-of-date research, unscientific processes in data collection, unreliable sources, insufficient sample sizes, irrelevant or unqualified sample participants, incomplete data, lack of statistical significance, etc. Not to mention that data derived from surveys is often dangerous in itself. Just consider this funny, yet telling example from a survey conducted by Public P..., which just goes to show that people will tell you what they think you want to hear, or that they're willing to lie in order to sound more knowledgeable.
In fact, in a recent Harvard Business Review article, "How to Repair Your Data," author Thomas Redman writes, "Simply put, bad data make everything about Big Data — from discovering something truly novel, to building a product or service around that discovery, to monetizing the discovery — more difficult."
"In business, bad data can be downright dangerous," continues Redman, citing an example of financial companies in the mid-2000s that sliced and diced bad (actually, wrong) mortgage data into collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). This bad data came to an ugly head when the financial system almost collapsed.
"Sometimes, we can't measure what we need, so we invent a proxy, something that's much easier to measure and stands in as an approximation. ... When we fall in love with a proxy, we spend our time improving the proxy instead of focusing on our original (more important) goal instead."
It's so true, right? Sometimes, that perfect metric to measure exactly what we're trying to achieve in our marketing just doesn't exist (ain't it the truth, PR pros?). But as a great CMO who is trying to make data-driven decisions, you can't just stand by and not try to measure its success, right?
Unfortunately, this leads to an unhealthy reliance on these so-called proxy metrics. Sometimes they take the form of vanity metrics like impressions, comments, and follower counts, which just don't indicate success as it relates to your bottom line. And a lot of times, they even make us forget about the true goal of what we set out to do, leading us to implement tactics that help us juice those numbers, but don't really align with the ultimate goal. Now that's not really a good use of data, is it?
Here at HubSpot, we love data, and our whole company is underpinned by an extremely data-driven culture. That's why, on our marketing team, metrics keep us all accountable for and on track to hit our individual goals. It also keeps us liable for the service level agreement (SLA) we have with our sales team. And that's a great thing ... except for when it's not.
When you over-emphasize the role of metrics, you increase the risk of a certain side effect we'll call 'metrics tunnel vision.' Your team becomes so obsessed with their metrics that they lose sight of the bigger picture. Their decisions about which strategies and tactics to implement become so based on satisfying their particular metrics that they sometimes forget about the good of the marketing team, or even the company, as a whole. There is more than one way to skin a cat -- or from a marketer's perspective, achieve a goal -- but that doesn't mean every possible strategy or tactic is fair game. You could spam your marketing database over and over again with emails, and you may achieve your leads goal, but it won't be without consequences.
It's great to be working toward a goal, but sometimes you have to step back and question an individual strategy or tactic as it relates to your team's overall goals, strategy, and marketing vision.
Similar to (and sometimes a result of) 'metrics tunnel vision,' an over-reliance on analytics can cause marketers to treat metrics like a security blanket. This leads to thinking like, "It doesn't really matter if that negative thing happened as an off-shoot of the campaign I ran, because that campaign totally enabled me to nail my goal metrics this month!" Or, "I didn't go the extra mile on that project because I knew it wouldn't directly support my goals ... (even if it would've supported the goals of another marketer on my team)." You can see how this doesn't exactly promote internal team collaboration or support.
Metrics should motivate and keep your marketers accountable for their goals, but they shouldn't excuse marketing that isn't lovable ... or cross-channel.
On the flip side of the security blanket dilemma, an extreme dependency on metrics can also end up suppressing marketers' willingness to experiment, stifling any sort of innovation and truly creative, outside-the-box thinking. This usually stems from the fear that trying something new -- since it's not yet tried and true -- might result in a failure to hit their goals, reflecting poorly on their performance as a marketer. It can also lead to marketers' reluctance to experiment with innovative campaigns because of uncertainty about how they would measure success. Unfortunately, these fears can be huge blockers for innovation ... and agility. Some of the greatest marketing ideas have come from taking big risks, and marketers will never feel truly comfortable with taking risks if they feel like they're slaves to metrics.
This is all not meant to frighten you away from cultivating a data-driven marketing team, because there's no denying the importance of data-driven decision-making. But remember, it's important to tread lightly. Data is powerful, and with great power, comes great responsibility.


text: Add a beautiful touch of style to your cabinetry with the Liberty 1-3/8 in. Black Ceramic Knob. The knob features a black finish that complements a variety of kitchen and bath decor styles. Rear mounts installation.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


text:
The challenges facing the health and social care system are considerable – with competing pressures from an ageing population, increasing numbers of patients with multiple morbidities, new technologies, and the need for increasing efficiencies. The complexity of the system, along with the multiple pressures it faces, mean that efforts to improve it often achieve only limited benefits and can have unforeseen consequences. Over the past two decades, there have been numerous calls to implement a more holistic systems approach to transform health and care to address the needs of a changing patient population. However, there has been no clear definition of what this might mean in practice.
Engineers routinely use a systems approach to address challenging problems in complex projects. This allows them to work through the implications of each change or decision they make for the project as a whole. They consider the layout of the system, defining all the elements and interconnections, to ensure that the whole system performs as required. One example is the successful delivery of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Physical infrastructure and practical organisation were brought together, with innovative physical engineering, modelling and simulation of people flows, early testing of venues, and extensive risk management. A systems approach, combined with tried and tested engineering methods and tools, delivered real success on a massive scale.
All health and care improvement initiatives involve people, processes, technologies, the physical environment and systems that, in turn, are part of other systems.For example, the care pathway of an elderly frail patient must meet the needs of the patient, their immediate carer and wider family. Care must also coordinate across community support, a GP practice and hospital teams, and manage the patient’s medication, their physical journey to and around healthcare facilities, home care technologies and associated health and care data. Such complexity means that health and care will benefit from using an approach that considers each relevant element of the system and, critically, the nature and performance of the interfaces between them.
risk management as a proactive process – the identification of possible opportunities for and threats to a system before they arise is more likely to lead to the delivery of robust and adaptable systems.
2. While islands of excellence exist in the use of a systems approach in healthcare, the common sense thinking presented here is still far from being common in practice.
3. A systems approach can be defined and applied in a health and care context as a series of questions that integrate people, systems, design and risk perspectives in an ordered and well executed manner. It is only when all four are robustly understood and considered that a systems approach will have the greatest success.
These findings from this collaborative project have been integrated into a framework that can support the work of transformation teams and individuals. These tools can help facilitate the methodical application of a systems approach to improvement, dealing with complexity and improving performance. This approach can be applied to systems across all scales in the healthcare system, from service level improvement, through to organisational, cross-organisational, or cross-sector level change.
In summary, we found that more widespread application of a rigorous systems approach to health and care improvement, has the potential to have a transformative effect on health and care, with benefits for patients, service users, and providers.
We encourage transformation teams to test out the framework, and invite more partners to join us in the next phase, trialling and implementing this approach and augmenting what we have proposed.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
Kacey Musgraves claims to be nothing more than a dimestore cowgirl, yet she has stolen the hearts of both country and city dwellers. On Friday night, the Grammy award winning singer-songwriter performed at a nearly sold out show in Boston’s Orpheum theater.
Musgraves drew a diverse crowd that included both children, grandparents and every age in between. She opened the show with “Pageant Material”, the title track of her second album and followed up with hit after hit. The audience swayed cheerfully and sang along as she played a mix of slow and fast songs.
About an hour in, Musgraves slowed it down, called off her band and sang quietly to the audience with just herself and the guitar. She told the crowd about her roots in the small town of Golden, Texas where she would play tiny shows as a teenager. Her quiet acoustic version of “Merry Go Round”, her breakout hit, showcased just how powerful her voice can be when stripped of the band.
It’s surprising that radio stations still haven’t picked up her songs, a point that she noted to fans. However, she thanked the audience for spreading her music by word of mouth and continuing to support her in creating the music that she wants.
As the night drew to an end, Musgraves left the audience with a goodbye song singing “happy trails until we meet again.” Hopefully Boston will see her again soon.


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Those concerned with the fate of North America’s honeybee populations have mostly cheered earlier this month with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement of $4 million in assistance for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners working to improve food sources for honey bees on private lands in Midwestern and northern plains states. Count your concerned Planet Natural blogger among those who aren’t cheering so loudly.
The bee program is being administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Now we’re all in favor of expanding and improving habitat for pollinators. And while this money isn’t peanuts — it’s about as much as Congressional investigation committees spend on doughnuts (we’re joking!) But still… we can’t help to see the move as a smokescreen that hides what really needs to be done: Ban the pesticides that are in large part responsible for bee decline.
And we can’t help wonder if any of the companies that profit from the pesticides that are killing off bees in record numbers have anything to do with it.
Last May, the White House issued its “ (PDF).” It’s a long document with several good ideas. But there’s a problem. It doesn’t deal with what’s more and more agreed upon to be at the heart of the problem: pesticides, especially the class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids.
If it’s really true, as NRCS chief Weller says, that the future of our food supply depends on honeybees — and it does — you would think the government would pay serious attention. Instead they seem to be in cahoots with the chemical manufacturers.
Of course, as all champions of organic growing know, this is part of a larger problem. We need to take seriously the damage that pesticides of all types do to our health and environment. The die off of bees is a strong indicator of just how deep that problem runs and how severe its consequences are. It’s time once again to let our congressman know that we think they should start listening to our interest, and not those of corporate chemical and agriculture, if they want to keep their jobs.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


text: Geneva Hager, 60, suffered neck and back injuries in a July 1997 rear-end car wreck in 1997 in Lexington. Her insurance claim with Allstate Insurance, which insured the truck driver who hit her, was not settled until December 1999. Her attorney, Dale Golden sued them for bad faith and is trying the case in Lexington. Allstate has a lot of bad press. Former Allstate adjuster Debbie Niemer took the stand and explained how Allstate forced people in minor accidents to take less for their claims than they are worth. She talked about how adjusters are penalized if they pay more than the predetermined value of a case. She discussed how Allstate keeps a list of doctors to send injury victims to that will minimize the claimant's injuries. She also revealed that Allstate keeps lists of plaintiffs attorneys that are aggressive, and those who aren't! You can read more about her testimony in the Lexington Herald Leader.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics