text: 2 RESIDENTIAL LOTS TO BE SOLD AS A PACKAGE DEAL! JOINED 1/2 ACRE LOTS ARE SURVEYED AND READY TO BUILD. LOCATED ON A QUIET NEWLY PAVED CUL-DE-SAC, CITY WATER & SEWER AT THE STREET. .46 ACRE EACH LOT, 80X251. NOTE 2 SEPARATE SIDWELL NUMBERS. EAST STREET IS LOCATED OFF SHIAWASSEE, WEST OF BEECH.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


text:
Sansone, C., V. Paduano, and M. Ceccarelli, "Combining 2D and 3D features to classify protein mutants in HeLa cells", Lecture Notes on Computer Science, vol. 5997, pp. 284-293, 2010.
Ceccarelli, M., V. Paduano, and C. Sansone, "Segmentation of 3D Microscopy Data with an Energy Based Interaction Model", IEEE Medical Measurements 2009: IEEE Press, pp. 223-228, 2009.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


text: Estimates of preference-weighted health outcomes or health state utilities are needed to assess improvements in health in terms of quality-adjusted life-years. Gains in quality-adjusted life-years are used to assess the cost-effectiveness of prophylactic use of clotting factor compared with on-demand treatment among people with hemophilia, a congenital bleeding disorder. Published estimates of health utilities for people with hemophilia vary, contributing to uncertainty in the estimates of cost-effectiveness of prophylaxis. Challenges in estimating utility weights for the purpose of evaluating hemophilia treatment include selection bias in observational data, difficulty in adjusting for predictors of health-related quality of life and lack of preference-based data comparing adults with lifetime or primary prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis living within the same country and healthcare system.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
Day 25 in Antarctica. It's a day of strong winds and low temperatures. A strong headwind hits and passes. It blows around 30-40mph for a couple of hours before easing off. Lou's mask freezes and moulds to his face early in the day. He switches to mitts which creates difficulties with drinking and eating. Then he switches back to gloves to pitch his tent and get it bedded at the end of the day, having made 13 nautical miles.
Reporting in now from day 25 of the expedition. A very different day today to yesterday. Today was all about wind, and really low temperatures; quite a strong headwind and it came and went in the katabatic gusts that you get. It would blow really hard – a good 30-40 miles an hour for a couple of hours, and then you’d get a little easing. It really drove the temperature down. It must have been in the -30s with the wind-chill effect. I knew that because my face mask and everything froze really quick early in the day and I had to mould it into shape because I knew once it froze I’d be stuck with whatever shape it was in, so you mould that round your face and then you get a lot of ice build up around it.
I had to get the mitts out for the first time today – I’ve been managing to ski in five-finger gloves so far for the whole journey but not today, again with the temperatures down it was mitts. It just makes everything that bit more difficult. When you stop for your breaks you’re trying to open flasks and get food out and put on your down jacket and things like that – it’s all a bit trickier in mitts. As I got to the end of the day, I switched back to my gloves just before I stopped to make it easier to get the tent up. And again, quite tricky; you need to be really careful with getting the tent up in these winds. Before I even get it out of the pulk, I’ll clip a guy line on, carabiner it on to the back of the pulk so I’ve got it fixed to something solid straightaway. Then I get the tent out really carefully, erect it and get it bedded in. It makes everything that little bit more difficult with the lower temperatures and the strong winds.
I still managed to achieve over 13 nautical miles, so I’m quite pleased with that considering the challenging conditions.
It’s probably worth now answering the quiz question that I put out a few days ago about the piece of kit. There’s one piece of kit that’s done every single journey with me, since 2011. It’s actually my pulk harness. The old faithful has been with me on every journey and is still going strong. So that’s the only bit of kit I’ve used on every single journey. Every other bit of kit has worn out, or been updated or replaced. Well done to anyone who got that right and the expedition manager Wendy will arrange for a sew-on patch for this expedition to be sent out.
Just to finish off. I’d like to thank Lamont Kirkland from Team Army, who’s been one of my sponsors for the expedition. Brilliant organisation; it’s a private enterprise – they generate funding to support Army sport. Brilliant cause. I’ve really enjoyed working with them. Lamont, I’m looking forward to coming to the Army Navy game in May and presenting on the expedition. It should be a great day out!
That’s all from me, on day 25. I look forward to speaking to you tomorrow evening.

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
Hi, I'm Elisabeth Wu, founder of Bonjour Translation.
With a Master in Translation Studies and Intercultural Management (obtained with the highest honours) from ISIT, Paris and a degree in Chinese language from INALCO, Paris, I have been working as a freelance translator and proofreader for various companies and translation agencies around the world since 2013.
My areas of expertise are: CRM, fashion & luxury, Web & IT, Sports, Business & Marketing.
As a French born Chinese, I grew up in a French and Chinese environment, thus, have acquired an excellent knowledge of both cultures.
As a true globe-trotter, I have studied and lived in several countries, including France, UK, Taiwan, Singapore, Germany and Australia (current location).

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text:
Recommendation ITU-T G.722 describes the characteristics of an audio wideband (WB, 50 to 7 000 Hz) coding system which may be used for a variety of higher quality speech applications. The coding system uses sub-band adaptive differential pulse code modulation (SB-ADPCM) within a bit rate of 64 kbit/s. The system is henceforth referred to as 64 kbit/s (7 kHz) audio-coding. In the SB‑ADPCM technique used, the frequency band is split into two sub-bands (higher and lower) and the signals in each sub-band are encoded using ADPCM. The system has three basic modes of operation corresponding to the bit rates used for 7 kHz audio-coding: 64, 56 and 48 kbit/s. The latter two modes allow an auxiliary data channel of 8 and 16 kbit/s, respectively, to be provided within 64 kbit/s by making use of bits from the lower sub-band. Erratum 1 was incorporated in this new edition, as well as some additional typos identified within the main body of ITU-T G.722.
Annex A provides three frequency masks that can be used to simplify evaluation of the mass‑produced equipment using ITU-T G.722 codecs, and make easier checks carried out during installation. The masks therein are specifically not intended to supplant any requirements of this Recommendation, but rather to suggest the needs of acceptance testing for production quantities of equipment using ITU-T G.722 codecs. They concern the measure of the signal-to-total distortion ratio in a loop with SB-ADPCM. Thus, these specifications do not aim at taking the place of the test digital sequences of the ITU-T G.722 algorithm, but rather to ensure, once these sequences have been checked on a first model, that the quality of the equipment using these codecs is maintained.
Annex B describes a scalable superwideband (SWB, 50‑14 000 Hz) speech and audio-coding algorithm operating at 64, 80 and 96 kbit/s. The ITU-T G.722 superwideband extension codec is interoperable with ITU-T G.722. The output of the ITU-T G.722 SWB coder has a bandwidth of 50‑14 000 Hz. The coder operates with 5 ms frames, has an algorithmic delay of 12.3125 ms and a worst case complexity of 22.76 WMOPS. By default, the encoder input and decoder output are sampled at 32 kHz. The superwideband encoder for improved ITU-T G.722 64 kbit/s core produces an embedded bitstream structured in two layers corresponding to two available bit rates from 80 to 96 kbit/s. The superwideband encoder for improved ITU-T G.722 56 kbit/s core produces an embedded bitstream structured in one layer corresponding to one available bit rate of 64 kbit/s. This 64 kbit/s mode is also scalable with the 80 kbit/s and 96 kbit/s modes. The bitstream can be truncated at the decoder side or by any component of the communication system to instantaneously adjust the bit rate to the desired value (96 kbit/s – 80 kbit/s – 64 kbit/s) with no need for out-of-band signalling. The underlying algorithm includes three main parts: higher band enhancements, bandwidth extension (BWE) and transform coding in modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) domain based on algebraic vector quantization (AVQ). In this revised version, an update was done to the text vectors of Annex B, so they can better assist in checking compliance of implementations.
Annex C describes an alternative implementation of ITU-T G.722 Annex B based on floating-point arithmetic. While Annex B provides a bit-exact, fixed-point specification with the fixed-point C‑source code available from the ITU-T, alternative floating implementation is useful for platforms equipped with floating-point processors. This alternative floating-point arithmetic was found to be fully interoperable with Annex B in all configurations including the cross configurations.
Annex D describes a stereo extension of the wideband codec ITU-T G.722 and its superwideband extension, ITU-T G.722 Annex B. It is optimized for the transmission of stereo signals with limited additional bitrate, while keeping full compatibility with both codecs. Annex D operates from 64 to 128 kbit/s with four superwideband stereo bitrates at 80, 96, 112 and 128 kbit/s and two wideband stereo bitrates at 64 and 80 kbit/s. The wideband stereo modes are backward compatible with legacy ITU-T G.722, while the superwideband modes offer the backward compatibility with both mono wideband ITU-T G.722 and superwideband ITU-T G.722 Annex B. The stereo codec operates on 5 ms frames with an algorithmic delay of 13.625 ms for wideband stereo and 15.9375 ms for superwideband stereo. The encoder input and decoder output are sampled at 16 kHz and 32 kHz for wideband and superwideband operating modes respectively. The underlying algorithm includes three main parts: stereo parameter analysis and down-mix at the encoder and stereo synthesis at the decoder. The first stereo extension layer is an 8 kbit/s layer comprising the basic stereo parameters, wideband inter-channel time difference/inter-channel phase difference/inter-channel coherence and sub-band inter-channel level differences. The second stereo layer, also an 8 kbit/s layer, enhances the stereo image by encoding low frequency sub-band inter-channel phase differences. Finally, the third stereo layer is a 16 kbit/s layer. In this last layer, the inter-channel phase differences of a larger bandwidth are transmitted which allow to further improve the stereo image. The bitstream can be truncated by the decoder, or by any components of the communication system, to instantaneously adjust the bitrate to the desired value, including wideband ITU-T G.722 and superwideband ITU‑T G.722 Annex B bitrates, with no need for out-of-band signalling.
Networking aspects and test sequences for the main body algorithm are addressed in Appendices I and II respectively to this Recommendation. In this new edition, Appendix II was updated to reflect a restructuring of the test sequences for ITU-T G.722 main body.
Packet loss concealment (PLC) algorithms, also known as frame erasure concealment algorithms, hide transmission losses in audio systems where the input signal is encoded and packetized, sent over a network, received and decoded before play out. PLC algorithms can be found in most standard recent speech coders. ITU-T G.722 was initially designed without such a feature. Therefore, Appendices III and IV provide two PLC mechanisms for ITU-T G.722. The algorithms in both appendices were verified to have high quality performance with alternative quality/complexity trade‑offs. At an additional complexity of 2.8 WMOPS worst-case and 2 WMOPS average compared with the ITU-T G.722 decoder without PLC, the ITU-T G.722 PLC algorithm described in Appendix III provides better speech quality whereas the ITU-T G.722 PLC specified in ITU‑T G.722 Appendix IV provides lower complexity adding almost no additional complexity to that of the main body ITU-T G.722 decoding (worst-case additional complexity is 0.07 WMOPS).
The algorithm in Appendix III performs the packet loss concealment in the 16 kHz output domain of the ITU-T G.722 decoder. Periodic waveform extrapolation is used to fill in the waveform of lost packets, mixing with filtered noise according to signal characteristics prior to the loss. The extrapolated 16 kHz signal is passed through the QMF analysis filter bank, and the sub-band signals are passed to partial sub-band ADPCM encoders to update the states of the sub-band ADPCM decoders. Additional processing takes place for each packet loss in order to provide a smooth transition from the extrapolated waveform to the waveform decoded from the received packets. Among other things, the states of the sub-band ADPCM decoders are phase aligned with the first received packet after a packet loss, and the decoded waveform is time-warped in order to align with the extrapolated waveform before the two are overlap-added to smooth the transition. For protracted packet loss, the algorithm gradually mutes the output. The algorithm operates on an intrinsic 10-ms frame size. It can operate on any packet or frame size that is a multiple of 10 ms. The longer input frame becomes a super frame, for which the packet loss concealment is called an appropriate number of times at its intrinsic frame size of 10 ms. It results in no additional delay when compared with regular ITU-T G.722 decoding using the same frame size.
In Appendix IV, the decoder comprises three stages: lower sub-band decoding, higher sub-band decoding and quadrature mirror filter (QMF) synthesis. In the absence of frame erasures, the decoder structure is identical to ITU-T G.722, except for the storage of the two decoded signals, of the higher and lower sub-bands. In case of frame erasures, the decoder is informed by the bad frame indication (BFI) signalling. It then performs an analysis of the past lower-band reconstructed signal and extrapolates the missing signal using linear‑predictive coding (LPC), pitch-synchronous period repetition and adaptive muting. Once a good frame is received, the decoded signal is cross-faded with the extrapolated signal. In the higher sub-band, the decoder repeats the previous frame pitch‑synchronously, with adaptive muting and high‑pass post-processing. The adaptive differential pulse code modulation (ADPCM) states are updated after each frame erasure.
Appendix V defines a coding scheme for mid-side (MS) stereo using the superwideband extension defined in Annex B of [ITU-T G.722]. By introducing the mid-side stereo coding into stereo terminals, interoperability with the monaural devices could be obtained in very low complexity. The basic coding scheme is as follows: two channels of the left-right (LR) stereo are converted to those of the mid-side stereo and then the signals of each channel are independently encoded using ITU‑T G.722 Annex B; then, at the decoder side, the mid-side channels of the bitstream from the encoder are decoded respectively and then the decoded signals of the mid-side channels are reversed to those of the LR channels. The LR-MS conversion and its inverse are conducted in a conventional way. On the encoder side, two additional arithmetic operations per sample are required for the LR‑MS conversion and one operator for the MS-LR conversion in the decoder. In an STL2009 (see ITU‑T G.191) basic operator implementation, the conversion complexity amounts to about 0.2 WMOPS in total. The coding algorithm for each channel is identical to the one in Recommendation ITU‑T G.722 Annex B.
Annexes B, C and D contain an electronic attachment provided with the ANSI C source code, which is an integral part of these annexes. ANSI C source code is also provided as an integral part of Appendices III and IV.
NOTE – An ANSI-C code reference implementation for the algorithm in the main body of ITU-T G.722 is found in the ITU-T G722 module of the ITU-T G.191 Software Tools Library.
Test sequences are provided for compliance testing of the ITU-T G.722 algorithm in the main body of this Recommendation. Test vectors are provided to assist in checking the correct operation of Annexes B, C and D and Appendices III and IV.


text:
Flies such as the cluster flies and face flies may become a nuisance but don't bite. Some flies, such a stable flies or horse flies can be called biting flies because of their painful bites.Other biting flies include mosquitoes , sand flies, black flies, and deer flies.
It is difficult to battle these biting flies because it is difficult to control the breeding sites since they breed in water areas such as ponds and swamps. It is suggested that you contact your local mosquito control district to see what is provided in the management of their breeding sources. Stable flies breed in decaying grass or crop clippings, hay residues, and silage. Because they are powerful fliers, the source of the infestation may be located up to several hundred miles away. It is somewhat difficult to control stable flies.
Horse flies Deer flies, Black flies, and Stable flies are most active during the day.
Sand flies are most active around sunrise or sunset.
Deer flies and black flies are most prevalent in early to late spring. Stable flies are most abundant in late August through October or November. Sand flies are most abundant during summer months but may bite at any time during the year.
Increasing air movement in porches, patios, and picnic areas will keep biting flies away but will not usually provide complete protection.
Burning candles, coils, and torches containing citronella or other biting fly repellents will sometimes help reduce bites. Burning these items produce smoke that repels biting insects.
Most biting flies will usually rest on low vegetation until they detect a host. Pruning shrubs, mowing weedy areas, and opening up the environment for air flow will reduce numbers of biting flies in an area.
Despite all efforts, biting flies may still be a problem. If biting flies get inside the house, space sprays can be applied to kill them. Aerosols such as space sprays, like Styker 54, CB 80, or PT 565 may be used to kill on contact. Remove all people and pets from rooms, turn off air handling systems, apply the product according to label directions, and wait about 10-15 minutes before aerating the room. Keep room vacant as long as the label recommends.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


text:
← Karen Kunc – Artist’s Book Exhibition in U.S.A.
Artist, artist’s book creator and printmaker Evaldas Mikalauskis opened personal exhibition in Vilnius, in the gallery “Kaire – Desine”. Congratulation!
Evaldas Mikalauskis – conceptual printmaker and artist’s book maker, one of the best Lithuanian printmakers. Evaldas – self ironic person, which is very rare among artists. In his art works everything is very important – idea, method of creating, technology, way of printing, quality of the print.
Evaldas is perfectionist in his art. He looking for new ways, for new technological solutions for expressing their ideas in print or artist’s book. Evaldas Mikalauskis successfully combines the classical printmaking knowledge with innovation and unexpectedness. You never will not fully understand how it’s done. His prints, or the pages in artist’s books are very sensitive, but also they are very ironic.
Evaldas Mikalauskis participated several times with his wonderful artist’s books in the “Artist’s Book Triennial Vilnius”. His conceptual and self ironic artist’s book “Diary”, created in 1997, was printed intaglio on plastic. This artist’s book was sold in Switzerland.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


text:
Utilize our Example Letter of Special Assessment Form as an example of the information provided by the Village of Germantown. You may fill in the top portion of the form (your reference number, tax key / parcel ID number, and legal description), print it, and send in with a check for $35 per tax key number requested.
Please make checks payable to the Village of Germantown and mail requests to P.O. Box 337 in Germantown.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


text:
Every July 4th there are pet casualties, so I thought I’d take this opportunity well in advance of Independence Day celebrations to remind dog and cat owners of the dangers associated with this particular holiday.
Fireworks displays can be stressful and frightening for pets, so if you’re planning to take your pet along, I recommend you rethink that idea. Even normally calm dogs can get spooked and disoriented by the noise, lights and crowds involved in a fireworks display. You certainly don’t want to frighten your pet or put him in a situation where he might bolt or become aggressive due to fear.
Even pets left at home can be frightened of the loud noises that seem to go on and on the evening of July 4th. Your dog or cat has a much better sense of hearing than you do, so loud, unfamiliar sounds can be especially unsettling. And this goes double if your pet is getting up in years.
Even small firecracker or sparkler displays by neighbors or family members can upset your pet.
Signs your pet is afraid of fireworks or other loud noises include shaking, vocalizing (barking or howling), excessive drooling, looking for a place to hide, or escape attempts.
With a little advance planning, you can prevent problems with your pet over the July 4th holiday. It will be much easier for you and your family to relax and enjoy the celebrations if you’re not worrying about your pet’s health and safety.
Insure your pet has a current ID tag. Every year on July 5th many dogs turn up miles from home -- afraid, disoriented, exhausted and dehydrated. And animal shelters across the U.S. get an influx of ‘July 4th dogs’ who escaped during fireworks celebrations and are found by animal control agents and concerned citizens who drop them off at the nearest shelter.
Remember to feed and walk your dog in the late afternoon or early evening, well before the fireworks displays begin.
Don’t leave your pet alone outside on the 4th. If she becomes frightened and panicked, even a fenced yard may not keep her safe. She could injure herself trying to escape. If she gets out she could run away, be hit by a car, or stolen by a stranger.
Keep your pet inside the house, preferably in an inside room without windows. Create a little safe haven for your dog or cat with bedding, a toy or two, and a few treats. Turn on a TV, radio or other music to help muffle the noise from outside. If possible, leave someone at home with your pet.
If you bring your pet along to the celebration (which I don’t recommend unless you have an unusually laid back dog or cat, or you just have no other choice), don’t leave him unattended in your car. It’s apt to be hot enough to bring on heatstroke even if you crack your windows, not to mention if your pet panics, he could hurt himself or cause damage to your vehicle.
Keep your dog or cat a nice safe distance from any backyard or neighborhood fireworks displays, and make sure to store personal fireworks where your pet can’t get them. Pets have been known to ingest unexploded fireworks as well as debris lying around after the display is over. Also keep in mind your pet is covered in fur that can easily catch fire.
Some pets aren’t bothered at all by fireworks. Others may get a bit jumpy, but are generally fine as long as their owner is nearby to soothe them as necessary. Other pets become extremely frightened, especially dogs with noise phobia.
As a general rule, most dogs and cats are more comfortable left at home with their normal routine during July 4th celebrations. But you can still include your pet in festivities like picnics, trips to the beach or lake, or family gatherings. Just make sure your four-legged family member is tucked snugly inside your home, with access to a safe haven, before the fireworks begin.


text: Michael Hackstein is a Senior Graph Specialist at ArangoDB Inc. He holds a Masters degree in Computer Science and is the creator of ArangoDBs graph capabilities. During his academic career, he focused on complex algorithms and especially graph databases. Michael is an internationally experienced speaker who loves salad, cake and clean code.


text: Bandit Convex Optimization (BCO) is a fundamental framework for decision making under uncertainty, which generalizes many problems from the realm of online and statistical learning. While the special case of linear cost functions is well understood, a gap on the attainable regret for BCO with nonlinear losses remains an important open question. In this paper we take a step towards understanding the best attainable regret bounds for BCO: we give an efficient and near-optimal regret algorithm for BCO with strongly-convex and smooth loss functions. In contrast to previous works on BCO that use time invariant exploration schemes, our method employs an exploration scheme that shrinks with time.

industry_corpus2: Artificial Intelligence


text:
By at least one measure, the homicide rate in Memphis this year is nearly twice that of Chicago, a town that is generating unwanted notoriety for its soaring number of killings, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Through the end of March in Memphis, 60 people had been killed in the violent first three months of the year. As of the latest U.S. Census estimate, the Memphis population stands at 656,861, for a homicide rate of 9.13 victims per 100,000 population.
Through the same period in Chicago, 151 people had been killed. As of the latest U.S. Census estimate, the Chicago population stands at 2,722,389, for a homicide rate of 5.55 victims per 100,000 population.
If the Memphis numbers continue rising at that rate for the rest of the year, the city would record more than 240 homicides, a tally that would obliterate the record of 213 set in 1993.


text:
I love this trilogy–and I love poor mixed up Madeleine especially! There’s something about someone who lies in a good cause–and then gets stuck with those lies!
I wrote this book while pondering the meaning of fatherhood. What makes a father? Is it instinct? Having a good example to follow? Reading the parenting books that have been strategically left by the toilet with relevant passages highlighted in yellow? Aidan is a man who is locked down tight– until a child manages to pick that lock with a smile.
Aidan de Quincy, Earl of Blankenship, has only loved one woman in his life. Madeleine loved him beyond his wildest dreams, then coldly refused him and shredded his heart into tiny little pieces. If little foundling Melody is his daughter, then only Madeleine can be her mother. That’s a little trip in the way-back machine that Aidan really doesn’t want to take. Bringing Madeleine to live with him and Melody sounds like yet another journey into heartbreak… but he can’t resist her, even knowing that she’ll only destroy him yet again. Oh, but what a way to go.
Miss Madeleine Chandler has been living a lie for so long she is beginning to believe it…until the day the past comes back to bite her in her lovely arse. The only thing to do is flee and the only place to flee is back into the arms of Aidan, the man whose heart she was forced to break years before. Unfortunately, the only way to get herself back into those arms is to lie yet again. Is she the mother of the child so recently left on his doorstep? Um, sure, yeah, whatever. But just when Maddie’s heart begins to remember why she loved Aidan so desperately in the first place, the brittle, shaky pyramid of her lies begins to sway beneath her feet! HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
Sophie and Graham are one of the most popular couples I have written–for good reason! This book wrote itself, as if it couldn’t wait to find out what happened any more than I could!


text:
Robert Gilman, combined with Robina McCurdy and Rose Diamond, between them bring experience a wealth of experience as educators designers and facilitators involved in such activities as: guiding the Findhorn Community in Scotland through a three month socio-structural transformative process creating a democratically endorsed community constitution and council for self-governance; developing the Household EcoTeam Program for the Global Action Plan; Gestalt therapy and Deep Ecology; and assisting the Tlholego Development Project in South Africa to transform an impoverished farm labourers' village into a demonstration eco-village settlement.
On the season of workshops theme, the folks down at Basque Park Community Garden are running some handson workshops over the spring, more details.
One of our members is at the US Cohousing conference, which sounds a really exciting event, and I look forward to some news to share about it. While on cohousing, there is a decent search engine for the cohousing list archive, which is avialable to anyone and is actually a wealth of info, Coho-L Search. Lets not reinvent the wheel.
It seems like there is a huge amount of positive energy flowing at the moment, and a couple of important websites that have come my way are examples: Network New Zeaand and Resilient Communities . The Permaculture Institute of NZ is also revving up, with a new email list, details.
Well, it also a busy time, so I'll be brief. In ending, I saw one of those Church billboards the other day, which said: "Springtime--evidence of gods love", and while not being a church goer, with the weather and the copious abundance of blossum, I wasnt about to argue with that.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


text:
CEO Featured- Kiersten Kindred: Driven. Determined. Putting In The Work.
Kiersten Kindred: Driven. Determined. Putting In The Work.
In just five years after graduating from college, Kiersten Kindred has worked in production, had her own newspaper column, been a freelance reporter, started her own communications firm, self-published two books and produced a conference for business leaders and entrepreneurs. Just thinking about all of that is exhausting, right? Kiersten’s achievements are definitely impressive but it is important to understand that her success is the direct result of her drive, determination and willingness to put in the work.
As a reporter for the Fort Bend Herald, Kiersten would often report on small businesses in the area. Due her expertise, she made some keen observations. The businesses did not have any branding and there was not any communications. When she explained the importance a marketing plan, they had no idea what she was talking about. These conversations led Kiersten down the path of entrepreneurship. In the summer of 2013, she took on her first client and launched Kindred Communications while continuing to work at the Fort Bend Herald. Through word-of-mouth referrals, the business really began to blossom and Kiersten quit her job at the newspaper.
As a communications strategist, Kiersten spent a lot of time talking to business owners and developing marketing plans to help them grow their businesses. These business owners had something in common. As Kiersten explains, “They would get the components confused. They didn’t know the difference between marketing, advertising, sales and communications. They thought everything was the same”. This led Kiersten to a project she had not planned. She shares, “If someone would have told me, after college, I was going to write a book, I would have told them they were lying but, it was in my heart, to do a book called Five Steps of Marketing Success: A Small Business Guide”. She indeed wrote the book, self-published it and, in March 2015, it was released.
Knowing her purpose gives Kiersten the strength she needs to overcome barriers. Kiersten says, “I feel like God put me on this earth to help others. I wholeheartedly believe what I do and what I create helps others”. Committed to walk in her purpose, Kiersten will not slow down anytime soon. She continues to focus on her clients, growing her firm and creating programs and services people need. With her drive, determination and work ethic, the sky is the limit for Kiersten!


text:
Welcome to the neighborhood bar, Elliotborough Mini Bar. On Tuesday evenings there are guest chef dinners that run around $10 per person. There is plenty of food and they choose some incredible chefs to host.
Happy hour from 5-7 with $2.50 lager and $5 wine.
We chose our bicycles as the mode of choice.
Meet the guest chefs: Curtis Wilson and Mark Nagelberg.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


text:
At Reliable Taxis London Gatwick Airport to Matfields, we think of Safety first for our customers in everything we do, our team and our customers are our greatest assets. We value them, protect them, take care of them and reduce the risk they face. As our customer, no matter where you are; in the office, on the road, or in hotels.
Reliable Taxis in London Gatwick Airport to Matfield is a local taxi company based in Royal Tunbridge Wells offering local journeys, long distance transfers to airports, seaports and many other locations/attractions ie race days, theatre nights, golf/fishing trips (up to 8 persons plus luggage and equipment).
Take your Travel Experience To The Next Level with Reliable Taxis London Gatwick Airport to Matfield.

industry_corpus2: Transportation


text:
The Port of Oakland is scheduled to approve a new contract with its workers at today's board meeting, but the port — the total workforce of which is divided between the agency's own public employees, and the employees of numerous corporate contractors who run the maritime and airport operations — remains unsettled with serious labor disputes. One union is saying its workers could strike before December is over.
At Oakland International Airport, workers represented by Unite HERE Local 2850 are now threatening to walk off the job because of an impasse in contract negotiations with a major contractor. The workers are resisting drastic takeaways demanded by their employer, HMS Host. About two hundred unionized HMS Host employees run most of the food service operations at the airport. They work in the central warehouse delivering supplies to dozens of vendors like Starbucks, and they work in the kitchens of several of the larger restaurants like Chili's. Most of these employees make $12 to $14 an hour.
According to Matt Clark, an organizer with Unite HERE, HMS Host is demanding that workers now shoulder the cost of increases in their healthcare insurance. Healthcare costs rose rapidly in the 2000s. Last year alone average premiums paid under private sector plans rose 3 to 4 percent, a significant rise even though it represented a slow down from previous years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's annual study of health insurance coverage.
Furthermore, HMS Host is seeking to take back paid lunch-time, which would amount to a 7 percent pay cut for workers, and also is demanding a three- to four-year contract that includes no cost of living increases over its duration, said Clark. “We have called on Host to agree to a fair contract, but all they’ve offered so far are takeaways," said Marcia Voge, a bartender at the airport's Pyramid restaurant. "Now we’re preparing to do whatever it takes in our fight to win a fair contract.” Unite HERE's members have given HMS Host until midnight tonight to make a different offer.
HMS Host points to a drop in passenger traffic through the Oakland Airport as the main reason for its austere proposals to the union. The company has a point. In 2007, at the height of the housing and banking bubbles, the airport saw more than 7.3 million passengers. But in 2011, the last year for which statistics are available, the airport saw only 4.7 million passengers.
Passenger traffic through Oakland doesn't tell the whole story with respect to HMS Host's financial condition, however. The company actually is one of the largest food and retail services contractors in US airports, and many of its operations are in venues that have seen increases in passenger traffic and revenues since 2010.
HMS Host is owned by the Autogrill Group, an Italian multi-national corporation that is controlled by the Benetton family's four billionaire scions, Luciano, Guiliana, Gilberto, and Carlo. The Benetton's control an amazing proportion of Italy's wealth, including Atlantia, the corporation that owns and operates much of the country's privatized toll highways.
In a recent letter to investors, Gilberto Benetton, who lead's the family's Autogrill holdings, said that profits derived from HMS Host are up. "Travel Retail recorded excellent performance in terms of both sales and, even more so, margins," explained Mr. Benetton. "The airport channel [HMS Host] posted positive results in Food & Beverage as well, where revenues grew faster than the trend in traffic."
If Wikipedia is any indicator, public sentiment is apparently trending against HMS Host. The company's current Wiki entry includes unfriendly edits, likely from disgruntled staff, that call it "low-scale," and claim that employees are 230 percent more likely to commit suicide or die from heart disease due to HMS Host's unfair working conditions.


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Vacuum induction furnace, electroslag remelting furnace, air hammers, pipe mills and also advanced test equipment like spectrometer, carbon and sulfur analyzer,hydraulic test machine, universal testing machine, sclerometer, ultrasonic flaw detector, hydrostatic test machine, and so on.
At Sekonic we never compromise on quality & consistancy in supply with a great working environment for our back office staffand this was one of the reasons hy we have got our certification done of worlds best & renowned certification organization.
Provide technically sound solutions and create additional value in mutual interest with our customers resulting in being a preferred manufacturer.
Our goal is provide our customers with the finest products and services, wishing to let our customers know "Made in China produced by Huntec "also means good quality and good service beside of good price. We deliver customers with an unbiased level of potential in manufacturing and service of products. Sekonic Metals combines the motivation and creativity of its team with the knowledge and dedication of the engineers ensuring that each order is processed quickly and to the excellent quality.
Keeping efficient and friendly customer service as the top concren, Sekonic Metlas provides ultimate flexibility in fulfilling each & every customer requirement irrespective of the size of order. Most of our clients are doing bussiness with us since years, which indiactes higher levels of customer satisfaction. We always welcom any queries or suggesions from our clients to improve the services and hence to serve them better.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


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Designed to keep jewelry displays neat and professional looking, these string tags feature either elastic strings that keep the price tag close to the jewelry or clear monofilament strings that are nearly invisible. Elastic string tags are available in white and gold; monofilament strings are clear. Contact: Arch Crown Inc., 460 Hillside Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 1-973-731-6300; e-mail info@archcrown.com; archcrown.com.
Embedded with a proprietary high-surface-area copper, Intercept Foam Pad Inserts absorb and neutralize corrosive gasses that lead to the tarnishing and corrosion of precious metals. Designed for showcases, safes, and other enclosed spaces, the inserts measure 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches by 0.25 inch (6.4 cm by 8.9 cm by 0.6 cm) and can protect up to 30 cubic feet. Safe and non-toxic, the pads do not leave any deposits or coatings on items they protect. They feature a built-in saturation indicator; the foam will begin to change color as it approaches the end of its effective life. Contact: Intercept Silver & Jewelry Care, 10 County Line Road, Unit 25, Branchburg, NJ 08876; 1-908-526-0088; fax 526-0007; e-mail info@interceptjewelry.com; interceptjewelrycare.com.
This printer/scanner bundle includes the JTP D300 thermal-transfer printer and the JTI-300 2-D barcode scanner. Offering 300 dpi resolution, the printer uses standard length 985-foot ribbon on a 1-inch core and features an advanced sensor for printing barbell labels. The scanner can capture all major 1-D and 2-D barcodes at a range of up to 33 feet. It communicates with a computer via a USB receiver. Also included with the bundle are 5,000 labels and matching ribbon. Contact: Jewelry Tag Solutions, 200 Broadhollow Road, Ste. 207, Melville, NY 11747; 1-866-665-5949; e-mail info@jewelrytagsolutions.com; jewelrytagsolutions.com.
Available in a variety of colors, these clear rat-tail tags feature IronClad adhesive to withstand the rigors of frequent ultrasonic and steam cleaning. Made from poly-lam, the tags measure 0.4375 inch wide and 3.5 inches long. Contact: Jewelry Tag Solutions, 200 Broadhollow Road, Ste. 207, Melville, NY 11747; 1-866-665-5949; e-mail info@jewelrytagsolutions.com; jewelrytagsolutions.com.
Featuring a high-gloss carbon fiber finish with a black leather interior, the Volta 8 automatic watch winder can accommodate up to eight watches. Featuring a storage drawer that is divided into two large and two small compartments, the winder is controlled using the LCD control display. LED lighting illuminates the interior of the case, and it can be turned on/off independently from the winder. The unit measures 16.75 inches by 10.5 inches by 18 inches (42.3 cm by 26.7 cm by 45.7 cm). Contact: A&A Jewelry Supply, 319 W. Sixth St., Los Angeles, CA 90014; 1-800-433-5544; fax 888-888-8770; e-mail info@aajewelry.com; aajewelry.com.
The Couture Display Collection features a range of display styles of rings, earrings, bracelets, watches, necklaces, and more. Ring displays feature a pocket design for hiding ring tags. The displays are available in white, carbon black, gold, and palladium. Contact: A&A Jewelry Supply, 319 W. Sixth St., Los Angeles, CA 90014; 1-800-433-5544; fax 888-888-8770; e-mail info@aajewelry.com; aajewelry.com.


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Winklevoss IP, the company owned by Gemini authors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has been granted with a patent claim that intends to settle exchange-traded products (ETPs) holding cryptocurrencies.
The company sketched out a framework that can execute transactions for ETPs holding cryptocurrencies, “for example, bitcoins … ripple, dogecoins … ether” and also BBQCoin, among others, as indicated by patent distributed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday. The company initially recorded the application in December of a year ago.
ETPs, which incorporate exchange-traded funds (ETF), is a sort of security whose costs get from other investment instruments they are tied to, which in the Winklevoss case, would be cryptocurrencies.
The patent reward is remarkable as it gives a look into the Winklevoss siblings’ proceeding with endeavors to push forward the exchanging of cryptocurrency-related ETFs subsequent to having met obstacles from U.S. regulators.
As previously announced by CoinDesk, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has rejected the siblings last offered in March 2017 that looked to list a bitcoin-tied ETF on the Bats BZX Exchange, referring to chance related with the exchanging and regulatory vulnerability.
At present, the SEC still can’t seem to green-light any bitcoin-related ETFs on trades. Furthermore, in January this year, a few firms that were proposing a run change to the SEC had also pulled back their filings per prerequisite by the securities controller.
The present patent reward also comes only a month after the Winklevoss IP won another patent claim for fortifying cryptocurrencies’ transaction security that could be utilized as a part of the Gemini trade, as already detailed by CoinDesk.
Winklevi or Winklevii are American born rowers and internet entrepreneurs namely Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. They both participated at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where they both competed in the men’s pair rowing event. Additionally, they are co-founders of Harvard connection (connectU). In 2004 they sued the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg claiming he stole their ConnectU idea to create the popular social networking site and ultimately settled for $65million.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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R&D and Commercial Competitive Intelligence programs as well as business development and marketing teams are using our solutions to dramatically increase the speed and efficiency with which they deliver information and insight to stakeholders. Our Life Sciences Competitive Intelligence solution automates and improves the core activities. The software solution improves data gathering, curating of text and diverse information, and allows for custom information organization. Users can easily incorporate other existing information, collaborate and investigate with information from diverse sources, and create reports and visualizations.
The expertise of our responsive solution engineers team is ready to work with you and always there to offer their expertise and support. The customized solution is more flexible and targeted than any dedicated Competitive Intelligence tool. The solution can be implemented in a fraction of the time of IT-sourced custom systems. This tailored solution draws on the content that you trust most and delivers up-to-date reports, dashboards, and analyses to stakeholders when they need them, in the way they want them.


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Simple Past → He wrote letters.
Present Perfect Progressive → .
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Future Perfect Progressive → .
Conditional Perfect Progressive → .


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This is the full version of the award-wining fortune3 ecommerce software: After download, you can create your own online store by using this ecommerce website builder: Create your online store and upload it to the fortune3 cloud of servers that will host it, then you can start selling online. Securely access your online store data as well: Just click-on the admin icon to log on and enter your online shopping cart, there you can manage your sales, customers, payments, shipments, and every other aspect of your ecommerce website.
fortune3 offers a completely customizable online store solution for both retail B2C and wholesale B2B at once - sell gift certificates and digital products: Pictures, software, music.
fortune3 includes a built-in HTML Editor / WYSIWYG, and a superb Tree-Structured Product Management interface that makes managing your products a highly efficient process. Among its thousands of features, some of the key features that this hosted solution offers are: Link to any credit card processor, merchant account, or payment gateway. Fully customize template, web pages, buttons, fonts, and menus for a unique look and feel. Integrates with Google Checkout, PayPal, and Amazon Payments. Creates static HTML Web pages that are fully optimized for the search engines and can be manually optimized as well (SEO shopping cart). You can import product data from a spreadsheet or accounting software; and it has a direct connection for bringing your orders to QuickBooks. It retrieves live shipping quotes directly from major carriers to offer multiple shipping methods to online shoppers: FedEx, UPS, USPS, Canada Post, Australia Post and DHL. One-click label printing for easy order fulfillment. Multi-lingual functions. All features are included in the monthly plans with 24/7 Customer Support.
Import and export product and category data through spreadsheet. Editable category and product pages. Options for Products. Hide products, options, or categories. Control How Options are Displayed. Option Images. Embroidery and Text-Input Options. Offer Gift Wrapping. Promo Codes (Coupons). Wholesale Pricing by level and by customer. Up selling and cross-selling. Cross-Selling Discounts. Force-Add Cross-Selling Products. Advanced Website Search Options. Custom Fields. Best Sellers and Featured Products. Multiple Product Images.
"A complete ecommerce website builder for online store"
Shopping cart software with straight forward and easy to use interface. I recommend it if you are a pc user. It isn't just a software, it offers a complete ecommerce solution that always upload to servers own by the same developer, so if you want to maintain your online store running after the 30 day trial, you must sign up with the developer as they must provide the hosting for the website. The good thing is that their prices are affordable even for a small business.
This shopping cart software is straight forward and easy to use. I recommend it if you are a pc user.
Fast to build and manage an ecommerce store. Lots of features. Good support. Fast hosting. Friendly.
"Switching from shopping cart wizard to storebuilder"
On 2002 I started using fortune3 and their pc based shopping cart software with upload capabilities to their hosting. My ecommerce website has always been very active selling popular items online to final consumers. Although I was pleased with the easy software interface, I always wanted to do my job using an online interface for practical reasons; most necessary when switching computers. Last year the company finally came out with a new online platform called the store builder, but I didn't switch right away. Since the beginning the company was trying to make me switch, but I was reluctant.. The reason was lack of trust to their new software until its stability was fully proven.
It was just two weeks ago when I decided to change to the online platform. I am happy that I did so: It is even more user friendly than before. It offers many additional features that the wizard didn't have. They keep improving the interface and adding functionality and responsive templates.
They say that the drop-ship feature is being implemented as we speak. I hope it will be ready soon.
Anyways, this is the most amazing online shopping cart!
On 2002 I started using fortune3 and their pc based shopping cart software with upload capabilities to their hosting. My ecommerce website has always been very active selling popular items online to final consumers.
"Lucky me I found this"
After having tried many other e-commerce carts, I can say that this one is the best.
For over a year I was using a "famous" "top-rated" shopping cart software with good reviews and recommendations, even today you can find them when searching on google and yahoo. Soon after signing up I started receiving comments from customers complaining about the terrible performance of my online store, I was seriously losing sales. Then I decided search for a different ecommerce solution.
After such difficult experience and waste of time, I had no choice but to fully research and test several shopping cart solutions before switching to fortune3. I am now 6 months using it. It is easy, fast, and very reliable. It works like a charm. I have experienced no trouble using it. Fortune3 has saved me time and I'm now an online merchant running my business professionally.
"The best to create your online ecommerce site"
It is great and has everything if you use a pc.
"Simply outstanding, backed by 1st class tech support"
Have used this ecommerce and shopping cart software for years to build and manage several store websites for my business. Now using it everywhere with fortune3's iphone application I have the ability to manage my client's online stores anywhere from my cell phone and tablet with the new web-based online store builder which is powerful and brings many new tools that work fast online. They all are awesome and I making good money in my ecommerce business.
No problems, just continue improving like always.
"The E-Commerce website is quite easy to use and manage."
The functions of this E-Commerce website builder are very complete too.
Also, I love the video tutorials, which make the software much easier to learn.
How to use the software for multiple user?
"amazing software to sell online from own ecommerce site"
among all ecommerce shopping carts I've tried this is the easiest one. I am using it for over a month and just decided to go on with it. besides its simple interface it is powerful enough to do everything I need. I like the the product and category visual hierarchy definition through a graphic tree. I also like its shipping cost calculation and consolidation which display instantly to buyers with real values provided by directly by shipping carriers like fedex, ups, usps, dhl, etc. Another benefit is the quality of the seo algorithm which automatically builds web pages for the products already optimized for the search engines. I also like the fact that I am monitoring the quality of my website hosting through a reputable third party company which gets me all the reports through the time, and I can tell you that the website hosting system provided by the company is good; they really are on top of it, the up time is near 100%. technical support is also good, I do not have to worry.
Version 2012 releases 100 new webstore templates and tens of new software features.


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Justin Leonard helped the USA to a 19-5 victory at the 1993 Walker Cup Match by posting a 3-0-0 record at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. To this date, it is the largest margin of victory in the competition’s history. Leonard, the 1992 U.S. Amateur champion and 1994 NCAA Division I individual champion, went on to win the 1997 British Open among his 12 PGA Tour wins.
What do you remember about playing in the Walker Cup?
I just remember how excited I was about playing in it and that it turned out to be as fun as I hoped it would be. A lot of great memories. I played with Allen Doyle and he was great to be around. We only got to play in one [foursomes] because we got rained out on Saturday morning, but still it was a great week. Even the practice rounds were fun.
Other than winning the U.S. Amateur, would that be the highlight of your amateur career?
Yes, easily. Playing at home and winning the way we did, it was a really great experience, and I think anyone who has that opportunity is better for it. Just the whole atmosphere is really neat. You make a lot of new friends -- from both teams and it's another level of golf, another experience that makes you a better player.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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If 2018 was the year of the global heatwave, then 2019 looks set to bring even more extreme weather with early indications of an El Niño event in the next three months.
And while high temperatures last year brought food and water shortages, the phenomenon of El Niño comes with the threat of hotter and more extreme weather events, with potentially dramatic effects on agriculture and food production worldwide.
The likely impact - from unpredictable rainfall to prolonged droughts - will hit smallholder farmers in developing countries hardest unless they are supported to adapt and build greater resilience to this changing climate.
Fortunately, through existing innovations and new technologies, we can help ensure richer, timely data is at farmers' fingertips to help them better anticipate and prepare for El Niño and the effects of climate change on agriculture and on their livelihoods.
With growing levels of digitalisation, smallholders can learn to use inputs and environmental resources more efficiently to become climate-smart farmers.
One of CTA's projects, for example, links farmers in South Africa with government extension and weather services along with research groups and private sector to help improve their resilience to climate change.
By specifically prioritising access to IT-based forecasting systems and associated weather-based insurance schemes, the initiative sets out to improve productivity and adaptation for 140,000 smallholders over two years.
Such crucial and context-specific information about weather conditions and agronomic advice helps farmers increase their yields with precise instructions based on localised weather patterns, and this will become invaluable with more expected extreme weather this year.
Meanwhile, access to reliable weather data has also unlocked greater access to loans, insurance and other financial services, as climate-smart farmers are seen as a less risky investment by banks.
This in turn has helped farmers build more resilient livelihoods and predictable incomes in the face of unpredictable weather because they are better equipped to invest in their businesses. Climate-smart farmers who are able to take out loans are then able to invest in ever more sustainable production tools and methods to help them mitigate climatic shocks.
Elsewhere, Kenyan agribusiness, UjuziKilimo, uses wireless sensor networks to monitor soils and provide advice on fertilizers, seeds, weather and best practices to help smallholders farm with greater precision, according to local conditions and climate.
And Hello Tractor, a Nigerian start-up, provides farmers with smart tractors, equipped with GPS and telematic technology, which enables data collection on the farm's location and size, and planting and harvesting times.
This data, combined with other information on weather conditions and soil type, can serve as an early warning system for environmental changes to allow farmers to respond swiftly and reduce the risk of crop losses.
Some of these innovations are among those to have emerged through CTA's Agri-Hack Talent initiative, which encourages young people to harness the power of mobile phones, social media and web-based platforms to reboot agriculture.
Drones are another example of a new technology that is increasingly becoming a valuable tool for farmers, helping them monitor their crops for diseases and pests that are spreading in unexpected ways because of climate change.
CTA's Eyes in the Sky project provides crop inventory and crop management advice to smallholder farmers that helps them offset the risks of an increasingly unpredictable climate.
Connecting farmers to such expert advice has helped them to calculate yields as well as their fertiliser and seed requirements.
And by creating digitalised profiles of more than 4,000 smallholder farmers, which map the location, size and productivity of their farms through a simple platform, the project has helped provide up-to-date agronomic advice.
Climate shocks in any year can have a devastating impact on food security, particularly in already vulnerable regions, and El Niño is likely to bring prolonged consequences.
New technologies can lessen the sting of surprise through better forecasting - whether that's weather, crop disease or yields - allowing farmers a better chance of working with their new conditions than against them.


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In the months before John Lennon was tragically gunned down outside The Dakota in New York City on December 8, 1980, by deranged killer Mark David Chapman, life for the ex Beatle and his bride Yoko Ono was full of 'unclouded happiness'.
And those moments, during the creation of what would be their last album together, are captured in the collection of photographs of the couple, published for the first time in the book, Double Fantasy.
The photographs were taken by Kishin Shinoyama, who has now written about them in a book by him and Yoko Ono, published by Taschen Books in multiple international editions.
The touching and beautiful collection of never-before-seen photographs were shot while they were making their last album together: the Double Fantasy Album.
Cozy: John and Yoko schmooze in the outdoor patio of a Manhattan restaurant.
The Beatles had broken up a decade before.
John had embraced a new life he described as 'househusband' and he was now focused on creative, political and musical projects. The couple had made international news in 1969 with their Vietnam War protest, the Bed-In in Amsterdam and Montreal.
The Double Fantasy album was going to be John's comeback at age forty, reflecting his personal growth in music and self that he attributed to Yoko, now 82, the first woman who told him that his previous lifestyle of wantonly pursuing women, alcohol and drugs was meaningless.
Paul McCartney and John had finally resolved a bitter rift that dissolved when both men bonded over fatherhood and baking bread. They were once again 'good friends', McCartney told Jonathan Ross on his show last December.
McCartney was one of three people that Yoko called when she returned home from the hospital that fateful night to say that John had not survived the five hollow-point bullets Mark David Chapman fired at the singer just outside their apartment at The Dakota, across the street from Central Park.
George Harrison was deeply shocked by his bandmate's murder but had had little contact with him in the years prior to the murder.
Broken up emotionally, Ringo Starr and his wife, Barbara Bach, immediately flew to New York to offer comfort to Yoko.
'They were two people in one,' Ringo said.
Lennon was the unofficial leader of the Beatles, 'the cheeky wit and sardonic soul of the Beatles', Newsweek wrote in 2014. His death was the end of an era.
Yoko remembers the last time the couple went into the studio together in 1978, the Hit Factory in New York.
Yoko introduces the collection of photos in the book.
'When John and I decided to make the album Double Fantasy, breaking a five-year silence, we wondered whom we should ask to take the photographs. As the two of us thought about it, suddenly the face of Kishin Shinoyama came to mind.
'I said, "For once, I'd really like to have a Japanese photographer." John quickly agreed, saying, "Right, that sounds good." I never expected that "for once" would turn out to be the last album John and I made together, and that "for once" would live on forever'.
Kishin Shinoyama remembers that last recording session: 'I checked in at the Hotel Lexington, and by early afternoon I was down the street at the door of The Hit Factory on West 48th Street, the recording studio where John and Yoko were working on the final parts of the record, inserting choruses and other additional layers of sounds.
'The two had been working intensely for over a month, recording 28 songs — 14 of John's and 14 of Yoko's. The concept of Double Fantasy was a back-and-forth dialogue, a kind of musical conversation between them.
'As I entered the studio, the atmosphere was of creativity and concentration. Yoko greeted me and immediatelyintroduced me to John. He was slim and dressed all in black. His demeanor was very sweet, gentle . . . almost tender. He welcomed me warmly and then returned his attention to four backup singers, directing them as they laid down the chorus to a song he had written called "Woman".
'Throughout the sessions, I noticed that John always spoke with the staff and the studio musicians in a quiet, clear manner, remaining calm and focused, despite the seemingly endless days and nights of work. Overall, there was a feeling of both relief and exhaustion in the air, a sense that this important and cathartic project was finally nearing completion'.
While dining later at Mr Chow's, Kishin learned that he and John were both 40 years old.John revealed 'he was at a turning point, that he wanted to forget everything that had come before and start again', Kishin writes.'He was trying to clear away those feelings — of fame, of the past — in order to become a new person.
'He explained to me that without Yoko, he wouldn't be there now - that the first part of his life he had been obsessed with alcohol and women and drugs, and that Yoko had been the first woman to tell him that what he was obsessed with was meaningless.
'He felt that those words had changed him, and this new album was going to celebrate that change'.
A month after Kishin returned to Japan, John was shot and killed.
'I look back at these photos, so many years later, and I feel that I captured John and Yoko at their happiest moment. They were doing creative work, working on the album, recording together. And they were raising their son and loving each other and living a full life together,' Kishin offers.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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Are kids suffering from neck pain too early?
What is manual lymphatic drainage and what can it do for you?
Is gluten to blame for your neuropathy?
Do you suffer from nerve pain, stinging, or burning sensations to feet, hands, both? Peripheral neuropathy, or neuropathy, can describe a wide range of disorders characterized by nerve damage to one or more nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. Often the root cause of neuropathy is unknown, however the Mayo Clinic has been able to link autoimmune diseases and vitamin deficiencies as some of the potential causes.
In people with a gluten sensitivity, eating foods with gluten triggers an autoimmune response, much the same way that the antibodies attack viruses. This leads to intestinal damage and inhibits absorption of nutrients, leading to nutrient deficiencies. According to the Center for Peripheral Neuropathy, gastrointestinal symptoms like an upset stomach, may signify that neurological damage has already been done.
Gluten Free Society calls gluten a "potential neurotoxin". This seems fitting considering that gluten damage can lead to numbness in the hands and feet, as well as dizziness, loss of balance, tremors, and trouble judging distances, and many more symptoms. Gluten neuropathy is when the autoimmune response is the root cause of the nerve damage.
One study published in the Muscle and Nerve journal (December 2006) found that participants with neuropathy who followed a gluten-fee diet, showed significant improvement in symptoms after one year. The control group had worsening symptoms.
But no need to wait one year to see results. Usually, improvements can be felt as soon as 1 week when going on a strict gluten-free regimen. In my practice, I have discussed possibilities of gluten allergies and sensitivities with clients, especially with those that have chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, and cases of neuropathy. They have given positive feedback and saw reduction in their symptoms after eliminating gluten in their diets!
If you suspect that you have any gluten intolerance, the gentlest way to figure it out is by dietary therapy. Avoid all gluten for 2-4 weeks and keep a food journal, documenting everything that goes in your mouth, your symptoms/reactions for each day. After a few weeks, slowly re-introduce it and observe any reactions. Gluten intolerance DOES NOT respond to simple allergy tests like milk or nuts. Abstinence is key!
Peppermint - it's more than just a holiday treat.
During this holiday season, candy canes and peppermints abound! More than just a holiday decoration or tradition, however, peppermint has many wonderful natural healing properties.
Peppermint can help with migraines, boost memory and concentration, relieve inflammation, and aid in digestion. Personally, I use peppermint very often in my practice for keeping the sinuses open, uplifting the mood, and taming headaches.
The antispasmodic properties of peppermint have also been confirmed in clinical trials.
Peppermint is one of the most effective oils of the digestive system. The German Commission E Monographs recommends peppermint oil for obstructions of the bile ducts, gall bladder inflammations and severe liver damage.
Jean Valnet, MD studied peppermint's supportive effect on the liver and respiratory systems. Peppermint helps the circulation as well. More uses for this oil include the treatment of indigestion, flu, catarrh, headaches, toothache, and rheumatism.
Be happy and healthy with peppermint this holiday season!
Regardless of whether your pain is acute or chronic, there are general treatment principles that you can apply to help ease the pain and swelling related to an injury or illness. These approaches are commonly referred to as RICHES - rest, ice, compression, heat, elevation, support. Severe sprains or other injuries should be evaluated by a physician, especially if symptoms worsen.
REST is a period of time in which little to no movement is allowed. This allows your body to heal and repair the injured tissues. During this time, you should also assess pain levels and even take notes to monitor your progress. Once you feel improvement, slowly resume activity. Most minor injuries heal in 1-2 weeks.
ICE is particularly recommended for injuries to the musculoskeletal system. It is a tried and true anti-inflammatory! Typically, a cold treatment should last 10-20 minutes and repeated every hour. Keep in mind that prolonged use of ice treatments may cause damage.
COMPRESSION to an injured area can help prevent swelling. One common form of compression is an ACE bandage applied to the injured area. Make sure it is not too tight, and seek approval from a medical professional.
HEAT may be used for an injury and can help relieve tightness and spasm. Make sure that at least 72 hours as passed post-injury before beginning heat treatments. Applying heat too early in the recovery phase may actually make an injury worse.
-during acute phase of healing.
-if there are any signs of infection (i.e. redness, heat, swelling).
-if you are prone to blood clots or have high blood pressure.
-against the advice of a physician.
ELEVATION of the injured body part above the heart can help decrease swelling, and allows gravity to assist moving fluids back towards the heart.
SUPPORT and protection of the area is critical. It may be necessary to wear protective splints or braces if injury requires.
A good rule of thumb to follow is "When in doubt, use ICE." Within the first 72 hours of an injury, ice is the most effective in relieving pain and swelling.
Remember, always pay attention to your body and its pain signals! If ice is not helping to relieve your painful muscle spasms, switch to heat, preferably a moist heat source. One easy trick is to place moist washcloths in the microwave for a couple minutes and use as local spot treatments. Careful, they may be very hot at first. Moist heat penetrates the muscles easier without dehydrating them! If you choose to utilize heating pads as your heat source, do not use more than 15- 20 minutes at a time, doing so will only cause a reverse reaction. It is very easy to overdo this approach. Monitor your time and try again every hour if needed.
Hope some of these tips help you decide on your next RICHES approach.
This month's issue of Health Magazine has at least 11 advertisements for prescription drugs...11! You can see commercials on the television for prescription drugs every 5-10 minutes. Our country's health system is based on Big Pharma's 'diagnoses' and structured around treating symptoms with an RX pad. What about treating the actual CAUSES of conditions such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, depression, allergies, etc?
It is our duty as a society to research/find alternative, natural treatments for such conditions. More importantly, we can prevent most of these conditions through healthy lifestyles. I take full pride and pleasure in knowing that the focused massage treatments I provide, using a variety of techniques based on clients' needs, are an integral part of staying healthy and an effective treatment for pain relief. There is a plethera of information out there offering information, research, articles, etc. that may offer more effective and safer alternatives to the ill side effects of precription drugs. Greenmedinfo.com is one such website that I use frequently.
Now don't get me wrong...there is a place for prescription medications. They have their place and their absolute necessities. However, I urge you to ask questions, do your own research, and don't be afraid to ask your doctor for alternatives. Make sure that you are willing to live with the possible side effects if beginning a new medication.
"Talk to your doctor today about Essential Medical Massage for your symptoms. Possible side effects may include (but not limited to): increased circulation; pain relief; lowered blood pressure; decreased joint pain; increased mobility/range of motion; lowered anxiety; feeling of calmness; happiness!"
Lavender oil has been proven to aid in relaxation and promote sleep, but did you know that lavender oil is also effective against fungus?
Scientists have demonstrated that lavender oil's effectiveness against two important fungal strains: 1. Candida species, which cause thrush, and 2. dermatophytes, which cause athlete's foot and ringworm. Lavender oil attacks these fungi by damaging their cell membranes. In cases of nail infections, for example, lavender oil may be applied topically, directly onto the nail bed where they have little to no blood supply. They are unreachable by medicines taken internally because medicines only work if the infection is in the blood.
The recent increase of drug-resistant fungal infections, especially to those who are immunocompromised, has prompted renewed research of natural remedies such as with this essential oil. Lavendula oil also shows wide-spectrum anti-fungal properties and is a highly potent oil.
-Applied to minor burns and insect bites/stings.
-Used in massage oils for joint and muscle pain relief.
-Chest rub for asthmatic & bronchitic spasm.
-Hair rinse to treat head lice.
And of course my personal favorite, in aromatherapy, lavender oil is an anxiolytic, which induces calmness and relieves anxiety.
Lavender oil smells wonderful so why not keep some on hand for its many medicinal purposes as well!
Stretch your psoas for low back pain relief.
I love talking about the psoas, iliacus...AKA, hip flexors. If you suffer from low back pain, sit a lot through out the day, have tight quads, and stiff knees, then you probably have tight hip flexors.
Stretch these muscles daily and you will discover less pain.
The word trapezius comes from the Greek word for a small table, a reflection of the muscle's relative flatness and four-cornered shape. I like to refer to it as the butterfly muscle.
Many people don't realize that the trapezius covers most of the upper half of the back, extending upward to cover the central part of the back and neck, finally attaching into base of the skull. Not only is this a large muscle but it lays superficial (on top) to deeper back muscles.
The trapezius helps support the weight of the head and neck when you bend head forward or to the side. It functions mainly to move the shoulder. It also supports the weight of the shoulders and must contract strongly to rotate the shoulder blade every time you raise your arm.
Trigger points tend to develop in the trapezius when they are in a state of constant contraction, and/or are too weak to counteract the strong pulling in the pectorals in front of body. A primary source of headaches and neck pain pain arises from trapezius trigger points!
Most people experience trigger points in the upper part of the trapezius. Their effects often cause tension headaches and possibly even dizziness. More importantly, upper trapezius trigger points are capable of inducing satellite trigger points in muscles of the jaw and temple, making it an indirect cause of jaw pain and toothache.
Mid-trapezius trigger points are often a major source of pain at the base of your skull, which you may feel as a headache or sore neck. When neck massage feels good but doesn't get rid of the pain, the problem may be trapezius-related.
Heading down to the lower traps we reach middle back area. If you've ever felt a nagging ache or burning pain in the middle back, trigger points here may be responsible. This is also a common area for weakness, and although trigger points here are a long ways away from the neck, it's one of the many causes of astiff neck. Also, If you have ever noticed someone with "winged" shoulder blades that tend to stick out in back, it is due to weakness in the lower trapezius muscles and serratus.
Faulty Posture - eg. slumping while seated.
Shortened Pectoralis Muscles -indicated by rounding of the shoulders.
Emotional Tension or any activity which keeps your shoulders raised.
Arms held out in front of you for extended lengths of time.
Heavy-breasted women may be especially vulnerable, or those carrying heavy backpacks & purses.
Strengthening the lower traps can help counteract the ill effects of poor posture, including the long hours spent sitting in front of computer. However, it also requires stretching various anterior muscle groups on opposing side of body, to retrain postural muscles.
At Essential Medical Massage, we will guide you through the process of improving posture by demonstrating stretches and strengthening for the trapezius muscle and other affected postural muscles.
You do not have to suffer from headaches, neck tension & pain, TMJ pain, or back pain. Perhaps the source may be trapezius-related!
Come on in and let us find out!
aching, burning, and then stinging in my shins...the 'shin splints' which have ailed me for years since my days as a ballet dancer. Through proper rest, training practices, massage, ice, etc., I have been relatively pain free during my runs. However, after a swift (and uneducated) decision to try out different running shoes with more heel and arch support, the pain in my shins returned in just a couple miles of use. I quickly realized that these shoes weren't allowing me to run in proper form (on mid-to balls of my feet). In fact, I was almost forced to run on my heels because of the bulk in the shoes.
This led me to the Vibram Five Fingers. You have probably seen them or maybe wear them already. I went to a running store where I could be fitted properly and have now worn my Five Finger 'Sprints' for 4 days. The 1st day, I wore them for a couple of hours around the house. By day 2, I felt confident enough to wear them to work (about 7 hours). During those 7 hours, I never once felt the pain in my shins! The slight separation in the toes and the grounding I felt while wearing them felt rather ....well, wonderful!
I look forward to testing them during my runs but also feel a little aprehensive until I know the inflammation in my shins has improved. However, this has proven to be a positive start. Surprisingly, the thought of putting on running shoes with a lot of padding is a bit unappealing.
These shoes may not be meant for everyone or every type/shape of foot. Whether they are healthy options for those who already suffer from plantar fasciitis/heel pain, I cannot say at this time, nor have I read any research on the subject. I would suggest using caution of you have a history of foot pain. However, the delicate muscles in the feet need strengthening, just like any other muscle, and these shoes allow for that.
Vibram Five Fingers is different than any other footwear. Not only do they bring you closer to your environment, Five Fingers deliver a number of positive health benefits-by leveraging all of the body’s natural biomechanics, so you can move as nature intended.
Strengthens muscles in the feet and lower legs – wearing Five Fingers will stimulate and strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs, improving general foot health and reducing the risk of injury.
Improves range of motion in ankles, feet and toes – no longer ‘cast’ in a shoe, the foot and toes move more naturally.
Stimulates neural function, important to balance and agility – when wearing Vibram Five Fingers, thousands of neurological receptors in the feet send valuable information to the brain, improving balance and agility.
Improves proprioception and body awareness – those same neurological receptors heighten body awareness, sending messages about body mechanics, form, and movement.
Eliminates heel lift to align the spine and improve posture – by lowering the heel, our body weight becomes evenly distributed across the foot bed, promoting proper posture and spine alignment.
Allows the foot and body to move naturally, which just FEELS GOOD.
If you have any of your own feedback regarding these or similar type of shoes, I would love to hear from you. Until then, keep those feet (and legs) happy!
Fascia is very dense covering, interpenetrating every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein as well as all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. The most interesting aspect of the fascial system is that it is not just a system of separate coverings. It is actually one structure that exists from head to foot without interruption. In this way you can begin to see that each part of the entire body is connected to every other part by the fascia, like the yarn in a sweater.
In the normal healthy state, the fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration. It has the ability to stretch and move without restriction. When we experience physical trauma, scarring, or inflammation, however, the fascia loses its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted and a source of tension to the rest of the body. Trauma, such as a fall, whiplash, surgery or just habitual poor posture over time and repetitive stress injuries has a cumulative effects. The changes they cause in the fascial system influence comfort and the functioning of our body. The fascia can exert excessive pressure producing pain or restriction of motion. They affect our flexibility and stability, and are a determining factor in our ability to withstand stress and strain.
***Since many of the standard tests such as x-rays, myelograms, CAT scans, electromyography, etc, do not show the fascial restrictions, it is thought that an extremely high percentage of people suffering with pain and/or lack of motion may be having fascial problems, but most go undiagnosed.
Sleep is extremely important in order to maintain good health. Sleep may even be more important than exercise and diet, because even more incredibly, we spend up to a third of our lives asleep.
Restorative sleep is necessary to repair damage done to our bodies during the day. Cells get replenished, immune system is boosted, metabolism is regulated, cognitive function improves, toxins and other free radicals are eliminated, hormones are balanced, adrenal glands are restored, etc.
Some causes of insomnia are induced by prescription and over-the-counter medications and/or physical problems such as sleep apnea, rheumatoid arthritis, nerve disorders, restless leg syndrome, and so on. Adrenal hormone imbalances such as high cortisol levels are known to reduce sleep quality. Nutrition deficiencies (such as B vitamins, magnesium, & protein) can affect sleep. Inactivity is also not conducive to sleep.
Among the many variables affecting sleep, however, PERSISTENT STRESS is the most common cause of chronic insomnia! And poor adrenal functioning leads to poor ability to handle stress. It is important to know how to handle that stress, rather than focus on how much stress is in your life.
Here are some wonderful tips for getting a better night's rest!
Relax before bedtime (i.e. dim lights, relaxing bath, quiet music, or read).
Set a schedule -Your natural circadium rythyms are ruled by rising and setting of the sun. Try to go to bed the same time every night/wake same time every morning.
Avoid stimulants -Such as coffee, alcohol, chocolate, sodas, cigarettes.
Exercise - Just 20-30 minutes of activity daily (preferably during early part of the day) will help improve sleep quality. Yoga, stretching, breathing will also help.
Eat Well - Refrain from overeating at dinner time. Include whole natural foods and avoid hydrogenated oils, fried foods, or sugar.
De-Stress - Learn how to handle your stress through such things as meditation, biofeedback, or relaxation techniques. If you tend to worry about things, get in the habit of writing them down on paper, instead of thinking about them all night.
Last but not least, try professional interventions such as massage therapy, chiropractic adjustments & acupuncture.
**Sleeping pills are often addictive and do not allow for natural sleep. More importantly, they reduce the time spent in deep sleep, the most restorative stage of sleep, and can result in rebound insomnia when discontinued.
My clients more often than not tell me that they have the best night's sleep after getting a massage. And those that receive regular massages sessions find that they are better able to manage their stress and do not suffer from the aches and pains that often keep people awake at night.


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We went to a restaurant the other day, and were awestruck over the low prices. I mean they had dishes on the menu for as little as 5RMB, and this place wasn’t some hole-in-the-wall joint. It was huge. It got us to thinking about how much money the dude who owns this place could make. Let’s say the average price on the menu was 20RMB, and after all is said and done, the owner makes, as little as, 1RMB per plate. The place easily seats one hundred and fifty people, and they have to turn their tables once for each meal. Okay here’s the easy part; everybody eats, on average, a dish and a half a piece. That’s 450 dishes in one meal, or 450RMB per meal put in the pocket of the owner. Times that by two meals per day, and we’ve got 900RMB profit, at least, per day. Now times that by the number of restaurants listed on the name card—seven. That’s right folks, if the guy makes 1RMB per plate he serves, he’s making 6,300RMB per day. I no longer wonder where the money for the BMWs comes from.
A recent report put out by the Bloomberg group said that Foxconn, the illustrious group that makes the iPhone, is in need of 20,000 employees. They currently employ just under 100,000 employees. Last year, according to Reuters, they had over 200 million dollars in losses. I’m stupid or naïve or both. [It's both. - Ed.] I mean if each employee only makes the company .07RMB per day, well then the “owners” at Foxconn should be richer than our previously discussed restaurant boss. I kept looking at the numbers to see if I was correct. That’s about 1 fen an hour per employee. Somebody in the accounting department should be shot.
Then again, as I went down to the end of the bar to do the calculations, somebody much wiser than I am reminded me how easy it is to lose money. “You get an employee demand for a 1 percent raise in income, and whoof, your profit is gone. The bigger you are, the easier it is to lose money.” The most employees I’ve ever managed was 38, if my memory serves me correctly, and I wasn’t that stupid, but I wasn’t that smart either because if I was smarter, I would be retired already.
And what would I do if I were retired? I would go to a French café every morning, and start the day with a double espresso, before wandering to a bar to have an afternoon drink to lubricate myself into a mood to write down my thoughts that, hopefully, somebody will read. Ideally, it would be under the sun in warm weather. Then later in the day, somebody would tell me how short-sighted I am, and I would wake up to another day. Another day like tomorrow. Welcome Spring!


text: Learn to make Classic French Cakes and Tarts from French Pastry School instructor, Chef Dimitri Fayard, World Pastry Champion. He will teach you the basic French doughs such as pâte sable, pâte sucrée, and pâte brisée. In this three-day hands-on class, you will learn sponges such as biscuits, dacquoise, and pain de Gênes. From there you will create the foundations of French pastry including lemon tart, apple tart, chocolate tart, pithivier, raspberry mousse cake and chocolate hazelnut torte.


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Marking a major milestone in a process that’s taken 20 years, the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District of Los Angeles County Board of Directors has hired a contractor to build a new $87.3 million water treatment plant to remove salt and other contaminants from wastewater the city discharges into the Santa Clara River.
The panel’s three members — Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean, City Councilmember Laurene Weste and Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger — awarded the contract to OHL USA Inc. during a hearing at City Hall Thursday.
The Irvine-based contractor will build a new advanced water treatment facility at the Valencia Water Reclamation Plant on The Old Road near Rye Canyon Road, one of two local reclamation plants that discharge wastewater into the Santa Clara, the last natural river in Southern California.
The plan approved Thursday also included upgrades of existing water disinfection technology from chlorine to ultraviolet at the Valencia plant as well as the Saugus Water Reclamation Plant on Soledad Canyon Road near Bouquet Canyon Road.
“That will remove very caustic chemicals from eventually seeping into our groundwater,” Weste said.
The new facility and technology is projected to be operational in four years, with the construction cost passed through to water consumers over “30-something years” via incremental increases they’ve already begun paying, Weste said.
Two decades ago, the state Regional Water Quality Control Board ordered Santa Clarita to remove chloride from wastewater discharged into the river because salty water is deemed harmful to wildlife and agriculture downstream, as the Santa Clara flows west through Fillmore, Santa Paula and the Oxnard Plain to the Pacific Ocean.
“We have a state-mandated deadline of July 1, 2019, to have the chloride compliance facilities in place,” said Basil Hewitt, public information supervisor for the Los Angeles Sanitation Districts, which includes the SCV Sanitation District.
Failing to meet that deadline could have resulted in steep state fines or a loss of local control.
“We should now be past all complicated issues with (compliance) with this decision to build the new facility,” Weste said.
The initial estimates of compliance ranged from $500 million to $700 million. The SCV Sanitation District was established to develop a Chloride Compliance Plan. Over the last 20 years, the district has negotiated with the Regional Water Quality Control Board to make the SCV plan’s scope and cost more reasonable, and to address concerns and legal challenges raised by environmental groups.
In October 2017, a ruling in LA Superior Court partially discharged a complaint filed against the district by the Affordable Clean Water Alliance, finally clearing the path for the district to finish the design of facilities for the various elements of its compliance plan, then select a contractor to build the advanced water treatment plant.
Wastewater generated in the Santa Clarita Valley, from actions such as flushing toilets and washing laundry, is sent to the Sanitation District’s Saugus and Valencia Water Reclamation Plants for treatment. The treated water leaving the plants that is not directly reused for landscape irrigation and other applications is sent to the Santa Clara River.
While the water reclamation plants provide a high level of treatment, they do not remove chloride. If levels of chloride go too high, they could harm wildlife or have a negative impact on downstream farms that rely on river water for irrigation.
The Santa Clarita Valley water supply contributes the majority of the chloride coming out of the Sanitation District’s treatment plants. The largest added source of chloride is from residences.
The Santa Clara River Chloride Reduction Ordinance of 2008, approved as Measure S by voters on Nov. 4, 2008, required the removal of all residential automatic water softeners by June 30, 2009. Enforcement began on Aug. 4, 2011, to remove the 2,500 water softeners still installed.
Read more on SCVNews.com about the chloride compliance effort.
I remember reading about this over the last 10-20 years either on-line or in the Signal. It seems to me that the major concern by local leaders was that the very nature of our local water sources assured that there was already high levels of chlorides in local ground water that had not yet been infiltrated by any local water treatment. AKA, it’s natural for high sodium levels to exist in our local groundwater, including the deeper aquifers.
If my recollections are correct, we will be paying for water treatment to remove a minor non-man-made participant in natural groundwater in addition to removing any chlorides generated by our older water treatment plants. So are we being punished for having 1980’s water treatments plants that were approved by the local county and state offices?
Pushme-Pullyou? The Worm Ourobourous biting it’s own tail?
Success is apparently it’s own punishment, according to the State of California.
At least the Ventura farmers and orchardists will be happy.

industry_corpus2: Water Resources & Marine


text:
PRE-BOOK YOUR TRANSFER FROM THE AIRPORT TO YOUR RESORT OR TO YOUR DESIRED DESTINATION SWIFTLY.
Getting from A to B in a foreign country can often be a stressful experience, especially if you aren't familiar with the local culture.
Airport transfers are the perfect solution to this problem. This comes in a few different forms; the most common of which being a shared airport shuttle offering a direct transfer to your resort. Other forms of transportation include airport taxi, minibus or even a private coach.
From the moment you click in the booking from to when you arrive at your destination, it really couldn't be simpler.
Meet our driver upon arrival at your destination.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


text:
When Shaya and Grant Kirkpatrick stepped inside the nondescript Manhattan Beach tract house they would eventually buy, they thought it was the perfect fixer-upper--except for one thing.
The house seemed totally backward for their needs.
For instance, while Shaya, 35, dreamed of a kitchen-great room opening onto the backyard, this house was set up--in typical 1940s bungalow style--with the kitchen and living room facing the street. The original two bedrooms and a bath sat behind that.
Plus, in the 1950s, a homeowner had added a master bedroom and bathroom behind the two bedrooms, and to the rear of those a den, all reached via a long, narrow hallway that ran unimaginatively through the center of the house.
But the Kirkpatricks possess minds made flexible by their work--she's an interior designer, he's an architect--and saw that the rooms could be flipped around under the long pitched roof. The kitchen would be switched to the rear of the house, laid open to the den and, through a wall of glass doors and windows, the backyard.
Then the master bedroom could be relocated to the front of the house, where the living room once sat, with the master bathroom inserted into the original kitchen space.
Also, the garage was at the back of the property, again in typical 1940s style, with the driveway running right past the house, which is not what many 1990s couples want. Noting an alley behind the property, the Kirkpatricks realized they could essentially flip the garage around by transferring the garage door to the rear.
"We started sketching right away," Shaya said. "It was obvious to us. Our friends just started laughing. They couldn't see it."
"We call it the pancake house," said Grant, also 35. "The house that flipped over."
Taking on the challenge of flip-flopping a house was worthwhile for the couple, who wanted to live in the "tree section" of Manhattan Beach (so-called for its eucalyptus, acacia, palm and jacaranda population), and benefit from its low crime rate, easy walk to the downtown area, and excellent schools for sons Jack, 4, and Ryan, 1. Plus, it's not too far from Grant's Santa Monica office.
After purchasing the house in 1997 for $420,000, the couple decided to put about $100,000 into the remodel. The first step, of course, was to contemplate and completely plan the remodel before construction began.
According to Grant, homeowners have overblown expectations of what they can get for their money. Being in the business, the Kirkpatricks knew well the high cost of materials and labor.
Homeowners also tend not to plan the project thoroughly enough, Grant said, and this forces them to make decisions at the last minute--during construction, and under enormous stress and pressure. This was not what Grant and Shaya wanted.
Another goal was to experiment. For instance, because many of the couple's clients want dark kitchen cabinets and light floors, the couple at first specified just that--cherry-stained cabinets and light maple floors for the kitchen-great room. To try something new, however, they switched to white painted cabinets and laminate floors that look like dark wood.
The laminate floors, which are much more durable than wood, were chosen to stand up to the "rug rats' " Power Rangers toys. "That was one of our better moves," Grant said.
After three months of intensive planning, construction began. Again, the couple avoided a mistake homeowners often make--visiting the site every day to check on progress. "If the client stops by every day, that makes things crawl," Grant explained.
When construction was finished three months later, the family moved into its flip-flopped and updated house.
The front yard, once filled with patches of rangy grass, now has a deck and an English/California garden of lavender, rosemary, Mexican sage, tufted grasses and other plants that are green or purple or both.
The fairly large picture window that gave the original living room light was replaced by screened French doors that lead into the couple's new bedroom.
A new entry was created on the right side of the house, about halfway toward the back, which is reached along a wide path (the former driveway) made of broken concrete interspersed with woolly thyme.
It is here where the home's new identity shines bright, with an enormous white, wood ceiling and two walls of a rich, vibrant yellow. From the entry, the kitchen is to the left, the dining area is straight ahead, and the living room is to the right, with glass doors leading to the newly landscaped backyard.
While the home's original kitchen had yellow tile counters, this new kitchen's counters are made of a type of limestone that the Kirkpatricks like for its "monolithic" qualities.
For Grant, the great room has a Zen-like ambience with its solid-colored furniture and minimal clutter. "The more simple the materials and the cleaner the lines, the larger the room appears," he said. "It's less confusing."
After living in the flip-flopped house for more than a year, the couple and their kids plan on making it a long-term roost. "It's a fun place to live," Grant said.
Kathy Price-Robinson is a freelance writer who has reported about remodeling for nine years. She can be reached at kathyprice@aol.com.
Project: Switch rooms around and remodel 1940s bungalow.
Architect: Grant Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick Associates Architects, Santa Monica, (310) 264-4800.
Interior Design: Grant and Shaya Kirkpatrick.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction