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Rampant road building has shattered the Earth’s land into 600,000 fragments, most of which are too tiny to support significant wildlife, a new study has revealed.
The researchers warn roadless areas are disappearing and that urgent action is needed to protect these last wildernesses, which help provide vital natural services to humanity such as clean water and air.
An international team of researchers analysed open-access maps of 36m km of road and found that over half of the 600,000 fragments of land in between roads are very small – less than 1km2.
A mere 7% are bigger than 100km2, equivalent to a square area just 10km by 10km. Furthermore, only a third of the roadless areas were truly wild, with the rest affected by farming or people.
The last remaining large roadless areas are rainforests in the Amazon and Indonesia and the tundra and forests in the north of Russia and Canada. Virtually all of western Europe, the eastern US and Japan have no areas at all that are unaffected by roads. The scientists considered that land up to a kilometre on each side of a road was affected, which they believe is a conservative estimate.
The length of the world’s roads is projected to increase by more than 60% by 2050, say the researchers, but only about 5% of the roadless areas currently have any legal protection, according to the new work published in the journal Science.
The natural world is in the midst of a mass extinction as wild places are destroyed by conversion to farmland, mining and pollution, and animals are hunted in huge numbers. In October, a major analysis found the number of wild creatures was on track to fall by two-thirds by 2020, compared to 1970.
Roads are the catalyst for much of the destruction by, for example, giving illegal loggers access into the Amazon or poachers access to wild animals. But Ibisch said the road maps the team used, though the best available, were certain to be incomplete and that the true situation was even worse, for example in Borneo where many oil palm plantation roads have yet to be mapped.
Ibisch also said international attempts to protect the environment often ignored the importance of the last remaining roadless areas. “It is astonishing to see they have not taken into account roadless areas,” he said.

industry_corpus2: Technology & Research


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Pearl Blush tutu dress is oh so special. Gorgeous soft pink tule layers that go on for days are complimented by a stunning lace bodice with flowers that cascade over the front of the tutu. Ideal for a party, wedding, dance class or simply just because! Girls and Brides everywhere will just love Pearl Blush.
Gorgeously sweet is The Isabella Set. A sweeping bow across the back and cute floral shorts with ruffle hem detail make this outfit perfect for busy little girls.
A Pretty summery top with beautiful flounce and broderie back detail. Delicate soft pink shade that works perfectly against whites or chambray bottoms. For extra fun pair back with patterns.
Wash 30° gentle, Iron medium, No tumble drying, No dryclean, Do not bleach.
The Onyx Rose set includes headband, top and pants. Boho floral pattern gives it a youthful chic look and provides comfort for busy little ones.
Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on new arrivals, offers and other discount information! We’ll also send you a coupon for 10% off your next purchase!
Thank you, your subscription request was successful! Please check your email inbox to confirm.

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
Hola where do u come form?
bu site hala aktif mi?
How old is Molly Sims?
How old is Ezzard Charles?
How old is Philip Graham Scott?


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Carioca, 19, Estela has a clean and beautiful style! Adepta of few prints, our it rocks with croppeds and pieces that give prominence to the lap. She also loves jumping shoes, which, in her opinion, leave the production much more feminine.
How do you define your style?
I think I can define as stripped, stylish and with a rock footprint. I like to always be in high heels. I very much mix a destroyed pants with a thin heel, for example.
Is there something you would never use?
It’s never a very strong word hahaha. For now, there is nothing I can say I would never use.
What is indispensable in your look?
What do you love the most?
I love and do not live without eyeliner and red lipstick.
What are your favorite bands and serials?
My favorite bands are Legion Urbana(I grew up listening, my father is mega fan), CBJR, Strike, Detonautas. And my favorite series are House and The Walking Dead(which I am eagerly looking forward to).
What sites do you usually visit?
Where I spend the most time is on my blog and my online store , but I also visit other blogs, like Taciele and Joyce, from the blog Gostei e Agora .
How to Style White Clothing for Spring!


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Home & Office Modulars Mgmt., Llc was incorporated in year 2014 and issued company Id 32054998896. Home & Office Modulars Mgmt., Llc has been on the market for 4 years, according to register it is now Active. Main business is located in Laredo. This company was first added to Texas company register on 21st August 2014.
Home & Office Modulars Mgmt., Llc is registered at address 6553 Star Ct Laredo, Tx 78041-9140. This company agent is Mary L Carranco. There are 2 officers in this company: Andrew L Carranco, Mary L Carranco.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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The public debate about Internet piracy is typically seen as pitting the interests of producers versus the interests of consumers. On one hand, the empirical evidence is clear: piracy hurts producers by reducing the amount of money they can make from their creative efforts. But it is easy to see why consumers might like piracy: those who had been willing to pay the market price can now get it for free, and those who hadn’t been willing to pay the market price can now consume content they wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise.
The problem with this way of looking at piracy is that it focuses solely on demand. But there’s another side to all of this: supply, specifically how piracy can affect both the quantity and quality of movies that are supplied to consumers. People tend to neglect this question, but we believe it’s going to become increasingly important to answer in the years ahead.
Consider the number of movies made. For movies, especially in the digital age, the fixed costs of production are substantial, but the marginal costs of reproduction are not. Think of the budgets associated with blockbuster films, which can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. If piracy lowers the expected revenues of a film to a point below the fixed cost of its production, then the film will not be made, and if that happens the social-welfare benefit of bringing it to market disappears. In that case producers and consumers lose.
Does piracy actually make producers less willing or able to create some types of new creative works? That, of course, is the big question. To stimulate more discussion of it, we recently published a paper in the George Mason University Law Review that looked into how piracy seems to be affecting movie production. We first determined, pretty easily, that supply has not decreased since the era of meaningful Internet movie piracy began, roughly in 2007. Both Hollywood and independent producers continue to churn out films. This isn’t surprising, given all of the new content-creation and content-distribution technologies that have developed alongside the rise of digital piracy.
But that’s not the end of the story. As we discuss in the paper, it’s very possible that when considered by itself piracy is causing a number of subtle distortions in the production of new films, among them a possible retreat from riskier movies, an increasing need to accept funding with creative conditions attached, and a reduced ability to fund expensive but valuable creative elements—for example, expensive CGI scenes and other special effects. To the extent that these distortions actually exist, how can we start to explore potential effects?
One way, we decided, would be to study the difference in supply of movies in low-piracy and high-piracy settings, before and after the rise of Internet piracy. So we attacked that problem in a simple and limited way: by studying the number of Academy Award–winning films financed by higher-piracy and lower-piracy countries. Winning an Academy Award is just one indicator of a movie’s quality, of course. But to us it seemed like a decent proxy for quality, however imperfect, that we could use in trying to measure the effect of piracy on supply. If piracy affects the supply of movies in a given country, we reasoned, that will mean less money available in those countries to make movies, which will reduce the quality of the movies that are made—and that, in turn, will diminish the odds of movies from that country winning Academy Awards.
We began our study by compiling a list of all movies from 1995 to 2014 that had won at least one Academy Award, noting in each case which country or countries had financed the movie. And when we studied that list, we found data suggesting that piracy does indeed affect film quality. In Italy and Mexico, two countries in which piracy has strongly influenced demand, the number of awards decreased significantly from the pre-piracy to the post-piracy period, whereas in the U.K. and France, two countries in which piracy has had a smaller effect on demand, the number of awards won increased meaningfully.
We don’t pretend that this simple comparison proves that piracy is having a harmful effect on supply in the movie business. In some of the other countries we studied, we observed less of a correlation between piracy and the number of Academy Awards won. Future researchers will obviously need to study this question in broader and more sophisticated ways. That said, the correlations we found are consistent with the hypothesis that piracy adversely affects both demand and supply, and has caused investment in culturally important films to drop, and is also consistent with our prior research analyzing how piracy impacted Bollywood films in the 1980s. If others end up confirming these correlations, then we will have to admit something important: When it comes to copyright protection, producers and consumers are far more aligned in their interests than is commonly recognized: both will benefit in the long run if piracy is converted to legal consumption.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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London Translation has been our preferred supplier for yearly stockholders’ meeting report translation for more than three years. They have always been professional, efficient, and provide excellent quality translations.
I would happily recommend them for any translation needs a business or individual may have.
We were very impressed with the delivery, the flexibility and the approach. Everything was done according to brief with a polite, yet business-like manner.
Over the past year we have used London Translations for dozens of documents often including a degree of technical jargon. They have consistently provided top rate work in several languages and fast. Alex and the team are friendly and very accommodating.
I have used London Translations on at least 3 different occasions, finding them to be prompt, professional, courteous and friendly. I have no need to go anywhere else and would have no hesitation in recommending London Translations to anybody needing their services.
We have had the pleasure of working with London Translations for many years, every time very professional and punctual. The linguistic checks you have done for us over the years are always performed on time, and the delivery is very much up to our expectations.
I can honestly say that I was very happy with my recent translation and the service which was provided.
Our company regularly use the services of London Translations and from the courtesy and professionalism exhibited by your customer service agents, to the exceptionally quick turnaround time and accuracy of the translations, we have yet to find fault in your service.


text:
Saw an evocative orange-red stripe to the east, at least from high ground. Couldn't see it as I neared the train station. A "sailor's warning..."
Noted a very soft crescent glowing in the south.
I just learned that tomorrow's Recreational Astronomy Meeting for the RASC Toronto Centre is cancelled.
This is because of the impending heavy snow.
Issued my double star "bulletin" for February 2019. It is a short list of suggested targets. I shared this on the RASC Toronto Centre forums. And I post here for all.
If it isn’t cloudy and grey, it is bitterly cloud, it seems. Such that it is, here are some double and multi-star targets for your consideration for February.
Remember double stars work in the city as well as in dark skies. I look forward to hearing how you did! Any questions?
Tried LED dimmer again, with my little custom Telrad heater with resistors. Heat came out! Whiskey tango foxtrot, I thought this thing didn't work?! Carefully measured the amperage with the (repaired) Micronta multi-meter: 0.11A. Huh.
Kendrick 8" heating strap: 1.0A.
Hacked Heatech cup warmer: 700 mA.
Tested the Kendrick 2" strap with the Micronta audible continuity resistance setting... and was able to get a tone when I bent the strap a particularly way. It has a broken wire!
I don't know what happened... I don't remember now. But it seems that in late-January I was doing lots of little tests and checks and I had a malfunctioning multi-meter as well as an erratic dew strap. Looking back, the cheapo LED dimmer had worked fine.
My theory is that the dew strap itself was not working (hadn't been since early January) and it didn't draw any power from the dimmer circuit so I assumed the LED dimmer was bad.
Buttoned up the dew heater controller. It works well. Now I can battle sultry nights on two independent rigs.
Cut the lead wires from the components off the bottom of the finished printed circuit board. Cut the test power feed. Used thermal paste between the sinks and the big transistors. Finally drilled the PCB for the large wire of the reverse polarity Schottky diode and connected the positive power input line.
Tried some plastic standoffs with tiny screws with hot glue but I wasn't really happy. Hacked some shrink wrap tube cut very short and used contact cement.
Wired up the fused Cigarette Lighter Adapter with heavy wire, cut a bit longer than my Kendrick controller.
Attached the case parts. Stoopid skating drill bits; should have used a press. Installed the Richlok plastic strain relief. Soldered the big pots and the indicator LEDs. Pressed the LEDs into place; locked. Soldered the shell tabs of the RCA female connectors in advance. Tightened the RCA jacks with a 9mm spanner. Once the PCB was glued in place, I soldered the RCA plugs on their centre pins.
Glued the power switch into the case. I wanted to use removable connectors to the tabs but they were too deep so I (carefully) hard-wired the SPST.
Heated the shrink tube on the power feed. Closed up the box. All done. Tested. Works good.
In a moment of inspiration, printed up some labels.
Shared the photo with Charles on Facebook. He quickly responded: "When we're observing and it's hit the dew point and our dew controller is already on ten and we need a bit more to get us over the edge we can go to eleven." Couldn't have said it better.
As we rose above the clouds, I noted the Moon, getting bright, high up. Couldn't view it straight on until the plane banked right.
Saw Sirius. Bright, blue-white, intense.
Then I saw deep orange Betelgeuse, and when I squinted, without my eyeglasses on, all of Orion.
Very dark sky above the pale blue clouds below.
w00t! Received the latest SkyNews magazine today. Excited to read this one with the cover emblazoned with Fight the Light! Content on light pollution! We must fight the light!
Inside, after a quick skim, I noted lots of wonderful photography including shots with the Pleaides and comets.
I also look forward to reading the piece on astroimaging inside city limits. I need all the help I can get.
It took me a while to resolve the dew heater controller circuit problems but it is done now. Circuit works.
I sorted an issue with the switching transistors. Initially, I mistakenly used the same pin position assignments for the 2N2222 and TIP31C pieces.
I learned that you need to go back to the schematic and ensure the pins of the physical part correspond to the schematic.
After testing a simple 555 schematic from Math Heijen, I successfully debugged my soldered 556 board layout. Carefully comparing the schematic and board layout, I found the error. It was caused by a fault back in mid-January, when I first considered the board layout and I changed from the stock diode object. With my "custom" diode part, I flipped the polarity. I edited the part polarity in ExpressPCB and repaired the board.
The board has left and right sections meaning the left R1 potentiometer controls the power output to heaters H1 and H2 and which is reflected in diode D5. Close examination will reveal the correct orientation of the signal diodes. It's a little messy around the TO-18 transistors but the traces drawn indicate where the long legs were attached (when possible). The offsetting (again) of B1 and F1 show the power source is outboard and the fuse is inside the CLA plug.
Cut the long 4-40 bolts for the heat sinks (first time doing that with the GB wire stripping tool). The PCB was (nearly) done and working.
The heavy gauge red and black wires (in the photo) at the upper corners of the PCB are for the heater networks of course. The yellow, purple, and black wires at the bottom corners are for the pots. In my case, the black wires are for the middle pins. You can clearly see one of the indicator diodes; the other is cropped out. The black wire going from the middle of the board straight up in the negative 12 volt power input. I used the red lead at the bottom-right as a temporary feed into the PCB.
Spotted a crescent Moon, slowly darkening, slowly dropping, as I trudged home from the bus stop.
Hello! Wasn't expecting anything. But emails started rolling in from the Burke-Gaffney Observatory as it imaged Finest NGCs starting with 3432. I'm hoping to improve on the quality. Last capture was on 19 Apr '17. Unfortunately, no better... Average transparency and poor seeing. The new ECMWF forecast showed increasingly clouds.
I dunno about you but if I was a marmot in Canada, I wouldn't be crawling out of my den in this weather.
I ordered the BGO robot to image Messier 59. Another single-view Messier. I first took in this bright elliptical galaxy in Virgo on 4 July 2010.
M59 aka NGC 4621 is big and bright with a fantastically bright core. It is oriented north-west, twisted slightly to the west or clockwise in this image.
To the north, and slightly west, a good distance away is a very faint round lint ball. This is LEDA 1398556.
IC 3665 lies to the south-west, a large diffuse fuzzy.
To the north-west is an elongated patch, oriented north-south. I believe this is LEDA 1398085. SkyTools 3 Pro also shows PGC 42679 here but it is opposed, oriented east-west. I don't see another galaxy here.
Nearby, further west, is the bright round diffuse galaxy IC 809.
Due north of 809 is a faint oblong but large fuzzy: PGC 42634.


text:
The subscription base in UAE mobile phone services expanded to 18.4 million subscribers, reported Emirates news agency Wam, citing figures released by telecom providers Etisalat and du.
Mobile services account for 85 per cent of two operators' revenues if compared to other income streams, which include data, internet, and fixed-line services, with pre-paid service subscribers representing over 88 per cent of total subscribers in all phone services, while the rest goes for post-paid services.
According to Etisalat Group, the number of subscribers in the company's mobile services amounted to 10.7 million during the first nine months of the year, making up 58 percent of total subscriptions base in the country.
In the meantime, Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company's subscribers stood at Dh7.7 million ($2.09 million), according to the du's Q3 financial statements.
The two operators' revenues picked up to Dh49.36 billion during the first nine months of the year against Dh47.7 billion during the corresponding period in 2017. They posted total profit of Dh8 billion, up 4.1 percent on-year from Dh7.68 billion in 2017.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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The 25s were holding back just a little, aiming to let the full effort out on the 50s.
We followed this up with a surprise 4 x 100 all out off the blocks.
Turned this into a reverse IM w/o. 8X25 FR, 6X25 BR, 4X25 BK, 2X25 FL and 50’s were the same. Changed 200 to 100 FR Easy and skipped the blocks. My 8-12 year olds were gassed afterward but they got out early on a Friday so I’m the hero in the end. Thanks.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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Every business or private entity operates in a certain legal framework wherein it has to comply with certain regulations and laws. And it is the responsibility of the entity’s management o ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Because of the IS systems becoming the backbone of a lot of key business functions, it has become important over the years that the IS systems and practices are also complying with the legal requirements.
When it comes to legal compliance, there are two dimensions to it. First is the responsibility placed on the audit function as a result of this legal framework that a company operates in and secondly the legal conditions and requirements that the auditee, its business and IT systems, data storage and reporting etc.
The importance of compliance with relevant laws and regulations has become an area of big concerns after many systems based frauds were reported. The result is an ever increasing scrutiny of the law. For example, in the United States the Health Portability and Accountability Act, Practices of Personal Data Directives and Sarbanes Oxley Act are some of the examples of legal requirements that the business have to operate in.
Sarbanes Oxley act requires that the business entities need to ensure the selection and implementation of a control framework to ensure that a standardized control structure is in place. While auditing information systems in the United States, the IS auditors must be aware of the implications of Sarbanes Oxley Act. Similarly in Europe, Protection of Personal Data Directives and Electronic Commerce are some of the laws that the IS auditor should consider as part of IS Audit planning.
As a IS auditor, you need to thoroughly understand the legal atmosphere and domain in which the entity works. Then you need to list all the IT systems, data, HR, applications and process flows within systems and applications, all the contracts that deal with information systems (including support contracts) and evaluate which areas fall under the legal compliance requirements and how much they are compliant. Any departure or gaps should be identified because of the high risks and costs these entail for the auditee.
As a CISA candidate, you will not be evaluated on the basis of any particular law or regulation but you should be aware of the general guidelines and underlying principles when it comes to legal compliance by the entity and the auditor himself.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


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Hannibal Chau’s (Ron Perlman) stunt glasses from Guillermo Del Toro’s 2013 mega monster movie Pacific Rim. In the film, a race of monsters, called "Kaiju", terrorizes earth, forcing mankind to build a team of massive robots, called "Jaegers", to battle the monsters and save the world. Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman) runs an operation that dissects dead Kaiju and harvests their organs to sell on the black market. Chau’s glasses match the characters eccentric personality.
The glasses have round, copper frames with purple lenses and dark turtle earpieces. The glasses feature black leather blinders with small leather straps that wrap around the temples, and plastic clasps that cling to the frames. The clasps and straps are held to the leather with small rivets. The glasses come in a case coated in brown faux leather, with a sticker that says “Hannibal Stunt”. These glasses show minor wear due to production use and storage but remain in excellent condition.


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*Additional nights are available starting at $99USD.
The resort is conveniently located close to Puerto Vallarta's highlights, a city surrounded by palm covered mountains, waterfalls, and rivers. The popular destination's famed ocean front promenade, the Malecón, with its souvenir shops and flea market, is a five minute taxi ride or adventurous bus journey away from Villa del Palmar, Puerto Vallarta.
Coupled with margarita sunsets, tequila tasting tours, swimming with the dolphins and much much more, Puerto Vallarta is poised for adventure, relaxation and once in a lifetime experiences. Let Villa del Palmar, Puerto Vallarta provide the comfort you deserve on your package vacation.
The resort is a beautiful beachfront property located in the North Hotel Zone. It has every amenity you want at your fingertips. Enjoy three swimming pools, including an infinity pool, waterslide, 3 outdoor Jacuzzis, kids club, two tennis courts, and of course our state-of-the-art fitness facility. The resort features two restaurants that offer exquisite Mexican and International dishes in buffet or a la carte styles. Relax by the pool and enjoy a tasty lunch or snack from our pool side sports bar, or visit the onsite deli & market. We are proud of our full service Breezes Spa to pamper your every need. Our Resort is conveniently located only 3 kilometers from the Puerto Vallarta International airport and 3 kilometers from downtown Vallarta's famous boardwalk.
Your Deluxe Studio features two queen beds or one king bed and the adjoining bathroom has marble decor tub and shower. Your dining area and balcony or terrace is equipped with patio furniture for a maximum occupancy of two adults and two children 12 years and under. A roomy kitchen completes the package.
Tu Estudio de Lujo posee 2 camas queen size o 1 cama king size, un baño con tina de marmol y regadera. Tu comedor y el balcó o terraza amueblados están equipados para un máximo de 2 adultos y 2 niños menores de 13 años. Una cocineta completa el paquete.
No pets are not allowed at the Villa del Palmar Vallarta, with the exception of service dogs.
Handicapped rooms are available on request (subject to availability). Please call us for more information.
Please click on TERMS AND CONDITIONS to view the cancellation policy. The cancellation policy can also be found in your confirmation that is emailed to you after making a reservation.
Check-in time is at 3:00pm and check-out time is 12:00pm.
Yes, smoking rooms are available upon request (subject to availability.
Yes all inclusive packages provide breakfast buffets / Room only packages only provide a breakfast the following morning of your stay.
Your accommodation will be at Villa del Palmar Vallarta, and your 90 minute resort sales presentation will take place at Villa del Palmar Vallarta Beach Resort & Spa. A link to map and directions will be provided in an email confirmation that will be sent to you upon booking a reservation. The day and time of your presentation will be scheduled at check-in.
Is the Villa del Palmar Resort & Spa is located by the beach?
Yes, we are a beach front resort.
Please review the Terms and Conditions or Details of Participation to see if you qualify, or you may call us and speak with one of our Reservation Specialists.
Does the resort have cribs and/or roll-away beds available?
Is parking complimentary at Villa del Palmar Vallarta?
Parking is available at Villa del Palmar Vallarta. Please call us for more information.
How many people does a Studio Villa accommodate?
It was an excellent experience, I would surely recommend it.
We ate in all restaurants and used the front pool by the ocean and the back "quiet" pool in the back section. The Italian restaurant was wonderful - my favorite was the stuffed chicken breast. I had it twice! The cab wine was good. The servers were great in all restaurants. Very pleasant and helpful. We gave extra tips. The room was kept clean and neat - xtra tips for them too even though we were told our tips were included in our package.
We enjoyed the pools and liked the slide and waterfall especially for the kids.
Awesome pool and most staff was very attentive. Nachos were the best as was the chivechi sp. everything we ordered at pool side was awesome! The waiter even would put my ice tea into my sun proof cold holding thermal ss bottle if I was in the ocean or pool when it arrived!
From booking to check out, the experience was something we'll never forget. The resort is gorgeous, the food fabulous and the sevice, impeccable! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We'll be back! Maggie & Bert P.
During our last visit to the Villa del Palmar, we had a wonderful time, as always. This time a friend of ours needed a wheelchair. The bellboys were SO GREAT at helping us with this!!! They are always friendly and helpful, always welcoming us with smiles and hugs and caring about our expeditions and whereabouts. The waiters are the best, even the maids are friendly and loving. By the way, we love the vendors on the beach. They have become dear friends! This is a great place to stay in PV, we would never stay anywhere else...we recommend it highly!!
Our 'home in Mexico'. Have been coming here for about 20 years. Beautiful beach, restaurant on the beach, friendly waiters, bell-boys. Looking for a restaurant? Just ask the bell-boys at the front desk. Each time we arrive we are greeted with hugs. Excellent service in every way. Look out for the breakfast buffet. It's addictive.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Davis Polk’s Tax Department is at the helm of innovation, working closely with clients on sophisticated corporate transactions. Our lawyers have far-reaching experience across the entire tax spectrum and a thorough understanding of evolving trends within the marketplace. Their highly collaborative network maximizes coordination and efficiency for our clients and their U.S., international and cross-border tax matters.
Tax Reform and Transition is a Davis Polk blog that seeks to discuss the latest developments in tax reform, as well as shed light on the background and context in which tax reform measures will be considered.
Our Tax Bill Navigator aims to help our clients and friends more clearly understand the draft House GOP tax bill by including an additional table of contents organizing the bill by subject matter, as well as a hyperlinked version of the text.
Mergers and Acquisitions. Our tax lawyers structure and negotiate many of the most complicated U.S. and international business combinations.
Capital Markets. We advise clients on initial public offerings (including UpC IPOs) and debt financings, as well as hedging and other over-the-counter transactions, including equity monetization strategies, taxefficient share repurchase programs and cross-border hybrid transactions.
Spinoffs and RMTs. We pioneered numerous techniques for spinoffs commonly used today and have advised on many of the most high-profile deals to date.
Private Equity. We advise on tax considerations associated with fund formation, structuring of investments, financing for portfolio companies, management compensation programs, recapitalization transactions, disposing of investments through private or public sales and negotiating workouts.
Group Planning. We partner with our clients in group structuring and planning matters, including as to the application of the consolidated return regulations, so called “Granite Trust” planning, cross-border repatriation strategies, tax inversion transactions, planning for the efficient ownership of intellectual property and the potential impact of various tax reform proposals.
Banking and Finance. We are among the world’s most experienced groups in advising borrowers, sponsors, banks and other lenders on tax-related issues associated with LBOs and other leveraged financings, investment-grade financings and structured financings.
Insolvency and Restructuring. Our tax lawyers advise on the tax aspects of major bankruptcy reorganizations, workouts and other restructurings of troubled companies, with particular emphasis on preserving the debtor's net operating losses and other tax attributes, minimizing taxable debt forgiveness income and achieving the optimum tax treatment for the debtor's creditors and shareholders.
Real Estate. We regularly advise corporate, fund and private clients with respect to real estate transactions. We have represented Morgan Stanley, with respect to Prime Property Fund, and other clients with respect to the formation and operation of private and public REITs, as well as underwriters with respect to numerous REIT capital markets transactions.
Controversy. We represent clients in a wide range of industries in connection with internal risk assessments and investigations, settlements involving billions of dollars and litigation at the federal and state levels.
Aetna Inc. Advised the company on its SEC-registered notes offering of $13 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes in eight series.
Baker Hughes. Advised the company on its combination with GE’s oil and gas business.
Comcast. Advised NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast Corporation, on its approximately $3.8 billion acquisition of DreamWorks Animation.
ConAgra Foods. Advised the company on its $2.7 billion sale of its private label operations to TreeHouse Foods.
Exxon Mobil. Advised the company on its acquisition of InterOil Corporation in a transaction worth more than $2.5 billion.
Ingram Micro. Advising the company on its $6 billion allcash acquisition by Tianjin Tianhai Investment Company, Ltd.
Lockheed Martin. Advised the company on its agreement to separate and combine its realigned Information Systems & Global Solutions business with Leidos in a $4.6 billion tax-efficient Reverse Morris Trust transaction.
Markit. Advised the company on its all-share merger of equals with IHS, valued at more than $13 billion.
McKesson. Advising the company on its pending information and technology services joint venture with Change Healthcare.
PartnerRe. Advising the company on its $6.9 billion acquisition by Exor.
Solvay SA. Advising the company on its $6.4 billion acquisition of Cytec Industries Inc.
Syngenta. Advised the company on a $43 billion offer by ChemChina to acquire the company. This is the largest transaction ever by a Chinese company outside China.
Technip S.A. Advised the company on its $17 billion combination with FMC Technologies.


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But alas, some human behaviors that we actually think are cute or funny, can make our 4 legged friends very uncomfortable.Since they love us unconditionally they are unable to show or tell us what those little things are and how much they bother them.
If you love you dog(s) as much as we do, you better read this short list we’ve come up with and stop with those nasty habits.Luckily enough our dogs love us so much that we can be sure they forgive us and love us just as much as always!
Whether or not hugging you dog is a good thing is a good debate topic. Putting your arms around a dog and hugging them tightly can be a sign of aggression and dominance. In the dog world, putting your paws on another dog can mean that you’re looking for a fight.
Even if your dog does allow you to hug it, make sure you’re the only one that does. You don’t want a stranger or their kid making your dog feel threatened. If you want to show affection, a dog would probably prefer a belly rub.
Yes, dogs look cute when they’re sleeping, so let’s keep it that way. Their little paw twitches and quiet sleepy barks are irresistible, but please don’t feel the need to start petting the dog when they are having a snooze.
How would you like it if you were in the middle of a nap and someone just came up and started petting you? You could startle them and end up with a bite.
It’s hard to discipline your barking dog without feeling the need to yell at them, but that’s not the right thing to do. In order to not agitate your dog further, you need to lower the tone of your voice, be calm but firm.
Dog trainers anywhere will tell you that yelling is not a good idea. Loud barks are a sign that a dog is ready for a fight, so yelling over your dog is not going to calm them down.
Stare downs in the canine world are a sign of aggression. Especially with a dog you don’t know. If a dog feels like it’s in danger, it might lunge at you and give you a nice bite.
Training your dog to walk on a leash is one of the most important things you can do for both yourself and your dog. You don’t want to be dragging your dog down the street, and you don’t want your dog to drag you, so what do you do?
Keep the leash loose, change speeds and directions to make your dog pay attention to you. Pulling your dog on a leash could hurt them. Walking your dog with a loose leash will happen in no time.
We know you have to go to work, all of us do, but try not to leave your dog unattended for extended periods of time.
Think of it this way, you and your family are your dog’s pack. They are social animals by nature and need to be around others.
If you leave the dog alone for 10 hours at a time they can begin to exhibit destructive behavior like digging and chewing as well as develop anxiety. They also may start barking a lot more because they need attention.
What’s even worse is that being left alone for long periods of time can lead to separation anxiety as well as behavioral and psychological issues.
If you need to be absent for long hours, make sure your dog has enough entertainment, even leaving the TV or Radio on can be a source of comfort for them!
Dogs like a routine. They like to be fed and walked at their usual times, and they like to snuggle on the couch when they are expecting it.
Try to stick to a regular routine without switching things up too much. If you are constantly switching up their usual routine you are putting your dog through undue stress that can make them angry or confused.
This confusion could eventually turn into behavioral problems. So try to stay as consistent as possible with your feeding, walking and playtime schedule. Your dog will appreciate it, and you will too, trust us.
It is a great idea to take your dog out for exercise, but a crowded dog park can become scary to your pet.
If your dog gets along well with other dogs then a dog park should be alright, provided it isn’t overcrowded and there aren’t too many aggressive dogs around. But, if your pup is a little skittish, throwing them into an extremely crowded dog park can lead to fights and discomfort.
If you notice your dog pinning back their ears or carrying their tail low when they are at the park, this could be an indicator that they are scared and want to leave. Don’t force them to stay where they don’t want, as much as you wouldn’t want to stay where you feel uncomfortable.
You might find it funny to watch the confused look of your dog when you tease them with a treat or a toy, but it’s not that much fun for your pet.
Teasing your dog by moving their food while they are eating or tugging on their ears or tail can scare your dog as well as make them angry. It is especially important to teach young children not to tease the dog as they may end up getting bit which will not only traumatize your dog but it could scare your child too.
When your dog does something to deserve getting a treat, try giving it it to them right away and don’t tease them too much.
We know this is probably one of the cutest things ever, and you can’t wait for Halloween to come. But dressing up your dog in a costume is probably the last thing they would want you to do.
Each dog has its fur and that’s all they need, putting on those extra layers might actually make them feel really restrained and not at ease.
Your dog is the cutest thing in the world as it is, no need to add on anything, so save those costumes for you and your human family.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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At Delany Insurance we offer a full product line of Insurance Services. We can provide you with multiple insurance quotes from our top rated carriers; eliminating the need to shop around. We're local pros who know the area condition. We live and work here, just like you and we want to get you the right insurance protection at the lowest available premium.
Office Hours. M-F 8:30 - 5p.m. Sat. by Appt.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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Ok, I am ruined. We have all heard of farm to table. Wonderfully fresh food from local farms delivered to nearby restaurants. Delicious!
But have you ever tasted warm fresh eggs, right from the hen?? Nothing compares. As you might expect, they are “nonconformists”, with differences in size, color, speckling, etc. And those golden yokes – just delicious. You truly can taste the difference.
Fortunately for us, we have Italian friends who are happy to share their fresh eggs, and we are most happy to cook them in a variety of ways.
Baked potato, topped with fresh ricotta, covered with fried eggs.
Scrambled eggs with potatoes, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Fried eggs on toast with sliced tomatoes.
So, I’m ruined. It’s hard to imagine that I can ever purchase a dozen “matching” eggs at a large supermarket again.
But farm fresh eggs – any way we cook them, they are egg-ceptional!
Yesterday throughout Italy, families and friends gathered after mass for warm hugs, long Easter lunches and lively conversation. Intermittent rain showers didn’t dampen any spirits, although we were happy we ate inside.
We joined some friends at their beautiful home just past Pergo, a short ride from Cortona. We’ve been before, but it is always a pleasure to return as the setting is incredible.
Len, of course, needed to check out the 1975 Fiat 500 parked in the drive.
We began on the terrace with a Prosecco toast.
Then lunch was served in the dining room.
as well as fresh strawberries and cream on sponge cake.
After a few attempts, we even managed to take a timed selfie.
while others retired to the terrace.
Many thanks to our gracious hosts, shown in a photo I took of them on our last visit.
Pasqua and Pasquetta, Easter and Easter Monday, two holidays in Italy, the first religious, the second not. Once again today, Cortona was packed with people. In fact, both yesterday and today, there were traffic jams.
But today, Pasquetta, is a day set aside for relaxation. All the solemnity and preparation of Easter are over, and it is a day to relax, except, of course, for restaurants and retail shops who serve the masses of people enjoying a day off.
and just appreciating the beautiful day.
Between the park and the piazza, we found an empty park bench and literally put our feet up as we took in the view.
Late afternoon, we headed home for a brief riposo (rest) before meeting friends for dinner.
And that’s what one does in Cortona for Pasqua and Pasquetta, a perfectly lovely few days.
*Note: Many have asked me what the inside of an Italian house looks like. If interested, you can see more photos via the listing link below.
Although my mother was a great Italian cook, risotto was not something I grew up eating. My ancestors were from southern Italy, so pasta with red sauce was the norm. When I finally learned about risotto, it always seemed like something that required too much patience and time to cook.
Lucky for me, my native Italian friends have taken the mystery out of risotto.
Tonight I made risotto con cipolle e piselli – risotto with onions and peas. Perhaps the most important tip I have learned is to use Carnaroli rice. It seems foolproof and makes a wonderfully creamy risotto. A second tip is to flavor the water or broth with what I am adding to the risotto.
Obviously, you can make risotto many different ways, but I thought I’d share my simple recipe for others who are hesitant to make it. And, Len said it was really good!
Carnaroli rice, onion, garlic, water or broth, peas, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
Start with two pots: one for the liquid and another for the risotto. Use a ratio of about 3;1, liquid to rice.
Add 3 cups of water (or broth) to the small pot and 1/2 cup frozen peas; heat to boil, then lower to keep simmering.
In the larger pot, sauté one medium onion and one garlic clove in olive oil for a few minutes, then add one cup of risotto, and sauté a few more minutes. Don’t burn the rice!
Begin to add the hot liquid to the risotto, one ladle at a time. Stir a bit and when the liquid is almost absorbed, add another ladle and stir, and continue in this process until the risotto is done, about 15-20 minutes. Note: I used all of the liquid, but did not stir constantly.
Turn off heat, add parmesan cheese and stir. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and enjoy.
Note: Broth and white wine are great liquid substitutes or additions (when you have them!), but water works fine, as do any number of vegetables, e.g., roasted red peppers, mushrooms, asparagus. Be creative and let me know what you come up with!
Planting an orto or garden in Italy last spring was delightful; sampling the results was delicious; but having an award-winning tomato was divine. In fact, the neighboring farmers were scratching their heads.
Our prize tomato, a Cuor di Bue, weighed in at nearly 2.2 pounds or about 1 kilogram!
It was so heavy it actually broke the branch during a storm, but fortunately, it had a soft landing and remained unbruised.
We let it ripen another two days out of the sun.
You might recognize this tomato as a Beefsteak variety. Its name, Cuor di Bue, literally means heart of an ox because of its distinctive shape. It matures late and when ripe, has an orangey-red color.
Now for the tasting. The team consisted of Fernanda, who selected the plant from the nursery last April, Len and Carlo, who planted it, and yours truly, documenting everything.
Since the normal weight for this tomato is about 7-8 ounces, and ours weighed 2.2 POUNDS, I was a bit concerned that such a large tomato might not taste great, but then this is Italy, the land that loves its tomatoes.
It even had few seeds, which I have since learned can make a tomato more acidic.
Cuor di Bue are ideal for eating with fresh mozzarella and basil, as we did. Our tomato produced four extra-large steaks.
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, add a dash of salt and pepper, and enjoy!
Can we have too much of a good thing? Need you ask?
Last night, we held a long-planned “reunion” with the group who built the wood sheds last spring.
Loreno, a master griller, wanted to cook for us again and we were more than happy to accept.
Stormy weather couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm; we just made a slight adjustment and moved the tables inside at Fernanda’s house.
The apperitivi, created by Fernanda and Bruna, were delicious: an assortment of crostini including tuna, smoked salmon, sausage, mushroom, and chicken liver; prosciutto and melon; homemade pizza.
In the meantime, while we were enjoying aperitivo, Loreno was working his magic outside. Fortunately, he had the grill undercover as the rain was relentless at times.
As each plate was brought inside, a wonderful aroma filled the room. While I can give you the basic marinade for all of the meats: olive oil, lemon, rosemary, and salt, I can’t pass on Loreno’s patience and passion for grilling. After all, he built his own grill from steel.
Then the salad and tomatoes picked from the garden.
When Loreno finally joined us, he entered the room to a well-deserved standing ovation.
When I asked if he had had anything to eat, he assured me that he is the primary tester/taster of all things on the grill. So I just filled his glass.
Loreno sat next to Len and me, and we chatted non-stop for over an hour. He speaks not a word of English, yet we talked about life, the challenges and joys it can bring, and so much more. His family, many of whom were at the table, and Fernanda’s, are not actually related through blood, but there are no stronger ties. And now they too have wrapped their arms around us.
When I think about these gatherings, I am always reminded of how happy I am that my grandparents came from Italy. The love and friendship that I experience here is amazing, yet not surprising. Len and I are both fortunate to have grown up with similar Italian traditions: big family gatherings, always too much food, lots of stories and laughter, everyone talking and listening at the same time, and always room for guests, who just like here, often became extended family members. And fortunately, we continue to experience and pass on these wonderful traditions, both sides of the ocean.
Along with limoncello, although we had to wait for it to thaw a bit!
Thanks to our hosts for an incredible dinner and evening, and most of all, for their friendship and love.
The time has finally come for our tasting – will the vegetables we planted in the spring taste as good as they look? Let’s start with the tomatoes.
Pop in my mouth delicious!
Our onions did well, and not so much the peppers, but those tomatoes – they just keep giving and giving! This was our pick for the day, not including those we ate as we picked.
and stuffed zucchini flowers, before going in the oven.
We built our own caprese and enjoyed grilled zucchini, fresh pecorino with homemade plum and orange marmellata, and of course, prosecco.
Pasta was served with a light sugo (sauce) made from our fresh tomatoes and onions. The breeze was light, the temperature comfortable, and the proud smiles abundant.
In fact, we felt we planted a bit too early as the garden had to endure several hail storms and lots of heavy rain. But neighboring farmers have commented that their tomatoes aren’t nearly as tall or productive as ours, and that we did well to get the plants in the ground when we did. As it turns out, some of them had to plant a bit later than planned due to the soaked soil.
And the sense of accomplishment it bought to a bunch of Italian and American city folks working together. Auguri!
This is one tomato from our orto, one of hundreds I might add, in a garden that might be about 12 feet wide and 60-70 feet long. I’ll measure next time as I am curious myself!
As you might recall, we built cane trellises for the much-anticipated tomato plant growth, but who would ever have guessed that Carlo would eventually have to add an overhead cane trellis?
The garden has done incredibly well under the watchful eyes of Carlo and Fernanda, but in truth, the true bragging rights belong to the Italian soil!
There is much advice available on how to plant a garden in Italy, including testing the soil and adding nutrients, but we did none of these other than till the land well. Luckily for us, our soil type and pH must be near perfect, but then this is Tuscany.
Len recalls that we bought 12 tomato plants total, of 3-4 different types. After we left a local family nursery, however, we realized that we didn’t have any idea which was which, as they don’t put those nice little white tags on each plant. So watching our garden grow had extra elements of daily surprise. And grow it did – more so than we had ever imagined.
Now grant you, size and quantity alone do not spell success. And thus far, I’ve had to rely on the smiles and photos from our friends who have eaten from our (ok, their) garden. But I suspect, from our conversations and the photos, that the taste will actually surpass my expectations.
Other than the soil composition, the only added products have been patience, sunshine, water and love. Talk about organic!
Stay tuned for my upcoming taste test results. And Memo to Me: wear a dark shirt as I already visualize a delicious burst of tomato seeds when I bite my first pomodoro ciliegino (cherry tomato!).


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Price alert: Hotel prices are holding steady in Isle of Bute. It’s a great time to book!
This is one of the most booked hotels in Isle of Bute over the last 60 days.
No other properties are available in Isle of Bute. View nearby results below.


text: Prepare to fall in love with this gorgeous 4 bedroom 3 1/2 bathroom home in the desirable community of Twin Ridge! This amazing home has everything youve been looking for. An inviting two story foyer, formal living and dining rooms, beautifully updated kitchen, breakfast area, spacious family room with fireplace and thats just the main level. Your upper level features 4 large bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and convenient upper level laundry! Your finished lower level features a full bar, family room, ample storage, and walk-out to your amazing backyard! This incredible outdoor space offers an amazing deck, patio, custom stone fireplace, and stunning in-ground pool within your spacious fully fenced yard. This amazing home truly has everything youve been searching for!


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ROBERT B. BREITENBUCHER, M.D.; ALVIN L. SCHULTZ, M.D.
▸Requests for reprints should be addressed to Robert B. Breitenbucher, M.D.; Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue; Minneapolis, MN 55415.
A continuity care program for patients in nursing homes using internal medicine residents in training has been developed in a county teaching hospital. Resident physicians on a paid basis assume primary care responsibility for 1000 patients in 29 private community nursing homes. A faculty internist coordinates the activities of the residents and monitors patient care through an extended care office in the county hospital. The program has produced a significant upgrading of the continuity and quality of care of patients in these nursing homes as well as providing medical residents with geriatric and nursing home experience. The increased sensitivity and concern for the needs of nursing home patients developed by the medical residents seems to continue after they complete their training.
Published: Ann Intern Med. 1983;98(1):96-100.
MiR-204 reduces cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer through suppression of the caveolin-1/AKT/Bad pathway.
Vasopressors During Adult Cardiac Arrest: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


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"sweet place for chicks and hunks and truffle fries over some mojitos by the seaside :)"
"Aunty quite bossy at times and always run out of stocks for shoes and pt kit"
"Thought this place is hidden? Stuff??"
"Best for mocha java chips"
"Sucky beverage and lacking of enough quantity of spreads rather have old town instead"


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take account of the special situation of girls.
(Source - ILO Convention No. 182, Articles 1 and 7).
The time-bound programme (TBP) approach constitutes one of the means put in place by IPEC to assist countries in fulfilling their obligations under the Convention.
Time-bound programmes are designed as a comprehensive framework that governments can use to chart a course of action with well-defined targets. They comprise a set of integrated and coordinated policies and interventions with clear goals, specific targets and a defined time frame, aimed at preventing and eliminating a country’s worst forms of child labour. They emphasize the need to address the root causes of child labour, linking action for its elimination to national development policies, macro-economic trends and strategies, and demographic and labour market processes and outcomes, with particular emphasis on economic and social policies to combat poverty and to promote universal basic education and social mobilization. The TBPs’ time horizon is set in accordance with the prevalence of the worst forms of child labour, the availability of resources, the level of local expertise and other conditions prevailing in the country.
Focusing heavily on the rapid elimination of the worst forms of child labour, the TBP approach represents a logical progression of IPEC’s work to date while drawing on the experience that has been accumulating since the programme’s inception. TBPs pull together many of the successful approaches piloted by IPEC and others in the past into a comprehensive and scaled-up programme combining upstream policy-oriented interventions covering awareness raising, legislation and enforcement, education, employment and social protection with withdrawal and rehabilitation interventions. IPEC sees the TBP as a key strategic approach for attaining large-scale impact on the worst forms of child labour.
Why focus on the worst forms?
There is not only a consensus that targeting the worst forms is morally justified, but experience has shown that it is also an effective way to mobilize society to address the problem of child labour in general. Successful measures against the worst forms often have a multiplier effect that benefits other working children. Once governments and civil society begin focusing on the worst forms of child labour, broad discussions about the acceptability of other forms of child labour and the feasibility of eliminating them tend to follow as well.
Indeed, this thinking was a major motivation behind the adoption of ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182. Member States that ratify this Convention commit themselves to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour as a matter of urgency through time-bound measures. The exceptionally rapid rate of ratification of Convention No. 182 – 163 of the ILO’s 180 member States as of June 2007 – means that an ever-growing number of governments are committed to eradicating the WFCL as quickly as possible and preventing them in the future. The TBP approach is intended to assist them in this task within a specific timeframe.
must be underpinned by extensive data collection and analysis.
The TBP Manual for Action Planning (TBP MAP) is a collection of documents designed to orient policy makers and programme designers on Time-Bound Programmes. It consists of 5 Guide Books and numerous informative papers.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


text: Patrick's love and passion for his home state of Montana has provided him the ability to share his extensive knowledge and experience through the real estate industry. With his vast knowledge and experience in ranching, agriculture, back country hunting, horsemanship, outdoor survival, and habitat development, he has proven to be a perfect fit to represent the Trophy Properties integrity. With 20 years of professional sales management and consulting, Patrick believes in building a relationship with his clients in order to find their perfect trophy property. His unique sense of humor and dedicated attitude to "cater" to the client is a guaranteed life long memory. For the experience of a lifetime in searching for raw land to build your mountain home, a recreational property to absorb the outdoors, ranch land to spread out, an outdoorsman commercial property to invest, or a secluded vacation home to vanish, let Patrick guide you to accomplish your dream. A proud member of the Trophy Property Team.


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I have recently moved to the city of Chicago from the suburbs to be closer to the action of its blues scene. It is important for me to stay within a short drive distance to the forefront of its music activities.
This town has incredible quality and quantity of talented blues musicians, and yet, the number of venues where they can perform is very limited.
Before I moved here from the West Coast, I had visited this city several times. The old school blues sound that I dig most is a rare find even in Chicago nowadays. As a resident in this town since last year, I confirmed what I knew before.
I am now located about 10min drive to Halsted and 20min to downtown of Chicago. This is my determined attempt to be seen more in public to make things happen.


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Consumers have high demands; they expect companies to understand their needs and deliver products and services at the right price quickly and conveniently. This is not news to brands. After all, customer experience is the new “battlefront,” according to Gartner. However, a report by Acquia, which surveyed over 5,000 consumers or roughly 1,000 respondents from each country, suggests that brands are missing the mark. Meanwhile, consumers have little patience for poor experiences.
I don’t remember when a brand exceeded my expectations.
When I have a bad experience with a brand, I move on.
So, what does this mean for brands? As this study and other research suggests, customer experience has stagnated. As more and more companies compete on customer experience, what was once considered innovative is now table stakes. When was the last time you were wowed by a retailer that offers buy online, pick up in-store options or the ability to complete a purchase from your phone?
Indeed, as we learned from our own study, leaders are becoming more critical of what it means to be a customer-centric organization and in fact, fewer leaders claimed that their organization was customer-centric in 2018 compared to previous years.
While there isn’t a fast and easy solution, the following tips can help companies get on the right path to aligning their customer experiences with consumer expectations.
2. Let the customer lead – It may seem obvious, but customer insights are helpful for making decisions that affect customers. However, only 35 percent of executives said they had been studying digital customer behavior as an indicator of which technologies to invest in, according to a report by Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter, a Prophet company. Companies are “making investment decisions without necessarily understanding or having access to the data that would guide it,” he says.
4. Know when to ask for help – Unless your organization is consistently up to date on the latest best practices in customer acquisition, success, growth, and trust and safety services, consider whether an experienced partner can provide fresh ideas and solutions for keeping your customers satisfied.
Consumers today have more options than ever and have high expectations for engagement, responsiveness, and frictionless support. As a result, consumers are often unforgiving when their expectations aren’t met or their trust is betrayed. Therefore, the sooner business leaders understand that what they consider a good experience may not look that way to the customer, the sooner brands and customers can begin talking to each other—rather than at each other.


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If you’re looking for yet another sign that we’re likely going to experience a significant El Nino this year, the Excel just caught and released 2 marlin this morning while on a 3 day fishing trip. With the warm water conditions, even with 3 day trip range, these boats aren’t fishing too far from the US.
On this most recent trip, which left Wednesday, instead of steaming straight south, the Excel stopped on kelp just past the Coronado Islands to put their passengers on some nice yellowtail. After limiting out on yellowtail the following morning, they headed offshore about 5 miles and caught over 100 smaller grade yellowfin tuna.
And Friday’s morning featured some extra excitement, with the two marlin being hung and released after they put on an aerial show for the boat.


text: Evie is an intuitive card reader. She reads many different oracle decks including Angel, Fairy, and the Tarot cards. She is self-taught, has been reading cards since 1978 and uses her intuition in conjunction with the cards as a tool to help you connect with your higher-self for motivation, inspiration, and upliftment out of negative feelings of confusion and moving you into a positive mind set. Her goal is to help you feel at ease about decisions you need to make in order to move forward on your journey to a happier life by allowing spirit to come forward and speak through her to give its answers to you that spirit knows you’re ready to hear. Sometimes spirits’ answers are happy and sometimes they are sad but spirit knows you are sitting before Evie to hear the truth.


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How do I access the morning meeting?
2. Log in with the username and password you should have got on a separate email.
4. A pop-up window from Zoom should appear and wait until the host starts the webinar.


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… but what about what’s not for you? Why doesn’t that seem to pass?
Everything happens for a reason, right? So why do some people try so hard to better and yet the universe still conspires against them.
Time fixes everything… but does it really?
I know I am not the only that thinks this way, but seriously, I know far too many people living lives where these famous cliche “let me help you feel better,” sayings do no apply to them. I question everything you see, blame it on passed experiences and bold face lies, but it’s something I have trained myself to do.
I play devil’s advocate with my thoughts, and I’ve kind of learned to expect the worst, especially with people. There are only 4 people outside of my family that constantly exceed my expectations of the negative and these 4 women still have to put up with my doubt.
Where is all of this coming from Yetti?
I recently re-read The Alchemist, it’s my feel good book… I’ve read it three times, and honestly, I think I may open it AGAIN just to remind myself to have a little faith in myself and my instincts.
Anything colored in blue is what I question, because what I am experiencing right now… shows otherwise. But I still re-read the book because it gives me faith that something may surprise me one day, and maybe the universe will work with me to help me create my happily-ever after and me rid the things that are poisonous to me. Who knows.
You know how much I love that book and whenever I’m feeling down or uninspired, I return to it like you. The Alchemist has literally changed my life and I couldn’t have initially read it at a better time. I try to remain optimistic about things. And I believe as I get older, I can see why things happened as they did and why they didn’t happen. I think that is an honest statement–everything does happen for a reason.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Mocopan decides – Sydney or Melbourne?
As part of our quest to discover which city does coffee better we spoke to Mocopan’s Trent Kiner.
As a Sydneysider can we trust your judgement to be fair and unbiased?
Trying to discover which city has the best coffee and café scene has plagued me in the same way it’s plagued the rest of Australia’s coffee community. For this reason I promise to not let my residency choices corrupt the integrity of this investigation.
Thanks Trent, Mocopan has a pretty big presence all over Australia, what’s special about Melbourne?
Well Mocopan can trace its origins back to Melbourne, when Monici, Coppercini and Panettieri installed one of the first roasting facilities in Australia. The three Italian immigrants set up shop in Preston, Melbourne in 1954 – we’re still roasting our beans in Preston today.
Monici, Coppercini, Panettieri – I just realised how the name Mocopan came to be. Any other fun facts about Mocopan’s history you can share?
You may not know that, although Mocopan now focuses primarily on roasting and wholesaling delicious coffee beans for cafés all over the country, there once was a time when we forayed into the instant coffee scene. For a little while we even made coffee-in-a-can.
Sounds delicious. So we’ve discovered that Melbourne holds a special place in the Mocopan family’s heart, how is Sydney important?
I’m based at Mocopan’s Seven Hills, NSW office which is obviously where much of the company’s creative genius takes place.
Does that mean you guys are responsible for coming up with fresh ideas for MICE each year?
In 2014 we celebrated 60 years of Mocopan so we made MICE a big party. This year lots of people put their hands up with great ideas – including one of our NSW Trainers who shaved her head for the World’s Greatest Shave. It is a collaborative effort!
Can you reveal anything that might be in the works for The Coffee Experience?
I can’t reveal too much…we’re looking forward to cheering on the coffee chains in the new competitions though.
Finally, who does coffee better? Melbourne or Sydney?
Sorry guys, I can’t choose – depends on which city I’m in at the time!


text: The oxidation behavior of a (Mo,W)Si2 composite with boride addition was examined at 300–1000C for 24 h in dry O2. The oxidation kinetics was studied using a thermobalance, and the oxide scales were analyzed using a combination of electron microscopy (SEM/EDX, FIB, BIB) and XRD. Accelerated oxidation was found to occur between 500C and 675C, with a peak mass gain at 625C. The rapid oxidation is attributed to the vaporization of molybdenum oxide that leaves a porous and poorly protective silica layer behind. At higher temperature (700–1000C) a protective scale forms, consisting of a dense SiO2/ B2O3 glass.


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Twelve Climate & Space researchers who work in the Center for Space Environment Modeling (CSEM) have received the 2019 Ted Kennedy Family Faculty Team Excellence Award from the College of Engineering. These members include CSEM Director Prof. Tamas Gombosi, Assoc. Research Scientist Darren De Zeeuw, Assoc. Research Scientist Natalia Ganjushkina, Assoc. Prof. Xianzhe Jia, Prof. Michael Liemohn, Research Prof. Ward Manchester, Prof. Aaron Ridley, Research Scientist Igor Sokolov, Assoc. Research Scientist Valeriy Tenishev, Research Prof. Gabor Toth, Assoc. Research Scientist Bart van der Holst, and Assoc. Prof. Shasha Zou.
The Center for Space Environment Modeling (CSEM) is an interdisciplinary research organization of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. CSEM is comprised of a tightly integrated group of faculty, students and staff from the Departments of Aerospace Engineering, Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
The overall goal of CSEM is to develop high-performance, first-principles based computational models to describe and predict hazardous conditions in the near-earth space environment extending from the sun to the ionosphere, called space weather. In order to achieve predictive capability, the models must run considerably faster than real time on mid-size parallel computers.
The center’s research has contributed to several high-profile NASA space missions over the years, including Cassini/Huygens, Messenger, STEREO, and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) among others. CSEM’s work has also played a role in the ESA Rosetta mission, as well as Geotail, a joint project between the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
CSEM is administered through the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering.
The Director of CSEM is Professor Tamas Gombosi of the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering. He is assisted by co-directors Kenneth Powell of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Quentin Stout of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

industry_corpus2: Aerospace


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the services are always on.
Smith Controls was established in 1968 and is strategically located in the hi-tech Hudson Valley region, just 30 miles south of Albany.
Whatever the system requirements are...Smith Controls has demonstrated the ability to provide the solutions that will exceed your expectations; on time and within budget.
Our Staff is widely experienced, highly professional, and has hundreds of years of diversified application knowledge.
Full service and Complete Customer Satisfaction set Smith Controls apart in the field of Control System Design, Manufacturing, and Integration.
Design and Documentation; you just can’t survive without them. So even if you have all your major items you still need a Design showing how all the pieces go together. Put Smith Controls to work for you and we’ll apply our forty plus years of experience to deliver the best design possible.
You’ve sought out the experts in all other phases of your project; so don’t settle for anything less when it comes to the control and automation needs of your system or process. Smith Controls is uniquely qualified to apply our forty years of experience for your project’s benefit. So contact us the next time you need a consultation, a specification written or a design developed.
“If you can measure it….. we can control it”; that’s how Smith Controls approaches our Automation Systems needs. We meet with you to fully understand your needs and requirements, brainstorm, recommend solutions and options and then create the system perfect for your application and budget.
From Sensors to SCADA, Smith Controls is your one-stop location for all project’s needs. Let us apply our forty years of experience to your project and take care of everything required to deliver your thoughts as a functioning solution as your General Contractor or Systems Integration partner.
We’ll keep it simple; if you need a Control Panel built….. Smith Controls is the place to have it done. It doesn’t matter if it’s a one-time need or you are an OEM; we have been putting the pieces together and wiring the best looking and most functional control panels for more than forty years. ENGRAVING Don’t rely on adhesive or temporary labels; give your system the permanent and professional treatment with engraved nameplates. Our automated machines work directly from the computer file to give you a cost effective, permanent solution for all your engraving needs.
Programmable Logic Controllers have been the brains of control systems since the 1980’s and Smith Controls has worked with them all every step of the way. So whether its upgrading an oldie-but-goodie, replacing an obsolete model, or applying you very first PLC, contact Smith Controls and we’ll program it right the first time.
With today’s demands for conservation and tighter process control Variable Speed Drive Systems are a necessity. Smith Controls has been applying, integrating and servicing these systems throughout their forty years of evolution. Contact Smith Controls the next time you need application assistance or maintenance.
Whatever acronym you prefer, this is the most critical art of a major control system and its how every person receives information and inputs data into the system. Smith Controls has more the forty years of expertise developing these critical controls and monitoring screens so let us put this knowledge to work for you.
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, it’s in every major control room. Smith Controls’ forty years of experience makes us uniquely qualified to provide your SCADA System using any of the major packages.
Need to get remote, off-site data back to the control room? Not a problem for Smith Controls as we have specialized in telemetry systems for more than forty years. Spread spectrum, lease line, cellular, satellite? Contact Smith Controls the next time you need help with a Telemetry System and we’ll apply the right technology for your application.
Having trouble with all the choices available today or integrating a new network into your environment? Smith Controls has been solving this challenge for more than forty years. Contact Smith Controls the next time you need help with a design, integration, or maintenance of your Industrial Network.
Whether for quality control or mandatory reporting, sometimes you just need the right data collected, stored, and automatically reported. Smith Controls has been provided cost effective Data Acquisition systems for more the forty years.
No control system can perform correctly if it doesn’t get the correct information. Smith Controls has been supplying, installing and calibrating Process Instrumentation for more than forty years. We know what works and what hasn’t held up based on the application and environment. Contact Smith Controls the next time you need help with a design, integration, or maintenance.
There is nothing more vital to any control system that quality data. Far too often this detail is overlooked and a sensor drifts out of calibration over years of operation and neglect. Don’t let this happen to your system, contact Smith Controls today to make sure your process isn’t running on bad data.
When all the equipment has been placed and all the wires pulled there is another important step; System Testing and validation. Smith Controls is uniquely qualified with in depth knowledge from the sensor to SCADA to validate the wiring prior to initial power-up and then exercise the system for acceptance. Contact Smith Controls for all you Testing and Validation needs.
Your control system is just like your car, it requires regular check-ups or you risk untimely breakdowns. Let Smith Controls put a plan in place to keep your plant or process in peek operating condition. In the long run these will cost less and minimize those costly emergency breakdowns.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


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News from LMCU: We want to salute your youth sports team!
We want to salute your youth sports team!
Lake Michigan Credit Union is partnering with WBBL and Hudsonville Ice Cream to salute a local youth sports team each week throughout the spring and summer. The winning teams will receive a $50 LMCU Visa gift card and an ice cream party from Hudsonville Ice Cream.
To enter, simply go to WBBL.com and click on the Youth Sports Salute icon located on the Bakita and Bentley page. Send a picture of your actively playing team and you’ll be entered for the entire summer. No need to enter each week! For more details, visit our Member Perks page at lmcu.org/perks.


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From Soon to be Snowy Syracuse NY – Our famous Winter Blend will be available Tuesday November 14th at 10:00 am just in time for the Holiday Season.
It is off the hook good and it makes for the PERFECT Holiday gift. Our famous Winter Blend captures the beauty of caramel and vanilla flavors all in one beautiful tasting cup of coffee. You will LOVE this coffee after the first sip and you will enjoy snuggling up with on the cold winter days.


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dCore-seamonkey-installer is now available, it and the resulting current seamonkey browser have been tested on dCore-wheezy and dCore-artful so it should work for all x86 dCore ports.
SeaMonkey now uses gtk3. Dependencies have changed. I'd therefore appreciate if you could adjust dCore-seamonkey-installer.
I have replaced libgtk2.0-0 with libgtk-3-0 in dCore-seamonkey-installer's dependency list. I tested it and the resulting seamonkey.sce works with only xorg-all, icewm, seamonkey, and dCore-seamonkey-installer being loaded.


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As you will know, here at PCP Mis-Sold, we aim to highlight and prevent instances where a PCP (Personal Contract Purchase/Personal Contract Plan) has been mis-sold, most of the times by third parties who have been acting deliberately unscrupulous. This is an issue that the key organisations within the industry are keenly aware of, so much so that in July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) began their own investigation into malpractice as it pertains to the selling of PCP. The goal of this investigation is to determine if insurance sellers are actually properly assessing whether their customers can afford to purchase cars that they are offered on credit, and whether the deals themselves stand up to scrutiny.
The investigation is now more than a year on from its instigation, and their work has included a number of studies designed to understand how the market operates, and how such deals generally come to be based on people’s personal and financial circumstances. One of those includes an analysis of several million credit files towards a mystery shopping exercise, which provides a small glimpse into a large number of consumers. It could be argued that the FCA are only scratching the surface with their work to date, and this investigation will continue in the months, if not years, to come.
What the FCA have reported so far, though, is that consumers who have strong credit scores have benefited from the most growth, which is understandable. Conversely, for those people who have poor credit scores, arrears and default rates are higher, thus making them prone to tougher agreements, and places them under greater pressure to take anything that is offered, which perhaps contributes to some of the mis-sold PCP deals.
In addition, and more importantly, the FCA noted that incorrect management of commission agreements could convince dealers to offer unnecessarily expensive finance deals for consumers, with a worrying number not given sufficient, or even any, key information about what they are agreeing to, the terms and conditions, and any other important details accessible on the websites of both the lenders and the dealers.
At this point, the FCA seem to be uncovering evidence of certain tactics being used which have led to the mis-selling of many PCP deals for customers who are in a weaker financial position. The hope is that, as the investigation rolls on, we will see more concrete evidence of malpractice within the industry, which it is hoped will ultimately lead to those who have behaved inappropriately receiving sufficient punishment, and the eventual results ultimately being of benefit to both consumers and the industry as a whole.


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For the last nine years, the Interaction Design Association has held an annual IxDA conference. As part of the 2016 IxDA event in Helsinki, our Digital Product Director, Leandro Agrò took part by presenting his views on the design of connected objects (the Internet of Things). The Interaction Design Association is a global network of over 55,000 members who are passionate about the practice of designing interactive digital products, environments, systems and services (IxD). The 2016 IxDA conference gathered 1000 designers, design leaders, students and volunteers for four days of mind-expanding workshops and talks.
The event was held in Helsinki during 1-4th of March. The city was an obvious choice as Finland is currently living and breathing design. Post-Nokia life in Finland has led to a surge in start-ups and the design industry is now thriving with new companies. Even the main venue for the conference was held in Finlandia Hall, the architectural masterpiece designed by Alvar Aalto. The theme for the 2016 conference was an open-ended question to encourage dialogue about the future of interaction design, What’s next? With five keynote talks, 100 speakers and 12 workshops, the event inspired designers to become more than pixel shapers and to move towards designing for IoT and robotics.
Design Group Italia believe that design should also move in this direction. We started designing objects and services for the Internet of Things in 2008 and since then our IoT team have conceived designs that shape product and service behavior. Our designs include the world’s first automated greenhouse Meg, a medication adherence aid Trillio and the collaborative tool Frame it! At IxDA, Leandro Agrò, our Digital Product Director presented his talk Connected objects are natural born storytellers (re-visited). His presentation touched-upon many areas such as expanding outside of the current boundaries of design, that our world is shaped by the tools we design and how technology is now shaping us.
“We live on the border between Cloud FOG computing and the IoT Age”.
“Infuse HUMANITY into everything (or everything will evolve without it)”.


text: Available in a range of body styles and trim levels, the Skoda Octavia is designed for all-round family fun. The hatchback version benefits from a finely sculpted appearance and refined interior, while its spacious cabin and high spec interior ensure an enjoyable ride for all. You can come and take a closer look at the selection of used Skoda Octavia models for sale in Stourbridge right now by paying a visit to Pegasus Car Company in person. Alternatively, browse our vehicles here on the website ? just be sure to contact a member of the showroom team if you've any questions or would like to arrange a test drive.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles