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West African palm wine music, by the 1920's, was morphed into highlife in the country of Ghana —becoming the country's most popular and identifiable genre—and is the core substance of Time For Peace. Led by Ghanian native Selasee Atiase, now residing in America, The FaFa Family delivers roots reggae inflected with a soft undercurrent of highlife, and heartfelt inspiration of gospel and soul.
Prepared with a strong music background and acknowledged as a gospel singer back in his homeland of Ghana, Selasee has been around long enough in reggae circles to have released two previous records, "Run," in 2005, and "African Gate," in 2009. If third time is the charm, this could be the one that garners him recognition for his efforts.
Having the bassist and musical director for the legendary Wailers, Aston "Familyman" Barrett, as the producer and mentor on the record was a major advantage. His experience and expertise are evident starting with the title track on which he plays bass. Selasee expresses naturally and comfortably the positive vibrations which are prevalent and essential in the reggae message, and have become the genres characteristic emotion.
In an obvious homage to his homeland, "Mama Africa" "Stop The Rain," and especially "Which One," are pure African, the latter complete with an afro-beat pattern and accelerated tempo. But the pulsing Caribbean rhythm groove is foremost in "The Love," "Your Life In My Life," "Baby Sister," and "Like The Water," which is an easygoing float downstream.
Reggae, as many genres, has gone through its ups and downs in popularity and has been affected by other styles of music from rap to techno, but the classic roots reggae with its Rastafari connotation most identified with Bob Marley, has always been the standard by which genuine artists of the genre are measured. Selasee, by choice adheres to this tradition, and has captured the spirit that this music represents and upholds. As the title implies, Time For Peace, is music created on the golden rule, hopes for a better world, and peace on earth —who can beat that.


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If you are familiar with many of the Kpop bands out there, what do you know about EXO? The band has been active since 2012. When you look at Kpop bands, you think about band members only being from Korea, right? That’s not always the case, however, and remember that there is also North and South Korea. In this case, the band members of EXO are from South Korea and China.
There are a total of 9 members. The genre of music is Kpop of course, but you know what they say: Kpop isn’t a music genre. That being said, the music crosses many different genres, which is one reason why Kpop is so popular. Did you know that the Kpop bands sometimes release music in different languages?
In this case, this band makes music in three languages. Those languages are Mandarin, Japanese and of course Korean. Is that the norm, or is that a little extra? I’ll tell you what’s not the norm, and that’s the fact that EXO is not just any band. It is one of the biggest Kpop bands in history. In fact, some call it the biggest boy band in the entire world.
Yet there are other popular boy bands out there, and BTS might just have that title now. To be clear, many media sources would probably say that BTS is bigger than EXO, and the fans would, too. Still, the media has at times called EXO the kings of Kpop. What do you think? Are they the kings, or is there another band like BTS that takes the cake?
It was mentioned that band EXO has 9 members, but it actually had 12 originally. Have you noticed how many of the Kpop bands have more members than many of the boy bands you are used to seeing in the US? I thought that was really interesting. I think it’s really cool, too, especially in terms of performances, meaning dance and choreography.
There were legal battles that took three of the band’s members out, and that is how EXO ended up with its 9 members. The actual name of the band is EXO-CBX. Would you believe that each of the 9 members have solo careers as well? That’s right, so you can catch all kind of music from not just the band EXO but all of its members.
Who is in the band EXO? Baekhyun, DO and Sehun are three of the members. You might not have known that there are two subgroups. Other bands members include Suho, Chanyeol, Kai, Chen, Lay and Xiumin.
This band is different from some of the other in that its first album was very successful. Sometimes it can take a couple or a few albums for a Kpop band to really catch on. The first album that EXO released sold a million copies. That may not sound like much, but it was enough to really kick off this band’s popularity.
If you haven’t listened to any music from EXO, now is your opportunity. You might want to check out some of the songs available from the solo artists and their merch here: https://kpopmerchandise.org/exo-merchandise/.
Then you can start looking at some of the other popular Kpop bands out there as well.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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This indicator shows the actual overall area of built-up land in 2012 (all built-up residential areas, infrastructure areas, industrial and commercial areas, tourist and sports infrastructure areas, etc.) in hectares, as well as land use change from all categories (agricultural land in particular) into the category of built-up land in the period 2008–2012.
Thus, the indicator shows the process of land use change and its effect on unsustainable land use due to development of various human activities, which is reflected in the increased area of built-up land and permanent loss of forest and agricultural land.
Record of the use of agricultural and forest land 2008 and 2012. Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, 2012.
• Adoption of policies directed toward the goal of no net land take by 2050. Countries must better integrate direct and indirect land use and its impact on the environment in decision-making and limit land exploitation and land take to the maximum extent possible.
In 2012, there were 109,162.8 hectares of built-up areas in Slovenia according to data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. This would mean only 202.2 ha of newly built-up areas compared to the situation in 2008. However, such interpretation of land use data is inappropriate. We analysed the deficiencies of these data in further detail in the report Razvoj kazalcev okolja v Sloveniji – Površje (Development of environmental indicators in Slovenia – Land) (Lampič, Repe, 2012). The analysis, in which all land use categories were overlapped, showed that the total area of newly built-up land in both years, 2008 and 2012, was only 96,138.1 ha (which represents 88.1% of built-up areas in 2008). The remaining 12% (slightly over 13,000 ha) of land, according to the recorded land use in 2008, appears in other land use categories. In this event, as much as 13,024 hectares of land was built-up in a four-year period; however, we have to point out that this number does not reflect the actual situation. The largest areas of newly built-up land occur within the categories of grassland (6,208.1 ha), forest (3,274.2 ha) and arable fields (1,550.5 ha). This interpretation would mean that as much as 8.9 ha of land was built-up every day in this four-year period.
Considering all the land use changes in Slovenia in recent years, we know that the total area of built-up land probably increased by more than 202 ha (this would mean only 0.14 ha per day over the last four years), unlike the calculations by land use category would suggest. The overlapping of land use category also doesn’t give us a realistic picture. Photo interpretation of land use from digital orthophoto images, which is the basis for establishing the actual use of agricultural and forest land (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food) has been improving and upgrading from year to year. In total, the area of built-up land did not increase by 13,024 ha as the results of overlapping of land use categories would suggest. However, there is no doubt that the greatest increase in the area of built-up land occurred on agricultural land. Unfortunately, it is impossible to give the precise area of land take in this four-year period. The following data points to methodological inconsistency: 702 of arable fields, 2,670 of permanent crops, 6,574 ha of grassland, 1,603 ha of forest, etc. as recorded in 2012 fell under the category of built-up land in 2008. This points to a gap in the interpretation of orthophoto images; however, it is impossible to estimate the actual error more precisely.
As regards the percentage of built-up areas at the level of statistical regions of Slovenia, the Podravje and Central Slovenia regions stand out. In these two regions, built-up areas represent more than 8% of their land area. The percentage of built-up areas is lowest in the sparsely populated and heavily forested Notranjska-Kras region (2.4%).
When it comes to Slovenia, the loss of agricultural land, and arable land in particular, is the most critical. Agricultural land, especially arable fields, covers a very modest percentage of land area in Slovenia. Among the 38 EEA countries, Slovenia has one of the lowest percentages of agricultural land in the land use structure (less than 35%), while the area of arable fields per capita is even less favourable. According to CLC data from 2006, only six countries have a lower percentage of agricultural land (Estonia, Switzerland, Albania, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland), while in some countries, e.g. Denmark, Hungary, Ireland and Poland, this percentage exceeds 60%.
Inefficient as well as environmentally and spatially unsustainable land use in the past has already caused great changes in land cover and the use of agricultural land. Therefore, efforts to halt the increasing area of built-up land are urgent (The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, COM ), as well as the push for efficient agricultural land management and, in particular, more rational land use through directing the development of new activities to previously degraded, less valuable land, thus protecting agricultural land. Halting the expansion of built-up land is essential for sustainable land management and efficient management of agricultural land in Slovenia. It is important to entirely stop the expansion of various human activities on high-quality agricultural land (arable fields, gardens), which is also decisive in ensuring an appropriate food self-sufficiency level.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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Our collision (auto body) repair is designed to get your car to pre-accident condition and safety. We offer our auto body repair services for Canby, Clackamas, Oregon City, Portland, Wilsonville and Tualatin areas.
Even if your vehicle is still under warranty, we can handle the collision repairs you need. In fact, whereas some dealerships might have an auto body facility, they mainly specialize in car sales. We, on the other hand, specialize in auto body work. We constantly keep our technicians trained on every aspect of body work, and with over 100 years of combined experience, you can be certain your vehicle is in the hands of professionals.You can click on any picture below to see the full auto body repair process.
A correctly done collision repair brings the car to the same specifications in look and safety that it had when it was originally built. An accident will distort the shape of the car, so we start by taking the vehicle apart and getting its chassis back to original specifications.
We then replace or repair any part that is damaged, also to factory standards. Since our foremost concern is for your safety, we don't use low quality, after-market parts, but only parts that pass all factory standards.
Any rusted parts are also replaced.
The paint of your vehicle is what prevents it from deteriorating and rusting. There are many types of paints and many ways to apply them. We only use high quality paint because we know you want your vehicle to look good for many years.
Existing paint has to be sanded off completely and any filling also needs to be sanded until the body of the car is totally smooth.
The paint process itself is a multi-step procedure. Many layers have to be applied to the vehicle to make it last a long time, and look new. Following are some of the layers that are applied to all vehicles we restore.
The primer is the coating layer that protects the vehicle from corrosion, sunlight, rust, etc. It also smooths out irregularities on the surface of the car or truck.
Basecoat is the coating layer that gives color and an aesthetic look. Our base coatings won't fade for many years, keeping the color of your vehicle looking new.
The clear coat is the top coating layer that protects all other layers from the elements. Day after day it withstands acids, sunlight, rain and every beating your vehicle takes. It also gives your car or truck the shine of a new vehicle.
We stand behind all the auto body repair work we do on your vehicle, with a full lifetime warranty on the paint so you can rest assured that your vehicle will keep looking new. Our business has grown from word of mouth alone for many years because we specialize in quality collision repair work and back up all our work with a warranty.
Feel free to call or contact us with any questions at (503) 266-6511. We are here to help you with your vehicle needs.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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Even tho he's a hedge funds guy I kinda like him.
Say what you want about Trump, but the man knows how to make entertaining reality TV. Hiring a cocaine addict who makes on-the-record profanity-laden calls to reporters to make infighting in the White House public seems like the expected course of action. I warmly recommend all who are not scared of a bit of "colourful" language to read the summary of his phone call to the New Yorker journalist.
Unlike the rest of US politics the last year?
That would be the sad truth.
I agree that the standards are not high, but The Mooch sets a new low.
I'm calling it a cross between Survivor and The Apprentice. Sessions is next then Bannon then Kim Jong. BRB. Gotta go get more popcorn.
Scaramucci is Donald Trump's Minnie- Me just like in the old Austin Powers film. Sooner or later Minnie-Me is going to clash with The Donald, and that will be the end of Minnie-Me.
No; he's a hedge fund leech, and therefore nowhere near a poor boy.
Pretty sure that was 'Mini-Me'.
At least he says he is not a back stabber, he said he is a front stabber, he will make no bones about not liking someone rather than going behind their back and doing it the usual political backstabbing way. That puts him a wee bit ahead of the rest. Just a wee bit though.
They're all there for one reason, to increase the value of their own particular brand. None of them are actually there to serve the American People.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counterreformist and has been influenced by the “ratio studiorum” of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory, it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach – if not the Kingdom of Heaven – the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: the essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.
It’s just the last bit that doesn’t ring true these days – at least, not judging by the Hasidic Jews playing delightedly with iPads in the new Apple Store in Covent Garden this week.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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Whether your and average joe or a beer nerd, this place has something for everyone.
Select Beer Bottle Shop in Redondo Beach carries 18 beers on tap and a huge selection of bottled and canned beer. They specialize in craft beer. If you’re looking for something new or that hard to find beer, give them a try!
Select Beer Bottle Shop is located at 1613 S. P.C.H in Redondo Beach.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Our chapter (25) in Proverbs starts, It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” [v.2] Surely this is a challenge to those who (from their hearts) seek a relationship with God. This begins by being baptised into the name of His Son, an action which brings them into a wonderful and close relationship with the divine!
We therefore should, indeed MUST, search out what God has concealed – this is the challenge to us as we read, absorb and meditate on the Scriptures God has caused to be written and preserved – and which are now largely translated into all languages. In reading the Proverbs we see them as a “mine” from which Jesus extracted and developed several of his parables.
Paul in Thessalonica, ” reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead ….” [Acts 17 v.2,3] This would be, of course, the Old Testament scriptures, sadly so many neglect these today.

industry_corpus2: Others


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My poem “Reaching” now available to read and listen in Liquid Imagination!
My poem “Reaching”—narrated by the talented Dafydd McKimm—is now live in Liquid Imagination Issue 38!
“The Astounding Life of Penny Wu” is forthcoming in Factor Four Magazine!
Happy to announce that my story, “The Astounding Life of Penny Wu,” is forthcoming in Factor Four Magazine!
—with thanks to editor Richard Flores IV and the editorial team!
“Knock-out Opalescent Victory” is forthcoming in Argot!
Happy to announce that my poem, “Knock-out Opalescent Victory,” is forthcoming in Argot!
This one includes boxing, miko (shrine maidens in Japan) and draws from my experiences living in Japan.
“Swings and Suspension” forthcoming in Pantheon!
Happy to announce that my story, “Swings and Suspension” will be published in the “Gorgon: Stories of Emergence” issue of Pantheon Magazine!
Looking forward to the issue!
My WorldCon 2018 schedule is now up!
I will be attending WorldCon 2018 in San José, CA, participating in panels, academic presentations and other events. Come stop by and say hi!
Hope to see you there. If you see me walking around, feel free to wave me down and say hi!

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Don't be #TakenForaRide. Let's make rideshare costs transparent!
Rideshares, such as Uber and Lyft, provide a wonderful spin on the taxi and transportation industry, but the benefits of ridesharing (also known as ridehailing) can be hampered by a lack of transparency. This is why we created RideGuru.
At RideGuru, we believe riders have the right to understand all their options before choosing a ridehail company. With our RideGuru Comparison Calculator, travelers can easily compare ride price estimates for their journeys side by side and choose the cheapest option for their trip. Some Rideshare companies have tried to shut down websites that provide this important transparency to the marketplace but our team won't stand for that!
The calculator is for drivers too!
Secondly, we feel as though drivers are the backbone of the ridesharing and ridehailing industry and deserve to be treated as such. It is important for drivers and riders to know the fees and commission rates of each ridehail company. On our RideGuru calculator we always show which companies are paying their drivers most fairly. Drivers can use this to find the company that will best value them, and riders, by seeing driver take home pay, can make better informed decisions on which companies they choose to support.
Please join us on social media to spread the importance of rideshare transparency for both riders and drivers - we all have a right to be informed!
Is Uber Overcharging Riders (and Secretly Pocketing Money that Belongs to Drivers)?
Thank you to everyone who backed our Thunderclap Campaign to raise awareness about rideshare transparency. With your help we were able to reach over 96,000 people through our combined social media efforts!
Knowledge is power. Check out a few of our infographics that highlight ridehail transparency.

industry_corpus2: Transportation


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Before making payment, please contact Gaynor Parry (Training Officer) Telephone: 07860 202784 to reserve a place.
Full Payment (by cheque or horse monkey) is required in advance of the training date. As NDG needs to cover the cost of venue hire and trainer, we cannot offer refunds if you are unable to attend but substitution of horse/rider may be possible - please contact Gaynor.
We won’t share or sell your information or allow the use of your information for marketing, however we will share relevant information with our partners to help us deliver our services to you.
When you join our club as a paid up member, we ask you to provide some details about yourself. Your name, address, email address, telephone numbers (including emergency contact), date of birth and some details about your horse(s).
We gather this information to allow us to process your NDG membership which includes BRC affiliation. The Northern Dressage Group may share data with 3rd party suppliers working on our behalf - this includes contractors, agents and other clubs who work for and with The Northern Dressage Group to provide services and complete tasks for the delivery of our service. Where such a relationship is in place there are contractual safeguards in place to protect your information.
The Northern Dressage Group will only share data that is relevant to the tasks being completed and to the delivery of service to you, and where possible the data will be anonymised. None of these organisations and individuals are permitted to use the data for any other purpose.
We may need extra information for area qualifiers or national final entries e.g horse passport details but these will only be submitted to the relevant office and not retained or used for any other purpose. Should you enter one of our events using Horse Monkey, your data will be shared with the NDG to keep as a record for the duration of that event, your name and horse will be published on our website to show your event time and following results.
We also use your details to communicate with you about club activities such as Competitions, Training activities and any opportunities, Area competitions and any other events the club partake in, compete, or help at. We may also use aggregate information and statistics for the purposes of monitoring website usage in order to help us develop the website and our services. These statistics will not include information that can be used to identify any individual.
The Northern Dressage Group will not sell or rent your information to third parties, and we do not share information for marketing purposes with any third parties. At any time you will be free to remove consent by contacting us at website@northerndressage.org.uk.
4. How will we keep your data secure?
A cookie is a small text file which we transfer to your hard drive through your web browser when you visit our website or open certain emails. It enables our own systems to recognise you when you visit our website again and improve our services to you. The information can be used to enhance the content of our website and make your use of it easier. For more information about cookies please visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
If any of the information that you have provided to us changes, for example if you change your email address or name, please email membership@northerndressage.org.uk to let us know so we can update our records. If you wish to cancel your membership, please send an email to us to let us know.
We regularly review our policies - the last review of this policy was undertaken when first created in May 2018, we reserve the right to change and update this Policy as we deem necessary from time to time or as may be required. You will be informed of any changes and are deemed to have accepted the terms of the Policy on your first use of the website following the alterations, unless you notify us you do not consent to the changes, at which point we will remove your personal details from our records.
The Northern Dressage will send you from time to time newsletters, event updates, surveys and information on Area activities by post, email, text message and telephone but we will not do so without your express consent. If you do not wish to receive any further email, text or telephone calls from us please inform us by emailing us at website@northerndressage.org.uk.
Please ensure you include your full name and address. If you have opted in to receiving electronic communications from us, but have now changed your mind, please let us know by emailing us.
11. How long we keep your information for?
We keep your information for as long as your membership could run and up to 18 months, should you renew your membership with us we will retain your details and continue to keep them safe for a further 18 months or until the time you may wish to cancel your membership with us and for the purpose laid out in this policy.
When we no longer need to use your information and there is no need for us to keep it to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations, we’ll remove it from our systems.


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The appetite for the classic fruit machine remains as strong as ever among online casino players with iSoftBet the latest developer to deliver an old school slot in the form of Hot Spin.
It’s a 5 reel, 20 payline game that features all the imagery you’d expect to find in a classic fruity. Top of the pops as far as payouts are concerned is the diamond which awards 25 times your stake for a 5-in-a-row combination.
Above the main set of reels is the Hot Wheel. This comes into its own when you trigger the Hot Wheel feature. You do that in the usual manner by landing scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 on the same spin. The inner ring of the Hot Wheel will spin.
In Sync Reels – between 2 & 5 reels will sync on each free spin, showing the same matching symbols.
You could also be randomly awarded a Hot Spin in the base game. This is a single spin where 1 of the modifiers is live. iSoftBet has packed plenty of extras into this old school slot, especially when you trigger the feature round. If you enjoy the simple pleasures offered by a classic fruit machine with an odd twist or 2 thrown in, then Hot Spin is well worth a look.
It’s on general release now but I recommend you play it at LeoVegas Casino – they have over 1,000 slots including lots of new releases like Novomatic’s Stein Haus, NextGen Gaming’s Kingdom’s Edge, Play ‘N Go’s Rise of Olympus and Pragmatic Play’s Peking Luck. Register now to get 20 no deposit spins on Play ‘N Go’s Book of Dead, a 100% first deposit bonus up to £300 plus 30 more Book of Dead spins (on deposit).

industry_corpus2: Gaming


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Recovery has been a sort of payment plan in becoming a better person every day. Every day is a gift! The biggest is waking up clean and not having to depend on any substance to be a productive member of society. I am so beyond grateful for my life today.
So, I lost my license three years ago because of mistakes that I have made and didn’t commit to paying the court fines I owed because I was living dirty. A few months ago I started working a second job so that I can save up to get my license back. I had no idea of the new program they were offering to be able to set up a payment plan on your license, get a clearance letter so you can get your license back that day. Anyways, I started saving up the money. Then I got hit with a letter for child support and had to put my license to the side because they were originally proposing an order for over six hundred dollars. I went to court last month and my child support was dropped to $275 a month. That was a blessing in itself.
So I set the goal to go get my license back. Since I’ve started thinking about it I have been very patient. I knew that everything happens in right time as long as I keep doing the next right thing. I had to go to both court houses today, and I set up a payment plan. Then it was time for the Department of Motor Vehicles. But I walked out of that DMV with an official Florida State license, which I worked so hard for.
Blessings of recovery vary from even the smallest things to the big things. The amount of gratitude I carry in my heart is overbearing. I knew that the patience and hard work would pay off. And it’s all coming at the right time. You can say I’ve got a couple of different payment plans going on today; my recovery and recompense for my past mistakes. I’m proud of myself today. My name is Lauren and I’m an addict. I have been Clean eleven and a half months.


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Come into an H&R Block tax office in Americus, GA to meet with a tax professional who can handle all your tax preparation needs. Our expert tax preparers in Americus, GA can't wait to help you prepare and file your taxes. They'll find every last tax deduction available so you get the most from your tax return.
Tax preparation, tax filing, tax experts, tax preparers, tax software, tax calculators - if it has to do with taxes, H&R Block has the resources and expertise to help. Come into one of our Americus tax office locations where you can meet with one of our highly skilled tax professionals who can handle all your tax preparation needs.


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Workers have begun the delicate task of removing fuel rods from a storage pool at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant more than 2½ years after the factory suffered a triple meltdown after being hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami. Some experts have warned that a collision involving the fuel assemblies, a sudden loss of coolant water or another earthquake could cause a chain reaction and release huge quantities of radiation.
Workers have begun the delicate task of removing fuel rods from a storage pool at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plantmore than 2½ years after the factory suffered a triple meltdown after being hit by a powerful earthquake and tsunami. Some experts have warned that a collision involving the fuel assemblies, a sudden loss of coolant water or another earthquake could cause a chain reaction and release huge quantities of radiation.

industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


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MV Weather Report: Tech Sector Freezes Broader Market?
Rain or shine, we review the day's biggest stock stories.
It was a quiet day on Wall Street as stocks traded in a narrow range before closing unchanged. In fact, it was a quiet week for the market as a whole: The S&P 500 failed to close above 950 for the second week in a row.
For the past few trading sessions, I've noticed weakness in tech: Apple (AAPL), Research in Motion (RIMM), Google (GOOG), and Amazon (AMZN). Once again, these traded down today. To me, this could be signaling a shift in sentiment. There's profit-taking in the rally's leaders; will we see more profit-taking into next week?
"The usual suspects, Apple, Google, and Amazon are verging on a test of their rising 20 DMAs.
"The behavior at such a test should be a tell as to where they will be pinned for next week's options expiration.
"A break of 923 today will turn the weekly chart back down.
"A break of the 20 DMA by the S&P now could cut a wider swath than anticipated because 1) we've already seen multiple tests of the 20 day and 2) the cycles suggest the potential for pullback."
The pullback never emerged today and the S&P 500 weekly swing chart didn't turn down at 923. The S&P 500 closed today at 946. The pullback that Professor Cooper mentions could happen, given a slew of upcoming economic data and options expiration on Friday.
" Not sure what just happened in the span of a few minutes but as I was sitting here watching this already manic tape today, pondering my thesis from last night's Tape Talk it hit me like a ton of bricks. If I think we're going to be choppy and wear people out, why do I have anything?
"So, with that I have cleaned house, selling down all remaining inventory, and taking off hedges. The only thing I have kept is a token piece of West Port Innovations (WPRT) which I'll ride until the cows come home.
"Don't let anyone tell you different. Resetting a portfolio is one of the most exhilarating things a trader can do. Keep the accounts at all time highs, and enjoy cash when you don't have a conviction."
Have a great weekend, Minyans!


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Growth through conflict and biblical wisdom for F.I.G.H.T.S.
Discovering your corporate mission in life and bearing the yoke of marriage and more.
Includes discussion questions to help couples process the material together.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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Our concierge in each location will assist you with special requests while you are staying in our villas.
This exclusive apartment offers the most breathtaking view over Rome’s city center skyline, including the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna with its Barcaccia fountain and the famed Via Condotti, Rome’s most renowned shopping street.
Furnished with magnificent paintings and antiques in discreet colours, there is a private terrace with lemons tree and mixed coloured flowers, this is your ultimate luxury apartment at the Spanish Steps.
Situated on Via del Corso, these Luxury Serviced Suites in Rome are in a prime central location connecting two famous landmark squares: Piazza Venezia and Piazza del Popolo, and is a stone’s throw away from the Spanish steps. True Italian hospitality with five star service in an absolute privacy.
This abundant space offers balconies and terraces and is ideal for families wanting to enjoy an unforgettable stay. It is the harmonious fusion of two suites interconnected by a marble staircase adorned with oil paintings, superior Italian marble, rich wooden flooring and elegant Florentine fabrics and craftsmanship. Exclusive rental with five-star luxury services and the utmost privacy in the heart of Rome.
Retreat to your plush 16th century palace nestled in the heart of the ancient Jewish quarter. Live the history, experience the luxury and conquer Rome in complete comfort at this magnificent apartment.
This luxury apartment can accommodate up to 14 guests in its stately rooms, further enhanced by a grand billiard room, a private sauna, and a large living room that overlooks one of the most precious squares in the center of Rome. Includes 24 hour concierge services.
La Residenza Napoleone is one of the most luxurious and unique places to stay in Rome, situated in the XVI century Palazzo Ruspoli on Rome’s legendary Via Condotti.
Named after Emperor Napoleon III, who lived here in 1830 with his mother, the former Queen of Holland, the Residenza Napoleone III consists of two apartment options: The Napoleone Suite with an optional extra bedroom – The Blue Room and the Roof Garden Suite. Now home to the welcoming and unpretentious Princess Letizia Ruspoli, who has made two apartments available to the select few.
The ultimate in regal luxury set amongst a warm and tranquil environment.
This uniquely located private penthouse apartment has a panoramic balcony overlooking the Spanish Steps and is situated among the best luxury designer boutiques in Rome. Each room has its own window overlooking the Steps. – two living areas where you can enjoy your breakfast and relax. – a private terrace overlooking Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps. Total sqm: 220 (rooms and living areas) + 120 (terrace and balcony) Sleep 9/11.
Luxury and total privacy, Suite Condotti is an apartment of 4 double rooms, situated on the third floor of the annex building in Via dei Condotti 48, close to Via del Corso the main shopping district of Rome. Each one with its private bathroom, with either bath or tub, and its own window overlooking either Via dei Condotti or the inner courtyard. Rooms are decorated in modern style and feature double bed. The apartment also has two private living rooms where we can also organize a private breakfast.
An intimate luxury apartment featuring a master bedroom with double bed and a sofa bed, one kitchenette and a living and dining room with a panoramic window, bathroom with shower and a beautiful private terrace with a unique view of the Spanish Steps.
This extremely elegant apartment within its 18th century surroundings, is set in one of Rome’s most desiderable locations on the famed Via dei Condotti, steps away from the most photographed steps in the world. A historical, artistic and cultural base offering privileged guests the highlights of the city within walking distance.


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mothers2mothers (m2m) is contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of ending AIDS, ensuring good health and wellbeing for everyone (SDG 3), and achieving gender equality (SDG 5) by 2030. In pursuit of these goals, together with our partners, we enrolled nearly 2.3M new clients into care across seven countries in 2017; an 18% rise over 2016. These are among the exciting results of m2m’s 2017 Annual Evaluation—a yearly, in-depth performance review of our country programmes that is a key part of our rigorous monitoring and evaluation process—which we are releasing today.
Data from the annual evaluation shows that m2m is playing an important role in preventing new HIV infections. In 2017, we helped to stop new infections among children by contributing to the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) among our enrolled clients for the fourth consecutive year. The United Nations benchmark for virtual elimination is 5%, our MTCT rate was just 1.6%. We are helping to stop new infections amongst adults as well—just 0.07% of women who were HIV-negative at enrolment into the m2m programme contracted HIV—compared to a 2014 pan-African benchmark of 3.6%1.
In 2017, m2m also almost achieved or met each of the UN’s 90-90-90 targets, the most important global framework for HIV. For example, the “second 90” calls for 90% of all HIV-positive people to be on treatment by 2020. Ninety-eight percent of our clients were initiated on treatment, and 90% are alive and remain in care after a year. Again—we outperformed a key benchmark here—on average, only 75% of individuals are retained in care at 12 months across Southern and Eastern Africa2.
m2m has evolved from our initial focus on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), and now provides family-centred support for a range of related health and social issues for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative clients. In 2017, m2m and our partnersenrolled nearly 2.3 million new clients into care in 7 countries—an 18% increase from 2016—including women, children, adolescents, and men. Services were delivered across more than 1,000 locations, both at health centres and door-to-door in the surrounding communities. Women, children and adolescents—our key target populations—each now make up roughly a third of the clients we serve directly.
We are particularly proud of the impact we are making in the Early Childhood Development arena—one of our newest programme areas. 97% of our ECD clients (children 0-5) achieved their developmental milestones at 12 months, and more than 99% did in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).
One of our key contributions to gender equality is creating professional opportunities and economic wellbeing for HIV-positive women who are often among society’s most marginalised. In 2017, 2,912 HIV-positive women were employed and paid as Mentor Mothers across seven countries—1,361 directly by m2m, and 1,551 by our partners implementing the Mentor Mother Model.
For the full set of highlights, please visit the evaluation summary. We’ll be releasing more data and analysis in the months ahead.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text: Have questions? Want to know more about DC Church? We'd love to speak with you! Please fill out the form below and one of our staff members will be in touch.


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Donald Trump on Wednesday finally caved to pressure—from both sides of the aisle—and did what just days earlier he claimed he couldn’t do: he signed an executive order that he said would end the separate detention of family members who together crossed the border illegally. Images of children being held in cage-like facilities—even minus those pictures that had actually been taken during the Barack Obama administration—had led the news cycle for a week. A dozen Republican senators urged the administration to halt the policy while lawmakers scrambled to develop a legislative fix.
What Trump said about @IvankaTrump in the Hill meeting – that she came to him and said "Daddy, what are we doing about this?" Trump said it's a "tough issue," pivoted to something else.
It looked as though Trump was using the women in his life to show he has heart, something he’s done before. During the presidential campaign, Ivanka spoke of her father to a reporter: “People talk about gender equality. He has lived it, he has employed women at the highest levels of the Trump Organization for decades, so I think it’s a great testament to how capable he thinks women are and has shown that his whole life.” When House minority leader Nancy Pelosi called Trump after he was elected president, he offered Ivanka the receiver to discuss her ideas on family-leave policies; she took him up on the offer.
That tweet, of course, went over about as well as you’d expect with the greater Twitter public. There’s no word yet on what the first father thought of it.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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100 grams of Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG's FROSTED MINI-WHEATS Bite Size Cinnamon Streusel contain the 2 of your total daily needs: 1.6 grams of total fat.
You can find 0.4 grams of saturated fat in 100 grams of Cereals ready-to-eat, KELLOGG's FROSTED MINI-WHEATS Bite Size Cinnamon Streusel, that is the 2% of your daily needs. You should replace foods high in saturated fats with foods high in monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated fats. This means eating foods made with liquid vegetable oil but not tropical oils. It also means eating fish and nuts. You also might try to replace some of the meat you eat with beans or legumes.


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This work constitutes the first reported analysis of carbohydrate derivatives by gas-liquid chromatography, using the hydrogen-flame ionization detector. The conditions used compared favourably with conditions reported by other workers and were well suited to the quantitative analysis of methanolysis products from methylated polysaccharides. Excellent separations were achieved, and at the same time a wide range of sugars could be estimated quantitatively using a single column. The detector response was shown to be linearly related to sample size. Authenticated standards were converted to their methyl glycosides by heating with methanolic hydrogen chloride, and their relative molar responses (R ' values) to the hydrogen-flame ionization detector were determined. R values were also obtained by calculations based on recent theories accounting for the observed ionization of organic compounds in the hydrogen flame, but the calculated values were not in agreement with the R values found experimentally. The experimental results obtained suggest that, under the conditions used, the response of the sugar is related to its retention time but not to the mechanism of ionization of the sugar molecule in the flame. From the observed relationship between R values and relative retention times, relative molar responses were predicted for those sugars which were not available as standards. The possible sources of error in quantitative analysis have been discussed. Errors resulting from degradation during the methylation procedures and incomplete methylation of the polysaccharides, and from the demethylation and degradation of methylated sugars during methanolysis, were found to be greater than experimental errors arising from small variations in operating conditions and the measurement of peak areas. Using the R values already determined, the methanolysis products from twelve methylated polysaccharides were separated quantitatively by gas chromatography. The structural significance of the results obtained were discussed and possible model structures for ten of the polysaccharides investigated were presented. As far as possible, the structural models were based on the findings of previous investigations, and in those cases where published data were available, gas chromatography results were in good agreement with the published results. The hydrogen-flame ionization detector was found to be ideally suited to the analysis of methylated sugars. The greater resolving power, sensitivity of detection and, in particular, the speed with which quantitative analyses can be performed, are the major advantages which make gas-liquid chromatography superior to other techniques in this area of polysaccharide chemistry.
Kaplan, M. 1965. The application of gas-liquid chromatography to the structural investigation of Polysaccharides. University of Cape Town.

industry_corpus2: Biopharmaceuticals


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Leftover vegetables can also be added to this soup. Especially good additions are corn and green beans.
Sour Cream and/or Shredded Parmesan or Cheddar Cheese or green onions.
In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the onions until soft. Add 2/3 of the garlic and the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Sautee for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add to the pot the potatoes, celery and water to cover, and bring to a boil. Add the salt. Reduce heat to simmer, add the green chilis and cook 20 – 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
When the potatoes are tender, add the bell peppers and the rest of the garlic. Simmer for at least 10 minutes. Adjust the spices and salt to taste. Add the cilantro and immediately before serving.


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The disciplines encompassed by STEM are currently distinguished by associated bodies of practice, particularly in the practice of research. Analogous distinctions apply in STEM Education, extending to the signature pedagogies that characterise each discipline. Research within STEM Education is similarly differentiated with respect to methods, theories, and questions investigated. Current curricular design reflects restrictive conceptions of field-specificity and the unique integrity of bodies of knowledge encrypted as school subjects. However, references to STEM-related subjects, STEM industries, STEM occupations, STEM ideas and STEM practices are made most frequently not in celebration of interconnected fields of endeavour, but in lament of their fragmented dissolution. Attention must be paid to the affordances of affiliation and research undertaken to explore the legitimacy of STEM disciplines as connected bodies of knowledge and communities of practice offering enhanced educational opportunities through their interconnection. The approach pursued in this presentation is to examine those constructs to which the boundary walls of the STEM disciplines seem most permeable. Employing necessarily inclusive research designs, one consequence could be the reconceptualization of the organising principles of the curriculum.
David Clarke is Professor in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne and Director of the International Centre for Classroom Research (ICCR). Over the last twenty years, his research activity has centred on capturing the complexity of classroom practice through a program of international video-based classroom research in mathematics and science classrooms. The ICCR provides the focus for collaborative activities among researchers from more than 20 countries. Professor Clarke has worked with school systems and teachers throughout Australia and in the USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Korea, Singapore, China, Malaysia, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Research collaborations also include the Czech Republic, Finland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Other significant research by Professor Clarke has addressed teacher professional learning, metacognition, problem-based learning, and assessment (particularly the use of open-ended tasks for assessment and instruction in mathematics). Current research activities involve multi-theoretic research designs, cross-cultural analyses, discourse in and about classrooms internationally, curricular alignment, and the challenge of research synthesis in education. Professor Clarke has written books on assessment and on classroom research and has published his research work in over 150 book chapters, journal articles and conference proceedings papers.
The entire University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) campus is a living laboratory for sustainability, a 402-hectare "societal test-bed" in which researchers, students, operational staff and private- and public-sector partners can build, test, learn, teach, apply, and share the outcomes of their inquiries. In November 2011, UBC opened North America’s greenest building, the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS), one of only a handful of buildings worldwide that will provide “net positive” benefits to the environment. It reduces UBC’s carbon emissions, powers itself and a neighboring building with renewable and waste energy, creates drinking water from rain and treats wastewater onsite. CIRS is one of four flagship projects – valued collectively at more than $150 million–that will help UBC to achieve the most aggressive carbon-reduction targets at any major research university: a 33 per cent reduction in Vancouver campus institutional GHG emissions by 2015, a 67 per cent reduction by 2020 and 100 per cent by 2050. It is also a physical hub for the University's efforts to deeply integrate academic and operational sustainability on campus and ensure any student, regardless of their area of study, can earn up to a minor in sustainability. Join Professor John Robinson, the man responsible for CIRS and UBC's Associate Provost, Sustainability as he describes the ways in which UBC is striving to prove out the technical, economic and behavioural aspects of sustainability in its simpler institutional environmental, share those innovations with society, and prepare the next generation of sustainability leaders.
John Robinson is the Associate Provost, Sustainability at The University of British Columbia (UBC) and is a professor with the UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability and Department of Geography.
Dr. Robinson is responsible for leading the integration of academic and operational sustainability on UBC’s Vancouver campus. In that capacity, he directs the UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) and provides leadership for UBC’s academic, research and operational activities and programs in sustainability. He also represents UBC’s sustainability activities to the broader local and international community.
Dr. Robinson’s research focuses on the intersection of climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainability; sustainable buildings and urban design; the use of visualization, modeling , and citizen engagement to explore sustainable futures; creating partnerships for sustainability with the private, public, non-governmental and research sectors; and, generally, the intersection of sustainability, social and technological change, behaviour change, and community engagement processes.
Previously a Fellow of the Trudeau Foundation, he has been a Lead Author in the last three reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which won the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. Last year, Canadian Geographic magazine named Professor Robinson Canada’s Environmental Scientist of the Year and he was the recipient of the Metro Vancouver Architecture Canada Architecture Advocacy Award.
Science literacy is vital if people are to properly respond to the problems concerning science and technology they face in everyday social life. Although schools are still required to play a basic role in the process, the lifelong fostering of science literacy should be conducted by diverse bodies such as museums. In order to satisfy this, we designed a Framework to foster science literacy that consists of four goals and five generations.
According to the Framework, we created an online database system called “Science Literacy Passport β” which can help science communication between the public and museum curators. It was launched in 2013 with 17 partner institutions including NMNS. The alliance is composed of Japanese museums in five areas and abroad. Fukushima, which is in one of the five areas, has museums that run outreach programs about radiation. Examples like this will be explained together with the system itself.
In the system, curators input the data of their educational programs into the database using the Framework. The data is shared between not only curators but also the museum users who have a special card called PCALi(Passport of Communication and Action for Literacy). This card is scanned when taking part in the program at museums and the personal learning history is recorded on the system. In addition to that, curators can receive feedbacks from the participants to run better programs or to develop new ones. Users themselves can share their thoughts between each other by leaving comments and recognize one’s tendencies in selecting learning resources of museums and evaluate their learning pathways.
There are two purposes of the project. One is to establish the museum utilization model in which science literacy is fostered. Another one is to establish an interactive lifelong learning system as a new museum function.
Dr. Yoshikazu Ogawa is Head of Education Division at the National Museum of Nature and Science (NMNS) and Adjunct Professor in Graduate School for Science Communication at University of Tsukuba. He was educated at the College of Biological Science in University of Tsukuba (BSc, 1982) and at United Graduate School of Education in Tokyo Gakugei University (PhD in Education, 2005).
His career started as a biological teacher in high school and transferred to NMNS as a Science Educator in 1991. He has an experience of working as an intern at American Museum of Natural History of New York in 1999-2000. Dr. Ogawa's unique career in 2004-2006 was to work as Head at Office of Planning in NMNS. He communicated with Ministry of Education to make the Strategic Plan of the Museum. Over the 20 years, his research has focused on museum education and science education. Recently, he researched science communication and developed Science Communicator Training Program in NMNS. He is now an Executive Board Member of Japan Society for Science Education, Japanese Association for Science Communication and Japan Museum Management Academy. He is also an editor for Museum Studies of Japanese Association of Museums and Journal of Japanese Association for Science Communication.
Learning tends to be theorized, in research and curriculum practice, from the perspective of the known and seen, as is apparent in the idea that learners intentionally “construct” knowledge. We need to ask, however, how students who do not know the learning object (what the teacher wants them to know) can orient towards this unknown, unseen, and therefore unforeseen knowledge. The purpose of this presentation is to bring the problematic of this learning paradox into sharp relieve by drawing on empirical examples from my research in a variety of settings. I then exhibit some core aspects of my findings, which, most importantly, highlight (a) the simultaneously active and passive aspects involved in any (perceptual) learning and (b) how the world and the objects it contains becomes independent of perception. I conclude by articulating some of the advantages that come with theorizing learning from the perspective of the learner – i.e., the perspective of the learning object as unknown, unseen, and unheard-of – including the often-forgotten emotional component.
Wolff-Michael Roth is Landowne Professor of Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Victoria. After a career as a teacher of science, mathematics, and computer science who conducted a lot of research in and out of his own classroom, he turned to studying STEM-related cognition and learning across the lifespan in a variety of settings including kindergarten classes, school science and mathematics classrooms, scientific research laboratories, and workplaces. Having been trained as a statistician and several decades of experience in a broad range of qualitative research methods, his teaching responsibilities lie in research design and methodology. His current empirical work focuses on peer assessment, learning, and professional development among pilots (Australia, New Zealand). Some of his recent works include Passibility: At the Limits of the Constructivist Metaphor (Dordrecht, Springer, 2011), Geometry as Objective Science in Elementary School Classrooms: Mathematics in the Flesh (New York: Routledge, 2011), What more in/for Science Education: An Ethnomethodological Perspective (Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers, 2013), and First-Person Method: For a Rigorous Approach to the Study of Living / Lived Experience (Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers, 2012).
Seeking ways to support and improve teacher education in STEM is a continuous challenge. My colleagues and I developed a method – scripting, or imagined role-playing – to help address this challenge. This is where prospective teachers create a script for a play that presents an imaginary interaction between a teacher and her students. The scripting method was used as both a pedagogical approach and a research tool in mathematics education. I will present the results of several recent studies which utilize scripting, consider advantages and limitations of this approach, and suggest adaptation and implementation in other STEM disciplines.
Rina Zazkis is a Professor at Simon Fraser University in the Faculty of Education and an Associate Member in the Department of Mathematics. Her research interests are in mathematics education at the undergraduate level and teacher education, focusing on the uses of mathematical knowledge in teaching. She conducted extensive research on teaching and learning of elementary Number Theory, which is summarized, in part, in her book Relearning mathematics: A challenge for prospective elementary school teachers, published by Information Age Publishing. Her recent work is featured in the book Lesson Play in Mathematics Education: A Tool for Research and Professional Development, Published by Springer.
Women in STEM have made great strides over the past century. Presently, women make up 37% of Canada's undergraduate STEM enrolment similar to most developed countries. Yet the participation of women in technology focused disciplines like engineering and computer science has stalled at below 20%. Moreover, the further one looks up the ranks, the smaller the number of women. Meanwhile, the demand for STEM professionals is outstripping supply and the need for women participate in developing the technology that will profoundly affect our society has never been greater. In this talk I will unpack some of the facts and fiction around girls’ and womens’ attitudes and experiences in STEM careers and look at some surprising yet successful strategies for changing participation rates.
Elizabeth A. Croft, Ph.D., P.Eng., Fellow Engineers Canada, Fellow American Society of Mechanical Engineers, is Professor and NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, BC-Yukon at UBC and leader of the WWEST program for women in engineering, science and technology. The aim of this initiative is to promote Science and Engineering as an excellent career choice for women and other under-represented groups, and to identify and eliminate barriers that result in attrition from these career paths. As director of the Collaborative Advanced Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CARIS) Laboratory at UBC, her research investigates how robotic systems can behave, and be perceived to behave, in a safe, predictable, and helpful manner, and how people interact with and understand robotic systems. Applications of this work range from manufacturing assembly to healthcare and assistive technology. Elizabeth received a Peter Wall Early Career Scholar award in 2001, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists (BC) Professional Service Award in 2005, the Award for the Support of Women in the Engineering Profession, Canadian Council of Professional Engineers in 2006, an NSERC Accelerator award in 2007, and a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2013.
Human endeavors in the fields of science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) contribute to technological innovation and the construction of modern and post-industrial societies. However, this progress also finds human beings in the midst of unprecedented environmental challenges. Relevant issues like environmental pollution, food and water shortage, and urbanizing tendencies brought about by modernization challenge STEM education in schools, leading students to comprehend present circumstances through the past developments and to ponder over the promotion of human civilization as well as environmental sustainable development by making good use of resources.
Digital technology changes the lifestyle landscape, and its cybercultural applications also create a new paradigm for education. The abundance of resources on the Internet not only offers students great convenience for information searching and knowledge acquisition, but also establishes conditions for cooperative learning. The function of art education consists in its leading students to understand art history and culture through interrelationships among optical space, color, and shape. Integrating the arts in STEM to create STEAM education focuses on the coordination of learning resources and enables students to develop creativity and expressive capabilities for dealing with challenging cognitive and environmental problems.
The main purpose of this Keynote Presentation is to share an innovative experience of incorporating art education into STEM for the past twenty years. Simultaneously, the presentation will also address how the STEAM curriculum can incorporate four properties—experience, sharing, learning, and creativity—through web 2.0 learning environments. It is intended to provide the STEN 2014 audience with the qualities of an established STEAM learning network.
Ding Ming Wang is currently a Professor in the Graduate Institute of Human Resource Management at National Hsinchu University of Education, Hsinchu, Taiwan. From 2010 to 2013, he was the 6th President of Hsuan Chuang University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. Before that, he was the Vice President of Academic Affairs and a Professor in the Department of Visual Graphics Communication at Hsuan Chuang University from 2007 to 2009.
Professor Wang conducted his undergraduate study at National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan and he graduated from the Department of Industrial Education in 1983. He received his Master (1989) and Ph.D. (1992) degrees in Technology Education from University of Maryland at College Park.
Professor Wang joined the faculty of Department of Arts and Design at National Hisnchu University of Education in 1992, and established the Computer Graphics Studio Laboratory (CGSL) to provide a creative and novel learning environment focused on state-of-the-art research in animation and interactivity in digital art education. He founded and chaired the Graduate Institute of eLearning at National Hsinchu University of Education in 2005, and established several initiatives for network learning environments. During his term as President in Hsuan Chuang University, he was committed to developing university's global presence strategy and led the “Pursuing Excellence in Teaching” project which guided university transformation from a local university into a far-reaching institute in academia.


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Business to business (B2B) transactions are a lot more complex than Business to consumer (B2C) relationships for the simple reason that businesses tend to treat their vendors like part of the family – a family member that has performed a function and demands payment- but family none the less. As businesses depend on the input, product or service of vendors to execute their own client transactions, managing vendor relationships properly are essential to business success. For these reasons, an understanding of how to reply professionally to vendors requesting payment is an essential management skill.
Healthy business to vendor relationships is built on mutual respect and an understanding of each party’s business operations and requirements. Vendors that are unreliable and fail to meet timelines and requirements spell doom for a business, likewise, businesses that fail to pay invoices as and when due adversely affect the cash flow of their vendors.
Point of payment: Will vendors be paid before or after delivering the required service?
Quality management: If the product or service delivered by the vendor is below par, how will this be handled? Is the vendor mandated to make an exchange? Will full payment be made?
Payment process: Are vendors required to provide invoices and receipts? How long after an invoice is received will payment be made to the vendor?
Setting these policies out clearly and communicating your policies to vendors prior to engagement ensures that all post-delivery engagements and payment requests can also be professional.
The bigger an organization, the more people involved in vendor relationships. The entire vendor process could involve the actual team that needs the product/service, the admin personnel that finds and engages the vendor, the finance department that reviews the invoice and the management personnel that approves the expense.
The actual vendor engagement and expense approval process should be outlined in your company policy. However, be sure to determine where the responsibility for reporting on the quality of the vendor’s delivery and ensuring the vendor receives payment rests. When this responsibility is unclear a vendor’s invoice can be left unhandled for weeks while everyone assumes someone else is handling it.
With a vendor management policy in place and clear responsibilities assigned, communicate clearly with vendors for a consistently professional vendor engagement. Vendors, like businesses, must manage their cash flow efficiently to ensure optimal business processes. For this reason, it is important to set and manage vendor expectations by communicating clearly and promptly. Let vendors know when they can expect to receive payment, then be sure to inform them immediately if there is any delay.
A vendor email requesting payment is a business process issue and should be handled with objectivity. Therefore, responding professionally can only be achieved by anchoring all feedback on existing policies. Avoid making promises or statements that may be inaccurate. Instead communicate the policy clearly, stating how the policy affects the vendor.
For instance, if your vendor policy requires a vendor to replace damaged pieces in products they deliver, inform the vendor professionally.
Further to your email requesting payment for the supply of branded mugs to Miley & Co.
Kindly recall that 5 of the mugs delivered was damaged. Also recall that our vendor policy, which was given to you on engagement, states that delivery must be complete and in good condition for payment to be processed.
In light of these, delivery of the 5 outstanding mugs is required for payment to be processed and released. Once delivery of the mugs is made, payment can be expected with 2 to 3 days.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any additional information. We look forward to your prompt response and the conclusion of this process.
In the example above, notice how the 3rd paragraph provides next steps and sets an expectation for the vendor. This is essential for communicating to the vendor that they are understood, respected and considered. It shows that you are actively seeking a solution to their issue.
Another practical example for managing expectations is instead of telling the vendor to expect payment by Monday when bank processes may delay the payment let the vendor know that the payment will be processed on Monday and value should be received within 2 to 3 days due to bank processes.
In all business communications, not just when dealing with vendors or payment issues, ensure you keep the tone professional. No matter the tone of the vendor’s email or actions take responsibility for your own actions by maintaining professionally. Respond to the issues, offer solutions and maintain the business to vendor relationship.
Vendors are important stakeholders in every business and must be managed effectively. Clear vendor management policies, designated vendor management personnel and effective communication are the fundamental building blocks that facilitate the professional handling of vendor payment requests. With these key factors in place replying professionally to vendors requesting payment is a piece of cake.


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Today I’m bringing you my Black Friday purchase #2; the beautiful “Baby, its cold outside” Collection from Fair Maiden Polish. Like I told you on my previous Fair Maiden Polish review (which you can see here), this is a brand that I have been stalking for a few weeks so of course I had to take advantage of their BF deals and buy myself some beautiful polish!
And here you see it with a matte top coat and stamped.
*The Stars are Brightly Shinning- Holy cow!! this baby is packed!! golden/copper glitter galore, opaque in two coats. In my opinion not for everyday use but YES for a special occasion in which you want to knock them dead! two coats plus top coat in the pics.
*Merry Plum Berry and Bright- in my opinion this is the star of the collection. the holo in this beauty is perfect and the color is a beautiful shade of plum. So pretty!!
Here you see it stamped on my accent finger using MoYou Nails plate 222 and some little freehand flowers on the rest.
So what did you think of the collection? What’s your favorite of the four? pls leave a comment and let me know! I love talking to you!
About Fair Maiden Polish: All polishes are 5 free, hand mixed, artisan nail lacquer. Every creation is uniquely crafted and tested a minimum of 90 days for quality.
Wow, I love what you have done with the stamping an matte top coat over Twas the Night!
Thank you so much!! And thank you for reading!!


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In addition to studying horticulture and voraciously visiting gardens around the world, she graduated from the Landscape Institute of Harvard University at the Arnold Arboretum in 2003. For 20 years she has created distinctive landscapes; from seaside properties along the south shore of Boston to compact jewels in the city, naturalistic woodlands lush with native plants and formal parterres of structural beauty.
On weekends she’ll be found digging in her garden, visiting art museums with her husband, making music with friends and reading in the hammock.
Tish graduated from the Landscape Institute at the Boston Architectural College. She also has a degree from University of California Santa Barbara, where she was a double major in French and Art History, and was an educator for many years before pursuing landscape design. When not designing, she loves to be outdoors. From paddle boarding to running, Tish likes taking advantage of all that this part of the country has to offer.
Designer Ruth Riske began her career as a biochemist in the pharmaceutical industry before deciding to turn her passion for finding artful ways to arrange shrubs, trees and hard-scapes into a second career. By blending her artistic vision, and her analytical side, Ruth creates designs that visually resonate with our clients and are backed by sound ecological principles. Because we are all so entrenched in technology, Ruth believes we need nature more than ever and lives are improved when we can spend time in a meaningful outdoor space, which she loves creating for our clients.
Ruth is a graduate of the Landscape Design at the Boston Architectural College. She also has a Ph.D in Nutritional Biochemistry from Rutgers University. When she’s not designing, she is spending as much time as she can with her family.
Jaime Novak, our Client Services Manager, follows projects from conception to completion and strives to make it a seamless and rewarding experience for both the clients and the designers.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of Lynchburg, VA. After working as a Marketing Director for many years at a Boston design firm, she took time to start a family.
New to AMLD, Jaime is focused on both the day-to-day operations of the firm and highlighting the firm’s unique expertise in the design world.
When not in the office, Jaime is either maintaining her own photography business, donating photography hours at her children’s school or spending time with her family.
Lonise brings decades of experience to her role as financial controller and business guide. She loves working with creative people and brings a fresh perspective to the firm’s business approaches. Her love of good design extends from input into our marketing plans to her own beautiful home and landscape.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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A quick post based on a quick lunchtime visit to a new coffee and sandwich place in Changi Business park.
Until the last year or so, there were few options for coffee drinkers in Changi business park - a sliding scale starting at vending machine coffee, reaching convenience store coffee and ending at withdrawal symptoms from giving up altogether. These were not good options. The arrival of a new shopping mall and even more office space has seen a corresponding increase the availability of coffee, from the ever prescient franchise chains, to quirky and interesting places such as Table Manners and Knead to Eat.
Espresso - there was a small volume of liquid with a light brown crema, so the beans were not stale. The size was consistent with a single shot, so it's unlikely to have been over or under extracted. The first impression was of woody elements with a little bit of bitterness, overall a nicely balanced shot. Not too bitter, with pleasant woody notes and all in all a decent effort.
Cappuccino - the serving size is quite large, It's far too milky though, I couldn't taste any coffee. The execution was ok (microbubbles were there, the ratio of foam to milk was correct) but it's just too diluted. Shame to see a good underlying espresso buried under a tsunami of milk, and losing the interesting character that it had.
Lattes on the other hand are well executed, and above all else, they're potent! There's a robust coffee flavour from the first sip. The milk has hardly reduced the coffee flavour, and this is a good thing - it's a bold and globose some coffee. The mouthfeel is fine - foam mixes with the milk nicely. Latte art is nicely done. Serving size is fine too - it's a good mixture of flavour and potency.
Overall - good underlying espresso shots make for potent and well executed lattes, but skip the cappuccinos. Along with table manners, this is currently the best option for anyone in need of decent coffee in Changi Business Park.


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Denver Health Employees are contracted by the Denver Sheriff’s Department to provide on-site medical, nursing, behavioral health and dental services for the patient population of the Denver County Jail and the Downtown Detention Center.
Corrections nurses come from all areas of nursing and provide: Primary Care, Intake Health Assessments, Urgent/Emergent Care, Chronic Disease Clinics, Women’s Care, Behavioral Health Services, and much more!
Our nurses work with a vulnerable population who often have limited access to health care and engage in high risk behaviors, including substance abuse.


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San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Chris Steele and union members deliver petitions to City Hall.
Now that the runoff elections and an anemic voter turnout are history, it’s time to turn our attention to the November ballot and the most important election in contemporary San Antonio history. This is not about the mood of the nation and how voters feel about the Trump administration or the Republican-controlled Congress.
This is not about the closely watched Congressional, statewide, or local races in Texas. All of those contests offer a remarkably newsy midterm ballot and merit a robust voter turnout, but I am looking closer to home.
The looming challenge for San Antonio and its residents will be found in three ballot initiatives that are the work of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association leadership, all intended to disrupt responsible city government as we know it.
And for Mayor Ron Nirenberg, yet to complete his first year in office, and a City Council with six of 10 members newly elected last year, the political challenge mounted by the firefighters union is proving to be a serious distraction from other city business, one that will tally a high cost in time, energy, and money.
The firefighter union leaders say they are merely seeking reforms to the San Antonio City Charter, but the truth is they are wreaking havoc out of anger that they can’t get what they want at the collective bargaining table, where they have refused to take a seat for more than four years. Union leaders are especially incensed by the City’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 10-year evergreen clause that has long been part of the union contract.
That contract leaves in place all terms of an expired contract when the two sides cannot agree on a new deal. Since firefighter union officials refuse to come to the bargaining table, that clause has protected their membership’s rich array of benefits.
It costs taxpayers $20,000 a year to provide health care benefits for each firefighter, more than three times what it costs to provide health care for the City’s civilian workers. That’s why San Antonio spends 66 cents of every dollar in its treasury on public safety, a difficult standard to maintain and one that limits what the City can spend on many other initiatives it simply cannot afford.
Refusing to bargain, however, has hurt the working men and women in the city’s fire stations. They have not had a pay increase in four years. It’s hard to imagine hardened City negotiators agreeing to a retroactive raise equal to what has been left on the table. Prolonging the standoff serves no purpose.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg exits the media briefing room at City Hall after asking the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Union to join contract negotiations in March.
The union leaders have every right to vigorously oppose the City’s lawsuit through the courts, and in fact, to date, they have held the upper hand as both City officials and union leaders watch the Texas Supreme Court and wait to learn whether it will hear the City’s appeal of a lower court ruling in the union’s favor.
In the meantime, union leaders have struck a match and are trying to set afire City Hall. They are seeking attention at all costs, even if their tactics cause lasting damage.
Decide what? Whether every significant City Council decision should be subjected to an expensive, months-long citywide referendum? Whether the city manager, who presides as chief executive officer over a multibillion enterprise and more than 13,000 employees, deserves to be paid competitively?
Barring legal challenge, voters will decide if the City Charter should include language that limits the salary and tenure of future city managers; forces binding arbitration between the union and the City for a new contract with a union-approved arbitrator; and makes it easier for citizens to force public votes on proposed ordinances and financial decisions. The latter could lead to voters signing petitions every time elected leaders make a tough decision such as, say, a utility rate increase.
A tough campaign is taking shape on the horizon. The union’s media blitz undoubtedly will be fueled by outside money. It will vilify City Manager Sheryl Sculley in ways no male city leader ever seems to endure. If the police union’s prolonged campaign against Sculley is any indication, the ads will be suffused with ridiculously false claims and repulsive personal attacks.
Nirenberg will turn to local business leaders to fund a more reasoned media campaign designed to educate voters, maximize voter turnout, and appeal to reason. The goal will be to convince a solid majority to vote “no” on the three initiatives.
Nirenberg, meanwhile, has continued a tradition started by Mayor Phil Hardberger more than a decade ago of monthly lunches with local CEOs. The most recent gathering was hosted by USAA CEO Stuart Parker. Nirenberg also is using every one of his many public speaking appearances to make his case.
Several former mayors have agreed to join the campaign, and prominent developer and philanthropist Gordon Hartman has agreed to serve as campaign treasurer. Political consultant Kelton Morgan, who has managed all of Nirenberg’s successful campaigns since he was first elected as the District 8 councilman in 2013, will manage the campaign opposing the firefighters union.
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Excellent article. Share it with everyone you know.
Thank you for this piece. I am surely not alone in wanting to scream and stomp my feet when I realize they managed to talk so many people into signing their petition! Surely, a lot of those people meant well, but did not clearly understand the issues.
In California it happens all the time. You just tell the people that in signing they are necessarily supporting the measure, but hope to have the people decide.
Thank you for laying it out in plain English for all to understand. We all need to spread the word.
I’m voting for the initiative to permit voters to oppose ordinance changes like utility rate increases. The Mayor has had ample opportunity to change my mind by taking an aggressive stance for honesty and clarity as a Councilman, the Mayor, and as a SAWS Board member. Instead, he chooses to act in a complicit fashion to SAWS’ misleading information to the public.
The other two petitions are pointless, single-item vendetta issues from the Firefighters’ union.
For the record, Mr. Mayor, what were the actual rate increases you voted on in December? Not the obscure SAWS “bill-effect” for one consumption level, but the actual rate increases contained in the ordinance?
By 2020, SAWS – and the Council – will have raised rates nearly 150% since 2015 for the average usage level, if SAWS estimates are accurate. Water in Block 6 (~12,000 gallons per month) will cost $0.8556/100 gallons, up from $0.3442 (old Block 2). Meanwhile – higher use water in Block 7 (~20,000) will have gone up less than 10% (1.0266 up from 0.9469). Remember – SAWS vigorously touted the “conservation-oriented structure” where high-use customers would pay more – except they didn’t. Right now, today, the rates on water at the 20,000 gallon consumption level are lower than they were in 2015 – SAWS lowered summertime rates on Block 4 water in the 2015 re-structure. Look it up: $0.9469 in 2015, $0.7801 today – and that is after all the “rate adjustments” since then. Those numbers are public record, in the ordinances approved by the current Mayor and several current Council members.
At the time, the Rivard Report chimed in and parroted SAWS claims without critical analysis: https://therivardreport.com/proposed-saws-rate-structure-to-promote-conservation/ But if you actually look at the data, if a customer used more than 20,000 gallons, the bill went DOWN under the “conservation-oriented” restructure.
So yeah, I’m voting for the proposition that lets me roll back these types of ordinances. If I can’t trust the publicly owned-utility to tell the truth, and I can’t count on the media to hold them to task, and I can’t count on my elected officials to do their homework, then I’ll need to do it myself.
One must wonder what the firefighters expect. They have backed candidates who have not won. Their friend on the council has said their latest decision was a move in the wrong direction. Their police officer friends have settled for a future they can live with. Yet they allow leadership that has denied them raises for 4 years and angered many of their former friends in the community. Perhaps I need to listen to their leader. He must be mesmerizing.
….all intended to disrupt responsible city government as we know it.
I wouldn’t make mind being able to vote on my rate or fee increase for water and light. Govt feels they have a right to our money. So I’ll support fire on this initiatives.
Richard, do you feel Valero or HEB has a right to your money? I don’t know about you, but I’ve been paying a lot more for gas lately. Life costs money to continue! Admittedly utility rate increases need to be managed. But voting for these three initiatives, as you say you will do, will end up costing the city — which means you, me, and everyone we know who lives here — a LOT of money and lost civic resources in the long run. The fire fighters’ union has been unwilling to negotiate and has tricked San Antonio voters into supporting their excessive demands. Read the fine print which Rivard has provided here before you “sign on” with your vote.
Thanks, Robert, for putting this issue into focus with clear, accurate information and explanation of the disastrous outcome should any of these measures pass. As you’ve described, if these measures pass, SA’s city government will become a very expensive morass of procedural wastefulness at the expense of tackling the real problems that need addressing in our city.
Please keep us up-to-date on these ballot issues. And please provide articles on how concerned citizens can help defeat these proposed measures by volunteering for block-walking, phone banks, yard signs, etc.
Let us know if there is a central organizing unit fighting these measures so we can get involved. Before. It’s. Too. Late.
This article is does not accurately represent the SanAntonioFirst campaign. Please go to: http://www.sanantoniofirst.com and read the actual petitions. There is nothing contrary to your civic and constitutional rights involved with these petitions. The SanAntonioFirst campaign has the endorsements of LULAC, Tea Party, Independent Texans, SAMBA (San Antonio Making Bureaucracies Accountable), HTA (Homeowner-Taxpayer Association), and many others. These charter amendments will put an end to a corrupt City Hall that disregards the voters wishes, puts San Antonio’s future at risk with massive DEBT, and “behind-closed-doors council meetings and votes” that hurt citizens. We are sure the power brokers and those corrupt politicians that benefit from the current system will line up to go against it, BUT the smart citizens (and they are smart) will read the petition and will decide. The President of the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association Chris Steele has offered to debate the Mayor anytime, anywhere on the petitions and the TRUTH.
Lest you forget, the voters of San Antonio just approved the largest bond initiative in city history. Bonds are debt. The voters just voted to increase our debt…willingly! That was my wish and I’m a voter. Are you telling me my wishes doesn’t matter unless they are aligned with yours?
You are willing to destroy this city so you can keep your free healthcare. Shame on you.
1. Non of the props would destroy the city. They would change some things(maybe for a little good maybe for a little bad) but not even close to destroy.
2. The people who get coughed on, spit on, puked on and every other bodily function you can think of…those people should have a health care that is different than the people who sit at the desks.
Our city needs both but they have different jobs and those jobs should be paid accordingly.
You are so right. Arredondo in 1813 did not destroy the city, but it was a hell of place to live 50 years.
1. I want highlight that you just agreed that some of these initiatives are bad.
2. You knew what you signed up for when you chose to be a firefighter. Now man up and pay your fair share.
I didn’t read, in any literature posed on the subject, where the firefighters are against paying for healthcare, nor do I understand that their healthcare is free.
The only clause of the three that has any bearing on the firefighters is the one concerning binding arbitration. In fact, it states that if the City and the Firefighters cannot reach an agreement, then the proceedings will go to a binding, neutral, third party arbitrator. I’d like to call it the “you get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit” clause. As in, if you two children cannot get along, then I’ll fix both of you, parenting strategy.
Just my .02 anyway, but I’ve read all I can find on this, and I’m pretty dumb.
I don’t know about the others, but from what I read the Tea Party endorses only the Voter Access initiative. What is the rationale for putting up for vote the salary of the city manager. We don’t do it for the chiefs. What about if we say the chief of the fire department can earn only 1.5x the salary paid to the lowest paid city worker. What’s fair is fair.
I stand with the fire union. What has the mayor accomplished in his first year? Removed the confederate statue, raised our water rates, voted for the gay crosswalk, and what else? I forgot. He was so happy to present the city manager with her bonus check for doing her job. Imagine receiving a bonus for just doing your job.
Now the mayor is telling us he will dedicate himself to defeat the initiatives before they even go to the voter by going to lunch with all the executives in town. He needs to worry about getting re-elected. Drop the lawsuit against the fire union if you really want to reach an agreement. Stop wasting our tax dollars on your frivolous lawsuit against the fire union.
The Firefighers Union plans are insane as usual and I won’t vote for their propositions. I cannot vote for Mayor “Transparency” when he refuses to even tell us such minor thing as where is the beloved HemisFair sign or where is the old statue taken from Travis Park? Silly maybe, but it shows the hypocracy from our Mayor. So I guess I will just stay at home on election day. Anyway who needs a Mayor and Council when Scully runs everything.
I think the Fire Union’s initiative is the kind of self-destructive behavior that has damaged the Union movement in the USA over the last several years.
The example I know a little about is the OCAW’s repeated strikes at the Corn Products Bluebonnet plant in Corpus Christi. The end result was that the plant was closed and dismantled, and all the jobs were lost. When I worked there, as a laborer, I had a few discussions over coffee with a union steward. His best idea was going from 40 hour week to 32 hour week, same weekly wage. It would result in more jobs, he said. I think he didn’t clearly grasp what happens when you increase the production cost of a commodity.
I’ll vote against it. Get back to the table, everybody.
problem is, we can’t easily close up San Antonio and sell off the assets. We can, however, reevaluate the fire department and recognize that today its primary function is to answer EMS calls.
The ballot initiatives are terrible for saving money. San Antonio has below average costs because we elect people to make the most informed decision, which so far they seem to have done. Letting know nothing meddlers get involved will increase everyone’s cost and make outcomes worse. We dont need a race to the bottom. If people don’t like their elected officials decisions, then vote someone else.
The people pushing these initiatives want everything their way, which is worse than now.
Its the elected people who got us into this mess. If they can’t swat away an out-of-control union, what good are they? Will others be better? Not as long as voters continue to elect way-way left of center hacks.
I am afraid. Your article is obviously slanted . If you want to be objective you should report both sides of an issue.
It’s an editorial. It’s supposed to be slanted.
The Mayor, City Council, and the agencies through their authoritarian rule have brought this on themselves. Where to begin?
How about something simple, like Tobacco 21. Okay, tobacco use poses risks, but imposing government supervision and paternity at the cost of individual liberty and responsibility replaces one evil with another. Then, of course, there were the objections which were wholly ignored, not to mention to mention the evils prohibition may spawn.
Joe-above addressed the SAWS rates issue, but there are other rates as well. Consider the rate increase SARA wants. Now, SARA is a bureaucracy and like all organisms it wants to grow. So, it comes up with some project it says we must have and argues it has not received a rate increase in a few years. Is the project necessary? I don’t know, but I do know SARA has effectively received a regular rate increase as the appraiser routinely increases appraised values without regard to actual market values. Land on Broadway north of the Pearl was recently increased upwards of 60%. So as the saying goes, SARA, cry me a river. The Council will undoubtedly approve an increase.
The fire department is also an organism intent on growing and the Council routinely gives the Chief whatever he wants, even approving as user fees income generating taxes which are properly the province of the voters. To satisfy progressive impulses, the Council whimsically renames streets, as was done with Durango and Old Highway 90.
The Confederate memorial was about as innocuous and respectful as you could imagine. (Disclosure: a third generation American from California I have no relatives who fought on either side). If you asked San Antonians, I bet a sizable number did not know there was a memorial, where it was, or even when the Civil War was fought. But the mayor said it had to go. So he had it spirited off in the dead of night and will not reveal where it is.
Then, of course, there was the cabal that sat in secrecy and proclaimed the City would not submit a bid for the Republican convention. Whatever window dressing they put on it, the decision was made before they met, comments by County Commissioner Calvert and former Mayor Hardeberger make that clear.
The list goes on, but for this voter the Mayor and Council have not earned my trust.
What about the fire fighters? It is high time we treat the fire department as it is, not what it was. Today, more than 80% of calls to the fire department are for EMS. (For reasons which should be explored, a fire truck accompanies each call). Fire fighters spend most of their time cooking chili and complaining about pay and benefits.
The union’s logo harkens back to the day when Mrs. O’Leary was lighting lanterns in the shed, an image Chief Hood perpetuates every chance he gets. He once said he place a fire station on each block if he could, and undoubtedly he would. His department is another organism which he seeks to grow at whatever cost the public and be made to bear.
So, we have an authoritarian regime and a union, each of which cares more for its agenda than the citizenry. We can trust neither. That said, the first two proposed amendments are nonsensical. As for Voter Access, I see the risks: there will be a lot of propositions and voters can be swayed by emotional appeals. Will that be different or worse than what we have?
Let me know the next time a civilian breaths toxic fumes I to their body or gets spit in the eye by someone with Hep-C. It happened to me as a firefighter here in SA and I still had to pay $300 out of pocket. Firefighters deal with the sickest people in San Antonio. We should be covered medically. We have been willing to give up quite a bit for that and have brought many options to Sheryl but she continues to refuse.
Let me know the next time a civilian breathes toxic fumes into their body or gets spit in the eye by someone with Hep-C. It happened to me as a firefighter here in SA and I still had to pay $300 out of pocket. Firefighters deal with the sickest people in San Antonio. We should be covered medically. We have been willing to give up quite a bit for that and have brought many options to Sheryl but she continues to refuse.
The city has spent almost 2 million fighting the firefighters over an evergreen clause in their contract. Then they turn around and put one in the police contract. The city manager has one in her contract. So which do they believe??? Are they suing pd and the city manager next over their evergreen clauses??? You cant have both Ron N. If the state rules they are unconstitutional then every city contract you have that has an evergreen is null and void. Be careful what you wish for.
Also the city just reported they had a surplus of 13 million. So they are currently paying the firefighters benefits and running the city and still have a 13 million dollar surplus??? Would be 15 but they wasted 2 million on a lawsuit that according to council members has a 5% chance of winning. Great odds I think. Play the long shot. Its not your money its the citizens. So much for firefighters bankrupting the city.
Finally Ron N wants peoples votes. He begged for them to get elected mayor. Now the citizens of this city want to continue to have their voices heard through votes and he doesnt want that?
Why hasnt the rivard report reported on this??? Seems Rob and Ron are in this together.
This article is extremely misleading and does not reveal all of the facts. I encourage you to do all of the research on this and make the decision you think is best. My husband is a firefighter and he is exposed to tons of chemical and toxins daily. Firefighters have the highest rate of cancer development in a life time compared to any other career and yet the mayor thinks this should be the families burden.
I see nothing wrong in America letting the voters decide!

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