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There aren’t many people out there who know about all the amazing things these devices are capable of. We would like to end this vicious circle and tell you about eight fascinating features of Android. Setting #2 is our favorite – it will keep your phone's battery going for longer.
- After installing a free app called EVA Facial Mouse, you’ll be able to control your Android device with movements of your head!
- If you prefer to hear incoming information rather than see it, go to Settings/Accessibility and turn on the Text-to-Speech Output option.
- Just go to Settings/Security/Device administrators, and check the boxes next to Android Device Manager, Remotely locate this device, and Allow remote lock and erase. Now if you lose your smartphone, you can locate and block it without losing your data via a special website.
- If you would like to give your phone to another person yet keep your personal data confidential, use Guest Mode.
- People with poor eyesight often have no idea how much this feature can help them. Just go to Settings / Accessibility / Magnification gestures. Then you’ll be able to zoom in on any part of the display just by tapping it.
- To use the Internet on different devices, go to Settings / Tethering and portable hotspot, and turn on Portable WLAN hotspot. That’s it!
- If you choose a black or simple dark background for your screen, the automatic pixel highlighting will turn off, and you’ll notice that your device keeps its charge for much longer.
- Starting with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Google puts a small secret present for users into all their devices. However, finding it may prove to be quite difficult. Here are instructions on how to do it despite the odds. First, go to Settings and choose About phone or About tablet. Quickly tap Android version several times, and when a small marshmallow shows up on the screen, quickly tap it again, and a special mini-game will open.
Related of "8 Secret Phone Settings You Should Try (ANDROID)"


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How often do we stop and consider the many promises of God? John Bunyan once said, “The pathway of life is strewn so thickly with the promises of God that it is impossible to take one step without treading upon one of them.” Consider with me if you will just a few of the great promises of God. There is the Forgiveness of Sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9). There is the promise of freedom from sin’s dominion. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14). There is the promise of God’s sufficient grace. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12:9). There is the promise of the presence of the Strength of Christ in my life. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13). There is the promise that we will escape temptation. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13). There is the promise of answered prayer. Jesus declared, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (Jn. 14:13) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 Jn. 5:14). Then there is the promise of Eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23) “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.” (1 Jn. 2:25). These are just a few of the promises of God. In fact, we have not begun to touch the hem of the garment. The Bible is literally littered with countless promises, which neither time nor paper can adequately address.
How is it that God is able to make such promises? He is able to do so due to His divine power. “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” (2 Pet. 1:3). He is God and there is nothing too great for Him. His great power is beyond our ability to understand. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph. 3:20-21).
What are the results of being recipients of God’s promises? We become partakers of the divine nature. Peter would say, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Pet. 1:4). What does this mean? The word partakers is literally sharers or partners and points to the relationship which Christians enjoy in the Lord. By believing in these great and precious promises, and is obedient to His will, we are privileged to share in the divine nature, the holy character which God possesses. Are you a partaker of God’s exceedingly great and precious promises? Why not take the necessary steps and make those promises a part of your life today?

industry_corpus2: Others


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I want to read this book. I’ll even buy this book.
I want to read about how I could approach anyone—from total stranger to my most inbred colleague—and engage in a conversation that starts a process that helps us say things we didn’t know we knew.
Please tell about how it works that two or three or four people can find themselves in a conversation where they invent new, practical ideas by listening to each other and pitching in what they know.
Tell me the conditions required for that kind of social invention. Tell me how trust between people works to grease the communication cogs. Please point out how respecting others—no matter their background/skin color/accent—opens a door for deep listening and profound hearing. Please provide hopeful stories about how people have bridged religious and political and cultural chasms to create something brand new that completely mesmerized them and changed their lives.
Tell me how people engage in making meaning from their first words together. What kind of people are these and how do we become these kinds of people?
That’s the book I want to read and own. Please include juicy footnotes from deep thinkers from years past. And include a bibliography that I can pore over and order up brand new thoughts. Please point out the smart and talented people who have traveled this path.
Please let it be 312 pages long and let it cost $23.99, but seed copies through Abe Books. I want to find a marked-up version (with sly annotations and witty marginalia) for $5.23 and free shipping.
But hurry! I need to start reading your book yesterday.
Write it today and I’ll order it tomorrow.
I want to write. Am I doomed to be a barista?
Check out my post at the University of Northwestern.
I do not read westerns, typically.
But Mrs. Kirkistan, with her eclectic tastes, put L’Amour’s autobiography into my [sweaty] hand. Education of a Wandering Man is a revelation.
L’Amour was an autodidact like few others. He had little formal education—he quit school at 15 to travel. His real education started with knocking about as merchant marine, going to war, wrangling cattle, going hungry between jobs, boxing—and reading. Especially reading. L’Amour’s hunger to know is infectious.
L’Amour’s hard-knocks education contributed to his readable writing. That’s my hypothesis: life experience makes for more readable writing. And vice versa.
L’Amour’s life (1908-1988) seems a rebuke to the supposed schism between “academic” and “practical.” If you read Education of a Wandering Man (and I hope you will) you will find an articulate man who read widely and used very approachable language to package his thoughts. But it wasn’t just easy-to-read language that was his genius; it was the layering of language into a story. L’Amour is a storyteller who is hard to resist.
His is not academic writing, of course. But it is thoughtful writing—especially when you find out what he was reading when he wrote. His simple stories start to go deep.
In his autobiography L’Amour named the books that had been influential for him. There are scores of them—73-120 books per year, from 1930 to 1937—and he named them one by one. But these are not the books listed on a college syllabus (though some are, to be sure). From Voltaire to Nietzsche to Schopenhauer to Mann to O’Neill to Joseph Conrad And lots and lots of fiction These are the books that piqued his interest as he lived his life. And that is how his autobiography is organized: the books he read while he was living this or that particular chapter. Reading about the West as he worked on cattle ranches Reading Nietzsche and Schopenhauer as he boxed. Reading ancient myths and stories as he sailed. Reading about the West later as he wrote frontier stories. (I may be off in the details about when he read what—there were so many mentions and so many chapters in the guy’s life).
One thing that stands out is the focus of his education. It was not to acquire a degree. It was to move forward with what he was intended to do—as best he understood.
Stay with me here: L’Amour read to see how stories worked.
Yes, he got lost in books. Yes, he loved learning. But his learning was always aimed at assembling an image of how the world worked. He was of a time when many readers were doing the same thing, because education was not as available as it is today. But there were books.
Here’s the point: L’Amour told stories, and all his philosophical thinking about life is bound up in the stories. He is not pedantic (at least in this book), but thoughts about life roll out of the characters in the stories. This is a revelation because much of our education (and my education) are all about pedantics: laying lesson out in neat arguments. One could memorize these arguments. In fact, you have to memorize them because they slip away the moment you turn your eyes. That’s because they are not moored in the emotion of real life.
L’Amour, on the other hand, had stories pop out of him of all sort of real (ish) people doing real things in life because of their underlying beliefs.
The big revelation that L’Amour gave me was that precisely because he was educated by stories and for stories (he had to captivate audiences again and again in the different chapters of his life), his writing fit quite naturally into an oral rhythm. No big words. No long sentences. Ideas were easy to remember because he wrote them with stories, and we remember what that philosophy looks like without the pedantics.
Because of L’Amour’s example, and because of my own failures (plus a few minor successes) with communicating and expressing detail, I’m starting to move toward copy that can be said. I’ve always advised copywriting students to read their sentences aloud to see if they make sense. In the end, it’s quite possible that what we hear and what we gather from what we hear, is the standard for engaging another person, as well as the standard for knowing anything.
Knowing seems to pass through our mouths, in particular.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


text: The Yakima Mazda Tribute/Tribute Hybrid 5dr 2008-2011 TimberLine Complete Car Roof Rack with Steel CoreBars is designed to firmly attach to your vehicle's factory installed raised railings. TimberLine Towers are part of Yakima's StreamLine Series product line. TimberLine Towers utilize Yakima's over-molded, wrap around, stainless steel straps to fit virtually every factory raised railing profile. With BarBed Pitch Adjustment, crossbar pitch can easily adjust to keep crossbars level on vehicles with curved roof-lines. A pre-calibrated torque driver is included with TimberLine Towers to assure the exact tightness level during installation. The Yakima TimberLine Complete Car Roof Rack with CoreBars includes 4 TimberLine Towers, 2 Yakima Small 50" Steel CoreBars and all attachment hardware. With the addition of 4 Yakima SKS Lock Cores, TimberLine Towers can be locked to your vehicle's raised railings (sold separately - see below).

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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✨harness the powerful energies of the number 7 which helps bring about manifestation, increase intuition, and perfection!
✨quality 14k goldfill chain and findings are safe for sensitive skin. Also available in sterling silver. Make selection at checkout.
✨adjustable length at 16" and 18"
✨arrives carded in a clear sealed poly bag wrapped in tissue paper, in order to be more eco-friendly.


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Waxes come in many varieties and from varying sources: animal, plant, mineral and petroleum. They are used for all sorts of things, from making lip balm to preserving apples, pulling hair off legs to creating candles, shining up cars to gripping surfboards, twisting mustache ends to coloring, polishing furniture to… Okay, we get the picture. Though we may not have realized it, wax is in all sorts of stuff.
For those of us avoiding using animal products and/or supporting oil companies, choosing which waxes and brands of waxy products we use might be a new topic to explore. Not only do many come from questionable sources, but some have the reputation for being less than healthy for us, carcinogenic even. Additionally, many products with wax, such as scented candles, are mixed with toxic chemicals.
With that in mind, we are going to find out exactly what wax is, which sources to be aware of, and which versions might be best for us to use.
For the sake of working with some sort of definition, wax is a heat-sensitive material made of hydrocarbons and/or fatty acids which are insoluble in water but can be dissolved in nonpolar solvents. In essence, that means wax is waterproof but melts relatively easily, which explains why we rub waxes on surfboards to improve the traction and burn them as candles. Of course, as noted above, we’ve managed to find all sorts of other uses for it.
What Is Wax Made of?
Most wax we come into contact with is either from animals, plants, or petroleum. Common animal-based waxes include beeswax, lanolin, shellac, and spermaceti. There are many types of vegetable-based waxes, produced from the fatty acids, and the most common are soy, candelilla, and carnauba. Petroleum wax, probably the most ubiquitous of the bunch these days, is called paraffin.
For many people, those striving for a plant-based lifestyle in order to protect animals, it’s obviously important to be aware that some waxes come from animals.
Beeswax is taken from honeycomb, and it is used in all sorts of stuff: lip balms, hair products, gummy candies, crayons, soap and so on.
Lanolin comes from the glands of wool-bearing animals, and it is commonly used for skin care products, rustproofing, lubricant and leather treatment.
Shellac is a resinous substance secreted by female lac bugs, insects that live in the forests of India and Thailand. Shellac wax is derived from it with alcohol and its mostly used in polishes for wood and leather.
Spermaceti, once mistaken for whale sperm, actually comes from the brain cavity and blubber of sperm whales. It is commonly used in cosmetic products like lipstick and creams, as well as candles.
While petroleum waxes could be considered vegan, they do contribute to our reliance on the fossil fuel industry, and they come with some serious potential health risks.
Paraffin is a petroleum waste product that has to be deodorized and bleached with chemicals before being used as wax. This slurry of ingredients creates a toxic substance that releases benzine and toluene, recognized carcinogens, when burned. Paraffin is used in cosmetics, lubricants, candles, food preservatives (candy, sausage, fruit, chocolate, etc.) and more. People with allergies, particularly to aspirin, should be doubly cautious around paraffin.
Microcrystalline waxes more or less account for the other petroleum-sourced waxes. They have fine particles and a higher melting point and are used mostly in laminate coatings and adhesives.
There are many types of plant-based waxes because these are produced by extracting the oil from plants.
Carnauba wax comes from a Brazilian palm and is renowned for its hardness. It, too, is used with food, cosmetics and many other products. There is a growing awareness around sustainably harvesting carnauba now, as overharvesting is having a negative ecological impact in the Amazonian Rainforest.
Candelilla is derived from a shrub that grows in northern Mexico and the US Southwest. It is the ideal substitute for beeswax, and it is in cosmetics, polishes, adhesives, lubricants and more. Its name actually means “little candle”.
Soy waxes are inexpensive and are, of course, the product of soybean oil. They can be used for candles (the most common alternative to paraffin), cosmetics and so on. They are thought to be renewable; however, it’s important to recognized that organically grown (non-GMO) soy wax is probably the better choice in terms of sustainability.
For those of us who like to make our own lip balms, candles and other products, waxes will definitely factor in at some point, so it’s good to get a grasp on what’s out there. Even if we aren’t that into DIY, it’s important to be aware of what’s in the products we buy because, only then, can we make our choices responsibly.

industry_corpus2: Petrochemicals


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On a 21-0 vote, the Senate approved Senate President Pro Tem Anthony DeLuca’s proposal to make all proceedings and internal communication related to redistricting subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
But with that deadline looming, DeLuca's Senate Bill 50 faces an uncertain future in the House.
House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rebohoth Beach, has said the bill is unnecessary and that DeLuca could mandate the changes without passing a new law.
The News Journal had to obtain the roll call after the vote from the Senate clerk because the Democratic-controlled Senate does not post voting records of senators online, unlike the Democratic-controlled Delaware House.
This entry was posted in Legislature, State Government and tagged Anthony DeLuca, Bethany Hall-Long, Brian Bushweller, Bruce Ennis, Catherine Cloutier, Colin Bonini, Dave Sokola, David Lawson, David McBride, Delaware Senate, Dorinda Connor, FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, Gary Simpson, George Bunting, Joseph Booth, Karen Peterson, Liane Sorenson, Lt. Gov. Matt Denn, Margaret Rose Henry, Patricia Blevins, Robert Marshall, Tony DeLuca. Bookmark the permalink.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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The i‑STAT System benefits a wide range of healthcare environments by bringing testing to the patient, letting healthcare teams make decisions when and where they are needed.
Whether at a physician’s office, patient’s home, or another convenient location, the i‑STAT System brings testing to the patient. By providing lab-quality results in minutes, the portable i‑STAT System provides physicians with the information needed to make immediate treatment decisions at the patient’s side — without having to outsource commonly used tests to a central lab. The i‑STAT System reduces the time required to collect, process and report results, allowing physicians to respond and provide treatment as the situation demands.
In addition, the i‑STAT System’s broad menu of tests, helps health care facilities meet the testing needs of a wide range of patients, including the elderly.
The i‑STAT System brings testing to the patient, allowing health care practitioners to deliver focused, patient-centred care – without having to leave the patient’s side. A true portable with-patient device, the i‑STAT System allows tests to be performed in the patient’s home, office or other convenient health care setting, while increasing family involvement and confidence in the patient experience.
The i‑STAT System delivers diagnostic testing and record-keeping in four easy steps for the most commonly used tests in home health care. By using the i‑STAT System, health care practitioners don’t need to send commonly used tests to a central or STAT lab to get the results they need to make immediate treatment decisions.
When every minute matters, the i‑STAT System stands ready to serve military personnel. Several organisations have used the i‑STAT System for years, deploying the handheld device in a multitude of settings, including domestic emergencies and international affairs.
The lightweight, portable i‑STAT System provides lab-accurate results to healthcare professionals within minutes, rather than hours to enable faster diagnosis and treatment. In just four easy steps, the i‑STAT delivers diagnostic testing and record keeping for a variety of commonly used tests.
In clinics and smaller hospitals that have little or no access to urban health care services, the portable i‑STAT System brings care closer to the patient. By providing real-time, lab-quality results to health care professionals, the i‑STAT System can provide fast, accurate testing at the patient’s side without having to to send commonly used tests to a central laboratory, allowing for faster diagnosis and treatment.
Additionally, the i‑STAT System’s connectivity features allow clinicians who are working in other areas to access results and document the disease state for patients in these rural communities.
The i‑STAT System helps streamline patient flow and productivity in health care facilities that serve a large patient population. A true portable with-patient device, the i‑STAT System increases efficiency and productivity by reducing the time required to collect, process and report results without having to leave the patient's side.
The i‑STAT System requires just four steps and a few minutes to get lab-quality results, accelerating time to treatment and increasing patient satisfaction while also driving operational efficiencies.
For emergency responders and paramedics, the i‑STAT System delivers fast, lab-quality results in minutes to diagnose and make immediate treatment decisions at the scene. The portable i‑STAT System is easy to use, requiring just four steps to get results and includes a broad testing menu, serving a wide range of patient needs.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


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Constructed with the development of the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta, NY, this preserve offers close to two miles of well-groomed trails. Offering relatively easy walking with some moderate inclines in places, you'll find dense forest growth, a bridge over a flowing stream, and a variety of outdoor vegetation.
Two parking areas offer access, one off Luther Forest Boulevard in the south and another off Stonebreak Road Extension in the north. You can also walk in via trail entrances off 100 Acre Woods Way. Pay attention to the trail map, as red, green, yellow, blue, and purple markers cover various sections of the trail system.
While bikes aren't allowed on the walking trails within the woods, you could potentially bike to the trailhead from paths that run alongside the roads and connect to the Zim Smith Trail. All in all, this park offers an easily accessible location to get outdoors and enjoy the woods in the heart of Saratoga County.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


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Novelist Tom Perrotta is that rare combination: a satirist with heart. His characters, coping with often absurd situations, win us over even as they dismay us — Perrotta, often subtly, seems to be on everyone’s side.
In his funny, wistful 1997 novel “The Wishbones,” we find ourselves completely identifying with Dave, a suburban man-child in his 30s who’s cheating on his sweet fiancée. He’s trying on a different kind of life before permanently diving into a predictable future, and he’s genuinely bewildered by his predicament; before we know it, we’re sympathizing with how complicated it is to juggle two relationships. And in 2004’s “Little Children,” even the town pariah Ronnie, recently released from prison on charges of indecent exposure to a minor, is treated kindly. We’re taken inside his struggling, unhappy mind, and sympathize with him in spite of ourselves.
Tim Mason, a former addict turned born-again Christian, has troubles of his own. His daughter Abby, from a failed first marriage, is becoming distant; his docile second wife (a marriage urged by their very hands-on pastor) seems an enigma. (“They never argued,” the narrator tells us, in eyebrows-raised italics.) As coach of Abby’s soccer team — which also includes Ruth’s daughter Maggie — Tim chooses to lead the players in prayer after a victory. Ruth, appalled, voices her displeasure, and a strange, unclassifiable relationship between the two of them begins.
The book blooms with wonderfully funny passages in which Perrotta creates a tiny, populated world, ushering multiple characters on and off with tantalizing hints of their own complexity. A scene in the mortgage office where Tim works perfectly creates the microcosm of a group of longtime co-workers, continuing a never-ending conversation. Descriptions of soccer games burst with chaotic energy, with different little girls running in and out of the narrative.
Perrotta’s novels have twice been transformed into very good movies (“Election,” “Little Children”). Those who haven’t curled up on the couch with this writer’s books are missing a very great pleasure.
Moira Macdonald is the movie critic for The Seattle Times.


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For anyone to succeed in the construction of any building, he or she would need to have the best machinery as this will ensure that he or she is working with the right tools. Today, several industrial companies and providers offer different suits of industrial machinery. However, each one will tend to attract many customers to buy from them as they will say that their products are the best than others. Choosing the best company will assure you that you will get the best and quality construction machinery. However, selecting the best company is a hard task. If you follow the following simple steps and then ensure that you consider them when you will need to purchase you will get the best machinery.
The first thing you will need to determine the equipment required. This will always come to your mind as there are many types of material out there in the market and you cannot go out then end up being confused. Taking like for instance if you want a sewing machine, it would be beneficial to determine the type of sewing machine you need to purchase. This will help you spend less time and money in buying the machinery. For the best construction machinery, see Able Sales or visit ablesales.com.au.
One familiar with the thing with everyone one out there in the market spends the least amount of money when buying anything whether in the traditional stores or online store. In the buying of industrial construction machinery, it is no exception. People will have to come up with a budget of how much they will like to spend in buying equipment to consider how the company will charge you. You should, therefore, ask for the estimated price of the equipment during your window shopping then you can go home and budget accordingly. Attempt also asking for the available discounts that will be given for the purchase of the equipment then you can budget accordingly.
Last but not least you should choose a reliable equipment provider. To know whether the provider is competent in providing his service, you will need to do some thorough research on the company and then come up with the conclusion. A reliable company should deliver goods for the buyer without even asking a single dollar. Again, if you will have to consider buying over the internet, it would be perfect to pay for the goods upon delivery. You should, however, choose companies with websites which look professional in your sight. Read more on this here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/caterpillars-expansion-faith-us-economic-recovery_n_1411808.html.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that after nearly 7 years, the Department of Defense (DoD) Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) Enterprise has not yet fully achieved its goal to identify required infrastructure capabilities.
The Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Program Analysis and Integration Office (PAIO), CBDP’s analytical arm, recommended in 2008 that the CBDP Enterprise identify required infrastructure capabilities, such as laboratories to research chemical and biological agents, to ensure alignment of the infrastructure to its mission.
Officials told GAO that the failure to make significant progress in achieving this infrastructure goal was due to efforts being focused on higher priorities and the lack of CBDP Enterprise-wide impetus to address the infrastructure recommendations.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs previously identified the need for an entity that has the responsibility and authority needed to ensure achievement of this goal, but DOD has not yet designated such an entity.
By identifying and designating an entity with the responsibility and authority to lead infrastructure transformation, the CBDP Enterprise would be better positioned to achieve this goal, concludes the GAO report.
In July 2015 PAIO plans to inventory and analyze CBDP Enterprise infrastructure for potential duplication laboratories to identify duplication in its chemical and biological defense infrastructure. However, GAO found that defense officials were not planning to incorporate capability studies from other federal entities such as the Department of Homeland Security, missing the opportunity to analyze existing federal CBRN infrastructure potential for use.
GAO further found that the DoD’s CBDP Enterprise used threat data from risk assessments piloted in 2014 to support its future portfolio planning process to prioritize research and development investment. However, the CBDP Enterprise has not updated its guidance and planning process to fully institutionalize the use of risk assessments.
GAOs final recommendations suggest DoD designate an entity to lead the effort to identify required infrastructure; identify, request, and consider any information from chemical and biological infrastructure studies of other federal agencies to avoid potential duplication; and update the CBDP Enterprise’s guidance and planning process to fully institutionalize the use of risk assessments.


text: BioRestoration is now offering the hottest treading treatment in Hollywood, the Vampire Facelift! It is often said that true beauty lies just beneath the surface. With the vampire facelift procedure, it truly does. We use a special serum that is derived from your very own blood and inject into the areas on your face that you want treated. The end result is a smoother and younger appearance.


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WASHINGTON – There's a growing anti-Israel movement known as Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) that's targeting the Jewish state's economy. Now Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is raising the alarm that support for the movement is spreading to the US.
"BDS is a movement around the world to try to get companies, pressure companies to boycott Israel, meaning not do business there, divest from any Israeli companies and to get governments to sanction Israel," Rubio explained to CBN News.
Currently, those behind BDS target companies like Ahava, Caterpillar, HP and Sabra hummus hoping, as their website indicates, to isolate Israel "academically, culturally, economically and militarily."
"It is an anti-Semitic movement," The Heritage Foundation's Joel Griffith told CBN News.
Griffith says it's also a threat to Israel's security.
"Israel is a beacon of democracy; it's an area where ethnic minorities and religious minorities enjoy equal rights and yet that is the country that these individuals have chosen to target," continued Griffith. "The end goal, as stated by their founder Omar Barghouti, is the end of the Jewish state of Israel."
The protestors boast their campaigns have cost Israeli companies billions due to lost contracts and major shareholders divesting.
"I'm concerned that for the very first time we're seeing at least two House members that are openly pro-BDS," said Rubio.
Those members would be newly elected Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Tlaib recently told The Intercept she believes the boycotts bring attention to "issues like the racism and the international human rights violations by Israel."
Sen. Rubio included a Combatting BDS Act in the first bill the Senate is taking up this year.
"We have a law that says that states and local governments can decide not to do any work, meaning no contracts for goods or services with companies that are boycotting or divesting services from Israel," explained Rubio.
Senate Democrats have blocked the bill for two weeks now, however, saying they won't consider any measures unrelated to opening the government. But Republican senators like John Cornyn say this is "hypocrisy at its worst" since Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forced a vote this week on a resolution that reinstates sanctions on Russia previously lifted by the Trump administration.
"I would like to just point out the hypocrisy of our colleagues across the aisle who have refused to take up any legislation whatsoever, like the Senate Bill 1 that's on the floor, that would take extraordinarily positive measures to protect our most important allies in the Middle East, including Israel and Jordan," said Cornyn in a statement.
"They've filibustered that bill and said, 'Well, we're not going to take up any legislation until the government is back open, all 100 percent of it.' So for the past two weeks, the minority leader has paralyzed the work of the Senate," he charged.
Rubio thinks there's another reason at play in Senate Democrats blocking the bill.
"I think they're blocking it because they're afraid of radical elements in their own base," said Rubio. "There's a growing group of people in the Democratic Party that are anti-Israel, openly, and I think they're afraid of them."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Rep.Tlaib say Rubio's bill "punishes Americans who exercise their constitutional right to engage in political activity."
But Rubio argues, "The First Amendment applies to individuals; this law doesn't apply to individuals. You can support BDS all you want. All this law says is you can go ahead and support BDS, but if I'm a city or a state, I don't have to contract with a company that's involved in BDS."
Schumer, a staunch supporter of Israel, did not answer CBN News's question about his thoughts on the Democrats who openly support the BDS movement – but he did say this about the Combatting BDS Act.
"I am a cosponsor so I've supported it all along," Schumer said Tuesday.
Congresswoman Tlaib says she plans to go against tradition and lead a House delegation to what she refers to as the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Historically, freshman lawmakers have been invited to spend a week meeting with Israeli leaders on a trip sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).


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Makefield El Sch is one of 14 schools in the Pennsbury SD district of Pennsylvania.
A relatively average sized school, it has an enrolment of 438 students from Kindergarten to 5th Grade and is classified as a regular school.
The average teacher's salary is $47,911, which is lower than the Pennsylvania state average of $64,738.
create Do you know Makefield El Sch? Be the first to share your experiences!

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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 Nothart Industry Sectors | Construction | Nothart Engineered Sales Ltd.
The word Construction is a very open-ended term. At Nothart, Construction means that your facility plans have pumps, (pressure, sump, fire, circulation, booster etc ), level sensors, filters, or fans as part of their infrastructure. Given that Nothart represents the most reliable and trusted brands and products available in the marketplace, we would appreciate the opportunity to provide high quality, durable equipment for your application. Whether your needs are for single building, manufacturing expansion or subdivision, we guarantee to have exactly what you need and we commit to sourcing it all for you.


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MoneyBall DFS is a Company operating in the Daily Fantasy Sports space where discussions of appropriate legal regulations are ongoing. Both federal and state laws govern MoneyBall DFS and its Daily Fantasy Sports contests. MoneyBall DFS operates in compliance with federal law, including a statute called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA, which exempts fantasy sports contests from its regulation. State law regarding DFS contests varies by state, and is currently dynamic, with some states expressly regulating DFS contests while others continue to evaluate the legality of DFS contests and potential regulation of the industry. In some states, the legality of DFS contests has never been questioned. In states where politicians or other officials (and not the legislature) have made statements about the legality of DFS contests, MoneyBall DFS may ask a state's courts to clarify its right to operate. Some state legislatures have already passed laws confirming the legality of DFS contests. Still other legislatures are actively debating and considering laws and regulations. MoneyBall DFS monitors new developments and acts quickly to ensure it is in compliance with the laws in any state where it operates. As any changes in the law take place or regulations are implemented, MoneyBall DFS will take steps to ensure its continued compliance, and changes to this site may take place to reflect any such new laws or regulations.
1. The values of all prizes and awards offered to winning game participants in public contests are established and made known to the game participants in advance of the game or contest.
2. All winning outcomes reflect the relative knowledge and skill of the participants and are determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of the performance of individuals in multiple real-world events.
3. No winning outcome is based on the score, point-spread, or any performance or performances of any single real-world team or any combination of such teams; or solely on any single performance of an individual athlete in any single real- world sporting or other event.
4. In states where it is prohibited, the statistical results of the performance of individuals not based on college or high school sports or on horse racing or greyhound racing.
5. A contestant is not permitted to select an athlete through an automatic draft that does not involve any input or control by the paid fantasy sports game participants or choose preselected teams of athletes.
6. A winning outcome is determined by the accumulated statistical results of fully completed contests or events and not merely a portion of a contest or event, except that a paid fantasy sports game participant may be credited for statistical results accumulated in a suspended or shortened contest or event that has been suspended or shortened on account of weather or other natural or unforeseen event.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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Perfect Townhouse in Desirable Knox Hill. Offering 2 Br, 2.5 Ba, Great Open Floor with large updated eat-in Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances and Granite countertops. Bright Family room with patio doors that lead you to the Deck and Private Backyard. Beautiful Master Suite w/ walk-in-closet, Master Bath and plenty of space. Detached Garage. Bonus Finished Basement. Conveniently, located near major Roadways transportation to NYC, Shops, Restaurants, Beach and Much More. Turn-key home, A Must See! Call Today!
I am interested in 255 Frankfort Avenue, Neptune Township, NJ 07753.


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The steps below cover how to set up PHP CodeSniffer in PhpStorm with WordPress Coding Standards rulesets. This can be very helpful for identifying violations of the WP coding standards as you write code, so you can fix them on-the-spot. This guide assumes you’re on Mac OS X or Linux, are using Vagrant for local development, have Composer installed and are comfortable using the command line. A video walkthrough of these steps is also available here.
Go to PhpStorm Preferences > Languages & Frameworks > PHP, then click on the […] button.
PhpStorm should let you know that it’s a violation by giving it a squiggly underline. You can hover over it and get a popup with more info indicating what’s wrong with it. Then you can fix it manually, or use Code > Reformat Code (cmd+option+L on Mac) to automatically reformat the code – just make sure you’ve set the predefined style to WordPress in PhpStorm Preferences > Editor > Code Style > PHP > Set From > Predefined Style > WordPress.
To enable PHP CodeSniffer with the WP Coding Standards for any future projects, you just need to follow steps #1 and #7 above.
Filed under WordPress. Tagged code sniffer, coding standards, phpstorm.
The value you provided ~/.composer/vendor/bin/phpcs does not allow PHPStorm to see the WordPress standards in the drop down.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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To support our colleagues to serve customers well, we need to create the best working environment possible. We support our colleagues through responsible employment practices.
Wellbeing is key to making the bank a great place to work. It’s closely aligned with Our Values, Our Ambition and helps our colleagues bring the best of themselves to work. With full senior executive support, we’ve rolled out our programme across four main pillars: Physical, Mental, Financial and Social Wellbeing.
In 2018 our wellbeing engagement scores increased again and we continue to build our wellbeing programme by offering support, resources, personal stories and engaging tools.
Over 9,000 colleagues actively participated in our global digital wellbeing platform, which is designed to support and encourage personal wellbeing goals. More than 22,000 personal health checks were carried out through the health kiosks we set up in our main locations.
We continued to promote our mental health support and resources including mindfulness and our mental health toolkit. This remains part of our support for Time to Change (the UK’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma), which we have supported since 2014.
Our Workplace Wellbeing Group has c. 26,000 members and in 2018 we ran our second Mental Health Awareness campaigns to support Mental Health Awareness week in May and World Mental Health Day in October. We also hosted our second Mental Health Conference in Edinburgh and were joined by colleagues, customers and those with a passion for moving the mental health agenda forward. Through our campaigns, many of our colleagues shared their personal stories and experiences and we continue to see our managers complete our Mental Health Awareness training. Now, they are better at spotting signs of mental health issues at work and giving support to the colleagues and customers who need it.
We have also continued to see a high number of colleagues using our Employee Assistance Programme, which supports them in with dealing with change and building resilience.
Our financial wellbeing initiatives are now well established and continuing to build momentum, through Money & Me workshops for colleagues. Through our engagement strategy we are encouraging colleagues to save well and be proactive.
Through our Great Place to Work and Do Good Feel Good campaigns we continue to promote healthy wellbeing by supporting our communities, charity involvement and volunteering.
We are continuing to develop great leaders and support the development of talent across the bank. We’ve remained committed to delivering and embedding our flagship leadership programme – Determined to lead (Dtl). By the end of 2018, more than 10,700 leaders had completed their Dtl journey.
We remain committed to embedding a strong service mindset through our Service Excellence training – our pan-bank customer service programme that sits at the heart of achieving our ambition to be number one for customer service, trust and advocacy. More than 36,500 colleagues have already completed the first level of training and over 38,000 have a personal service profile. In 2018, RBS was awarded a Princess Royal Training Award for its Service Excellence programme.
In 2018 we launched our bank-wide sales programme, Sales Excellence. It teaches the tools and techniques that enable those in sales roles to be the best at ethical, needs-based selling. It covers both core and advanced techniques that help to uncover the full financial needs and goals of customers, and present compelling options on the ways we can help. Over 60% of the appropriate colleagues have already completed a Sales Knowledge Assessment level 1, with training for all front-line sales colleagues, sales specialists and sales leaders underway.
Professionalising our colleagues is important to us. We continue to work closely with the Chartered Banker Institute (CBI) and Chartered Banker Professional Standards Board (CB:PSB) to improve professional standards across the industry.
We continue to offer a well-developed range of learning to support core and common capability needs which are available in a variety of formats (e.g. classroom, webinar, e-learning and video) to support personal development, individual capability or prepare people for future roles. Our colleagues can also access relevant learning provided by external partners.
In 2018, we launched the NextGen talent development programme for high-potential colleagues at managerial level, helping them become the future leaders we need. The learning opportunities available align to the bank’s Critical People Capabilities. There are five people capabilities that we have identified that will help build the right knowledge, skills and behaviours, and help the bank to be successful now and in the future. We have developed a Capability Checker to support our colleagues in identifying the capabilities most relevant to their current and future roles, aligning learning to those capabilities.
We also have a number of initiatives to support the development of talent across the organisation. Our Female Development Programmes focus on supporting women to reach their full potential and manage their careers effectively. They support our aspiration to be gender balanced by 2030.
All our CEOs and their leadership teams have reviewed their succession plans, both individually and collectively. The Bank Executive Committee held several deep-dive sessions during 2018 to focus on development for their successors.
We attract, select and hire the best apprentices, interns and graduates we can. This helps us build the skills and capabilities we need now and for the future.
When things change or we need to make redundancies, we always want our colleagues to feel supported and know we’ll do everything we can to help them.
Approximately 76% of our colleagues bank wide are covered by a collective agreement and/or local employee representative arrangements. Our aim is to engage our employee representatives at the right time, in the right way and on a no-surprise basis.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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Hello, I would like more information about the 2010 Subaru Forester, stock# STK705694.
I would like test drive the 2010 Subaru Forester, stock# STK705694.
Please text me about this 2010 Subaru Forester (JF2SH6CC1AH705694).


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Situated inside the Cape Range National Park and only metres from the beach and the Ningaloo Reef, Sal Salis offers guests an exclusive “bush camp” experience that combines comfortable accommodation, personalised service and fine wining and dining. Then step on-board the Sal Salis private fishing charter and enjoy the thrill of some of the best game and reef fishing Australia has to offer.
The camp offers 9 guest tents with each en suite bathroom having a composting toilet. The tents are spacious and naturally comfortable – they are not intended to be 5 star hotel rooms in the bush so do not offer TVs, telephones, minibars or other modern appliances. The tents are situated just 50 metres back from the beach amongst the low lying coastal dunes.
The main lodge offers a comfortable lounge area with panoramic views across the reef and Indian Ocean and a small reference library with a variety of board games. The sunken dining area offers a self-service bar with a selection of Australian wine, beer and soft drinks to enjoy, while the chef offers contemporary Australian cuisine.
The camp has been designed to operate in tune with its fragile environment – all of the power is solar generated.
Game fishing on the ‘Westside’ and reef and Sailfish fishing in the Exmouth Gulf is good all year round and it is very unusual for anglers to this region going away empty handed and without one really awesome fishing story to add to their journals.
The Sal Salis fishing boat, “Sal Canis” is an 8 metre Leisure Cat which carries the latest range of Shimano fishing equipment and is designed to carry four guests plus the skipper and his deck-hand. There is a private toilet facility on-board and all catering and refreshments are supplied.
Ensuring you have the right equipment there is a full selection of all the latest fishing gear provided on-board. The use of this equipment is included in the charter rates but it is important to note that any loss and damage caused to the equipment will be charged back to you. If you have your own preferred fishing gear and tackle we do encourage you to bring this along on your Fishing Safaris adventure.
In March & April the conditions are excellent for Marlin and Sailfish as well as for reef fishing in the Gulf and bone & fly fishing along the flats. May & June is excellent for game fishing and the perfect fishing conditions all round for reef fishing, sailfish fishing in the Gulf and bone & fly along the flats. In September & October, conditions are best for reef & Murion islands fishing. The Westside and the Muiron Islands will always reward anglers with good catches of Yellowtail, Trevally, Mackerel and Queenfish. During November & December, there is excellent game and bill fishing as well as shore based fly and bonefish fishing – as the water warms up the larger fish move onto the flats.
Located on the North West Cape, Sal Salis is in the Cape Range National Park.
The nearest commercial airport to Sal Salis is Exmouth’s Learmonth Airport. Qantas and Skywest fly between Perth and Learmonth.
The team and Sal Salis will collect you from Learmonth Airport which must be prebooked.
The drive from Exmouth town to Sal Salis takes one hour – and most of this is on a good, council maintained gravel road.
The drive from Learmonth Airport to Sal Salis takes 1 hour 30 minutes.
The drive from Perth will take as much as 13 hours.
Air and road transfers are also available to/from a number of locations can be provided on request.


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Goldberg Merlot 2012 was awarded a gold medal at the international wine competition Emozioni dal Mondo, while Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 was declared the best Croatian wine by the choice of journalist judges.
Vina Belje continued their successes at international competitions by receiving two new awards. The competition Emozioni dal Mondo: Merlot e Cabernet Insieme is the largest world competition of these two varieties, it is held in the Italian city of Bergamo where Goldberg Merlot 2012 was awarded this year with gold medal for quality. As additional recognition, the Belje vinery won first prize awarded by journalists who declared Vina Belje Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 as the best Croatian wine showcased in Bergamo.
Emozioni dal Mondo is a wine exposition that specializes in varieties Merlot and Cabernet, and was held from 15th to 17th October.
“The gold medal for our Goldberg Merlot is yet another confirmation of top quality of red wines coming from Baranya, a region that itself is becoming internationally renowned as a terroir for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. We are especially pleased for the recognition that our Cabernet Sauvignon received from journalists because this is proof of good reputation that Vina Belje hold with a wider wine audience.”, said Suzana Zovko, an oenologist in Vina Belje.
The specific character of Goldberg Merlot comes from selected dried berries nurtured in barrels made from Slavonian oak and the silence of a century old cellar. Wine itself is modern and dynamic, has a full body and highlighted fruity flavor. A long lasting harmonious fullness of flavor is what makes it unique. Cabernet Sauvignon is a traditional, soft and warm wine that perfectly balances its fruity and spicy side.
Awards received in Bergamo confirm that Baranya and Podunavlje subregion have high potential for producing exquisite authentic wines that impress even the world renowned experts. Guests from France who visited recently visited Baranya and Belje said that the terroir gives Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon that can only be compared with the ones originating from the Bordeaux region, a claim with which local wine experts, journalists and sommeliers agree.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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As the lead economic development organization in Columbia County, the Port maintains a registry of current employment opportunities.
The Dayton Chamber of Commerce also maintains a registry of current employment opportunities from its member businesses.
Columbia County employers are encouraged to post job listings on the WorkSource website.
Columbia County employers are encouraged to post temporary job listings through Express Employment Professionals.


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Chehalis resident Henry Herbert Gilmon "Hank", age 92, Left his earthly home and entered heaven on January 31, 2019.
Henry was born on November 24, 1926 to Charles and Hazel (Syfert) Gilmon in Pine Ridge, Oregon. The youngest of four children, the family moved to Lewis County in 1932. He graduated from Chehalis High School, Served as a Merchant Marine and served in the Air Force. He worked many places when he was just starting out including Henry Date Sawmill, Kosmos Lumber Company, Fitz Logging Company, and Green Hill School. He married Marilyn Richardson in 1950 and raised their family together. In 1952, Henry became a Transportation Officer for the State of Washington. He retired after 29 yrs in 1981.
Henry was an Avid outdoorsman who loved hunting (especially with his bow), fishing, and camping with family and friends. He loved poetry and would recite his favorite ballads around the campfire. He enjoyed music and played the accordion when he was younger. Later he played his harmonica always carrying it with him to play wherever he went. He especially liked to play for children.
In 1980 he became a Christian, placing all his faith and hope in Jesus Christ. He faithfully served his local church and served as a teacher in the adult sunday school class. He used every opportunity to tell the Gospel story to friends and all those God put in his path.
His sense of adventure led him to attend school in Astoria earning the 25-ton Mariner Commercial License just before his 70th birthday which allowed him to charter fishing boats in Alaska.
Henry is survived by his loving spouse of 68 years; Marilyn, Four Sons; Barry Gilmon, Jeff Gilmon, Brian Gilmon, and Jay Gilmon, and daughter; Wenda Tutterow.
He was preceded in death by his father; Charles Curless Gilmon, and his mother; Hazel May Gilmon.
The family will gather for a private Graveside Service with Military Honors. A Memorial Service for friends and family will be held at the Apostolic Faith Church, 196 NW Cascade Ave., Chehalis, WA. on Friday February 8th at 11:00 a.m. with a reception following the service.


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Treasure Trails ($0.99) by Robocat is an intense puzzle game that consists of rapid map tracing.
Robocat is known for beautifully designed apps, such as Thermo, Outside, Dunk, and more. Every time I have used a Robocat app, I am always in awe over their exquisite work. When I heard that they released their first iPad app, which is also their first game, I was eager to give it a try. Boy, I am not disappointed.
The first thing you’ll notice with Treasure Trails are the amazing visuals. From the moment you launch the app to the moments where you’re playing, you will know that the developers put a lot of work into this fine game. Gameplay should matter over looks, but I’m very happy to see that Treasure Trails combines excellent visuals and gameplay in one complete package. You’ll simply fall in love with it the moment you start the game up.
Now, what exactly is Treasure Trails? At its core, it’s a frantic puzzle game, where you must trace over the paths (from Point A to Point B) before time runs out, and do it as quickly as possible to get the most points. Whenever you finish tracing a map, you will be awarded extra time in the timer (up to 24 seconds).
However, it isn’t as easy as it sounds! Eventually, you will encounter obstacles, such as clouds, that will block your view. There’s a button to tap that will clear the screen for a brief moment of time, but you must be quick about tracing the paths or they will come back and block your way yet again. The obstacles add a great deal of challenge to an already frantic game.
In Treasure Trails, there are five unique maps, which will have 10 themed levels each, so there are a total of 50 levels. However, when you play, you will have to play a chunk of 10 levels in quick succession. If you are able to clear the levels (don’t run out of time), then the next unique map will be unlocked. Each map will have you earning gems, depending on how your final score is. In addition, there are four unique achievements for each map, which can actually be pretty difficult to accomplish.
If there would be anything to suggest to make the game better, it would probably just be adding in Game Center integration. Currently, the high scores and achievements are local only. But I think for a game like this, Game Center integration would be a necessity in future updates, as well as more maps.
The game seemed a bit choppy at times, but I’m pretty sure that’s due to my aging, first-gen iPad. Those of you with iPad 2s should have no problem.
Besides those small flaws, I found the game to be a delight to play. It uses an extremely simple concept (tracing from Point A to Point B) and turns it into a tough challenge that is hard to master. The visuals are an absolute treat, as well as the music and sound effects. If you think that 50 levels is short, I assure you that you will be spending a lot of time trying to beat your previous high score and getting the achievements (that’s a challenge in and of itself!).
If you are looking for a great, challenging puzzle game for your iPad, then I would highly recommend this title. It looks great, provides a challenge, and has plenty of replay value. Pick it up today before the price goes up (it’s on sale for 70 percent off for a limited time for the holidays)!

industry_corpus2: Gaming


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Susan Kimmel Wright grew up in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, in a little stone house in the woods that her father, a carpenter, had built. She attended Shanksville-Stonycreek School, which was so tiny, it had no kindergarten, and all twelve grades were in the same building. Shanksville later became well known, because on September 11, 2001, Flight 93 crashed about three miles away, after being hijacked by terrorists.
Before she was old enough to write, she made up stories for her mother to write down, and Susan drew pictures to go along with the stories. She began writing her own stories in elementary school, and her fourth grade teacher, Mrs Lloyd, told her she would be a writer someday!
Susan decided to write her first book, Mystery of the Sassafras Jungle, when she was in seventh grade. She soon found out it was a lot easier to read somebody else’s book than to write one! But after a lot of evenings and weekends, she finished it–then, went on to write the second book in the series.
Those first books were never published, but Susan discovered writing was a passion that would be part of her life forever. She majored in creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh, where she met her husband Dave while Christmas caroling in a hospital corridor.
Susan finally decided to attend law school at Duquesne University. She enjoyed reading about law cases, because each one was a story. Though she spent many years practicing law, Susan never enjoyed it as much as she’d enjoyed studying it. She realized what she’d liked about it was the same thing she’d enjoyed about working in the medical library–the stories. She couldn’t let go of her desire to tell stories of her own. She began writing several books, but she was tired when she came home in the evening, and soon lost interest in finishing them.
In 1984, Susan and her husband Dave traveled to Honduras, in Central America, to adopt their son Tony. It was an exciting trip and an exciting time in their lives. They made a second trip in 1986, and adopted their daughters, Kika and Maria. Susan was busier–and tireder–than ever, working as a lawyer and taking care of her children. But at night, after Dave and her children were asleep, Susan was busy writing a mystery for young readers, The Secret of the Old Graveyard. This time, an editor at Herald Press sent a letter saying they wanted to publish it!
That first book came out in 1992, and was followed by two more books in the Dead-End Road series. Susan also began writing articles for magazines, newspapers, and daily devotionals. Her stories appeared in many books for adults, and in 2004, she began writing stories for the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, including many for young readers, as well as for adults.
Now, Susan’s children are grown, and she has a granddaughter. She also works with the Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Association, and usually has at least one foster dog in the house, along with her own dogs and cats. She likes walking with her dogs, especially in the woods, and loves reading and travel. She and Dave have been to more than 40 US states, Mexico, Canada, and several Central American and European countries. They especially enjoy traveling by train, pulling into stations in the middle of the night and peeking out to see where they are, and eating breakfast in the dining car.


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China is refocusing its territorial claims in the South China Sea to land resources after an international tribunal rejected its historic rights to disputed waters.
The State Council, China’s cabinet, issued a policy paper describing all land features in the area as its “inherent territory”, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The document accused the Philippines, which brought the case before the arbitral tribunal in The Hague, of illegally occupying some of them.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, who introduced the paper, stepped up a barrage of official Chinese invective against the tribunal, accusing its five arbitrators of being biased, ignorant of Asian culture and working for the Philippine government.
But Liu added that China remains committed to negotiations with the new Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, and other governments with competing claims.
Beijing’s pairing of harsh rhetoric with offers of talks suggested that while still determined not to comply with the ruling and sensitive to the demands of a nationalistic public, it was wary of escalating a dispute that has already driven some of its neighbors to forge closer defense ties with the US, according to WSJ.
There was no immediate response to China’s statements Wednesday from Manila or the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
The court’s tribunal on Tuesday rejected China’s claim to waters within a nine-dash line that Beijing depicts on maps as extending almost to Malaysian Borneo and to exclusive economic rights around the Spratly Islands.
China has vowed not to comply with the ruling.
However, there were some signs in the new policy paper that China was seeking to clarify its legal claims, possibly to lay the ground for negotiations with the Philippines and other governments.
“The good news is that China is moving towards clarification and reduction of ambiguity,” said Yanmei Xie, senior China analyst at the International Crisis Group.


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Handmade hoops with a chain look.
Playful and on point - you can wear these hoops combined with anything!
More into long earrings? This design also comes as AVE Earring Long and AVE Earring Short.


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Bang Bang shoots the buses, with his golden key. | Come Here To Me!
« History Ireland Hedge Schools, Mindfield 2017.
Bang Bang shoots the buses, with his golden key.
On Monday evening it pissed rain.
This was a foregone conclusion, as an outdoor event had been organised. Despite the weather, they came in their droves to Phibsboro for a day to celebrate Lord Dudley, known to generations of Dubliners as ‘Bang Bang’.
With the great street character buried in an unmarked grave in Drumcondra, the team behind the Bang Bang Cafe in Phibsboro decided it was time to mark the final resting place of Thomas Dudley. A new plaque was unveiled in his honour, The Mero was sung with gusto, and then it was back to Phibsboro.
My thanks to photographer Luke Fallon for capturing these images of the street celebration. Pat McGrath beautifully brought Bang Bang to life,performing from a play by Dermot Bolger. Dermot himself said a few words and read poems about the street and those who made it. I said a little about the Dublin of Bang Bang’s time, and Shane Coleman of Newstalk kept it all together as MC. Thanks to Mary Clarke of Dublin City Library and Archives for bringing along the key.


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In 2016, curators Joshua Beckman and Anthony McCann invited over twenty-five poets to read one of their books in its entirety in the Mystery Theater at Machine Project in Echo Park, Los Angeles, from March 30th - April 3rd (coinciding with that year's AWP Conference).
Every reading was carefully recorded and is now available through SoundCloud. You can see the entire playlist below. Any readings by Wave authors can also be found on their page on the Wave website.
Dolores Dorantes, Douglas Kearney, Cedar Sigo, Anthony McCann, Lisa Fishman, Richard Meier, Michael Earl Craig, Matthew Rohrer, Brian Kim Stefans, Joe Wenderoth, Joshua Beckman, John Beer, Prageeta Sharma, Rebecca Wolff, Catherine Wagner, Matthew Zapruder, Dorothea Lasky, Timothy Donnelly, Rodney Koeneke, Tonya Foster, Will Alexander, Don Mee Choi, Andrew Maxwell, Aaron Kunin, Harmony Holiday, and Yideum Kim.


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Konica Minolta asked us to develop a global 360° marketing communications campaign to support the launch of its latest innovation, Workplace Hub. Workplace Hub is a revolutionary new IT services offering for enterprises. Our challenge was to reposition the brand from a printing company to an IT solutions company whilst developing their thought leadership credentials and raising awareness of Workplace Hub amongst key IT purchasing decision makers.
Recognizing that the primary audience for Workplace Hub were concerned about the future capabilities of their existing IT infrastructure, we created a multi-channel, content-led campaign called Spotlight. This provided Konica Minolta with a platform from which it could focus on the future of the workplace and shine a light on customers existing and future IT needs. A range of content was created including films, photography, infographics and essays. These were then seeded to influencers, media and customers and housed on a dedicated online portal. Furthermore, Spotlight allowed us to create a media event where Konica Minolta could unveil their latest and future technology products.
Spotlight Live Berlin, a TED-style speaker event for an audience of global IT, technology and new media leaders was a key element of the Spotlight campaign. The event featured experts and opinion leaders drawn from a wide variety of disciplines and industries. They discussed the evolution of and the role of technology in the workplace of the future. Spotlight Live Berlin also included a multimedia showcase highlighting Konica Minolta’s rich history and heritage of innovation. There was also a reveal moment of the Workplace Hub. We created an interactive demonstration zone to allow Konica Minolta to preview its new range of products and services.


text: Our bestseller. The design is fashionable and comfortable. Watch has an arc to fit your wrist properly plus a soft band. Amazing performance!


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So the one thing I hate about my social media feed is that its pretty much ALL the same content. Meaning, it's become homogenized - especially within the cocktail / hospitality scene. I mean if there's ANY industry that has some flexibility to experiment it's this.
So one of Chicago's most notable cocktail bars - James Beard Award winners - The Violet Hour, approached me to do some content for their Instagram - of course I agreed. But it was conditional. We were NOT to take any photos in the bar. I've just seen it all before.
So we decided to take the cocktails on the road - @roadpops was born. I've only done three groups so far, but plan on doing several more this summer.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Congratulations, Shannon, on your special mention for the Saphira Prize! You should definitely try to get it published. I love the idea and the Hong Kong Escalator setting. Thank you so much for your mention of my book deal. So honored!
Wow, the IMPRINT cover is gorgeous. This is the first time I've seen it and I just love it. Tania has outdone herself again. I so wish I could have been at the IMPRINT launch. How cool that you MCd it! Sounds like such a blast!


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Venus and Jupiter continue to move together each night on the way to their closest encounter on June 30, 2015. This weekend the two planets are still 6º apart, but stargazers may get their best photo opportunity during this conjunction as the two planets are joined by a slender crescent Moon in the western sky after sunset on June 19-20. Venus and Jupiter form a straight line with the bright white star Regulus in the constellation Leo to the east, while Castor and Pollux in Gemini linger to the west. In a telescope, brilliant Venus now appears as a thick crescent while Jupiter, which appears smaller and fainter, still shows its cloud bands and four bright moons.
And on June 21, 2015 at 16:39 UT, the Sun appears to stand still at its most northerly point in the sky. This marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of northern summer. At the same time, winter begins in the southern hemisphere as the days begin to grow longer and the world slowly moves from darkness to light.


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Nonfossil Energy Development in China: Goals and Challenges explores the development of non-fossil energy sources, which is very important for China to protect its energy supply, deal with climate change and adjust its energy structure. At present, the development of energy and electricity is undergoing profound change. The core and most prominent feature is the sudden emergence of clean energy, exerting a decisive influence on the future energy industry.
Due to history and resource limitation, a series of problems in the energy development of China have existed for a long time, such as poor energy structure, serious environmental pollution, large carbon emissions, low energy efficiency, regional supply and demand imbalances. The Chinese government has set the development goal for nonfossil energy to 15% in primary energy consumption in 2020. The connotation and interpretation of the goal, possible development scenarios, feasible implementation paths, and corresponding benefit costs are all the major issues this book explains in detail and demonstrates by models.
President of the State Grid Energy Research Institute (SGERI). After having the Bachelor degree of Engineering in Power System and Automation in Tianjin University, he did his master degree in the North China Electric Power Institute. With extensive research and project experience in energy and power policy, strategy and planning for more than two decades, he gained many rewards in the field, including the Outstanding Management Consulting Award of SGCC, Scientific and Technological Advancement Award of SGCC, and the China General Chamber of Commerce Science and Technology Award, etc.

industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


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The great northern Catskill Mountains provide a picturesque backdrop for a round of golf. There are many choices for golf groups to play in and around Windham, NY, and The Thompson House Family Resort is perfect place to stay for you to enjoy yourself. Stay at the only resort in Windham, NY with rooms overlooking Windham Country Club. We work with the two golf courses in Windham, NY, Christman’s Pleasant Valley Golf Course and Windham Country Club, to provide our guests with discounts on greens fees. Whether you want to play on a weekend, holiday or mid-week, guests of The Thompson House will save money. We offer packages to both golf courses throughout the season. Call us for details.
If you are part of a group small or large, The Thompson House can set up customizes package just for your group. We’ll work with you to create a package that matches your group’s needs. If you want to play golf at just one local course or both, 18 holes or 9, our meal plan included or not, just let us know what you need and we’ll make it work. We offer several meeting facilities that your group can reserve during your stay at The Thompson House. These facilities can be included for free with your groups stay depending on availability. We’ll even work with you can the golf courses to reserve the tee times for your group at the local courses.
There are 5 hospitality rooms/areas where groups can get together, here at The Thompson House. If your group is large enough use of one of these rooms is complimentary. These rooms are great for gathering after a day of golf and bragging about how well (or poorly) you played. You can find out more information about our hospitality rooms here.
If you are interested in staying in a room overlooking Windham Country Club, ask for a room in our Evergreen building. All Evergreen rooms have air conditioning and a refrigerator. We have many different room configurations in the Evergreen, whether you need one king, 2 doubles, 2 queens, or 2 queens with a pull-out-sofa-bed. The Thompson House has the perfect room for you during your golf vacation in the great Northern Catskill Mountains.


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Modern fashion has an incredible variety of hairstyles, wedding bride hairstyles. However, no matter what length of hair, styling model or style of its performance, a person would stop his choice, it will be pertinent and harmonious only if it matches the appearance, character, and temperament of the owner. Various types of hairstyles, wedding bride hairstyles, can emphasize the dignity and hide obvious flaws, they can soften facial contours and much more. Of course, not the last role is played by makeup with wardrobe. But it is precisely different hairstyles, for example, wedding bride hairstyles that will be able to completely change a person radically.
Today, anyone has the opportunity to choose the option of styling like wedding bride hairstyles that best suits his face type, lifestyle, demeanor, basic wardrobe, the dress code of a particular event, to which the hairstyle. Not all types of styling, for example, wedding bride hairstyles are universal, suitable for all occasions. Many of them should be considered as an element that is only suitable for a holiday.


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As of 1st January 2012, I revamped my otaku blog and changed it's address to http://wotaokuno.blogspot.com/ and name to 'ー：：ヲタク おくの：：ー'. It will have similar template to my main blog, 'ー：：おくの　の　毎日：：ー', and my posts relating to the '48' project, idols, and my life as an wota would be posted there from 2012 onwards.
Been using SNS like Facebook and Twitter to so called 'micro-blog' but recently starting to feel that using an actual blog is still much better due to various factors like, length of posts, trackability of posts (tags in blog posts), the feel of recording down as a diary - where on SNS it feels more like sharing 'randomly' instead of reflection, and the worry of spamming the home pages of friends. Am pretty lazy to create an Instagram anyways and since I already have a blog, I thought of using the Blogger app on Android to create both short posts and long reflections of the day, etc. Shall see how it goes!
Ah! Today I went to Kinokuniya to get some magazines (as usual) and got myself a new wallet! Looks pretty nice.. doesn't it?
Finally! Been very long since I last went for a walk in a park or nature reserves. Walking through natural vegetation, enjoying the morning sun at the beach and the sea wind (there wasn't much wind today though) are just the perfect way to relax and temporarily escape from city life.
Walked a couple of rounds in the mangrove in Pasir Ris Park with my family before heading off to the beach.
Maeshima Ami to release her first solo photobook!
前島亜美 (Maeshima Ami) comes from an idol group called SUPER☆GiRLS, and it was recently announced that she would be releasing a solo photobook in 27th January, titled 'あみた' ('Amita'). This is not only the first time Amita (Maeshima's nickname) would be releasing a aolo photobook and is also the first time a member of SUPER☆GiRLS would be releasing a photobook! Am so excited about this!
The photobook will consist photos that were shot in Miyakojima, secret private shots of Maeshima Ami as a SUPER☆GiRLS member, and as a model of “Pichi Lemon”. There would also be a interview section. Amita herself would making an appearance at Fukuya bookstore (Shinjuku Subnade) during the day of the release.
I started to like SUPER☆GiRLS and following them when I came across their second single song, 'ＭＡＸ！乙女心' ('MAX! Otome Gokoro'). I did have the impression of hearing their debut single 'がんばって 青春' ('Ganbatte Seishun') then but I don't really know why I gave the group a pass that time. Maybe due to my fandom in AKB48 being amplified to enormous proportions when AKB48 released their 18th single 'Beginner' and 19th single 'Chance no Junban'.
Congratulations to Amita for her first solo photobook! おめでとう!!
Seems that I forgot to blog on the announcements of no3b (ノースリーブス - No Sleeves) 8th Single release. The single was released today and the track lists and album arts are as shown below.
Pedicure is a real nice song I must say. The PV is also kind of interesting. Wasn't able to view the PV through Sony Music Network Youtube as it was 'not made available to my country'.
Blogged earlier regarding the NHK's 62nd 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' line up, the performance order and titles were revealed!
Sashihara Rino to star in a drama for the first time!
It was announced that Sashihara Rino, from AKB48 and sub-unit 'Not Yet', will be starring in a new NTV drama titled 'ミューズの鏡' ("Muse no Kagami') which will be aired confined in the Kanto region.
The drama would start airing on January 14th (every Saturday at 1:55 am ~ 2:10 am).
Hope I am able to watch this drama. Really anticipating to watch Sasshi's acting!
As posted earlier this month, Iwasa Misaki (Wasamin) would be debuting as a solo enka singer on the 1st of February 2012.
The title was revealed to be '無人駅' ('Mujin Eki') and that there would be a cover of 'ヘビーローテーション' ('Heavy Rotation') in Enka version. The DVD would contain the PV for 'Mujin Eki', the making of the PV, a short movie featuring the history of Wasamin, and a celebratory message from other AKB48 members.
Track lists are yet to be announced.
It was announced that Mayuyu (Watanabe Mayu) would be making her solo debut on 29th of February 2012 with the single, 'シンクロときめき' ('Synchro Tokimeki'). She would be the fourth AKB48 member to debut as a solo singer after Itano Tomomi, Maeda Atsuko, and Iwasa Misaki.
Her solo debut song would be used as the theme song for a new drama on TV Tokyo (title yet to be released), which Mayuyu would be starring in for the first time. The drama would start airing on the 13th of Jannuary 2012.
Blogged previously, AKB48's 24th single, '上からマリコ' ('Ue kara Mariko'), sold a total of 1,199,000 copies and topped many charts. It was recently announced on Oricon even more records that AKB48 made and broke!
Oricon revealed that idol group AKB48 monopolized the TOP 5 of yearly single ranking for 2011. AKB48’s total sales for CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays during 2011 reached 8,911,000 copies, and for the first time since they debuted 6 years ago, AKB48 received the “Total sales by artist” honor which is given to the artist who has the most total annual sales during the year which for them was 16,280,000,000 yen. Moreover, they topped 7 out of 16 categories in “The 44th Yearly Ranking 2011” proving that 2011 was the year for AKB48.
AKB48 released 5 singles this year, and all 5 sold over a million copies. Though three groups; Pink Lady in 1978, Hikaru GENJI in 1988, and Arashi in 2009, have monopolized TOP3 of Oricon’s yearly single ranking in the past, this is the first time for any artist to monopolize the TOP5. Selling over a million copies for 5 singles in one year is also a new record broken by AKB48 for the first time in 16 years when B’z and Mr. Children made the record with 4 singles in 1995.
Team A Captain, Takahashi Minami, who was present to receive a trophy for the “Total sales by artist”, commented surprisingly at the records they made, “Thank you for letting us have this wonderful prize. This makes me feel that we are accepted by people for a little bit, and also makes me really happy“.
Oshima Yuko also said, “It was a big surprise. When AKB48 started 6 years ago, it was like ‘the future is a closed book’ for us, and I never expected that AKB48 would be able to become the group to make these records. I’m honored“. Shinoda Mariko also stated that she wants to aim for more next year.
Congratulations to AKB48 again!! 2011 is indeed the year for AKB48!

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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Grampians National Park - locals!
The Grampians National Park is amazing and well worth the effort. It is a great spot to get a feel for the Australian bush and see Kangaroos in the wild.
Hubby and I have been a number of times, usually when we have visiting family. However this time we went with the kids and friends. Taking the kids camping has been on our bucket list for the past two years, so when a dear friend of mine extended and invitation for us to join her and her extended family we could not pass up on the opportunity.
As my friend and her family were already booked into the Grampians Big 4 - Parkgate, we booked an unpowered campsite for the three nights. The Big 4 Holiday Parks are perfect for families. There are always other children and families for your kids to be able to make new friends. The Big 4 are designed with kids in mind, complete with swimming pool, tennis courts, inbuilt trampoline. They provide extra activities during the busy holiday period such as movies, pancake breakfast etc.
The more I spend times with holidays and weekends away with other families, the more I am convinced this is the only way to go on holidays. The kids have friends to play with so are not needing the parents so much and leave you in peace to enjoy some much earned rest. The only trouble is finding friends who want to travel when you do.
Here are my top 8 reasons why I love the Grampians..
Have you been to the Grampians, what would you add the the above list?
The thing about the Grampians is its magic and link back to Indigenous Australia, this is the place of many of the Aboriginal Creation stories. The area has one of the most important collection of 'Indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern Australia' (Parkweb).
If you a are not the camping type, there are alternative accommodation options for the Grampians, however plan prior to arrival especially if you are travelling in the busy season.
As mentioned earlier, taking the kids camping has been on our bucket list for some time. The experience was great, however it showed that we are not experts in the field for sure. We have what we need to sleep however the preparation of food and kitchen equipment we failed miserably. Luckily we were able to use our friend's cabin for some meals and food storage.
The great thing about the Big 4 Caravan Park is that there was a communal kitchen, where I was able to make the all important coffee and serve the kids a simple breakfast. (Bring own tea towel, pots, pans and dishwashing liquid).
Gorgeous location on the edge of Halls Gap (main town), they offer Cabins, powered and non-powered camping sites. Book ahead and contact them for the latest prices.
The best way is to hire and/or self drive.
The Private Tour Guide - contact Simon Greenland - to organise a private trip.
Have you been to the Gampians, what was your highlight?


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From a series of Old abandoned homesteads in southwestern Wyoming.
Quill pen, india ink on parchment.
Can you tell I'm homesick???
These look like many of our prairie farms. I love drawing abandoned buildings , there is something very compelling about them.
I like a lot. Great shadows too.
I just read about quill pens last night and it all sounds like it a difficult tool.
Re sharpening and very little ink flow makes it interesting ti use, I'm sure.
It seems you are a master of this tool.
Wyobud, I live in Idaho, so scenes like this are familar to me also. Old abandoned ranch and farm sites have a strong voice in my mind. Close to where I live is an old Pony Express stop. I live right on the old Oregon trail. Your drawing makes me want to go out and sketch :) If it wasn't 25 degrees outside with a nice wind kicking up I probably would head out this sunny morning.
sportpony........welcome home. This country is changin fast, these old places are bought up by the big money and they are "cleaning-up" and destroying these old homesteads.
Nora..........I'm trying to document as many places as I can before they are gone. I feel like an old man in a hurry.....Woops I am an old man.
Christie............Many of thes old places that I do, I have been on when they were working outfits. So they really tug at me.
Ginette...........I cheat and use a steel quill, of different sizes. I had too the old goose would hide every time she saw me coming.
The long shadows of evening are a pleasant time for me to draw.
Was chaseing yearlings one time on Oyster Ridge and came on an old wolfers cabin. I figured maybe wouldn't get that way again so I sketched the place with a nail, and ink made of coffee and nail rust with some charcoal thrown in. Of course it didn't last.
Sassybird..........We also live close to the trail. Lots of material around the South Pass area and the Lander cut-off. Like you a cold wind and drifting snow sure tempers the enthusiasm. Hope to run across you out sketching sometime, considering we're neighbors and all.
I like your drawing Wyobud.
The parchment gives a good effect. Is it really that yellow, or is it my screen ?
Thanks Ruth T.............The scan made the parchment just a little more yellow than it is. I've often been tempted to put life back in these old places. Too sentimental I guess, and not artist enough to convey my feelings.
Beautiful picture, looks awesome this house!

industry_corpus2: Others


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A nasal obstruction refers to some blockage of the nose or nasal cavity, restricting airflow in and out of the nose affecting one or both nasal passages.
There are a wide variety of problems that can cause a nasal obstruction, including medical conditions such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever), non-allergic rhinitis (or vasomotor rhinitis), sinusitis (sinus infections), environmental irritants (e.g., smoke or dust), a cold or flu, and certain medications (e.g., high blood pressure medication). For some patients, allergies lead to swelling of the nasal and sinus lining, which causes congestion and blockage.
What are the Symptoms of a Nasal Obstruction?
How Do You Diagnose a Nasal Obstruction?
At ENT of Parker, your ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor will conduct a detailed patient history with physical examination, including a look at your nasal cavity with a 4mm lighted endoscope. Additional testing, such as allergy testing, a CT scan or an MRI, may also be ordered to confirm the diagnosis of the nasal obstruction.
How Do You Treat a Nasal Obstruction?
For long-term solutions, surgery may be required, especially for a deviated septum, enlarged turbinates or nasal polyps. There are many newer surgical techniques available today that can be done in the office, giving the patient the added benefit of a shorter recovery time and return to normal activities within a few days.
Call ENT of Parker at (303) 840-9690 to schedule a consultation. We can help alleviate your symptoms and get you back to enjoying life!


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printing cd covers the right size?!
It's new years, I turn 21 today, what is there to do other than drink?
[Ricky Ricardo's voice] You've got some explaining to do!!!
223 is not going to be my lucky number!
Where will programming be in 30 years ?


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If a friend treats you to a steak dinner do you return the steak still if its chewy and grissly? For me the answer was YES. I dont care if the steak is free, I still want a good steak and will still complain, if I don't get one.
You cannot critique what you do not have.
You cannot critique public transport unless you use it. Giving it for free maximizes your use therefore you experience more failures and place them in context of more successes and form a more rounded, less likely incorrect, perspective.
The most qualified wine tasters taste a lot of wine.
The most qualified Anker testers test a lot of Anker products and other brands.
Amazon deleted my reviews years ago, but sent me this push notification today. They’re just mean!
If you want to make a formal complaint and get amazing sorted, use this website.. .. .. CEOEMAIL.COM search for Amazon, and it'll bring up the email address of the CEO/director.
It can be used for USA or Europe companies (and more).
This happened to me as well toward the end of last year. I always wrote thoughtful reviews of items after I actually used them. I never wrote reviews for items that I used a promo code or additional discount on. I was something like reviewer #53 on Amazon.com, so I had dedicated a great deal of time over the years to sharing my experience with products. From what I understand, I will never be able to write another review on Amazon. I didn't violate any terms of service, so I'm baffled why Amazon would do this. I do know that competitors often report reviews as being a violation in hopes of getting reviews removed. I actually had one seller e-mail me telling me they had done this (ironically, the same seller had e-mailed me a few weeks before asking me to violate the Amazon TOS and write a review in exchange for a free product). I don't even read reviews anymore, because I see so many that are obviously not legitimate. Heck, sometimes they don't even describe the product being reviewed or just say a single nonsensical word...and of course 5 stars!
I do know that competitors often report reviews as being a violation in hopes of getting reviews removed.
Bingo....... The better the reviews (details) the more a chance of being flagged. Most of mine had videos as people love to see the product in real life operation and maybe they were too good or used too much bandwidth. I don't think I have come across a review with a video attached in the past year.
Sorry to hear that, @donrull! I wish Amazon would actually review the violation reports to see if they are legitimate or not, but I guess it is just easier for them to delete the "offender" and move on to the next victim.
Policy violations cited, but many customers don't know what they did wrong.
I'm reading the criticism of Amazon, it does appear draconian and disproportionate.
However, the premise of having reviews in Amazon I never really trusted anyway. When I read them they were too liberally sprinkled with poor quality in number to drown out the good quality reviews.
I'd attach more weight to 5 good reviews than 500 bad ones.
Bad knews dominate out of proportion as complaining is carthatic venting.
In the internet era we now have many big businesses the size of smaller countries, so it's no wonder they act with the same dumbness as governments.
The battle between Google and Amazon has yet to fully explored.
1 cos I'm a prick and don't know how to use or they just bought the wrong item.
My Amazon account has had all of it's reviews removed... again. I started this account in December after my previous account had reviewing privileges revoked because of incentivized reviews (Amazon sellers contacting me for reviews). Since Amazon shut me down last year I have only reviewed items that I have purchased on Amazon or Items that I have obtained outside of Amazon entirely (from Anker and some other Power User type programs). I have not manipulated the 'verified purchase' badge and Amazon allows a certain number of non-verified purchase reviews each week.
But alas, Amazon has decided that even though I have not broken any rules whatsoever that my reviews should be suppressed. It is a sad day, indeed.
I'm an active Amazon user, and a Vine Voice here in Canada, and I'm here to tell the Vine haters that we are not immune to this problem either. The majority of the top 100 reviewers in Canada have had their reviews taken down, and their review privileges revoked, and I imagine their Vine status as well. I'm basing the last part off of the fact that my account was recently under review, which they mentioned on my Vine queue page, which leads me to believe Amazon.ca just did their own "purge", as Amazon.com did last year. Luckily, because I've always followed the rules, and removed all my "free product" type reviews myself when the rules changed and then stopped taking them, I kept all my reviews and my Vine status. Amazon knows very well that sellers have been offering PayPal refunds to reviewers, and are not taking it lying down. It's even worse than before with the compensation, since you could buy the product, review it, get your money back, then return it to Amazon for a full refund in addition. That is ACTUALLY compensated reviews, since you get the money and the product, or twice the money and no product. Since people can essentially be truly PAID to do it now, it only makes sense for Amazon to nip that in the bud, as it would mostly only negatively effect things, and is extremely unlikely to have a positive effect.
To say that Vine Voices are immune is not true, as they are being purged along with other people suspected of breaking the rules. I agree with the criticism of many Vine reviews which are phoned in though. That being said, a lot of Vine stuff is difficult to do in depth reviews of. Things like soap and cleaning chemicals, there's only so much that there is to say about them. More technical and complicated devices and items deserve in depth, technical reviews, and I personally always try to give them, and I believe a lot of other Vine members do too (though obviously not all).
It's even worse than before with the compensation, since you could buy the product, review it, get your money back, then return it to Amazon for a full refund in addition.
Word of caution to anyone that would try this, Amazon only allows 50 lifetime returns through their A to Z return policy and although that may seem like a lot try ordering a few clothing items a year ......that will add up real quick. Returns are bound to happen when ordering something sight unseen.
I am not necessarily a vine hater, more like jealous!
Thinking back I always thought that I would have and should have got a warning email or at least a notice of changes to the policy as I was a Prime member. My only way of knowing was through rumors and never through factual statements.
I appreciate that. I am now waiting for someone to get back with me via email, but it will likely be the same as it was last year, "our decision is final... too bad, blah blah blah."
The frustrating thing is, I learned my lesson and found out the hard way that what I was doing was against the rules. Since then I have been straight-laced and well behaved, so what gives?
I have verified my account and fortunately I have not had the same problem.