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In a new statement Daniel Ek discusses the future for Spotify as they move beyond music streaming to become an all-round audio platform in an ever-changing industry.
Spotify’s founder and CEO, Daniel Ek has written a large statement on Spotify’s focus moving forward. In particular he talks about their evolution from a primarily music streaming service to an overall audio platform with radio and podcasts a priority moving forward.
Whilst Ek clearly has a lot of new ambitions for the evolution of Spotify, there’s a clear focus on podcasting in his statement. He explains how in the past 2 years since they introduced podcasts that they have become the second-biggest podcasting platform. Podcast users apparently also spend nearly twice the amount of time on Spotify.
Using radio industry data Spotify predict that “over time” more than 20% of all listening on Spotify will be non-music content. To expand their podcasting goals, this week they announced the acquisition of two podcasting companies: Gimlet and Anchor.
Just as we’ve done with music, our work in podcasting will focus intensively on the curation and customisation that users have come to expect from Spotify. We will offer better discovery, data, and monetisation to creators. These acquisitions will meaningfully accelerate our path to becoming the world’s leading audio platform, give users around the world access to the best podcast content, and improve the quality of our listening experience while enhancing the Spotify brand.
Ultimately, if we are successful, we will begin competing more broadly for time against all forms of entertainment and informational services, and not just music streaming services. We welcome this. Fair competition on an even playing field is what yields the most creative output and innovation, and will result in the best experience for listeners and creators.
In our industry, things change fast but the path ahead for Spotify is clear – we want to become the world’s leading audio platform, and today is an important step in that direction.


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This sealing tape creates water tight seals and sticks on contact to numerous substrates without drying time, dripping, oozing or clean-up. It conforms over contours, edges, rivets, and screw heads. 3M Extreme Sealing Tape is paintable to colour-blend with adjoining surfaces and holds securely through sun, rain, snow, temperature extremes.
3M 4411N Extreme Sealing Tape is a translucent, highly conformable, single-sided, pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive tape with a high-performance ionomer backing. It is an ideal solution for creating a water tight seal. It conforms over fasteners, seams, joints, holes, and gaps to ensure a long-lasting seal on a variety of substrates.
Sticks on contact to many metals, plastics and other hard-to-stick-to surfaces.
Provides immediate seal with no wait time or oozing associated with liquid sealants.
Tough, yet flexible clear ionomer backing is abrasion resistant and instantly paintable.
Translucent, 0.040 in (1.0 mm) thick tape is designed for difficult sealing applications.
3M 4412N Extreme Sealing Tape is translucent, is highly conformable, featuring a flexible backing that easily conforms over screw heads, rivets, joints, splices, and other protrusions to provide protection from water intrusion. The durable, abrasion-resistant backing makes this tape a good choice for outdoor applications where exposure to weather is a concern. Since it can be painted, you can match most existing colors to blend seamlessly into the surrounding area while retaining the water-tight bond.
Translucent, 0.080 in (2.0 mm) thick tape is designed for difficult sealing applications.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


text:
Official Isc2 Guide To The Issap Cbk Second Edition is good choice for you that looking for nice reading experience. We hope you glad to visit our website. Please read our description and our privacy and policy page.
Finally I get this ebook, thanks for all these Official Isc2 Guide To The Issap Cbk Second Edition can get now!

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text:
So I’m guessing that you’re here to find out How to Soundproof a Home Office and that won’t break the bank in the process of doing so!
When I started working from home a couple of years ago, the sound quickly became an issue with my three young boys playing in the other room. Since then we’ve moved once, and I’ve learned from the last house how to better soundproof my home office. Each soundproofing project is unique, but most home offices can be efficiently soundproofed for just a few hundred dollars if you’re smart about it.
Before I begin, a CRITICAL tip that will likely save you tons of money on this project is understanding the difference between sound deadening and sound blocking!
Hollow Core or Solid Core Door?
Step 8 – Ever Try Noise Cancelling Headphones?
Conclusion On your DIY Soundproofing Project!
The difference between sound deadening and sound blocking, for example, suppose you have three noisy boys in a room adjacent to your office; You want your office to be quieter, so you purchase sound deadening curtains to put over the windows, you know those pointed foam panels like you see in recording studios.
Unfortunately, you could spend over a thousand dollars on those purchases, and it will do very little to soundproof your office. Those products help with sound deadening by preventing noises from echoing around the room. However, they will not be sufficient for keeping different types of sound from outside the room from entering.
Sound blocking products will help to prevent any types of sound from entering the room at all. Sound blocking requires thickness to be most effective. This is why it’s much easier to build a home office and make it soundproof than it is to sound block an existing home office.
If you’re building a house, you can have the builder merely use sound blocking drywall or soundboard to prevent sound from entering the room.
If you are trying to cut out sound from outside the home, then a new soundproof window can fix many issues for just a few hundred dollars installed.
And now we can tackle The most substantial “big rectangular hole” in your office which is unquestionably the door! The door is almost certainly the biggest problem in your home office. There are several steps you can take to soundproof the door or doors if you’re in that unlucky soundproofing predicament.
The least expensive and quickest way to soundproof your door is to get an inexpensive soundproof weatherstrip (like this one on Amazon) to put under and around the door. I like the type of soundproof weather strip that is equipped with adhesive so you can just unwrap it and stick it to the door jam. That will at least stop sound from going straight into your office.
You can have a thick door made of solid steel; it won’t make much of a difference regarding sound barriers if you have a massive crack at the bottom of your thick door!
If you have carpet under your home office door, then you’ll also need a draft stopper. A draft stopper will glide across the bottom of the carpet and provide soundproofing. So you’ll use the adhesive strip around the top of the door and the door jam, and the door sweep on the bottom of the door.
Difference between Solid core door and Hollow core door.
Next, consider changing out your door for a solid-core door. Go up to your door and knock on it. If it sounds heavy and thick like a chunk of wood, then you have a solid-core door. All exterior doors will be solid core. Doors that lead to another interior room of the house are almost always hollow-core doors, which do little for soundproofing.
If you have a hollow-core interior door leading to your home office or worse a glass garden style door; consider heading to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buying a stable core door for $99 and paying a handyman $75 to install it isn’t a bad idea. That’s undoubtedly a Quick fix, but you’ll still want to put on the adhesive soundproof weather strip I mentioned earlier.
In one of my co-workers home office, he simply installed a second door. I was a little perplexed when he told me that, but I saw it for myself. He just had a handyman build a second door to his home office.
Now you have to open and go through two doors get into his home office. This made a DRAMATIC improvement in the quietness of his office. This may not work in all homes, but if your layout works and the size of the door frame allows space for having two doors, then it’s something I recommend.
Another option if you don’t want to buy or can’t afford a brand new solid core door is to get a soundproofing blanket and hang it on back of the door. Soundproof blankets can be as useful as a solid core door and cost much less.
Also, you may want to consider looking around at some places where they sell used doors and home building supplies for cheap; you might find what you’re looking for and only have to add some paint to make it look good.
If you have followed all the steps in phase one and you’re still having trouble with sound coming into the room, then the chances are that you have structural soundproofing issues.
In my previous house, my home office was directly above the garage. We were living in a split entry home at the time. When my wife would come home using the garage door opener, It made the typical garage door opening sound. It was a loud, low grinding sound.
Since the garage door opener was mounted to the ceiling downstairs, the vibrations were sent through the studs directly into my home office. Experts call this structural sound.
The only way to stop structural sound is by using isolation techniques. This means separating layers of your wall so the vibrations of sound can be dampened, and not passed to another layer.
So the way you’d do this is by hiring a handyman to install a second layer of drywall on all of the walls of your office. This pushes in the room by one inch, and I’m telling you, you won’t even notice the difference after the drywall is installed; it will dramatically reduce the level of sound–especially low frequencies like traffic or structural sound.
When your handyman comes, you’ll need to have a sound channel and sound clips available that he’ll install between the layers of drywall to stop the sound.
Acoustic Panels for Home Office Soundproofing.
The last thing you can do will probably make the smallest difference concerning actually dropping the decibel level in your home office, but it can make the sounds that do come in be less annoying by stopping the echo.
First, decide how much of an issue your room has regarding echoes. Walk into the room and shut the door and yell something as loud as you can. Listen for the remarkably short echo after screaming to see how much vibration is happening within the interior of the office.
Think, for every single sound that comes into your office, that sound is reverberating for another 1/4 second or so.
Preventing echo won’t make the room quieter, but it will make any echoing sound much less annoying. So that’s mainly why anyone would want to control and reduce as much echo as possible.
Fortunately, stopping the echo is very simple. First of all, look to your floors. If you have tile, wood, or another hard-surface flooring, this will dramatically increase echo. The solution is simple, go off and buy a big and thick plush rug and lay it on the floor, new look, no echo!
Next, look to your walls. If your room has facing walls as all square or rectangle rooms do, softening sound on the walls can help. Put up curtains to keep noise from bouncing off windows. Put up a large canvas gallery artwork on the wall with some foam behind to soak up the sound bouncing on the walls.
The key is adding as much thick, soft materials around the room as possible to make your soundproofing as effective as possible.
If you don’t think preventing echo is essential, go to your washroom. The washroom probably is the room with the highest echo. Turn on some music from your phone, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
It’s hard to make out the words because the music is echoing so much inside the room. Then keep the music playing on your phone and walk into the closet where there are lots of clothes hanging on the walls. The soft material from the clothes soaks up all the echo and makes the room feel so much quieter.
Have you ever hear of soundproof paint? Well, it does exist and would contribute to sound absorption and noise blocking of up to 30%.
The soundproof paint that I’ve worked with in the past is called Acousti-Coat (Amazon). Acousti-Coat is a water-based injected with microspheres and sound absorbing fillers. The soft pigment fillers absorb sound and help to prevent it from bouncing off the walls and ceiling.
Noise in the 500Hz range is reduced by 30%. 500Hz is the mid-frequency of the human voice.
Soundproof paint is a relatively inexpensive way to help reduce the transfer of noise while you’re trying to soundproof a home office.
The soundproof paint will especially help on the ceiling where you have people above you walking around and talking. It will also help eliminate the tin noise of a metal roof from transferring down through the structure of the house.
I bet you never thought of soundproofing the air vents, have you? Well, soundproofing the air vents in any room is commonly overlooked; unless there is noticeable noise coming from the vent itself.
Aside from the doors and windows, the air vent would typically be the biggest hole in any room. The most significant difference however between the doors and widows versus the air vent is that the air vent is open while the others are not.
There are a few ways to soundproof an air vent. You can either block it off entirely and paint over; if it’s just an overhead door air vent going from room to room. Or you can also replace the vent cover with a vent silencer.
The third option to make an air vent quieter would be to build a sound maze inside the vent. An air maze (image below) will significantly help reduce the transfer of sound waves but will not block the flow of air coming in from another room.
If you’re dealing with an air vent attached to a heating or cooling system there are ways to make a bit quieter if you’re having issues with noise.
The most common noise coming from an air duct would be a vibration noise while the air is pushing through the grill. Either the metal-air shaft is vibrating, or the grill itself is making a vibrational noise.
Either way, stick a few strips of sound absorption tape directly on the air shaft. The tape should reduce the vibration reasonably quickly.
See our full guide on how to soundproof an above door air vent!
Making the Outdoors your Home Office.
I know for myself, living with three small boys can get very loud at times inside my home. Something I often wonder is if I should take my office outside. If you can’t win, might as well leave.
Usually, I would move my office during the summer months and work outside on the back deck. If you have space, you can run off to have some quiet time then that might not be such a bad idea. Going outside could work if the noise coming into your home office is not occurring every day.
If the noise is constant and you don’t have the means in the short term to renovate your home office perhaps try another room in the house. I for one find the garage the quietest place in the house when my kids are terrorizing the inside of my home.
Most people like myself do not require much these days regarding a home office. I like to work on a desktop computer if I am working on larger projects; but most of the time all I need is my laptop and an internet connection, oh and a chair.
A local coffee shop also works because I find the noise of people talking in the background eventually turns into white noise.
Use a white noise machine for the home office.
If you can’t move to another area like I was mentioning above, and you’re forever stuck attempting to soundproof your home office, then there are things you can do to help drown out some of the noise.
Let us imagine that you’ve done at least some things on this list regarding soundproofing a home office, and you still hear some noise; try a white noise machine.
If you can still hear the background noise, then a white noise machine could help in your effort to make your home office more peaceful.
A white noise machine works by creating a constant noise. Unlike a thunderstorm or waves crashing on the shore which is not constant, white noise is more in line with the sound from a fan.
A fan emits a constant noise while a lightning storm creates jarring noises when lighting strikes.
The white noise machine I always recommend is the Marpac Dohm All Naturel White Sound Machine (Amazon). The reason why I like this particular system above its competitors is that this one uses a fan inside the machine to make the noise.
There is a cover so you’re not bombarded with cool air of course. Almost all of the other types white noise machines makes sounds that come out of a speaker. You might as well download an app if you’re going to go that route.
Have you ever tried a pair of noise-canceling headphones? I have, and I really like it when I want to drown out the background noise while trying to listen to a podcast.
If you’ve soundproofed enough of your home office but you can still hear a nagging sound that is constant then slapping on a pair of noise-canceling headphones would be an easy fix.
The only catch with these types of headphones is that the noise needs to be a “constant background noise”. That means that if the background noise is coming from brawling kids, then these headphones won’t work.
One question I was asking myself before I began looking into noise canceling technology is if I had to listen to something for the noise canceling to work as intended.
I was happy to hear that no, you don’t need any music. All you need is to turn them on and make sure the noise canceling feature is also turned on, and you’re good to go.
The ones I use and also recommend are the Sony WH-CH700N (Amazon). They might not be an Amazon bestseller but those are the ones I actually have and I’m pleased with them. Try to buy them when they come on sale.
If you are having problems with stomping noises coming from above your home office, there are ways to go about correcting this problem.
There are a few ways to go about soundproofing a ceiling inside your home. The most common way to go about this is adding some 5/8″ sound absorbing drywall along with some Green Glue (My review).
One of the ways that I find works best when soundproofing an existing ceiling is by adding a resilient channel between the ceiling and the new sheet of drywall.
A resilient channel is a type of construction material that is used to reduce the transmission of sound through walls and ceilings.
As you probably already know, sound waves travel much easier through solid objects. Think of when you were a kid, and you would press your ear on the rail of a railroad track to hear if there is a train coming, same concept.
So since sound travels better through solid objects you have to create an air cavity, hence the resilient channel. The resilient channel consists of sheet metal studs that are used as a barrier between the ceiling and the building framing.
Since you already have an existing ceiling, all you need to do is add the resilient channel and then add some drywall over creating a second ceiling. You shouldn’t feel the room become any smaller by doing this.
The gap left by the resilient channel will muffle out the noise coming from upstairs leaving your home office much quieter.
Here is a link to our article on how to soundproof a basement ceiling. The same process would apply as soundproofing your basement ceiling as your home office ceiling. We demonstrate different examples of how to get the job done right.
Sometimes the biggest downfall of any projects, be it major or minor, is the lack of planning that went on before the job started.
Before you do anything, write down on a piece of paper exactly what noises are the ones you want to eliminate and where they are coming from.
If the noise is coming exclusively from outside, then focus on the exterior wall and window. There is no need just yet to attempt to soundproof your office door if you’re worried about barking dogs or outside traffic.
All I’m saying is soundproofing a room in your home does not have to be terribly costly or complicated.
All you need to do is figure out where the culprit is and fix it and stop worrying about soundproofing anything else in your home office.
Working from Home is a blessing! I entirely love not having to commute every day. By following all these steps, my office is now quiet and peaceful.
It’s nice to be able to go into my office, shut the door; And have as much privacy and ability to focus on my work as if I were in an actual place of business.
I hope this was helpful to you and that you’re successful in knowing how to soundproof a home office in the cheapest way possible!
5/8″ vs 1/2″ Drywall – Best Soundproofing Sheetrock & Wallboard?

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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In September and October 2017, world history teacher and avid traveler Coco Rae will lead two linked Silk Road tours for Journeys International: Tracing the Ancient Silk Route (China) and Silk Road through the Stans. Here, Coco shares her thoughts on the top five highlights along China's portion of Silk Road tours.
It's back-to-school time for most of the US, which means that kids get to share tales of the camps, vacations, and oh-so-much swimming time they enjoyed over the summer. When asked what her favorite part of the summer was, 10-year-old Lillian C. shared this picture of the Great Wall of China, saying 'It was really cool to stand on something you've heard so much about, and to see the wall stretch on forever."
Thinking about taking your family to China? Learn more about Lillian's Enchanted China for Families trip!
Sometimes on a Journeys trip, the unexpected happens. For Richard Hunt, who recently returned from China, this was especially true. While walking through a city square in Dunhuang, he stumbled upon an English speaking competition for local primary and middle school students. Next thing he knew, he'd been talked into judging! He had to ask simple questions in English, and the kids answered them in English. Later, the entire competition was shown on Dunguang TV. Richard said the kids were very good, considering they had only been learning English for a couple of years.
As Mother's Day approaches, Sally Grimes, Director of Marketing and Family Programs, shares what she's learned from her own adventurous mom.
Gail Scherer, Journeys Client Services Specialist, shares her experience of visiting the Langde Miao Village, including this video of the unmarried ladies performing a ceremonial dance.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


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Wrap up in your warmest clothes and go exploring in the LEGO City 60190 Arctic Ice Glider! Load up the glider with your computer pad, tracker beacons and other gear and head out across the ice. What’s in that valley on the map? Set up some beacons so the explorers at camp can track you, then see what’s hidden under the snow. There’s always something exciting to discover on the LEGO City arctic expedition!
• Includes an arctic explorer minifigure.
• Ice glider features an opening cockpit, 4 skids and a spinning fan rotor.
• Accessory elements include 2 remote tracker beacons, computer tablet, radio, saw and a pair of snowshoes.
• Open the cockpit and sit the minifigure in the ice glider, then spin the rotor and head off exploring.
• Ice glider measures over 2″ (6cm) high, 4″ (11cm) long and 3″ (8cm) wide.


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A mystery arrow has raised questions in Cosmopolis.
The Cosmopolis Police Department posted an update on Wednesday after an arrow was found stuck into a home.
Officers report that residents living near 1425 Dundee should take note as someone shot an arrow sometime Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, landing in the backyard of the Dundee home.
The arrow stuck into the wall of the home approximately 2-3 feet high, although it was not known if the person misfired or intentionally targeted the home.
CPD notes that if the homeowner had been standing on the back porch the arrow could have been serious.
Under Washington State law and adopted within Cosmopolis, a person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if they “carry, exhibit, display, or draw” any weapon apparently capable of producing bodily harm, in a manner that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons.
They advise that residents should exercise caution with weapons of any kind, and report any occurrences of suspicious activity to 911.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


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Sparkle & Co. Peel Base - Sparkle and Co.
(1) Peel Base (Temporary) in 15ml bottle to match the dip liquid line.
Can be used on sides of nail to catch fall off powders/polish (peels off easily when dry).
Can be used a base for easier gel and dip powder removal. IMPORTANT: For under Dip Powder: Do not use near cuticle or too close to sides of nail – as powder can adhere to it easily and ruin your look. Best to apply in a sort of circle on nail bed, leaving top and sides free.
To use: Apply a thin coat and let FULLY dry (dries clear). Then start the Gel or Dip Powder process!
When you would like to remove: Use orange stick to slowly lift at the cuticle area/top of nail.
Peel Base is a must have in your collection. It is great for trying out lot of colors without the pain of removal the old fashioned way!

industry_corpus2: Others


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All of the United States of America are very busy at this time deciding who they want as president and pointing fingers of accusation at the other side. As we observe from across the Atlantic we can can see very clearly what is going on. As I repeatedly say, if you want to know what a person thinks then don't listen to what they say about themselves, rather listen to what they say about their opponents.
Everyone has heard the old saying: a pointing finger has three pointing back the other way. And a much ignored and often misinterpreted, straightforward quote from the Bible says the same thing: Judge not that you be not judged. It is true, and I didn't understand this fully until confronted by a man who began pointing his finger at me with all sorts of ridiculous accusations. But as I listened to his rants I realised that every accusation was a description of what he himself was doing.
This was a great lesson in human understanding. It has also made me aware of my own accusations. I avoid them and rather look inward at what may be there that I don't like. As I look around and listen to conversations I see this is true every time. Let me say that again: I see this as true EVERY TIME. It is as true amongst your family and friends as it is from the pulpits and especially in the political scene.
It is obvious, is it not, even in the politics of your own country, that the promises made by the candidates are rarely ever fulfilled. The present establishment of presidents and prime ministers is under the control of hidden forces. Britain and Europe are continually coerced by the big bully USA to change their laws and go to wars to suit the USA, whether or not it suits us or not. We all know, do we not, that the whole presidential show in America is a farce, and how that falseness has been thrown into the open in this 2016 election year.
So if Hillary represents the lies of America, supported by those who wear a mask hiding their true colours, and playing the game of being nice to hide their violent destruction around the world, then who does Trump represent? The media is taking Trump to town right now over some lewd comments about women, yet this is the country where "Fifty Shades of Grey" not only became a best selling novel but was made into a movie for American's to watch. Do you see the Pointing Finger paradox?
It seems to me, and I do not spend time listening to Trump or Hillary, but I occasionally see how others are reacting and commenting, that Trump is removing the mask of America. Everything he stands for and says is at the heart of America. And those who stand in fierce denial are denying their own pitiful state of morals.
Don't get me wrong, I am not for Trump, not any more than I am for Hillary. I simply point out the paradox of the blame game. As you look around you and listen to people talk, whether it is in the pub, at work, on the street or on TV, you will see clearly that every time someone accuses another that they are revealing something deep within themselves.
Rather than get upset over what other's are saying let us do better. Stop blaming others for your situation. Stop blaming others for being or doing what you don't like. Start today to look inward and to see what you don't like there. Use your own pointing finger to look back at yourself to see what you don't like in you, and then live better. For a better world love and never blame.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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I find myself doing some unexpected things. Today I boarded an early train to Bicester Village with a group of instantly identifiable fashion journalists to an event to celebrate a pop-up version of our Keeper’s House. The hope is that all those wealthy shoppers from China and the Home Counties will buy a print by Grayson Perry and join the RA friends. En route, I was asked by one of the journalists why I was dressed for Henley.
Let’s see your outfit Charles!


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St. Benedict: “It is is the vengeful enemy (i.e. the Devil) who, at this moment, runs quickly around, he makes wonders that raise a lot of noise, he speaks to the ears of many souls, he makes them invent, he makes them hear that it is God who reveals to them these new mysteries and profound (deep) graces.
St. Benedict (c. 480-550) was born in the district of Nursia, Umbria, central Italy. He was sent to Rome for his studies, but fled from the moral dangers which beset him and joined c. 500AD a sort of community of ecclesiastical students at Affile. Shortly after he retired to a cave near Subiaco, now the Sacro Speco, to live as a hermit. Here his sanctity was soon discovered and many disciples flocked to him, for these he built a 'laura', composed of twelve small monasteries, himself retaining the command over all. About the year 530 he left Subiaco for Montecassino, where on the road to Naples he founded the great arch-abbey and where he lived until his death, famous as a wonder-worker. Here too, he promulgated his Rule, which is justly considered one of the most potent factors in building up the civilization of Christian Europe. Eventually it became the norm for all western monks, and was simply called “The Holy Rule”, “The Papal Rule”, “the Roman Rite” of monks. The little we know of St. Benedict's own personality shows him to us as a strong but loveable character. He died standing erect in prayer before the altar. He has been called the “Father of Western Europe”, “The Patriarch of Labour”, and the “Father of Peace”. His large spiritual family still carries on an intense apostolate of prayers and work in the service of Christ and His Church. In art St. Benedict is usually represented holding either his book of the Holy Rule or a broken cup with a serpent and a raven at his feet, allusions to episodes in his life where he was miraculously saved from being poisoned by his enemies. His is the patron saint of Europe. Traditional Feast day March 21, new feast day July 11.


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Helping teams reach their potential through leadership.
On behalf of the TEDxStJohns Executive Planning committee, I would like congratulate you on delivering an outstanding presentation. We’ve received a great deal of positive feedback from the audience. “ Exciting, funny, breathtaking images & powerful story” were all words used to describe your talk.
Working with you has been easy and an absolute pleasure. We appreciate your willingness to adapt to fit with TED’s unique format and theme. Your professionalism and positive attitude are evident in everything you did, from rehearsals to the inevitable minor tech problem on our end, you rolled with the punches and delivered an outstanding lesson on team-building. We would love the opportunity to work with you again.
On behalf of myself and the entire team here at Meridian, I would like to thank you so much for the very informative and inspiring session you shared with us. The valuable tools and accomplishments that you presented on team-building and leadership, as fostered from your many life experiences on leading wilderness expeditions, was absolutely perfect. In reflecting upon your experiences and using these situations to communicate your lessons was not only captivating, but very intense and high-energy. I was really impressed on how you personalized and customized the presentation for Meridian. Despite the vast differences between wilderness survival and the engineering consulting industry, I was truly amazed on how your experiences and skills developed on these expeditions were so transferable and valuable to the growth of our very own engineering team. Your presentation left us with not only the excitement and enthusiasm to improve professionally, but to also evaluate our personal lives and make all of our teams strong.
“Shawn’s dynamic, inspirational presentation on teamwork was fantastic. Shawn’s simple techniques to motivate and recognize the members of our organization were simple, practical and relevant. His stories and use of multi-media captivated and engaged the audience. His presentation was an excellent reminder of the contribution volunteers to our organization. They go above and beyond…And Then Some!

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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Can cataract surgery and corneal replacement be done in the same surgery procedure?
Yes. And a lens implant would routinely be employed, making the operation a so-called "triple procedure."

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


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Mr. Money Moustache, is that you???
I miss Zorro.... I raise a glass to you Blackshoe !


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How to plan a birthday party at home.
So… your little one's birthday is coming up and you want to throw a party! If you’re going to host a party at home you may feel overwhelmed on where to start. To make things easier for you, we've put together an ''all you need to know'' plan for a perfect birthday party at home. You may be surprised how easy it really can be!
What you need to plan a birthday party?
We have listed out everything you need to take note of when planning the party… but most of all, remember to get involved and have fun! When you're a kid, half the fun is planning the event. Picking out the cake, thinking of ideas - it's all so exciting for them!
First up, its great to think of a theme. Themes are a great way to set the scene for a party, so, if your child has a favourite TV show, this is a PERFECT starting point for choosing a theme. It will also make picking the decorations, the cake, the food and the party bags much easier (bonus!).
Next, you want to start thinking about the invitations, decorations and cake. If you have chosen a theme, this should be a breeze. If you haven't chosen a theme, this is your chance to think creatively and use their favourite colours and patterns for decorations. Don't forget the balloons… these are a must have for birthdays! Regardless if your child is 1 years old or 13 years old, balloons are a great way to get into party mode and it’s always a fun teamwork experience blowing them up together as a family.
Once you have planned all of the above, all that's left to think about is food. Make sure to think about your child's favourite treats and remember to keep things simple (to eat and clean up) so everyone's happy! Party bags are also a great idea but totally optional. You can get creative and DIY with your child as a great bonding experience, it's also a great way for your child to say thank you to their guests.
How far in advance do you send out birthday invitations?
Invitations… where the party really comes to a reality! Be on top of this and plan the guest list and create the invitations around a month in advance. Then have the invitations sent out around 3 weeks before the event to make sure all your child's loved ones can make it to the big day. If you're a last minute kind of person, have someone remind you of this, like your partner or best friend.
How can you celebrate your birthday?
It may feel like a while ago you attended a birthday party like this! You may be surprised though how many ideas you can get from what you enjoyed most as a child - the best party games stick around!! Classic games like Musical Chairs, Pin-the-Tail on the Donkey or an Egg and Spoon race can be an inexpensive yet exciting idea to add to the day that will get the kids active and laughing for hours. If you would rather sit back and relax (we understand!) you can easily hire a guest entertainer for the kids, which they will LOVE. Whether it's a fairy, a superhero or a DJ, the kids will be entertained for hours on end and you won’t have to lift a finger.
How do you host a birthday party?
So the planning is all done and it's time for the special day!! Hosting is easier than you think and as long as you are excited and happy the day will fly by. Above all, we know you care about all the kids' safety and wellbeing, so the main thing you need to do is make sure all the kids are safe and close by. Your kiddo will want to see you and other family members around for peace of mind. Being the centre of attention can sometimes be a little overwhelming so the main thing is to be there for them when they need you. And remember to smile! If they see you are happy they will be sure to have the best time.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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Having strong business credit scores and ratings are key to getting approved for trade credit and financing for your company. In the same way that personal credit scores serves as a financial report card, your business credit scores grade the creditworthiness of your business.
A statistically derived algorithm designed to determine risk based on multiple factors calculates your scores. Although each business credit-reporting agency utilizes its own scoring model there are several common factors that are used to calculate your business credit scores.
The promptness with which a company pays its bills is one of the driving factors that impact business credit ratings. For maximum impact, pay invoices ahead of the due date. The greater the number of days a company pays sooner than terms the greater the impact it will have on its business credit scores. For example, a business that pays its bills promptly will have an 80 D&B Paydex® Score, while another company that pays 30 days sooner than terms may have a 100 D&B Paydex® Score.
Adding positive payment experiences that your company has with suppliers, vendors, or business partners may have a positive impact to your business credit ratings and scores. Although not all vendors and suppliers share payment data with a business credit-reporting agency; you have the opportunity to add trade references to your company’s Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) credit file.
Did you know the number of trade references reporting on your business credit report is what generates a business credit rating? For example, it takes a minimum of three trade references to generate a Paydex® Score with Dun & Bradstreet.
A company’s credit utilization ratio is one of the important factors credit scoring models use to calculate business credit ratings. Lenders view a business with a high utilization rate as a greater risk of not being able to repay its debts. Work to keep your credit utilization low, preferably under 30%, is a good number to shoot for. The fact is lenders want to see that your company can properly manage its debts. Low credit utilization ratio may cause a lender to be more willing to extend credit because there is much less credit risk.
Of the various ways you can improve your business credit scores, increasing your credit limits is one strategy you can implement immediately. Usually after the first six months of opening a credit account you can request a credit limit increase. Keep in mind, some card issuers do periodic reviews to determine whether or not a customer should get an automatic increase. You can either request a credit limit increase online or by phone. An increase in credit availability lowers your credit utilization ratio, which ultimately improves your business credit ratings.
Similar to a personal resume you use to apply for a job, your business profile is the resume you use to apply for credit. Not only does your business profile contain your company’s banking and payment data, it also contains critical information that other businesses, suppliers, and lenders use when deciding whether to extend credit to your company and on what terms.
No one knows your business better than you so it’s essential that your profile is accurate. Information such as the number of years you have been in business, number of employees, and gross annual sale should always be up to date.
Improving your business credit scores and ratings is one of the most important steps you can take as a small business owner. Doing so will enable your business to maximize its funding potential and obtain the most favorable terms possible.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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This week has been slightly emotional as our big transition is looming heavily over us at this point. Michael has already left for the big move and E and I have been left behind to finish up a few little things before leaving ourselves this coming weekend.
With Michael out of town this week and me being on 24/7 mommy duty, I decided it would be a good idea to stay the night with my mom Monday and then head over to my dad's the next day for dinner and fun. On our way home I burst into tears realizing just how much we were going to miss them. There will be no, just calling them to come over, or quick saves when I get in a pinch. We will really be on our own. And that, scares me.
Also, I'm not fully sure I understand what kind of effects this will have on Ethan just yet. I do expect it to be confusing, but part of me now is realizing that he might be aware enough to actually miss the people we are leaving and that friends, breaks my heart. E woke up last night at some ungodly morning hour and continued screaming for the next two. I could not, for the life of me, get him to go back to sleep. His belly was full, he wasn't teething, I'd changed his diaper twice at this point....mama was all out of ideas. In desperation I called my sleeping husband.
Turns out E just missed his daddy.
Within minutes of him singing their nightly songs, E had his head on my shoulder and was relaxing a bit. Every time Michael would stop singing he would whine and Michael would start up again.
I've been trying very hard not to think about it, but this move is going to be very difficult on us all. I was hoping Ethan would be too young to really notice, but I have definitely underestimated him.
:( like natalie said, change is never easy. But you both love Ethan, and to him, home is wherever you are. Children are resiliant, and i'd bet money that you will grow closer as a family.
I like what Heather said. Home to him is definitely wherever you and your husband are. Prayers for an easy transition for you all.
We're actually going through the same thing kid-wise over here, except no move. Gabe will wake up randomly, screaming his head off and once his dad goes in and sits with him, he's perfectly content. Now of course, he cried when he eventually gets put back into his crib, but I'm thinking he's either waking up and being lonely or scared. So in case it keeps happening after you're all together again, it might just be a toddler thing? I dunno. Whatever it is, I hope it goes away soon!
This brings tears to my eyes! So sweet that Ethan missed his daddy so much. My husband is also gone this week, and Meyer bolts to the door every time he hears it open yelling Daddy! They are just so aware of everything! I'm sure the moving transition will be very difficult for everyone, but your little family will do just fine, I know it!
I love being close to my family too. It would be hard to have them farther away.
change is never easy but i'm hoping this transition goes as smooth as possible for all of you.
Awww, everything will turn out wonderfully! :) Good luck with the move... Definitely sending a few prayers your way!
I'll be praying it goes as smoothly as possible. I'm sure there will be some bumps, but children are so resilient .. he'll be just fine.
Oh prayers for you sweet girl! And also look at the bright side and at the wonderful relationship between E and his daddy. That's awesome! Sending happy thoughts for peaceful hearts for you and yours. And cheers to new memories in your new home!
We've moved nine times since my kids were born. They're 7&8.
A couple of those moves had us separate from the husband, or from me, for one reason or another. While it was hard, I learned very quickly that my kids were okay, as long as I was okay.


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The Atkins diet is based on a minimum intake of carbohydrates, which is often recommended for quick weight loss.
The idea is based on the fact that you can eat protein and fat all you want, but you should avoid food that contain carbohydrates. In the past 12 years, more than 20 studies showed that low carbohydrate diets are effective in losing weight (without counting calories), and can improve your health.
In the following article you can learn more about the basic rules, the prohibited and permitted food that this diet recommends, which are the phases, how the menu looks like and the experiences of users with this extremely popular diet.
The Atkins diet was first promoted by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, who wrote a bestselling book Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution: The High Calorie Way to Stay Thin Forever, wich was published in 1972.
Since then, this method of weight loss is popular around the world, and many other books have been written about it and have been translated into many languages.
This method was originally considered unhealthy and demonized by the health institutions, mainly due to the high content of saturated fat. However, new studies have shown that saturated fats are harmless.
Since then, Dr. Atkins method is thoroughly studied and have been shown to lose more weight with it, than by reducing fat intake, and also improves the level of good cholesterol in the body, regulates the level of triglycerides , and other values in the blood analysis.
The main reason for the success of the Atkins diet is that when you eat less carbohydrates and eat more protein, the appetite decreases, so the faster you finish the meal, the less calories you take.
Full-fat dairy products: cheese, butter, yogurt.
Nuts: almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, nuts, etc.
Healthy fats: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, etc.
Sugar: soft drinks, juices, cakes, candy, ice cream, etc.
Alcoholic beverages: We recommend dry wines, without high sugar content, but avoid drinks with carbohydrates, such as beer and others like it.
There are plenty of delicious food you can eat during the Atkins diet. This includes food such as cheese, bacon, dark chocolate – these are all permitted food.
These groceries are usually considered as one that will gain weight because of the high fat content and because they contain a lot of calories. But when you’re on this diet, fat becomes your main source of energy, so this kind of food is quite acceptable.
In the first phase, the goal is to change your metabolism.
This means that we want to speed up the metabolism, so the fat will burn faster, but we have to come to this gradually. Carbohydrates should be limited to 20g per day.
That looks hard at the beginning, but there are recipes and ways with which it can be easier to achieve.
The first phase lasts for 14 days, and if you endure it and perform it properly, you will be on your way to lose weight, with food that you have to admit sounds pretty tasty compared to many other diets that you could ever find.
At this stage you can eat vegetables at most.
At this second stage, it starts the consumption of fat that has been undesirably accumulated in the body.
During it you will start to notice, loss of weight. Now you can slowly return carbohydrates in use but still in limited quantities (15-40g a day), you can eat meat and vegetables.
For example, eat an two eggs omelet for breakfast with bacon or ham. Lunch can be grilled meat, dinner cooked or grilled fish, as suggested by the Atkins diet.
Gradually increase your intake of healthy carbohydrates, but still try not to exceed the limit of 60g per day.
The third phase of the Atkins diet occurs when you are almost satisfied with the weight that you have achieved. Restoring certain foods in use will slowing the weight loss process.
Here you should enter as much carbohydrates as your body can handle. Of course, no body is the same, but let’s say that those 60g per day you consume in the third stage is enough to maintain a healthy body weight.
Of course these stages are a bit complicated and not everyone can comply to them. That’s why some people decide not to follow the stages, but reduce the intake of carbohydrates and use the recipes that will be listed below and succeeds to regulate the body weight.
Certainly the Atkins diet helps to get rid of the fat from the body, whatever technique you apply.
Let us give you an example of a day by day weekly menu that is appropriate for the first phase, but you can also use it for the others as well, if you’ll gradually add more food with higher carbohydrate content in your nutrition.
Dinner: grilled meat with vegetables for salad.
Dinner: a cheeseburger (without the bread rolls) with butter and vegetables.
Dinner: minced beef fried with vegetables.
Dinner: Salmon prepared with butter and vegetables.
Dinner: meatballs and salad vegetables.
Dinner: pork chops and vegetables.
Dinner: grilled chicken wings, salsa and vegetables.
You need to combine various vegetables while dieting.
Whipped cream with strawberries (or other fruit).
Despite of what you have heard, the Atkins diet is actually very flexible.
Only during the 2 weeks of induction you need to reduce the intake of carbohydrates. After the induction has finished, you can slowly return to healthy sources of carbohydrates, such as most vegetables, fruits, berries, potatoes, legumes, grains and healthier cereals.
However, chances are that you will have to remain at a moderate level of carbohydrate intake throughout your life, even if you reach your desired weight loss goals. Because if you start taking the same amount of carbohydrates through food as well as before the starting of the diet, you will return the unwanted kilograms. This counts for any weight loss using diet.
Here are a few positive experiences with the diet, that we have selected for you, and we hope that it will further motivate you to hold on and achieve the desired result.


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"Keep calm and negotiate," the European Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told Britons on Tuesday (6 December), during his first press conference on how he envisages talks with the UK.
The French former EU commissioner said he aimed to find an agreement on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union by the end of October 2018, if British prime minister Theresa May officially notifies the EU of the UK's wish to exit by the end of next March.
That would give enough time to ratify the deal in the UK, by European Parliament and the 27 other member states by spring 2019, two years after talks are expected to start, and just before the next EU elections.
The two-year time frame is set out by Article 50, the EU Treaty clause that organises EU exit talks.
Barnier warned that the actual negotiations would be shorter: "We have less than 18 months.
"We are entering uncharted waters, the work will be legally complex, politically sensitive, and will have important consequences on our economies and first, our people, on both sides of the channel."
Barnier said it was "too soon" to go into details, but reiterated the basis of negotiations for the EU.
He said the first priority was to preserve of the unity of the 27, and defend their interests. He also suggested the UK should not count on the same rights and obligations as EU members after it leaves.
"Third countries can never have the same rights and benefits as members," Barnier said.
He reiterated that negotiations would not start before the official notification, and that the EU's single market and its four freedoms were indivisible.
"Cherrypicking is not an option," he said.
Barnier also said there could be no deal on the future relationship between the EU and the UK until the UK had formally left the bloc.
"These things cannot be done together legally," he said.
When asked about a possible transitional period, he said that he needed first to know what the UK wants, "is ready to ask and accept" before he can envisage such a period.
Barnier has travelled to 18 member states so far to prepare the EU position, and he said he would visit all 27 by the end of January.
He has a team of 30 people, who – along with the commission services and the EU Council negotiating team – have screened the EU law to check which issues need to be discussed with the UK.
Once May has triggered Article 50, the 27 other states will set the framework for negotiations and give a negotiating mandate to the commission.
Barnier pledged to keep the European Parliament, the college of commissioners, and member states up to date.
Asked about the open border issue between Ireland and Northern Ireland that could become an EU's external border once the UK leaves, he said that the EU would do its "utmost to find a way to preserve the success of the Good Friday agreement," the 1998 peace deal in Northern Ireland.
Barnier also said he did not know what a "hard" or a "soft" Brexit was: "I can tell what Brexit is. It is clear, orderly, and will work within the council's guidelines.
"We want a clear agreement, within the limited time we have available. We want it to take on board the interests of the 27, and preserve the unity of 27."
Earlier on Tuesday, Dutch finance minister and Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem had more bluntly described the UK's exit.
"It can be smooth, it can be orderly, but that requires a different attitude from the British government. What I have been hearing so far is incompatible with smooth and orderly," he said.
"If UK wants to have full access to the single market, they have to accept rules and regulations that go with it."
On a personal note Barnier said the first time he voted was in the French referendum on the UK's accession to the European Community, where he campaigned for a yes vote.
"It is much better to show solidarity than to stand alone," he said.
Brexiteers will be shocked to hear the government is considering slaughtering the sacred cow, offering up contributions to the EU budget in exchange for market access.
The week in Westminster and Brussels highlight the difficulty Theresa May faces in trying to keep control of the Brexit timetable.
Leaders to keep tight control of Commission in Brexit talks, with the UK locked out of the EU's internal kitchen, according to a draft accord seen by EUobserver.
Philip Hammond says it would benefit the EU and the UK, but his cabinet colleague in charge of Brexit has already said he is not interested in such a deal.


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Posted in: Creation Museum, Featured Articles.
You were at the headquarters of the Department of Creation Security.
Wow, this is fascinating, Dan. I honestly don’t think I could ever force myself to pay to see such lies and fallacies. Thanks for an objective narrative of your visit.
An excellent point. It’s easy to get sucked in to stuff like this when you know just enough to make you dangerous about a subject. And I don’t mean ignorance, just maybe a general course in something in college. When people who study this stuff for a living tell you how it works, if you aren’t well versed in science, it’s not always easy to see the fallacies. I think it can be done, but yes, it is a trap.
When I was a child growing up in a Christian fundamentalist home, long, long ago, I was taught that there were no dinosaurs; that they were all hoaxes, bones of other animals put together and rearranged to look like dinos. My church and family’s literal reading of Genesis demanded that.
I guess when there is too much contradictory evidence to continue with one “literal reading”, another “literal reading” is adopted.
Wow! So you were raised in the “dinosaur fossils were put here to test our faith” camp, huh?
I guess there are multiple ways of being literal. Heh.
Not even that; I’m a bit older than that. No, what I was told, in the 1940s, was that the only true fossil dinosaurs were big lizards, and that the huge ones were just hoaxes built by godless evolutionists, made out of a few bones and a lot of plaster of Paris.
I paid attention as a kid, and I have an excellent memory. It’s amazing how little of the “Faith of our Fathers” made it down through the decades to today’s Christianity, even among the inerrantists.
Notice how it’s always dinosaurs, and never trilobites or any other long-extinct life forms. They don’t have to account for all the evidence, just the evidence someone with an 8th grade education would be familiar with.
Come on, get real folks! Are evolutionists really scientists or just followers of fashion? Try and at least step out of the box a little. Why are most of the people submitting comments on here pro-evolution. For the same reason they claim the christians are pro-creation. They have not really studied properly; they just accept the evolution propoganda. How come there are creatures on this planet which have remained unchanged for long periods of time. Macro evolution is a joke. The only way evolutionists have any chance of gaining credibility for their poor science is to believe the nonsense that the earth is billions of years old. Come on, have you seen the earth from the moon? Do you know how fragile it is? Just a speck of dust in an abyss of space. It takes a lot more faith to believe in macro evolution than it does to believe in a creator so I take my hats off to you. But do not kid yourselves that evolution is a science. I have advanced biology qualification and I’ve spent a little time studying the hype. Too many sheep in this world; not enough pioneers!
Followers of fashion? Evolution propaganda? Macro evolution is a joke? Nonsense that the Earth is billiosn of years old? The Earth is fragile? It takes more faith to believe in macro evolution? Do not kid yourselves that evolution is a science?
I’m not sure how many more creationist cliches and non-sequitars you can actually fit in one comment.
The only worthwhile part of your comment was your question about why there are creatures that have remained unchanged for long periods of time… and having to ask that question shows that you have a poor understanding of evolution… at least poor enough that you have disposed of any credibility that I may have accorded you out of courtesy.
And by the way, I live in the UK very close to the Site of special interest “THE WRENS NEST” which is full of trilobites. I have a curled up one in my collection. What exactly has that got to do with anything? The woodlice in my garden are not much different and the ceolocanth (scientists have always been bad at spelling) fish was supposed to be millions of years old but this fish still lives in the Phillipines.What about the creatures at the bottom of our oceans; you really believe they have been reproducing for millions of years. Some of the students in my class have a better perspective on this than the befuddled, tired, old, atheistic, evolution promoting brains. Why don’t you get some brains, do some study and actually do your own research, instead of regurgitating so called modern ideas and the fiction of famous evolutionists who are not even proper scientists. De evolution and destruction yes I believe in that. Everywhere man goes he causes mayhem. Along with my friend Pepo, boat driver on the Vancouver Island, in Tofino one of the last beautiful untouched places in the world; “The most stupid animal on the planet is man. He kills life and destroys habitats knowing full well he will end up killing himself but he continues to do it!” Peace.
I like your final quote. It’s enjoyably thought-provoking.
The rest of your comment is tripe and again, as in your comment above, shows that despite all your arrogant bluster, you have precious little understanding of evolution.
It’s one thing to be doubtful of evolution when you understand that you lack information. It’s another thing entirely when, as in your case, you doubt evolution due to a lack of information, but act as though you have a firm grasp on the material.


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Meet them in the Mexican village of Santa Maria and keep your eyes out for the evil Captain Diaz who has pinches all the towns Tacos. Help the brave Taco Brothers, Paso, Pepe and Pico save their town by blowing up Captain Diaz’s safe where he hides his tacos. Play the Taco Brothers Slot on mobile or desktop.
Select the Paytable to view the winlines and how to activate the bonus features in Taco Brothers Slot.
Select the Stake button to choose the stake you wish to play or which strategy you wish to use.
Once you have selected your stake select the Spin button to begin the round in Taco Brothers Slot.
2 Taco Brothers Wild symbols will start a respin for you to receive a second chance to collect 3 safe symbols.
Receive 3 Safe symbols on reels 1, 3 and 5 to activate the Free Spins Bonus round. The exploded safe multiplier applies to all free spins winning.
During the Free Spin, the brothers will drop one at a time on the 5th reel, releasing running wilds. Running Wilds will move one reel per spin to the left. They will replace all symbols except for Captain Diaz or Senorita. When all the brothers have escaped, the bonus game will finish.
The Captain Diaz symbol brings out the keys and will immediately lock up and brothers on the run. If all the brothers end up in jail then the bonus game will come to an end.
The Senorita symbol restarts running Wild brothers, granting new Free Spins. The Senorita also has a spare set of keys to unlock any brothers who are locked up.
Raises on win Raises Bet 1 level after every winning round, until you reach 4 levels above your base bet. This will reset after a loss.
Raises after 5 consecutive loses Raises bet 2 levels after 5 consecutive loses. A repetition increases the bet 2 more levels. This will reset after a win.
Raises on a loss Raises bet 1 level after a loss, until reaching 4 levels above the base bet. This will reset after a win.

industry_corpus2: Gaming


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When I saw that Stuyvesant High School, one of the most elite schools in the country, had only admitted seven African American students out of 895, I was surprised and disappointed.
Black students make up around a quarter of public school students in New York City, and although I know that black and Hispanic representation in the specialized high schools is skewed, the imbalance is staggering. The statistics from the other schools were not much better, reflecting the oft-overlooked fact that schools across America are more segregated now than they were decades ago, before the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
If these high-performing schools are made up primarily of white and Asian students, what do other schools in New York on the other end of the spectrum look like?
Three days a week, I work part-time as a math teacher at an underperforming middle school in the Bronx, where 99 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, and 93 percent of the student body is black and Hispanic.
It is easy to read these statistics and classify these students as a monolith of poor performance and struggle, and it is true that most of the students face difficulties both in school and outside in their homes and communities. But they are bright, curious, passionate and perceptive about the realities they face in their day-to-day lives.
When I first began teaching, the students expressed disdain for their new classes with me, peppering me with questions and protests. They complained of being in this class because they are “stupid,” that even if they tried their hardest, they would never fully comprehend the material at hand. They told me about the school culture and climate, one they saw as having a lack of trust and mutual respect between students and teachers, and slowly I have begun to see things from their perspective.
In the school building, all of the classroom doors are locked, presumably to prevent students from stealing calculators or other teaching materials. There is no hall break, and students have exactly one minute to get from one class to another, for fear of them loitering in the halls and getting into trouble.
There are timed water breaks, bathroom passes, and more — demonstrating that students are not trusted to maneuver through their school days on their own. This leads to an environment that far from motivating students to cooperate and focus on the lesson at hand, causes them to feel unvalued, which later can be seen when they lash out and act up in ways that come off as disrespectful.
The discordant relationships that the kids have with other teachers and staff is not the only reason they act in ways not conducive to positive learning. When I ask the kids about their home lives, it is slowly revealed that school is not the only place where they are not given the proper tools to thrive. One of my students told me that the reason why she was acting up was because her home had recently burned down and she was worried that her and her family would soon end up homeless.
Another told me that she and many more of her classmates suffer from anxiety and depression as a result of unfavorable conditions at home, but they have no place to talk about these issues, seeing as the school can’t provide adequate social support for the students.
My difficult day ends when I leave school and go back to a home that I consider safe, stable and supportive — a luxury and privilege many of my students are unable to experience.
However, it wouldn’t be fair to focus on only negative aspects of my school’s culture. Many times I have seen parents of students meeting with teachers, seeking not to punish but to figure out what is going on and determine a path forward that is beneficial and reasonable for all parties involved.
There are advisory periods, theoretically giving students time with teachers who represent more of mentors and supporters than academic disciplinarians. There are field trips and school performances, student government and more, representing sincere efforts by the school administration to improve the experiences of students, not simply for the sake of them getting higher grades on the state tests.
And yet, this is not enough. When one examines school population and performance, there is a tendency for non-white students who come from lower-income homes to fill up schools that tend to be less successful based on a large variety of academic and social indicators.
This is no accident. Rather, it is a sustained pattern of racism and segregation that has gone unaddressed in this country, leading to more money and resources directed toward wealthier, whiter districts, and being diverted away from neighborhoods were there are higher numbers of black and Hispanic families.
When discussing the complex problems regarding public school and education in New York City and beyond, it is easy to point to the SHSAT high school test as a major problem, when in reality it is a symptom of institutional problems that local and state governments should be working hard to address and dismantle, for the betterment of the future of all the young people in the communities we are a part of.


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The P4228 is a weatherproof full range, wide-dispersion, two way loudspeaker system offering substantial power and efficiency for a variety of professional indoor or outdoor applications.
The high frequency section is a constant directivity CMD horn loaded with a 1.4” RCF Precision Neodymium compression driver with a 2.5” diaphragm assembly for smooth, wide dispersion. The low-frequency transducer is a double 8” woofer with a 2.5” voice coil. The cabinet is asingle piece rotational moulded in medium density polyethylene, full UV protected. The cabinet is equipped with 4 x M8 brass inserts, a stainless steel U-Bracket. The front logo is in aluminium and rotatable. The grille is in custom perforated aluminium with open-cell fibres and water repellent woven fabric backing. P 4228 is suitable for indoor and outdoor applications/installations, it meets the requirements of IP 55 code (International Protection Rating).


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As an engineering manager at Netflix, I spend most of my time in meetings and one-on-ones. During these meetings, I collect a lot of information that’s valuable to the members of my engineering team. When my team was only four people, disseminating information was easy. It usually involved a quick hallway chat or was covered during a regular one-on-one. But late last year my team doubled in size. With the larger team, I struggled to keep everybody informed in a timely way. It became obvious that I wasn’t effectively scaling team communication and I needed to make a change.
My first instinct was to establish a weekly team meeting to share my notes and info collected from the week prior. But I was reticent to establish a weekly ceremony just to have my team sit and listen to me. I felt it would not be an effective use of both my time and theirs. I shared my dilemma with Andy Glover, who manages another Netflix engineering team of a similar size. Andy told me that each week he sends his team a Week-in-Review: a document containing relevant meeting notes from the week prior. I decided to give it a try.
It’s been nine months since I started writing my own “WIR”, and the impact has been significant. Here’s how it works: Each WIR is a summary of the meetings and conversations that I had over the course of a week. I don’t summarize every meeting, focusing only on the most relevant information. Each week’s entry winds up being a two to three pages Google Doc. Rather than creating a new Google Doc each week, I prepend each week’s entry to the top of the prior week’s. Every WIR I’ve written for 2016 is within a single Google Doc, that now runs about 50 pages long.
Every Friday, I carve out a couple hours to write my WIR. I try to keep notes throughout the week, but I am not always good about this. My goal is to have my WIR waiting in everybody’s inbox no later than first thing Monday morning.
Click the image (or here) to view the full Google Doc.
I try to keep it light and informal in the opening paragraphs. I have settled on four sections, but these are likely to evolve over time. The Planning and Roadmap section usually makes an appearance during our quarterly planning cycle. I spend a significant portion of my time hiring, which is why I include a Recruiting section. The team is always interested in the recruiting pipeline and progress I am making. My team also has a diverse portfolio of products,so I also include a Product Updates section to keep us all on the same page. These first three sections are focused on “swirling” information internally within the team. And I usually close out each WIR with a Meetings and Context section, focused on exposing external information to the team.
I could use a blogging platform or just sending an email for my WIR. But Google Docs offers a ton of advantages. First, Google Docs’ commenting features allows my WIR to be collaborative. My team is comfortable correcting details, asking questions and merely ‘+1’ to parts they love.
Google Docs provides me strict control access control over my WIR. By limiting access to just the team (and my manager), I can create a safe space for candor.
Lastly, because all my WIR entries are within a single Google Doc, search is greatly simplified. My WIR has become a detailed log of every meeting and important conversation I’ve had for the past year. If I want to remember who said something or when, I can search my WIR using Ctrl-F.
Why not a team meeting?
I freely admit to having a bias against meetings, so I’ll start there.
Meetings have the potential to be a gigantic waste of time. You are effectively applying a global lock on the productivity of the team. Meetings are extremely valuable when they focus on discussion. But if a meeting is only for one-way information transfer, you need to ask if there are any other possible ways to sharing this information before you pull your whole team off of their laptops and into a conference room.
Meetings break flow. Everybody’s schedule is different and when they are in flow is also different. For me, I’m a morning person and want to be heads down early. For others, it’s the afternoon or evening. A meeting is likely to disrupt somebody’s flow, no matter when I schedule it. Being a former engineer helps me understand the importance of flow, and I do my best as a manager to eliminate meetings whenever I can.
One the greatest features of a WIR is its asynchronous nature. Each member of my team has their own preferences for when, where and how often they read it. When a team member is out on vacation, it is easy for them to catch up on what they missed. I also use it as a tool for helping onboard new team members. They can read as much as they want about what our team has been doing this past year.
There is also a small, personal benefit to the WIR. I found that whenever I finish a WIR, I have this tremendous feeling of accomplishment. I used to look back on my meeting packed calendar and think that I didn’t get very much accomplished. The act of writing my WIR helps me extract the value from each meeting. It allows me to reflect and keep things moving forward. It makes me realize how much I “did” each week. Authoring a Week-in-Review has been simple, yet powerful management tool. If you’re trying to figure out how to share information your team needs, that only you have gathered, and you want to cut out a team meeting, give it a try. Thanks again to Andy for showing me the way.

industry_corpus2: Technology & Research


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Jie Li is an Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilization at Harvard University. As a scholar of literary, film, and cultural studies, Li’s research interests center on the mediation of memories in modern China. Her first book, Shanghai Homes: Palimpsests of Private Life, excavates a century of memories embedded in two alleyway neighborhoods destined for demolition. She spoke for YCW Shanghai in December 2014.
1. Before focusing on Chinese literary, film, and cultural studies, you also studied English and German literature. What drew you to film and cultural studies? How do you see your field in relation to other ways of studying and understanding China?
In college, I also took a lot of anthropology and creative writing courses, but decided on East Asian Studies because it’s interdisciplinary. English and German literature were postgraduate explorations, but when applying to graduate school, I decided on modern Chinese literary and cultural studies because its humanistic approach allows for more nuanced explorations of historical experiences than the more reductive charts of social sciences. I also chose to focus on film because it is the most important mass cultural medium of the twentieth century, but rather than just focusing on the film text, I am also very interested in its exhibition and reception, which requires doing ethnographic fieldwork. In this sense, I don’t believe in strict disciplinary boundaries, but feel that literature scholars, historians, and social scientists could borrow from each other’s methodologies.
2. Your talk for YCW Shanghai last December drew from your first book, Shanghai Homes: Palimpsests of Private Life. What are some of the differences between working with films, which are polished, self-contained pieces created with a particular message and audience in mind, and the kinds of material artifacts from private lives that you uncovered in Shanghai? What are the different kinds of information you can glean from each kind of source, and what are their advantages and challenges?
A film, especially a popular one, can reveal the fantasies and anxieties of the culture and historical moment that produced it, but it’s not quite a window onto historical realities. By contrast, material artifacts are closer to the texture of everyday life and tell us more about people’s mundane experiences. That said, it’s possible to combine the two approaches. When I first began doing research for Shanghai Homes, I took a video camera with me everywhere to record interviews and document everyday life in the alleyways. I also made a short documentary about one of these alleyway homes, so film for me is not only a collection of self-contained pieces to be studied but also a method to collect information that is highly textured and engages with multiple senses. This is not significantly different from using photographs and everyday artifacts as mnemonic devices in interviews. Both inspire more layered than linear narratives.
3. Shanghai’s labyrinthine lilong alleyway neighborhoods housed more than half of the city’s population from the Sino-Japanese War through the Cultural Revolution, including several generations of your own family. Like the two you explored in your book, many of these neighborhoods have been demolished in the last few years to make way for new development. At the same time, preservation efforts have largely focused on historic architecture, rather than the communities that existed in these neighborhoods. What is your idea of a more holistic preservation policy, and is it possible, or even desirable, in today’s rapidly transforming China?
Like many people interested in Shanghai’s lilong since the 1990s, I wrote this book to salvage memories that are being demolished with these alleyways, especially because most existing books focus on the architecture rather than the people. Since I’m not an urban planner, I don’t know how viable it is to preserve the communities in these neighborhoods, given the costs and urgency of modernization and improvement of living standards. To think in utopian terms, however, if the same residents could have the option of moving back into the neighborhood after renovations, then their presence can provide a sense of history and continuity to smooth over the shock of rapid transformations in contemporary China.
4. What advice do you have for aspiring China scholars, in the field of cultural history, or in general?
My first suggestion for scholars of modern and contemporary China is to use a variety of sources and approaches that go beyond disciplinary boundaries. At the level of content, there are so many fascinating topics that have not yet been thoroughly explored, among them cultural histories of food, clothing, transportation, sports, and mass media. For example, I would love to read books and articles about radio and broadcasting, mass calisthenics, bicycles, tourism, and karaoke.
5. Can you recommend a Chinese film that every China watcher should see and tell us why?
I think every China watcher should watch Jia Zhangke’s 2013 film A Touch of Sin, a very special “martial-arts film” inspired by a number of violent real-life incidents that reverberated through Chinese social media in recent years. Among these are a shooting spree by an outraged villager to punish corrupt and greedy officials, a woman at a sauna who stabs a sexually aggressive customer, and a young migrant worker who commits suicide by jumping off the balcony of his factory dormitory. Set in Shanxi, Chongqing, Hubei and Guangdong, the four stories are linked by the theme of migration and weave together a broad tapestry of contemporary China. It’s a very dark picture that makes us reflect on our own social and ethical responsibilities.


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It is called Mt. alpine plant Lilium rubellum Shimokomatsu blooming in Mt. Shimokomatsu old burial mound group.
Prefecture-designated immaterial cultural assets Komatsu banner year lion dance of a race is loss in the teachings of Buddhism early in the Heian era.
220,000 that was donated by writer, dramatist Hisashi Inoue from Kawanishi-machi.
Wound is located by kumorieimegumiodaiwanao in the Meio era year (1492-1501). .
It became station of townsman Administration in townsman Station 1982 whom Kawanishi townsman managed.
Tenjin Mori old burial mound is square tumulus after the front built in the fourth century. It is the past on the old burial mound.
Barrel flat brewing possession. Only old ceramics, painting and calligraphic work, sword, Buddha statue from Kanto and to the north.
We climb a mountain from Kawanishi Dariya Garden which Ide Mountain Range, Asahi Peaks, Zao Peaks can view.
Small skiing area that is loved by local people. Not lift "rope-tow."
Thu which is enshrined in Kannondo that the House of Taiko 34th chief priest founded in 1743.
The prefecture where about 100 kinds of herb is cultivated on site of 1,000�.
Sightseeing dahlia Land of the biggest in Japan scale opened in 1960 "Kawanishi dahlia.
Takatou Yayama that is chosen in Mt. 100 Yamagata. Kawanishi Dariya Garden is boiled.
Old burial mound group Shimokomatsu old burial mound group largest in East Japan including country designated historic spot burial mound with a square front and a round back.
It is about 70 years years old, "oyamazakura" of 4.5 meters of length around the trunk. .
Sun that grain belt where country registration cultural assets were very large and rich Wed were superior after the Edo era.
The initiator truth finished bishop of the House of constant no place Taiko with truth finished bishop in 860 (Jogan 2).
British trip writer isabe which named Okitama "Oriental Arcadia."
Eight pieces of billboards announcing a framework-raising ceremony about main hall of the prefecture-designated tangible cultural property are left, mention.


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Mark your calendars for our Harvest Festival that will include the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's National Memory Screening Program on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at Grace Lutheran Church.
Our next Powerful Tools for Caregivers class starts Wednesday, September 20, 2017.
A beautiful handmade Stained Glass Window!
Argos Cement hosted a Golf Tournament on June 17, all of the proceeds went to Loving Hearts Respite Care.


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Bigger and rarer diamonds have a unique story to tell – not only about their origins but also about Earth’s complex geology and what’s going on deep inside our planet’s mantle.
This is revelation of the study by researchers at Gemological Institute of America and colleagues who have been intrigued by origin of large diamonds like the Cullinan Diamond, Lesedi La Rona and the Kohinoor. The researchers found metallic iron slivers in more than 30 exceptionally large stones. While research on diamonds is a pretty expensive affair, GIA’s position enabled its researchers to go through thousands of diamonds submitted daily to the grading operations and found out that bigger and rares diamonds have something unique to tell that’s quite a story.
Researchers found that bigger stones are much different from other smaller diamonds and one of the primary reasons is the conditions under which they are formed. Scientists found metallic inclusions in some of the rarest diamonds and this is indicative of the fact that they would have formed at extreme depths – as deep as 750 km in the convecting mantle – compared to depths at which smaller gems are formed – at depths of up to 200 km.
Scientists pointed out that the metallic inclusions in these rare diamonds are a solidified mixture of iron, nickel, carbon and sulfur. Beyond these, the diamonds also contain traces of fluid methane and hydrogen in the thin tiny space between the metallic phases and the encasing diamond. Diamonds are formed at these depths after pure carbon in this metallic mix crystallizes and during this process metallic liquid gets occasionally trapped within the diamonds as they grew.
Though the extent of metal distribution is uncertain, this key observation has broad implications for understanding the behavior of the deep Earth, including the recycling of surface rocks into the convecting mantle, and the deep storage and cycling of carbon and hydrogen in the mantle through geologic time. This result is important for understanding how volatile substances like carbon might cycle through Earth’s interior over time.


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It is important that we are all aware of the dangers of working on construction sites and the particular risks and hazards we are exposed to during the erection and dismantling of scaffold structures.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES OCCURRING BY KEEPING OUR WORKS SAFE!
WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE THAT OUR WORKS REMAIN A SAFE PLACE FOR EVERYBODY.
The purpose of our Handbook is to make scaffold operatives, subcontractors and other contractors who carry out work on our behalf, aware of the Company's approach to achieving the above objective, as this is expected to be THEIR APPROACH too.
The handbook contains arrangements for ensuring the Health and Safety of our employees, subcontractors and others who may be affected by our work. Our comprehensive Safety Management System Manual is available for reference at our head office.
We monitor and check sites to ensure these requirements are being complied with.


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CarFinder | Murray Ford of Kingsland Inc.
Murray Ford of Kingsland Inc. offers a free, no obligation and confidential CarFinder tool, allowing you to specify your desired car, truck or SUV and submit the vehicle configuration to us. Once we locate matching automobiles, you automatically receive details of those models, with photographs included. Let us handle the task of finding your next dream car!

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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The tracks range from the soulful to the stately veering occasionally into Latin territory. "Adversidad" is a wistful, passionate melody that violinist Marlene Rice plays over the hypnotic, sashaying beats of the band. Workman bows her strings with facility and grace endowing the music with a melancholic romanticism. Pianist Mala Waldron follows with a refreshingly crisp and equally lyrical solo before Rice returns to the tune's head.
Rice's lilting phrases and her colleagues' loosely swinging rhythms create a melodic substrate for Waldron honeyed vocals on the emotive "Shine." The thumping cadence of bass and drum punctuate Rice's agile and stimulating flights of fancy that embrace Waldron's rich, warm voice.
Waldron's equally expressive pianism shines on the cinematic "Fantasy." The classically influenced composition features, at its core, Warldron's cascading lines and shimmering tones. Rice and Workman alternate intricate and mellifluous soliloquies over drummer Karina Colis' splashing cymbals and bassist Melissa Slocum evocative reverberating refrains.
On the whimsical "T'Ainchy Blues" Slocum takes center stage with a playful improvisation that dances around Colis' soft beats. The latter takes her turn in the spotlight with thrillingly thunderous polyrhythms. The song also showcases Rice's ardent and lithe acrobatics and Workman's superbly eloquent extemporization.
There are rare moments where the momentum slacks such as on the overly syrupy "Castles in the Sky." The disc, however, closes on a high note with the rousing and boppish "To the Holy Land." The elegant and stirring piece highlights the seamless camaraderie among the quintet members as each individual instrumental statement overlaps with another forming a highly satisfying and textured performance.
That's What She Said... is a charming and delectable work by five supremely talented musicians. It is simultaneously accessible and sophisticated, poignant and erudite and, as such, should have a wide appeal. It certainly whets the appetite for more to come from this exceptional collective.
Track Listing: Shine; Ellie; Adversidad; T'Ainchy Blues; Fantasy; Miss Lady; Castle In The Sky; To The Holy Land.
Personnel: Nioka Workman: cello; Marlene Rice: violin; Mala Waldron: piano, vocals; Melissa Slocum: bass; Karina Colis: drums.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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Although we are a small school, we have big ideas!
At The John Fielding Special School we provide a curriculum that is aspirational, relevant and engaging. We want everyone here to be happy and eager to come to school. We want everyone to do their best and get the most out of their time here. We want to develop the skills of our young people so that they are prepared for life beyond school. Starting school for the first time, or starting again at a new school, can be a very daunting experience for pupils and parents, but we will do everything we can to make it as easy as possible.
To provide this we have an experienced and dedicated staff team who are constantly searching for new ways of helping our pupils. We pride ourselves on the family atmosphere that prevails and on our strong links with families and the local community. The pupils are enthusiastic learners who take advantage of all the opportunities provided.
John Fielding Special School aims to provide a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum designed to meet the unique needs of all of our pupils. Our pupils can range in age from 2 -19 Years old and all have severe learning difficulties, some also have an autistic spectrum disorder, epilepsy, a physical disability, sensory impairment, medical needs and/or a communication difficulty.
We ensure all pupils are given the opportunities they deserve to participate in a full and varied curriculum, promoting their spiritual, cultural, moral, educational and physical development to the full. The school works closely with parents, governors, other professionals, the Local Authority and the local community to promote high standards.
The John Fielding Special School values itself on providing a secure, stimulating and happy environment with an emphasis on developing communication skills. We help our pupils to be sensitive to the needs of others, to develop a sense of worth and high self-esteem. Our ethos is to encourage our pupils to take an active part in the life of the school and to become happy, caring young people capable of contributing to society in a positive way.
We achieve our aims by: working in partnership with parents and other professionals; offering a quality curriculum designed both to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and the needs of our pupils; placing a high emphasis on staff development and working closely with local schools, colleges and the wider community.
We are a caring and respectful family, committed to maximising the learning and development of our students, supporting them to become happy and fully-included members of their community.
To respect and value all members of our community for their individuality and uniqueness.
To expect the very best for and from our pupils at all times.
To maximise independence and skills for adulthood.
To enable our young people to express themselves and have their voice heard.
To enrich the lives of our young people with a challenging and relevant curriculum tailored to individual need.
To work in partnership with families and our community.
To do everything in our power to keep our pupils safe and healthy.
To promote happiness and well-being, recognising the importance of these to learning and development.


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Lundy has been a leading provider of construction services in the Ottawa area since 1967.
This tradition continues under the second-generation leadership of CEO Sean Lundy. With Sean’s guidance, Lundy’s name has become synonymous with integrity and customer-focused sustainable building in both the industry and the wider Ottawa community.
Good relationships are the foundation of our success; our Integrated Team Model engages the Owner, Consultants, and Sub-trades in a highly collaborative process that produces strong relationships based on confidence and trust.
Our excellent planning, organization, and execution on even the most challenging projects deliver the best possible construction experience for our clients.
We value responsible onsite supervision, fairness, honesty, quality workmanship, and clear communication. We are always improving our exceptional planning, scheduling, quality management, and safety practices to achieve the best end results.
Lundy delivers even the most complex projects to our clients’ complete satisfaction.
Lundy knows that strong teams deliver the best outcomes; our highly trained project management and field staff are exemplary of the broad experience and specialized expertise that we bring to the table for every project.
During construction, Lundy’s first concern is on-site safety. We maintain an excellent safety record and have received the Construction Safety Association of Ontario Zero Frequency Award for Outstanding Construction Safety Track Record. We specialize in safe worksites for everybody, from onsite labour to passing pedestrians.
Lundy is a self-financed company – we do not rely on a line of credit or other forms of third party financial support. We have the financial depth to meet all of our project obligations and carefully maintain our 33-year relationship with our bonding company, The Guarantee Company of North America. Our financial stability means that we can focus our energy on giving our clients the most for every construction dollar spent.


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Alternative Skin Cancer Treatment Options Melanoma accounts for only 4% of all skin cancer cases but is responsible for approximately 80% of skin cancer deaths. On the basis of these numbers, it is not surprising that it is considered aggressive cancer. Melanoma is a severe and most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States with approximately 1 million new cases each year. In fact, in the last 20 years, new cases of skin cancer have almost doubled.
In various parts of the world, but mainly in western countries, the development of melanoma is increasing faster than all other types of cancer. Surveys also conclude that about half of Americans living to be 65 or older will have skin cancer at least once.
Melanoma begins in the skin cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are the pigment cells that give us our natural color of the skin and also produce melanin that helps to protect our deep layers of the skin from UV rays. Exposure to sunlight stimulates melanocytes to make more melanin which then causes the skin to tan. However, too much sunlight can cause melanocytes to become malignant. This condition is called melanoma.
At Sunridge Medical, our highly trained physicians are experts in providing an integrated approach to the treatment of melanoma. Our treatment plans are not personalized even for patients with the same type of cancer and include both traditional and alternative medicines. We have integrated advanced research-based alternative drugs with conventional therapies into a comprehensive, individualized treatment program that provides patients with optimal success.
Our physicians have found that symptoms can often be improved and even reversed with our natural alternative skin cancer treatments. We take a holistic approach to patient care and strive to not only treat cancer, but also alleviate symptoms, increase the quality of life, and most importantly, address the underlying cause of the disease.


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The rate at which businesses fail in the country is unacceptable – and can be solved only if industry and academia can collaborate more effectively to churn out graduates with the right mix of entrepreneurship skills, Business Development Minister Ibrahim Awal Mohammed has said.
“The rate of business failure in Ghana is not acceptable, only 15 percent of businesses go beyond three to five years in this country. This is unacceptable,” a visibly concerned Awal lamented while launching the second edition of the Ghana Business Development Review by the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) in Accra.
He added: “For Ghana to go beyond aid, we must reverse to make sure that at least 60-70 percent of businesses go beyond 10 years; that is when they can expand and can employ. Academia, let us see how we can make Ghanaian businesses survive and succeed.
It is estimated that about 75 percent of businesses in Ghana fail within the first three years, while those that survive the first three years do not go beyond 10 years – with academia often being blamed for not giving students the right training.
He said it is only when the right link between academia and industry is established that government’s vision to promote home-grown industries can be set in motion.
He also reiterated that government will continue providing the enabling environment and incentives needed to ensure young people start business and succeed.
Mr. Awal, whose ministry is in charge of government business and entrepreneurial interventions for the private sector, also described as disturbing the rate at which increases in the number of universities in the country is not being matched by an increase in employable graduates.
“We have about 50 universities around the country, but the more universities we get the more unemployed graduates we have; what an irony!” he observed.
He therefore urged all universities and academic institutions to consciously redefine their curricula to make sure that what they teach is relevant to the needs of young people and of the country.
“I want to challenge academia to support and partner relevant industries to make our youth relevant in the future. We need people who are very entrepreneurial, people who can come out of school with business ideas.
“Academia must also give us the research, evidence-based information that is crucial to making decisions,” he indicated.
He also disclosed that his ministry in the coming weeks will offer funding support of between GH¢10,000 and GH¢100,000 per person, along with mentors and training, to 100 young people to implement their business ideas.
Published by UGBS, the second edition of the Ghana Business Development Review (GBDR) covers key issues such as developments, performance, management and governance in 18 major sectors of the economy, as well as major constraints covering the period 2015 – 2017.
The GBDR, which builds on the first edition launched in 2016, aims to among other things, review important developments in the various business sectors, evaluate the performance of businesses across various sectors and discuss key management issues.
It also seeks to identify major challenges confronting the development of businesses and provide an outlook in terms of business growth and development in the country.
Some of the sectors captured in the second edition include: energy; tourism and hospitality; agriculture; manufacturing; oil and gas; banking; health business; and the Ghanaian economy and business environment, among others.