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http://msjazee.com/public/FCKeditor/editor/ COVID-19 has affected the way that we approach so many aspects of life. For one thing, the illness has economically distressed countless Americans. Due to the temporary closure of non-essential businesses and the following restrictions placed upon them after states began to re-open, many people are left without their jobs, or with reduced hours or pay. The principal issue, of course, remains the fact that the virus is potentially debilitating or even life-threatening. For that matter, even those who recover from COVID-19 may be left with permanent internal damage that leaves them disabled for life. Those who remain able to work now are understandably concerned about what will happen if they do become sick, or if a family member becomes ill and needs their help. This issue is particularly pronounced in light of the fact that a great portion of households that once relied on multiple paychecks are now cut down to one paycheck. Therefore, many Americans, and particularly many within New York state, which has been particularly affected by the virus, are wondering about their rights regarding short-term disability and paid family leave.
There remains much confusion about what short-term disability and paid family leave even mean. This varies from state to state, which is why it’s important for New York state residents to specifically research New York’s laws. COVID-19 has only added an additional variable to the issue; though Americans certainly want to work and maintain their non-essential jobs, the fact is that there needs to be a “cushion” available that will allow them to take time off while they or their family members are suffering from COVID-19. Otherwise, they will return to work when it is unsafe and spread the virus further.
What Is Short-Term Disability?
Before looking into what New York state has done to accommodate short-term disability and paid family leave in light of COVID-19, it’s important to understand what the terms mean in the first place. Short-term disability is specifically a type of insurance benefit. It is meant to supply compensation or income replacement to people who are displaced from their positions due to non-job-related illnesses or injuries. As the title implies, those that receive short-term disability are only rendered unable to work for a limited period of time. In contrast, when an illness or injury occurs on the job or due to the job, it will be covered by workers’ compensation. When people receive temporary disability benefits, they are entitled to two-thirds of their average weekly earnings.
What Is Paid Family Leave?
What is paid family leave, and how does it compare to short-term disability? Paid family leave is a benefit extended to those who have sick family members that need to be cared for. It does not provide job protection, but it does give people benefits similar to those given during short-term disability, as they’re meant to essentially replace income on a temporary basis.
Does New York State Offer Special Benefits In Light Of COVID-19?
COVID-19 has obviously abilify changed the conditions under which people are seeking benefits; namely in that more people need benefits due to the widespread nature of the virus and the cautions that people are being told to follow in order to prevent its spread. The COVID-19 short term disability benefits in New York state are meant to assist those who have been forced to stay home and quarantine due to the fact that they or their loved ones have become ill, or because they or their loved ones have been exposed to the virus. While the actual benefit structure of the program depends on the size and annual net income of the employer, there are other benefits that the recipient can take advantage of as well. These include the fact that the recipients have job protection during their specified quarantine period in the form of job restoration and non-retaliation provisions. This is specifically referred to as New York’s Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, and it is meant to cover not only those who are being quarantined due to their own illness but also those who need to care for sick or otherwise quarantined family members; specifically, their minor, dependent children. Now, a number of children are also under quarantine orders or will be under quarantine orders for a certain period of time due to concerns about them returning to school. School means that children may be more easily exposed to the virus, which is why it’s considered important that their parents are able to care for them.
How Does One Determine That They Qualify For Paid Sick Leave?
It’s important for Americans to monitor their health during the pandemic; while everyone should visit the doctor at least once a year, it’s even more important now to visit your doctor when you feel it is necessary to ensure that you have a record of whether or not you have tested positive for COVID-19. While general stay at home orders and a diagnosis do not qualify a person for Emergency Paid Sick Leave, if a person is unable to work from home while under an Order of Mandatory or Precautionary Quarantine, they could qualify for Emergency Paid Sick Leave. With that being said, that individual would have to file for these benefits and receive approval. They would not automatically be applied. If an individual has been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than filing for these benefits, they would file for unemployment benefits.
Clearly, there are restrictions to this Paid Sick Leave, and with good reason. There are other benefits, like unemployment benefits, that can cover those who are in need of help for other reasons. But in cases wherein people have been given orders of quarantine, rather than stay at home orders, this Paid Sick Leave can ease the financial burden felt throughout households across America. New Yorkers simply need to be aware of whether or not they qualify for it.


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“Almost every state with a public pre-K program uses a mixed-delivery approach, with some classrooms in public schools and others in community-based organizations (CBOs),” write Education Policy Initiative faculty co-director Christina Weiland, and her co-authors Meghan McCormick (MDRC) and Allison Friedman-Krauss (the National Institute for Early Education Research) for the Brookings Institution. But experts have long raised concerns about how structural differences between these settings may disadvantage CBOs relative to public school programs.
As states and localities make critical decisions about how to spend their remaining federal COVID-19 relief funds, policymakers are determining the best bets for strengthening early care and education systems.
“Learning from pre-pandemic inequities within pre-K systems can help guide these decisions and build stronger and more equitable mixed-delivery pre-K programs,” write the authors, who share the findings from their recent study of 4,000 children and 255 pre-K programs. Using data from five large-scale, mixed-delivery pre-K systems that have taken explicit steps to improve equity across public school and CBO settings, the authors have published a new working paper via the Annenberg Institute at Brown University titled, Mixed-Delivery Public Prekindergarten: Differences in Demographics, Quality, and Children’s Gains in Community-Based versus Public School Programs across Five Large-Scale Systems.
This article was written by Jeanne Hodesh, U-M School of EducationMore news from the Ford School

domain: sociology


Rebuilding a sports franchise is never easy. Some teams look to acquire talent by dishing out huge contracts to proven free agents in an effort to see improved results immediately. Others may take the long-term approach, aiming to rebuild the roster through the draft and by seeking young talent that can be developed in-house. The Philadelphia 76ers are the most glaring example of a team that prioritized the rebuilding “process,” vying to construct a roster that would carry the team for the foreseeable future. This season seems to be proof that “the process” may just be successful.
Can it be translated to the NFL? The league’s salary cap system is designed to induce parity throughout the league, and maintaining talent has never been more difficult. While some teams appear to be just a few key pieces away from success, others are in need of many upgrades and therefore may find it more beneficial to undergo a complete overhaul of the roster. Below are three teams that could benefit more in the long-term by taking the latter approach to the rebuilding process.
Cleveland Browns (2017 Record: 0-16)
It is not often you can say that a team has “nowhere to go but up” and mean it… literally. That is exactly where the Browns are at the moment, having recorded just the 2nd winless season by an NFL team since the merger, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions.
The Browns have seemingly been in rebuild mode for the better part of the past two decades. Their last postseason appearance was in 2002, and their most recent playoff win was way back in 1994. Cleveland is facing an uphill battle, which will require a complete transformation of both personnel and organizational culture. The main issue for the Browns over the past two seasons has been the failure of Head Coach Hue Jackson to instill a winning attitude among the players, evident by his abysmal 1-31 record during that time frame.
The good news for the Browns is that they are in a position to make a strong impact through the draft this year. The team currently has a total of 12 picks in the upcoming draft, including the first and fourth overall picks and three second-round selections. The plethora of picks puts the organization in a position to really infuse the roster with talent, including acquiring a much needed franchise quarterback. Despite making a move to pick up Tyrod Taylor from the Bills, drafting a high-profile QB could be the key move to change the dynamic of this team. The offensive line needs to be upgraded as well, particularly following Joe Thomas’s retirement last month. Even with the acquisition of Carlos Hyde in free agency, Cleveland should take a chance on Penn State RB Saquon Barkley.
The Browns could also use a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball. The team finished 2017 ranked 21st in sacks with a total of 34, despite selecting Myles Garrett with last year’s first overall pick. Look for the team to bolster its pass rush, and to take some of the pressure off Garrett. Cleveland could also use an influx of talent at linebacker, as well as in their defensive backfield, following CB Joe Haden departure. Hopefully the Browns can leverage their 12 draft picks into the beginning of a true “process” that will improve the franchise for years to come.
Indianapolis Colts (2017 Record: 4-12)
The Colts were a complete mess last year, starting with Andrew Luck’s unexpected full-year absence and further aided by a lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Everything starts with Luck and his health, and recent reports suggest that he could be ready to roll by training camp, although it is concerning that he hasn’t thrown a football in such a long time. The team should look to surround Luck with as much talent as possible in case he is able to return for the 2018 season. Even if Luck’s health permits him to play, there are so many gaping holes on Indy’s roster that it would make sense for the team to take its time in the process of solidifying its personnel ahead of its Super Bowl aspirations.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Colts need to prioritize protecting Luck, who has notoriously taken massive hits and sacks over the course of his career. Luck’s current health concerns are a direct result of the lackluster performance of the offensive line. Constructing a young and capable presence up front could be the foundation the team needs to accomplish its rebuilding process. Additionally, the Colts lost Frank Gore and Donte Moncrief in free agency, leaving them with even less veteran talent to make an impact in the short term.
Defensively, there are so many holes to fill, which could force the team to take a long-term approach even against their will. In today’s passing-oriented NFL, it is extremely important to have a strong secondary to contain opposing aerial attacks. The Colts have just parted ways with Vontae Davis as well as Rashaan Melvin, who finished the season with 36 tackles, three interceptions and 13 passes defensed, before electing to sign a one-year $6.5 million deal with the Raiders. Finding their replacements could take time, as rookie cornerbacks tend to struggle in their first year in the league.
Miami Dolphins (2017 Record: 6-10)
The Dolphins were able to overachieve last season, and that says a lot considering they only won six games. As we look to the future, the team needs to decide on Ryan Tannehill’s future with the club. Tannehill hasn’t played in a game since December 2016, raising concerns over his ability to overcome such a long stint away from the game. It remains unlikely that Miami will be able to grab one of the top four quarterbacks with the 11th pick in the draft, making it that much more sensible to think long-term in their rebuilding efforts.
The Dolphins offense received a strong boost from rising star RB Kenyan Drake last season, who single handedly took over several games. His performance is linked to the team’s over-achievement in the win column, and could be a nice stepping stone to build around. However, long TD runs are often difficult to repeat, and Miami is undermanned up front, lacking strong contributors on the interior line. Right tackle Ja’Wuan James has struggled mightily with his health over the past three years. Dependable possession receiver Jarvis Landry left the team, hurting the offense’s third down and redzone weapons, and the starting tight end on the roster at the moment is former Bronco AJ Derby.
On defense, the Dolphins are weak at linebacker, which could be addressed early in the draft if all four top QB prospects have already been selected. The team could really use help on all three levels of the defense, including on the defensive line and secondary, and should they fail to acquire a top QB in the draft, it could be best for the team to simply take the most talented players available. By filling the locker room with young and promising talent, the Dolphins could set themselves up for the future by freeing up as much salary cap space as possible, with the aim of picking up a QB in next year’s draft.
The goal for any basketball franchise is to build a dynasty that fans and experts will be talking about for


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Good to know
|Distance to city centre||2.8 km|
|Nearest airport||Granada Federico Garcia Lorca|
|Distance to airport||16.9 km|
|"Friendly staff and good facilities"||(in 45 reviews)|
|"Clean hotel and rooms."||(in 20 reviews)|
|"Easy reach of centre."||(in 6 reviews)|
Time of year
Show reviews that mention
|area was nice||in 17 reviews|
|breakfast was good||in 77 reviews|
|car parking||in 35 reviews|
|choice in the breakfast||in 54 reviews|
|city centre||in 6 reviews|
|close to a highway||in 6 reviews|
|coffee making facilities||in 24 reviews|
|easy access||in 9 reviews|
|facilities great||in 7 reviews|
|good choice||in 7 reviews|
|hotel rooms||in 32 reviews|
|mini bar||in 30 reviews|
|new batch||in 2 reviews|
|nice hotel||in 73 reviews|
|orange juice||in 5 reviews|
|sierra nevada||in 6 reviews|
|staff friendly||in 72 reviews|
|swimming pool||in 68 reviews|
|window open||in 5 reviews|
Very nice staffs. Take any help they could. Especially the first day we arrived,staffs Alberto and middle age madam ( sorry to ask her name)they helped us check in and gave all the help we asking.
Smart and modern; nice outdoor pool, good spa facilities; nice restaurant for breakfast (but better, more characterful restaurants in Granada of course; rooms clean and modern. Only 10 minute drive/taxi from Alhambra or town, bus to town easy too
You will need to travel to town - but hotel prices escalate accordingly.
Use of pool all next day. Excellent breakfast. Lots of choice.
No iron in the whole hotel. But if a shocker as we were there for a wedding! Spa closed
Old and used interior, not at all comfy bed and quite grumpy staff. I really thought this was a nicer hotel when I looked at the pictures before coming here. So I think that the price of 100€ per night for one person was too high, given that it’s low season.
We booked the hotel for a relaxing weekend in the middle of our trip. The hotel was perfect and clean, stuff is really friendly and speaks Spanish English and French. Great view from the room, and luxury rooms, great for the price (exactly like photos). We had access to the pool, it's very clean and calm. We had exactly what we wanted in this hotel. The hotel is a little bit far from the centre but is accessible by the metro or buses (4min walk from the hotel to the metro stop)
With a stay at Abades Nevada Palace Hotel in Granada (Zaidin), you'll be within a 15-minute drive of Alhambra and San Jeronimo Monastery. Featured amenities include complimentary wired Internet access, a business center, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite.
based on 5,620 reviews
Things to know
- Great reception
Policies vary by room type and provider.
Reviews about Abades Nevada Palace Hotel
Most popular landmarks
- Fuentes de las Batallas 2.3 km
- Parque Garcia Lorca 2.6 km
- Federico Garcia Lorca Museum 2.6 km
- Plaza Bib-Rambla 2.7 km
- Alcaiceria 2.7 km
- Alhambra 2.7 km
|Granada Federico Garcia Lorca||16.9 km|

domain: travel


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While Microsoft and Sony go head to head with their Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, many gamers have come to consider Nintendo’s systems as complementary hardware. According to Sony, the most popular combination among consumers is a PlayStation sitting next to the latest Nintendo release.
“When you look at our numbers, I think it shows that a lot of gamers are a two-console family,” said Sony Interactive Entertainment America head Shawn Layden in a recent interview. “And quite often those two consoles are PlayStation and Nintendo sitting side-by-side.”
It makes a lot of sense of gamers to choose this particular duo of consoles. The PlayStation 4 offers access to all the biggest multiplatform releases, as well as its own range of desirable exclusives, while the Switch is a must-own for anyone who’s looking to play the latest and greatest Nintendo software. Not to mention, PS4 offers a high-end home console experience, whereas Nintendo focuses a lot of its efforts on experiences for gamers on the go.
However, Layden’s comments really speak to the way that the video game industry has changed over the past couple of decades. Sony originally started work on the PlayStation to compete with Nintendo, after their Super Nintendo PlayStationpartnership fell apart, but now it seems that the company is perfectly happy to coexist with its old rival.
The fact is that Nintendo probably doesn’t cut into Sony’s hardware sales as much as Microsoft does anyway. There are a lot of pros and cons to weigh up when deciding between an Xbox One and a PlayStation 4, whereas the Switch has its own unique appeal, and as such has removed itself from direct competition.
When Nintendo launched the Wii in 2006, the company came to realize how advantageous it can be to offer up a wholly different video game experience. Instead of scrapping over core gamers, Nintendo has splintered off to become a category all of its own — and Sony seems to be well aware of how that has changed the battleground. Things might change come fall 2017, though, as Microsoft is poised to release Scorpio, which will likely be the top home console experience available at the time. Perhaps gamers that pick up two gaming devices this holiday may turn to Switch and Scorpio as their duo.

domain: news


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The rickshaws and Southeast Asia go hand to hand.
This is the Malaysian version, full of colors & flowers!
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2CQK8Ys
Today focus was on the street arts around George Town
In 2012, as part of the George Town Festival of Arts and Culture, Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic created a series of 6 wall paintings depicting local culture, inhabitants and lifestyles. They now stand as celebrated cultural landmarks of George Town, with Children on a Bicycle being one of the most photographed spots in the city centre.
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2z48GuR

domain: artistic


In the News & Newsworthy
The Albright Reconciling Group (ARC) at Albright UMC in Ponca City, OK, gets positive press from Ponca City News about their stance as an affirming, inclusive community.
Speaking about the WCA's plans for a new denomination, one anti-LGBTQ conservative United Methodist pastor feels it's unfair to be held accountable for harm done to LGBTQ people, claiming that “infinitely more harm is caused by spineless and sentimental church leaders who misrepresent the truth because they like being liked by people more than they like people loving Jesus." UMNS reports.
The Judicial Council releases decisions regarding the New Jersey Annual Conference's 2019 special session, which focused on a plan that would allow churches to decide how to include and affirm LGBTQ people in every aspect of ministry while still allowing other congregations the right to "agree to disagree." UMNS reports.
Please pray for Christ Chapel UMC and Moheto First UMC in Kenya as they embark on a youth retreat this weekend! We pray for safety and joy and a time of nourishment and discipleship for the young people of these Reconciling Churches.
Feel free to email Revs. Kennedy and Benedict with your prayers and support at email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.org.


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FAT SOFA | Pouf
Upholstered fabric pouf
Fat Sofa - Round, soft and sinuous shapes: this series of floor-standing seats without a metal base offers a new expression of comfort. They are islands that can be upholstered in leather or fabric, and placed alongside to create unique playful solutions. The double-colour versions and those that mix leather and fabric are original with horizontal and vertical surfaces establishing a dialogue with each other through nuances of shades or with stronger contrasts. Once again in B&B Italia’s history a product merges original shapes and technological innovation which, in this case, are represented by the use of slow-return viscoelastic foam that gradually adapts itself to the body and its posture.


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Wellness Complete Health Morsels Tuna Entrée Wet Cat Food 5.5oz (156g)
These tasty morsels in rich gravy include natural, wholesome ingredients free from grains, carrageenan, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. This entrée is a great way to add some variety to your cat’s diet, in addition to providing an alternate source of water for healthy hydration!
Morsels Tuna Entrée
- High quality fish protein source
- Good source of antioxidants & magnesium
- Cranberries are a rich source of antioxidants
Chicken, Fish Broth, Water Sufficient For Processing, Tuna, Dried Egg Whites, Dried Ground Peas, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Dried Egg Product, Spinach, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Cranberries, Minerals (Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Sodium Selenite, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid), Taurine

domain: pet


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- This event has passed.
Sketch Series: Draw Architecture with Patrick Cunningham
You’re stuck at home, why not learn to draw from the experts?
The human brain is wired to communicate through pictures. Sketching is a visual language we develop in real-time to invent, test, communicate, and convince. Let’s have some fun and draw together.
Rapid visualization, aka Sketching, is a skill that can be learned and practiced. And it’s a skill that never goes out of style. We’re kicking off a multi-month series on sketching, featuring the best in the biz, across every design field — because every design discipline has a unique way of communicating visually, and we can all learn from each other.
Patrick Cunningham will join us to demonstrate and discuss architectural sketching. Patrick is an Associate Principal in he Boston office of Perkins and Will where he has made significant contributions as an advocate for design excellence and sustainable innovation. Additionally, he has shaped the design community through his teaching as a graduate level design studio instructor and thesis advisor at Northeastern University, Roger Williams University and the Boston Architectural College. You can follow his work on Instagram @making.makes.me
Patrick’s work is characterized by an artful, integrated approach to context, and a consistent advocacy for the principles of sustainability. Patrick characterizes sketching as his best management and communication tool. Throughout a complex architecture program he uses sketching to capture and build bridges between individual ideas, in his words:
Sketching leaves us room to complete each other’s sentences. With intent, it is still ambiguous enough to leave space for serendipity and diversity of thought.”
Patrick will demonstrate how his sketching evolves at various stages of a building project. Join us, follow along with the techniques, or sit back and enjoy the insights and skills of a world-class sketcher.
- This Design Museum LIVE uses Zoom
- Register for the event via the ticketing tool above.
- You’ll receive a registration confirmation via email.
- Make joining the event easier: Download Zoom Client for Meetings now
- 24 hours before the webinar you will receive login information to join the video webinar.
- Log into the webinar as early as 11:30amET, the presentation will begin at 12:00pmET.
What To Expect
11:30amET • We’ll open the event
Sign on early to check your audio and chat with us — we’ll open the webinar or live stream 30 minutes before the presentation begins so everyone can get settled in and ready.
12:00pmET • Presentation begins
We’ll kick things off with news from the Design Museum and share what’s upcoming, then our keynote presenter or moderator will launch into the day’s presentation.
12:45pmET • Questions & Answers
Sometimes our presenters will take questions throughout, but we’ll always leave time towards then end for your questions, submitted via the chat box — and we’ll get to as many as possible.
1:00pmET • LIVE event ends
We’ll send a short survey to get your feedback on the event, and we’ll follow up with any additional info from the presentation — then we hope to see you at the next LIVE event!

domain: design


T-Series has bagged the music rights to the remake of the biggest Tamil grosser GHAJINI directed by A R Murugadoss. The yet to be titled remake stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan. The film is an action thriller set to release in October. This project will be the biggest project of this year.
After TAARE ZAMEEN PAR with Aamir Khan the Audio rights of this movie have also been bagged by T-Series.


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The best of our beauty and fashion stories–out now in the latest issue of Ok! magazine!
In this week’s Ok! Magazine, check out the HollywoodLife.com spread, showcasing our favorite style & beauty posts of the week! Find out how to get Ashley Greene’s perfectly pink lips and take a peek at Sarah Jessica Parker’s new fab “Bonnie” bag by Diane De Maria. In celeb hair news, learn Pauly D’s Jersey Shore blow out secrets, and hear all about Kate Gosselin’s sleek new single-gal ‘do. Check out the latest red carpet trend, the red dress, being worn by stars like Penelope Cruz, Rose McGowan and Evan Rachel Wood. Pick up the new issue of Ok! today–on newsstands Dec. 29.
Here are the stories:
Similar News ItemsPenélope Cruz
- Bob Dylan Turns 74: His 5 Most Memorable Moments in Film (Video) (From The Hollywood Reporter. 24 May 2015, 8:00 AM, PDT)
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- Time Machine: Drop Dead Dazzling Adams 'Always the Bridesmaid Never the Bride' on the Oscars' Red Carpet (From Alt Film Guide. 15 May 2015, 10:53 AM, PDT)
"Jersey Shore" (2009)
- Carlos Boozer -- Batman Can't Touch My $250k Blackmobile (Photos) (From TMZ. 25 May 2015, 12:25 AM, PDT)
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- Snooki Jokes Son Lorenzo, 2, Is a ''Pain in the Ass,'' Admits She ''Drank for 10 People's Lifetimes'' During Jersey Shore Days (From E! Online. 8 May 2015, 9:13 AM, PDT)
Ashley Greene (I)
- Burying The Ex: New Trailer Teases Joe Dante’s Horror Rom-Com (From Collider.com. 26 May 2015, 4:56 PM, PDT)
- New Trailer for Joe Dante's Latest Horror Comedy 'Burying the Ex' (From FirstShowing.net. 26 May 2015, 12:51 PM, PDT)
- Exclusive: Joe Dante’s Burying the Ex Poster and Stills (From shocktillyoudrop. 22 May 2015, 11:11 AM, PDT)

domain: celebrity


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We have been participating in ‘Food ingredients Europe’ for the past several years and it has given us the opportunity to meet new potential clients, exchange ideas & trends with stakeholders within the food community. The event has enabled us to become a part of the world’s leading food and beverage ingredients platform. This year, FiE took place in Paris from 3rd to 5th December, 2019.
The key product areas this year, were OxiKan (Natural Anti-Oxidants), TastyKan (Multi-Spice Liquid Blends), Roasted Spice Oleoresins, C-Capture (Natural Colours) & Nature’s True Notes
Our ‘Experience Centre’, a mini application lab concept, offered selected customers a hands-on approach to product applications on Snack Seasoning and Meat. Additionally, at the ‘Discovery Kitchen’ customers got to experience various products like snacks, beverages, confectionery and desserts made using our ingredients.
For this year’s Fi Europe, we had a new product showcase for our award winning natural anti-oxidant: OxiKan CL and a seminar addressing our products.

domain: food


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Located in Berlin (Steglitz-Zehlendorf), Hotel il Mulino is within a 5-minute drive of Free University of Berlin and Botanical Garden. This hotel is 7.5 mi (12.1 km) from Brandenburg Gate and 7.6 mi (12.3 km) from Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
Stay in one of 18 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available to keep you connected. Private bathrooms with bathtubs or showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include desks, and housekeeping is provided daily.
A complimentary buffet breakfast is served on weekdays from 7 AM to 9:30 AM and on weekends from 8 AM to 10 AM.
Business, Other Amenities
The front desk is staffed during limited hours. Free self parking is available onsite.
Book online or call +39 041 8620400


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Greater Irvine Chamber Members Are Eligible for Rewards for Booking Group Meetings at Irvine Hotels
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Destination Irvine’s Loyalty Pays Off program offers exclusive rewards to Greater Irvine Chamber members that book group meetings in Irvine.
Groups booking 10-30 rooms total earn $300 toward their hotel account, groups booking 31-74 rooms total earn $500, and groups booking 75+ rooms earn $750.
Participating Irvine hotels include, AC Hotel, Atrium Hotel, Candlewood Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, Irvine Airport, Courtyard Irvine Spectrum, DoubleTree by Hilton, Irvine Spectrum, Embassy Suites Irvine, Extended Stay America - Irvine Spectrum, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Irvine, Homewood Suites, John Wayne Airport, Hotel Irvine, Hyatt House, Irvine Marriott, LaQuinta Inn & Suites, Irvine Spectrum, Marriott Irvine Spectrum, Residence Inn by Marriott, Irvine Airport, Residence Inn by Marriott, Irvine Spectrum, Sonesta Irvine Orange County Airport, and SpringHill Suites.
To qualify meeting planners must:
- Contact Destination Irvine to develop/distribute lead;
- Book a minimum of 10 room nights over one night;
- Book meetings at one of Irvine’s 21 hotels; and
- Book meetings within the terms of promotion.*
Each meeting planner who sources a qualified meeting group to Destination Irvine will earn a $50 Visa gift card, and those who book 50 room nights or more for meetings held between Thursday and Monday will earn a $100 Visa gift card.
For more information and to participate, contact AnaLaura Becerra, director of corporate sales, Destination Irvine.
Category: Destination Irvine, Member News, Chamber News


Dr. Q Joins “Team Traficant” as Congressional Candidate
Posted by Jim Condit Jr.
Dr. Q, — Dr. Kiumars Kiani, — is running for the U.S. Congress in the 1st District of Ohio for the November 8th, 2016 election. He also becomes the 2nd congressional candidate and one of many citizens to join “Team Traficant”, named after the late, great Congressman Jim Traficant, known for his courage in standing up for everyday citizens and fighting the enemies of the USA.
Dr. Kiumars Kiani
Dr. Kiumars Kiani (pronounced Q’-mars Kee-ah’-nee), who is also known by the nickname “Dr. Q”, became a freedom fighter in the underground in Iran after the Shah of Iran was toppled in 1979 by the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Revolution. While he loves the nation of his birth and its people, he also points out that the government of Iran after 1979 treated dissidents like the old Soviet Union. Based on his experience (see below) and life-long views, Dr. Kiani greatly appreciates the freedoms afforded by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States of America, his adopted country since he came to North America in January of year 2000, officially becoming a US citizen eleven years ago.
Dr. Q was arrested and jailed five times by the post-Shah Iranian government for his efforts to help Iranians “think again”, as he explains. In the 1990s Dr. Q was poisoned by a suspected government agent , who came to Dr. Q’s hospital bedside after he (Dr. Q) became paralyzed and bragged about what he (the suspected government agent) had done. This same individual had only recently urged violence in one of Dr. Q’s underground Freedom Fighter meetings, which suggestion was firmly rebuffed by the long time members of the assembled freedom fighters who were totally committed to education and non-violence in the fight for a free Iran.
It took Dr. Kiani one full year to come out of what was total paralysis at first, after which time he came to America.
Dr. Kiani explains that Iranians are not Arabs or Semites, but technically Aryans, or Indo-Europeans, ethnically akin to the peoples of Europe. In fact, the word “Iran” is cognate, or from the same root word, as Aryan. Furthermore, that Islam is not the indigenous religion of Iran, and that Iran is still called Persia by many of those in what is now called Iran. Furthermore, he insists that Sharia law, which was brought into parts of Iran after the Ayatollah post 1979, is much more oppressive than most Americans realize.
Under the Reasonable Access Law for congressional candidates on FCC-licensed stations, Dr. Kiani will be paying for and sponsoring the editions of “LetFreedomRing2016.com – the Radio Show” every week for the next 8 weeks on WKRC-AM radio at 2 PM EST on Sundays, from September 18th to November 6th, 2016.
My own congressional candidacy, — which had sponsored and paid for the “LetFreedomRing2016.com — the Radio Show” programs on WKRC in past months and years, — has been disallowed, at least temporarily, for the November election (General Election) in Ohio’s 2nd District by the Hamilton County Board of Elections, as of September 13th, due to an advisory letter from its legal counsel that the Ohio Revised Code prevents someone from running for US Congress in the spring primary (or in a special election) in one congressional district, and then running in a different congressional district in the general election. I found out about this advisory opinion and the BOE’s ruling on the morning of Tuesday, September 13th. I had run on the ballot in the 8th congressional district of Ohio in the primary election in February and in the special election for John Boehner’s unexpired term in July, and then had filed in the 2nd congressional district of Ohio to run as a write-in candidate for the general election in November.
My campaign’s position is that the state law, while within its scope to regulate when a citizen can run for state offices, is overreaching by trying to put extra restrictions on a citizen running for US Congress — restrictions that do not exist in the Constitution or in federal law.
A string of events restricting ballot access for the “third parties” initiated by the Ohio State Legislature in 2013 has led to the current circumstance. In 2016 both the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party found themselves without ballot access for the first time since 2008 when then Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner opened up the process by changing the ballot access rules for the “third parties.”
My campaign will likely file an action in federal court in the next few days to seek a ruling on whether or not the Ohio state law can impose more restrictions than does the Constitution and federal law on citizens seeking to run for US Congress. As far as we can tell, this issue has never been litigated or ruled on by a federal court.
Dr. Kiumars Kiani has a doctorate of philosophy in film and media. He was, as stated above, born in Iran and became a US citizen eleven years ago. His knowledge about national and international affairs is extensive. His positions on all major issues track closely with my own, including on the matters of the 9-11 terror attacks of 2001, the contrived “war on terror”, the encroaching police state facing US citizens, the cruel and systematic persecution of the Palestinian people by Israel, and the ongoing attempts of the organized Jewish Lobby to keep the United States embroiled in endless wars for Israel in the Mideast.
Dr. Q has hosted “The Echo” program on local public access TV, and I have been a guest on this show a number of times. On September 11th, Dr. Q appeared with me on the September 11th edition of “LetFreedomRing2016.com — the Radio Show” on WKRC radio.
Dr. Kiumars Kiani is also committed to exposing the Election Night Gatekeepers and restoring Election Integrity to elections in the United States of America.
— Jim Condit Jr.


text:
Activities taken up under District Industries Centre (DIC), Senapati
The District Industries Centre, Senapati was established/Inaugurated on 20th October, 1980. This centre has continuously taken up the following projects:
b) LBI and
c) Make in Manipur
A) PMEGP: – This project was started in the year 2009 till date. Achievement for the year 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 respectively are given below:
B) Achievement of LBI at Senapati DIC
Livelihood Business Incubator (LBI), Senapati was established in the year 2016. It was inaugurated by Shri Kalraj Mishra, Hon’ble Minister, MSME, Government of India on 8th April, 2016.
The Project was launched as part of the Make in Manipur mission with a vision to generate employment in the state of Manipur particularly amongst the educated unemployed youth; and the LBIs will play a pivotal role.
As directed by the then Commissioner(C Et I), the LBI has been established in the premises of InTouch Naturals Private Limited, Mao in public private Partnership Mode Et a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed and registered in the Office of Sub-Registrar, Tadubi. However, the LBI equipments are
yet to function or conduct any training, processing, packaging or other post-harvest management activities due to the lack of funding.
EQUIPMENT AND STATUS:
Honey Processing Unit: Installation done during late February 2017. However, as there is no packaging equipment, the unit has not attracted existing bee keepers for usage of the facilities. Hence
i) Packaging units need to be provided.
ii) Sufficient raw materials need to be generated by encouraging/supporting families for epi-culture (bee-keeping) among unemployed youth and women entrepreneurs through support from DRDA, KVIC, Department of Horticulture, Bee Board, NABARD, etc
iii) As the DIC is not equipped yet for training farmers in bee keeping linkages with the appropriate line departments needs to take up such activities.
Stevia Dehydration Unit: Installation is not complete as some machinery parts are yet to be supplied by the concern agency and hence, not functional.
i) Some farmers have started cultivating stevia.
ii) Very limited support/loans were provided by Banks for cultivation of stevia and most Banks were not supportive/forth coming.
– SBI Senapati – 2 acres a farmers)
– SBI Maram – 8 acres i8 farmers)
– SBI Lairouching – 7 acres 15 farmers)
– SBI Tadubi – 37.5 acres i15 farmers)
– SBI Mao – New Branch
– UBI Senapati – 12 acres (12 farmers)
– UBI Mao – 4 acres 44 farmers)
– CBI Senapati – Nil
– HDFC Bank Senapati – Nil
– UCO Bank Senapati – Nil
iii) Coordinates effortswith various agencies need to be established for production of raw materials and need to be prioritised. Expansion of stevia cultivation need to be taken up through various agencies – viz: NMPB/SMPB, NHB/NHM. IWMP (DRDA), Dept. of Horticulture. etc.
Lemon Grass Distillation Plant: Not yet supplied.
Ginger/Turmeric Dehydration Unit: In-stallation not complete. And packaging equipments are not supplied; such pack-aging machines are required for marketing.
Mushroom Spawn Making Unit: Equipment supplied however, installation is not complete and hence, not functional.
Tissue Culture Unit: Equipment supplied however, installation is not complete and hence, not functional.
C) Make in Manipur: Application received for cultivation of Stevia and Lemon Grass were 72 in JLG and 30 in individual.
Target and Sanctioned in Bank Wise of Make in Manipur under D.I.C. Spt. as on 10/12/2017
|SL No||Name of Bank||Target for Stevia Lemon Grass||Nos. of Farmers|
|8||CBI Bank Senapati||Nil|
|9||UCO Bank Senapati||Nil|
Source: Senapati Calling, 2018

domain: economics


text:
Who am I? Who are you? What can I best offer to you? How can I best receive from you? These fascinating formats of self-expression are energy-starters. It allow for a mood of creation and cooperation in the classroom. Me and Others has been a state-adopted Work-A-Text in creative writing, social studies, psychology and career exploration classes. The emphasis is on INTER-dependence. Interest levels - from upper elementary through High School. Reading level 6th.
A Child's Journey Through Poetry Volume 2
Sabinah Adewole is a best seller and has enjoyed reading from a young child . She studied English and her poetry has been informed from her experiences on her journeys of Life which has inspired a lot of readers across the globe.
A Child's Journey through Poetry Volume 2 is her second volume in this series, and covers themes of employment,Skills,Talents and hobbies for any young person looking to in to the world of work, career development or business opportunities to focus on the present moment and their future prospects
The poems in this series were mainly created in the United Kingdom on the authors journey on the train , Bus or anyone or anywhere that has inspired her on her journey.
Some poems In this series are Skateboarder, Footballer, Astronaut ,Archeologist, Dentist, Doctor ,BasketBaller , Yoga Teacher, Vegetarian etc inspired by world events of Olympics 2020, Climate Change, Space, Covid-19 ,death of a Basketball legend ,Health ...

domain: library


text:
Millefoglie Italian Coffee & Pastry
Italian and French patisserie situated in Swansea Picton Arcade.
The Lookout, Rhossili
We are a local family run business that pride ourselves on supporting local produce.
Little Valley Bakery Ltd
An award winning artisan bakery based in the heart of Gower. Famous for our cinnamon buns, sausage rolls and our slow fermented doughs, in particular white sourdough.


text:
So Ladies Here is The Answer, After which You Are Going To Avoid Heels
A wise woman once said, “Give a girl the right pair of shoes, and she can conquer the world”. No, but I think I can cover a lot more ground with a good pair of runners, and I think my body would thank me afterward. Wearing stilettos or pencil hills might be a very fashionable part of your daily life. But wait, it does also have many adverse effects on a woman’s body. Wearing high heels daily during office or in the fashionable party might cause you many diseases, which might disturb you after a long time.
1. Your Leg Muscles Are at a Constant Risk Of Getting Sprained or Damaged.
2. Heels push your pelvis forward when you walk which in turn puts enormous pressure on your lower back causing it to pain.
3. Toe Deformity – Wearing of heels might give you swanky look, but it is going to cause you hammer toes, hallux valgus and neuromas.
4. Foot damage – It is the most common problem. Recent surveys had verified that Higher the heels more it the damage and pain caused.
5. According to research, pressure on the knee joints increases, giving rise to knee problems.
6. Wearing high heels for a long time can lead to urogenital problems.
7. A study suggests you can end up with severe joint pains and symptoms that can lead to arthritis or premature osteoarthritis.
8. Wearing heels can cause sciatica
9. Your toes go into a permanent hyperextension position which is not natural.
Let’s help you more, suggesting you some simple ways to reduce these problems
First, and the most common, Try to reduce your heels usage. Asking your heels with you on only some selected occasions. Take along a pair of flat shoes, when you do have to do a long walk avoid heels. While sitting for long remove your heels and give rest to your toes. Try to have some shock absorbing pads and callous protectors for the parts of your feet that hurt the most. Wear shoes or other sorts of varying styles or heel size because of which your toe might not adopt a painful toe posture.
Want more post from daily life problems? comment down below. And follow us on FACEBOOK, for the more recent update.

domain: medical


text:
Flowers are blooming. Muriel and Charles Friend deserve a huge round of applause in recognition for the great job they do with planting and maintaining the flowers around the Big Flats Branch Library. Every year, without my asking, they come and fill our planters and stuff our grounds with a wide assortment of beautiful flowers.
We are now hosting a mini book sale shelf from the Friends of CCLD. Hard covers are $2.00 and soft covers are $1.00. What a bargain! All proceeds from this sale benefit the Big Flats Branch Library.
An advance thanks to the Town of Big Flats Highway Department. They are bringing over some heavy equipment and donating a pile of sand for a Tuesday night Summer Reading Club program in July. It is always a pleasure to work with the Town of Big Flats and hope to do more in the future.
Every Spring the Big Flats Women’s Club donates a Spring basket for raffle. This year the basket raised $195 for the library. Thank you all BFWC members.
Come see the newly re-modeled Big Flats Library. You will be amazed!
Principal Library Clerk/Branch Manager
Big Flats Library

domain: hobby


text:
Someone once said you don’t get into journalism for the money, you do it for an interesting life.
I started out working for women’s magazines in Asia. Singapore to be specific. My first job as Fashion and Beauty Writer at Her World (the country’s biggest selling women’s magazine) was a great training ground on a small editorial team. My role involved not only writing copy, from news snippets to long-form features, interviewing ‘real people’ and celebrities and attending press conferences and launches but also casting models, styling photoshoots, calling in clothes for fashion shoots and schlepping around shops on the hunt for interesting products to feature before hauling it all back to the office. In heels.
Later I became Contributing Editor at The Bangkok Post as part of the team which launched themagazine, the national newspaper’s glossy weekend supplement.
Since then, the lure of the freedom of freelance life has taken me from Shanghai to Soho; from backstage at London Fashion Week to a beauty launch in a Malaysian rainforest; from a Chanel art installation in Seoul to unveil a lipstick; to behind the scenes of the Shiseido museum in Tokyo…


text:
Featured by author
Article / Religion and Spirituality
The Beautiful Earth
I hope that this democracy of democrats and republicans should
use common sense by experiencing weather of mass distraction,
ecological crisis of toxic global atmosphere , the earth and all
its life is in stress because of unholy Jewish, Christian,
Islamic, Buddha and Hindu polices of following money .
The ecological system of balance and chemistry of nature is in stress due to toxic water, toxic medical waste, toxic metals and toxic gases. Human life is based on balance and the pressure of gravity which is losing pressure due to temperature change.
The reality of gravity is based on very small elements individual and invisible substances around us and cannot been seen. These substances can transfer in the waves of sound and particle of oxygen in the deep ocean waters for life. These small elements individual and invisible substances around us are the miracle of Supreme Being and the cause of life.
The condition that makes us human is not an accident it is based on theology. The new environmental illness or disease such as respiratory problems, chemicals, allergens, pollution, and other toxins will contribute high numbers of neurological disorders unless we amend some new laws and change course.
Natural sleep is the most important part of human health which is control by the gravity of Supreme Being who changes the pressure of gravity on this earth two times a day for the phenomena of learning and memory for life. Real question we should ask our self in which general view must be formed and on whose basis our principal in life must be based?
The answer based on realistic notion is faith, love and human fealty.
I apologize to be very critical and honest about “Change “the only way for the beautiful earth and its life.
The Tree House!
Ajmal was young kid and , he wanted to make a tree house all of his other friends were making tree houses of their own. Ajmal asked tons of people to help him make the house but nobody agreed but his son and daughter Adam and Laila. In the end Ajmal had to make the tree house on his own with his kids.
He cut the wood and hammered all the pieces together until the
tree house was finally made. Even though the house wasn’t as good
as his friends Ajmal still played in it. Then one day a gush of
wind came and blew all the tree houses to the ground.
The only tree house that was still in good condition and was still in a tree was Ajmal's tree house. All the people admired his tree house. The lesson learned in this story is that when a person works hard to make something he expects people to like it and admire it.
This story is exactly like how God (Rab) made the earth. He made everything so lovely and beautiful, and then he made the first man who we all know as Adam to live in the wonderful world he made. When Adam first came on earth the sun was just rising. Adam opened his eyes and took a sneeze (The heart start pumping) and said, “Allhum Dulila Hey Rabulalameen” meaning Thank you God (Rab) for the beautiful earth and its life!
Human Faith is heavenly light of knowledge restriction on sacred light is eclipse on humanity and blasphemy.
Human Faith is a religious of God (Rab) of humanity (Rabi). The definition of humanity (Rabi)in our faith is the quality of being humane and respectful for life. The Divine Affirmations of human faith are the commandment of God (Rab) of Humanity (Rabi). The crime against the Divine Affirmations is blasphemy and great disrespect for our God (Rab) of humanity (Rabi).
Our method of teaching moral values and human fealty can give realistic purpose of achieving complete fulfillment of internal life. The spiritual change from loneness to loveliness is based on love by giving unlimited trust in God (Rab) and faith in humanity.
Human mind is miracle of Supreme Being when we struggle to boil it at lukewarm temperature of wisdom to understand fundamental of life by reading (Rabi). The everlasting stage of satisfaction for mind is to reach Supreme Being before death. The journey of memories can be pleasant with divine affirmations of human faith. We believe that it is time to joggle every conscious to show them that human mind is superior matter not material.
The festival of life can be celebrated with wisdom of human faith knowledge once we realize that we are part of the superior race. We advocate spiritual and moral principles on very high scales for the longest term in human history. Human faith is monotheistic faith and knows that God is the creator and overseer of the universe at all the time and all matters.
God Bless America
Written By Ajmal Mehdi
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domain: literature


Crisis? What crisis! Tackling the health emergency in the face of government denial
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS writes about the current crisis in our health service and offers five practical steps to put our NHS on the road to recovery
This article was published in Wales Online, Thursday 26 January 2023
Mark Drakeford must acknowledge the scale of the crisis in the Welsh NHS
Crisis? What crisis! That’s the clear message emanating from Labour here in Wales when it comes to our health service.
This is despite record breaking waiting times for emergency services, the slowest ambulance response times on record and workers taking to the picket lines – some for the first time. This is despite workers and the organisations that represent them across the NHS saying it’s a crisis. And this is despite Labour counterparts in England and Scotland declaring a health crisis in their respective nations.
Words matter. Admitting there’s a crisis is an important acknowledgement of the scale, the gravity, and the urgency required to meet the challenges faced. It also tells the workforce that their cries are being heard.
Acknowledging the crisis would also be a step towards Labour admitting responsibility for the current state of the health service here in Wales. After all, it is the Labour party that is in government in Wales, and has been for the past 25 years. And with health being fully devolved to Wales, it’s Labour that’s responsible for the (mis-)management of the health service.
Yes, the Tories in Westminster currently hold the purse strings, but Welsh Government is not without power here in Wales, and we’ve used every opportunity in the Senedd to call on them to use their power to address the crisis.
But without admitting there is a crisis in the first place, how are patients, staff and we in opposition to trust that Labour Welsh Government can come up with the solutions needed to save the NHS and put it on the road to recovery?
It’s against this backdrop that Plaid Cymru has launched our 5 point plan to tackle the crisis in our health service.
This isn’t about point scoring. This is about offering good ideas and practical solutions so that we can heal our NHS together. For that reason, we have been in conversation with front line workers and the organisations that represent them to come up with five things that we believe will make a real and positive difference to everyone across the service.
This starts with paying our workers fairly, and this is why pay is the first point in our plan. Our workforce is the bedrock of the health service, and this foundation is crumbling.
The First Minister recently claimed that making an improved pay offer would mean taking money out of other areas of the health service – but this is a false dichotomy. Providing a credible and substantive pay award for NHS workers would be an investment towards a more sustainable and resilient health service.
Furthermore, we do not accept the Welsh Government’s claim that there is no money available. We’ve done the calculations! There are sufficient funds available in this financial year to offer more than the 4.8% currently on the table.
2. Workforce Retention
The second step in our plan focuses on the workforce. There are 3,000 NHS vacancies in Wales at present, plus nearly half of the medical students in Wales relocate to England due to greater availability of foundation posts. This is just tip of the iceberg.
This isn’t just about creating a workforce plan – of course, that’s needed, but Welsh Government needs to set out clearly how it is to be delivered, with targets and full costings, and make sure it accurately reflects the current needs and gaps in the Welsh NHS workforce.
There is too great a reliance on private agencies, and therefore too great a cost to the NHS. Any solution to this mustn’t be about stripping away the flexibility that agency working offers, but be about stripping away private profit from agency working. So, our proposal is to create a public staffing agency.
The third point in our plan – and it’s one I make no apology for – is to give greater priority to preventative health measures.
Making preventative health care an all-encompassing, holistic and explicit aim of Welsh Government policy is so important. Building a Healthier Wales, one that is less dependent on prolonged primary care, should be a core focus of all departments, not just health.
4. Health and Social Care Interaction
The fourth step is to improve the interaction between health and social care provision. We heard on the news recently that senior NHS staff were advised by the Welsh government to discharge people who are well enough to leave, even without a package of care.
This is because there are patients who are well-enough to be discharged from hospital, but cannot access the social care packages they require – resulting in so called ‘bed-blocking’. This in turn has a knock on impact on ward capacity and hospital waiting times.
This speaks volumes about a lack of joined-up and strategic thinking on the interaction between health and social care, an issue that has long been highlighted by the healthcare sector. Our plan directly addresses the action that should be taken to address this.
5. Delivering the Recovery
Finally, we need to create a resilient health service fit for the future through a clearly signposted recovery plan.
Labour in Wales has had a very long time to create a more resilient and better equipped health service - 25 years, in fact. This point is about making the new NHS Executive fit for purpose with the power to make real change, but also about taking the steps to tackle waiting times.
Earlier this week I visited an elective surgery hub at Clatterbridge campus to learn first-hand about the kind of positive change that innovative and collaborative thinking can bring. The hub’s core focus is to focus on reducing waiting lists – a recovery programme that builds capacity for urgent demand by separating the acute and elective services entirely. Whilst a solution may not look exactly the same in Wales, one thing is clear – we must learn from good practice, and create a resilient health service that’s fit for the future.
There is so much that needs to be done following two decades of Labour mismanagement, but Plaid Cymru’s plan offers give things that we believe will make a real and positive difference to everyone across the health service – front line workers, patients and those that administer it - everyone who wants see our NHS being saved.


“The Absolute Limit Switch”
The Best Match Yet?:
It’s a great time to be a Haikyuu!! fan. Not only was this one of the most thrilling (and rewarding) episodes to date, but we’ve already got a third season confirmed for the end of the year. Get hyped! Now, where do I begin with this episode? It was pretty much a dream come true – classic Haikyuu!!, yet even more adrenaline-pumped than usual. I think it would be fair to say this is the best match of the series, with Karasuno and Seijou’s first tournament match being a contender as well (I love that surprise ending still to this day – no one saw that coming). Perhaps the outcome for this rematch was more obvious, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. While last week’s main content was off the court, every bit of volleyball action this week was sheer brilliance – so impressive I didn’t want to blink in case I missed anything.
I loved that literally every player got the oppertunity to shine. There’s too many to list them all, but some that stood out to me were: Daichi’s repeatedly impressive defence and leadership, Suga going all out and coming in at just the right time, Asahi delivering a few powerful spikes, Tanaka and Tsukki continuing last week’s strategy, Yamaguchi’s chance to score a point, Noya cheering with absolute passion, Hinata eyeing up his opponents in awe, and his combo with Kageyama coming together wonderfully at the very end. This season has been more focused on developing the characters, showing snippets of their past, and allowing them to improve as players and teammates – so this was the natural conclusion, and it felt so sweet to see that ball slap past Oikawa’s save, as Karasuno won the game and progressed to the finals. And for the record, I was pacing my room and screaming with excitement for most of this episode – especially the last five minutes. That was play after play after play, teasing us right up until Hinata got his oppertunity to prove his worth.
Seijou’s Defeat – Oikawa’s Premonitions:
While Karasuno were impressive throughout this match, it’s hard not to recognise how powerful Seijou are – Oikawa especially. He is truly a force to be reckoned with, but seeing him at his weakest – when Kageyama had him on his knees, looking up in defeat – it was almost like Oikawa’s life flashed before his eyes. We saw scenes from middle school to now: him losing to Shiratorizawa, him not being a naturally gifted player but instead one that has trained himself to be as good as he can be, his earlier encounters with Kageyama, and not their showdown here. And with that, it all makes sense why Oikawa resents Kageyama so much. After losing before, he saw Kageyama as a true adversary, even from the early days. It all builds up perfectly to that moment where Oikawa has to accept there is a limit to how far he can improve – yet whether he has reached that limit yet is left unanswered.
Overview – What’s Next?:
Karasuno won! They did it! While this episode was brimming with incredible action that no other sports anime could compete with, the word I would used to describe this episode would be ‘rewarding’. We’ve been building up to this moment, saw characters struggle and push through their difficulties and differences in order to reach this point. And, as I’ve said before, it feels perfectly natural. While I do feel this second cour hasn’t been the best the series has to offer (though certain episodes were brilliant), without the training of the first cour, it wouldn’t have felt like Karasuno earned their improvements. They trained hard and we got to know them all even more because of it.
In a way, this is the perfect end to the first ‘part’ of Haikyuu!!, as Karasuno’s rivalry with Seijou is now over, and they came out on top in the end. Shiratorizawa lies ahead now – a team that has seems more legend than reality. Even Seijou was never able to beat them, so this will be the chance for Karasuno to use everything they’ve learned and make their way to nationals. With only one episode left, we’re likely to get a slower epilogue, before we return in Fall with the third season. I personally think the announcement came too early, as it would mean at least a 2+ year wait for the fourth season. But at least we won’t have to wait too long to see Karasuno’s potential put to the test.


Brno Urban Grid
What is Brno Urban Grid?
Brno Urban Grid (BUG) is an application that will enable simple visualization and analysis of several types of spatial data within the scope of the Brno Metropolitan Area. It is an uncomplicated and open tool for quick and clear analysis of the spatial situation. The application uses a grid square of a size of a 250×250 cell, that is located above the metropolitan area map (OpenStreetMap). The information can be calculated into squared cells about different spatial phenomena, such as the number of inhabitants, the area of the built-up areas or the area of retail outlets. The key features of the application are openness, user-friendliness and interpretive clarity.
Why a square grid?
The advantage of using a square grid is the ability to present and analyze data in tightly defined, stable and mutually comparable spatial units. The use of the grid resolves distortions caused by uneven size or changes in the boundaries of the usual statistical spatial units. Individual cells can be grouped together to best cover the selected territory. The use of the grid is in line with the current activities of the national statistical authorities and Eurostat, which leads to a deeper development of grid statistics.
Who is in charge of administration and the development of the application?
The application is developed by cartographers, computer scientists and social geographers from Altimapo company, a spin-off of Masaryk University in Brno.


text:
CITYWIDE — In the People’s Republic of Santa Monica, tenants rule.
That is borne out with a quick count of elected officials. Five of the seven City Council members, four of the five Rent Control Board members and six of the seven members of the Board of Education were all backed by Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), a group formed in the late 1970s to fight for rent control laws in the city by the sea.
Gearing up for the 2012 election, SMRR dollars — $73,000 of them at last count — will be reaching out to thousands of voters, and when tenants here vote, they tend to go for left-leaning policies, people and measures.
A $385 million school bond measure, which will appear on the November ballot as Measure ES, enjoys far more support from renters than amongst homeowners, whom they outnumber two to one, according to polling data gathered by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research. A full three-quarters of apartment dwellers polled supported the bond, and 55 percent said that if SMRR got behind the measure, they were more likely to support it.
Despite the fact that tenants outnumber homeowners in most of Los Angeles, their influence is not felt to the same degree as in Santa Monica. That may have something to do with the nature of the tenant voting base which, while huge, is also diverse and heterogeneous.
Renters come from all walks of life, speaking different languages, holding different politics and political interests. Corralling that into a political force and channeling it in the same direction is difficult at best.
Larry Gross has been working at it for years.
Gross is the director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, an organization that works to organize low- and moderate-income people to fight for economic and social justice.
The multi-racial and multi-ethnic coalition helped organize renters in West Hollywood to protect rent control and incorporate the city in the 1980s, which at one point was just another neighborhood in the county of Los Angeles.
Having seen them in action, Gross knows the power and influence tenants can have — if they can be compelled to act. Organizers in Santa Monica have had notable success, he said.
“I am a whole-hearted believer that tenants are a political force, a sleeping force that if tapped into on these issues as is done in Santa Monica, they have tremendous influence on elections,” Gross said.
Rooted in rent control
In Santa Monica, much like West Hollywood, the galvanizing force behind the organization of SMRR and the rise of tenant power was rent control, a policy which artificially holds down prices on rental housing to the benefit of tenants and the distress of many landlords.
The direct influence of rent control is a near-freeze on prices, which allows people to stay in their homes even when prices of housing around them go up.
The indirect impact, however, is the knowledge that a tenant can expect to stay in place over the long term, a feeling which supporters, like SMRR co-chair Patricia Hoffman, say causes a normally unstable population to put down roots and invest in a community.
That means joining civic life, participating in public debate and, sometimes, passing expensive school bond measures.
“It created a really stable population,” Hoffman said.
That security and stability transformed Santa Monica by changing tenants from a group that could be ignored into a political force, said City Councilmember Kevin McKeown, a renter himself and firm supporter of SMRR.
“I lived here before rent control,” McKeown said. “Tenants were considered transients, and were rarely involved in governance or community affairs at the level we take for granted now, after three decades of rent control.”
The year was 1979.
Hoffman and her husband, Gene Oppenheim, had returned to Santa Monica after a three-year relocation to Seattle. Their move away from the city by the sea had a helping hand from their landlord who raised their rent $100 from $165 to $265.
Although that sounds like a dream now, the couple had made $3,600 that year and Oppenheim was still in school, pursuing a career as a doctor. The rent hike was too much, and the couple left.
They came back in June 1979, just months after the spring election in which a newly-minted organization, Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, had pushed rent control through by popular vote.
“There was a real sense of optimism, success and idealism,” Hoffman said.
A coalition of community groups had campaigned for rent control in the 1978 election, only to fail. There were many theories about why that was, but they focused on Proposition 13, said Denny Zane, a former mayor and one of the original founders of SMRR.
That was the year that Californians passed Proposition 13, a measure put up by tax-hawk Howard Jarvis meant to stop runaway property taxes in their tracks. Many believed that if property tax rates stopped increasing, rapidly rising rents would also stop.
“(Howard Jarvis) always said you don’t need rent control, just Proposition 13. The only reason rents are going up are property taxes … . Some share of renters probably believed that,” Zane said.
And yet rents continued to rise, and Santa Monica tenants decided to take more concrete steps, spurred forward by the 1978 loss.
“I would say that the first rent control law that failed was close enough to think that if we had worked harder, we could have won,” Zane said.
Less than one year later, SMRR proved that point by campaigning for and winning rent control in Santa Monica. Over the next 20 years, SMRR would be responsible for electing 17 members of the City Council — many of whom were re-elected at least once — and held an iron grip on the makeup of the Rent Control Board until Robert Kronovet, a landlord, snagged a spot in 2008.
A dynasty had been established, and Santa Monica’s rental community was at the head of it.
People jokingly refer to Santa Monica as “the People’s Republic.” It takes only a glance at the SMRR party platform to glean the reason why.
McKeown describes it as “the most complete and nuanced expression of local progressive political values I’ve ever seen,” and one thing is for sure — it’s complete.
The group’s platform started with rent control and tenant protections and expanded to encompass environmental values, land use policies, the value of the arts and even workers’ rights.
In part, the breadth of the tenants group’s platform speaks to what it takes to keep an organization like SMRR relevant and capable of maintaining a passionate base because, similar to a Las Vegas buffet, there’s something for everyone.
That’s critical in a place that has changed as dramatically as Santa Monica. The town, once a product of the aviation industry in the 1940s and 1950s, is now called Silicon Beach because of its concentration of tech start-ups.
In 1990, the median household income was $36,000 and 46.6 percent of the population was employed as managers and professionals in specialty occupations. As of the last census, median household income was over $66,000 and the average household income was above $100,000. Almost two-thirds of residents earned their money in management, business, arts or sciences.
Gary Painter, a professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy, said that organizations that want to stay in control over the long term have to be flexible in order to bring new people into the fold.
“You would expect that political power would wane over time, without a doubt,” Painter said. “But these groups are fairly adept at figuring out who new constituencies might be and changing their platforms and policies.”
What exactly SMRR will have to do to remain as top dog in Santa Monica remains to be seen.
Hoffman estimates that over 4,000 new units, not subject to rent control, are already in the planning pipeline to be built in Santa Monica in coming years. Many of those are small units, 375 to 425 square feet in size and can cost upwards of $1,700, if current prices hold.
That fact concerns McKeown, who sees it as a threat to the stable renting community that Santa Monica has worked so hard to form.
Young people that take advantage of those small studios, also called SROs, which stands for single room occupancy, may see them as stepping stones to other forms of housing later when they decide to have a family and need more space.
That doesn’t breed the same level of participation that has been the distinguishing feature of the Santa Monica rental community for so many decades.
“My concern is not that short-term tenancies make SMRR’s progressive platform less relevant, or that the short-termers will go in some other direction politically. I think not,” McKeown said. “What I worry about is that more and more new Santa Monicans will simply be disengaged from longer-term local issues.”
The true impact of the new renting population is yet to be seen, but SMRR, and the constituency that it represents, isn’t going down without a fight.
“The population may or may not get involved. They may not be much of a factor at all,” Zane said. “But SMRR will reach out to them, knock on every door and build familiarity.”


text: I recently came across an important topic, Metoclopramide overdose, which I feel needs to be shared with you all. Metoclopramide is a medication used to treat various gastrointestinal issues, but an overdose can cause serious symptoms like drowsiness, agitation, and even seizures. Immediate treatment is crucial and may include activated charcoal, gastric lavage, or sedatives to control seizures. To prevent an overdose, always follow the prescribed dosage and consult your doctor if you experience any adverse effects. It's essential to be cautious and informed when taking medications to ensure our safety and well-being.


text:
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
[Note for TomDispatch Readers: Today, we have a remarkable book to offer you: TomDispatch regular Steve Fraser's The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power. It's a history of our two Gilded Ages, the nineteenth-century one and our present era of soaring inequality, and how differently Americans reacted to each of those long plutocratic moments. Maura Casey in the Washington Post calls the book "a rich tapestry of history, statistics, and barely suppressed outrage to demonstrate how unusual the current, sheep-like acceptance of financial disparities is compared with the rabble-rousing opposition to the rise of corporations between the Civil War and the Depression years." As Jon Weiner writes in the Los Angeles Times , Fraser is "particularly passionate and penetrating in his analysis of our present state of submission and surrender" to our new financial elite, our 1% elections, and a rigged world. (Occupy Wall Street being the exception that proves the rule.) For a contribution of $100 (or more) to TomDispatch -- crucial money for our wellbeing -- you can get a personalized, signed copy of this special history for our moment. Just check out our donation page for the details.
Today, while I'm on vacation, Fraser himself introduces an excerpt I've specially chosen (and slightly adapted) from The Age of Acquiescence on the particular inequalities of the first Gilded Age and how they drove Americans in staggering numbers into passionate debate, into organizing themselves, and into the streets of our land. It's quite a tale. Tom]
"The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there." So wrote British playwright Harold Pinter. How apt that seems when one compares life in our own "second Gilded Age" to the way things were done in the original Gilded Age of a century ago. True, there are some striking similarities between the two moments, including the rise to power of crony capitalism, the staggering growth of inequality, the exiling of democracy, and the spread of Darwinian rationales to justify and camouflage the embedding of plutocracy at the heights of our world.
What is strikingly different, however, is the way Americans of the nineteenth century reacted to all of this. They managed to mount a kind of sustained economic, political, and cultural resistance to plutocratic rule that is simply unimaginable today. Masses of our ancestors refused to accept that tooth-and-claw capitalism was their fate and that they should submit to it without a whimper of protest. Instead, they imagined new, more civilized ways of living together and then took to the streets in staggering numbers and with remarkable persistence, even in the face of the armed power of corporations and the state, to make their points felt. We can hardly say the same about our more recent past.
How did they manage that? Novelist William Faulkner viewed the past differently than Pinter. As he famously observed, "The past is not dead; it is not even past." Those confronted by the iniquities and inequities that ran rampant in the first Gilded Age stood up to exploitation and oppression by reaching into their varied pasts. There they were able to find the moral, intellectual, and even organizational wherewithal to defy the prevailing capitalist order of things. At the same time, with a creativity that would amaze us, they looked far into alternative futures to imagine ways of escaping a fate their overlords insisted was both right and inevitable, envisioning worlds that seemed far more inviting to everyone but the plutocrats.
Today, we are faced with a double dilemma: How do we once again make Pinter's "foreign country," that rich world of resistance to capitalism that now seems lost in the mists of time, a familiar part of our lives? And how, in doing so, do we make what now seems, in Faulkner's terms, so undead -- all the brutishness, mayhem, inequality, and injustice that so disfigures the present -- finally die? While you're considering that, here's a glimpse (from my new book, The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power) of the two worlds of the first Gilded Age and the chasm that lay between them. Steve Fraser
Plutocracy The First Time Around
Revisiting the Great Upheaval and the First Gilded Age
By Steve Fraser
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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

domain: politics


The PAF is known to operate around 40 assorted models of the “Huey” helicopter. The Air Force has a fleet of 30 or also uses in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.
The defense department has obtained a Japanese government grant of around 5 billion worth of spare parts for the fleet of UH-1H “Huey” combat utility helicopters of the Philippine Air Force.
According to Defense Secretary Lorenzana, the spare parts will provide the Philippine Air Force’s Huey helicopters more mission-ready helicopter.
The Department of National Defense and Japan’s Ministry of Defense will coordinate and finalize the details and schedule of the transfer, in the first quarter of 2019 or earlier.
The parts and maintenance equipment of UH-1H helicopters to the PAF consisting of the following categories: airframe structure; dynamic power system, control system; rotor system; hydraulic system; electrical system; instrument system; accessory equipment; and others.
The UH-1H helicopters are used in the PAF’s activities related to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, transport, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
“We hope that this defense equipment transfer will contribute to further cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in such areas as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as maritime security,” the Japanese Embassy in Manila said in a statement.


text:
Dear Commons Community,
Clive Thompson, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired, has an op-ed in today’s New York Times entitled, “End the Tyranny of 24/7 Email”. Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, he alerts us to the way email has taken over our lives especially for many white-collar workers. Here is an excerpt:
“White-collar cubicle dwellers complain about email for good reason. They spend 28 percent of their workweek slogging through the stuff, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. They check their messages 74 times a day, on average, according to Gloria Mark, an authority on workplace behavior and a professor at the University of California, Irvine.
And lots of that checking happens at home. Jennifer Deal, a senior research scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership, surveyed smartphone-using white-collar workers and found that most were umbilically tied to email a stunning 13.5 hours a day, well into the evening. Workers don’t even take a break during dinner — where, other research shows, fully 38 percent check work email “routinely,” peeking at the phone under the table. Half check it in bed in the morning. What agonizes workers is the expectation that they’ll reply instantly to a colleague or boss, no matter how ungodly the hour. Hence the endless, neurotic checking, and the dread of getting in trouble for ignoring something.”
“Limiting workplace email seems radical, but it’s a trend in Germany, where Volkswagen and Deutsche Telekom have adopted policies that limit work-related email to some employees on evenings and weekends. If this can happen in precision-mad, high-productivity Germany, could it happen in the United States? Absolutely. It not only could, but it should.”
Agreed! Break the chains and enjoy the Labor Day Weekend!


text:
See 'Poplar Rate Rebels mural - 1' for all the text and names associated with the whole mural.
Site: Poplar Rate Rebels mural (4 memorials)
E14, Hale Street, Tower Hamlets Parks Department depot
From the absolutely excellent London Mural Preservation Society: "Originally painted by Mark Frances, the mural features four panels telling the story of the Rates Rebellion, mostly in words. It depicts George Lansbury and local residents holding 'Can't Pay Won't Pay' placards, in reference to the anti-Poll Tax campaign of the early 1990s, contemporaneous to when the mural was first completed. Names of the imprisoned Councillors feature along the bottom. The mural was restored in 2007 by David Bratby and Maureen Delenian with help from local children."
September 2021: Diamond Geezer reported that the mural "has been given a repaint to celebrate the centenary".

domain: history


text:
1023 South De Anza Boulevard
Commute to Downtown Cupertino
Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
A few nearby public transportation options.
Flat as a pancake, excellent bike lanes.
1023 South De Anza Boulevard has a Walk Score of 78 out of 100. This location is Very Walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
This location is in San Jose. Nearby parks include Jollyman Park, Three Oaks Park and Calabazas Park.
Explore how far you can travel by car, bus, bike and foot from 1023 South De Anza Boulevard.
1023 South De Anza Boulevard has some transit which means a few nearby public transportation options. Car sharing is available from RelayRides.
53 WV COLLEGE- SUNNYVALE TRANS CTR
25 DE ANZA COL - ALUM ROCK TRANS CTR
55 DE ANZA COLLEGE - GREAT AMERICA
View all San Jose apartments on a map.
This location is in the city of San Jose, CA. San Jose has an average Walk Score of 51 and has 945,942 residents.

domain: geography