Sept. 11 changed the public’s foreign policy priorities. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, concern over future terrorist attacks dominated public concerns and many traditional foreign policy goals assumed a lower priority. Now, nearly three years later, the public’s priorities have shifted again. While protecting the U.S. from terrorist attacks remains the top priority, other issues have rebounded in importance. The biggest changes over this time period are a renewed focus on global social problems (such as AIDS, international drug trafficking and world hunger), and a more intense concern about protecting the jobs of American workers.
Currently, nearly nine-in-ten Americans (88%) say taking measures to protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks should be a top foreign policy priority. Even before 9/11, this issue rated as the public’s leading priority. But its importance increased markedly after the attacks (93% said this was a top priority) and has fallen only marginally since then.
Yet the public now attaches nearly as much importance to the goal of protecting the jobs of American workers 84% say this should be a top foreign policy priority. This is up from 74% in October 2001 and comparable to the level of concern expressed in September 1993, when jobs and the domestic economy were in the forefront of Americans’ minds.
More than seven-in-ten Americans (72%) view reducing the spread of AIDS and other infectious diseases as a top foreign policy priority. Prior to Sept. 11, public concern over this issue was equally high (73% said this should be a top priority), but it declined as a priority after the attacks (59% in October 2001). The increase since that time has been most pronounced among whites, middle-aged Americans, college graduates, Republicans and independents. College graduates, in particular, rate reducing the spread of AIDS and other infectious diseases as a more important objective; 67% rate it a top priority, up from just 43% in October 2001. Reducing the spread of AIDS remains a higher priority for women, blacks and liberals, but the gaps along demographic and party lines have narrowed substantially in recent years.
Increased Partisan Differences
The shift in public priorities since the fall of 2001 is largely a consequence of growing divisions along partisan lines. While Republicans and Democrats had similar lists of foreign policy priorities in October 2001, they are increasingly focused on different issues today.
Protecting the U.S. against terrorism is by far the leading priority among Republicans, with more than nine-in-ten (93%) rating that goal a top priority. By comparison, about as many Democrats cite protecting U.S. jobs as a major priority as mention terrorism (89% vs. 86%). And while Republicans are more focused on preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and reducing America’s dependence on imported oil, Democrats are more concerned about reducing the spread of AIDS and combating international drug trafficking.
Looking at partisanship across a range of policy issues, the gaps between Republicans and Democrats have grown wider on those issues that have been politicized since 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq war namely preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, insuring adequate energy supplies and reducing U.S. military commitments overseas.
WMD Less Important
While still among the public’s top foreign policy priorities, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction rates somewhat lower than it has in the past, and has become much more politicized. In early Sept. 2001, 78% of Americans said preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction should be a top foreign policy priority. In mid-October 2001, that number rose slightly to 81%.
Since then, however, the percentage saying this issue should be a top priority has fallen to 71%. It is now comparable to the level of concern expressed in the early to mid-1990s.The falloff since Oct. 2001 has been most pronounced among whites, those with at least some college education, and, as with many other issues, reflects a growing political divide. There has been no change in opinions on this issue among Republicans or conservatives. But significantly fewer Democrats and independents rate preventing the spread of WMD as a top priority today than following the 9/11 attacks.
Energy and Oil
Ensuring adequate energy supplies for the U.S. continues to rank among the public’s leading long-term policy goals. Seven-in-ten Americans say this should be a top priority, virtually unchanged from Oct. 2001 (69%) and down slightly from early Sept. 2001 (74%). Energy security has assumed somewhat greater importance since the mid-1990s, when roughly six-in-ten said this should be a top priority.
This issue is especially important to Republicans. More than three-quarters of Republicans (77%) place a high priority on ensuring adequate energy supplies. By contrast, 65% of Democrats and just half of liberal Democrats say energy should be a top priority. Otherwise, there are few notable demographic differences on this issue.
Reducing U.S. dependence on imported oil rates somewhat lower on the public’s list of priorities. Roughly six-in-ten Americans (63%) cite this as a top objective. Nearly equal proportions of Republicans, Democrats and independents say reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil should be a top priority.
Combating international drug trafficking is one of the policy goals that was viewed as less important after 9/11, but has rebounded. Today 63% of the public says this should be a top foreign policy priority, up from 55% in October 2001 and comparable to the 64% who expressed this view in early September 2001. The number was marginally higher in September 1997 (67%).
Improve Relations With Allies
A 58% majority rates as a top priority the goal of getting other nations to assume more of the costs of keeping world order. This view has changed little in the past few years, and is fairly consistent across most demographic and political groups. However, the goal of persuading other nations to share international burdens is much more important to older Americans than it is to younger people: 68% of those age 50 and older say this should be a top priority, compared with 51% of those under age 50.
The related issue of improving relations with U.S. allies is slightly more divisive from a political standpoint. Overall, 54% of the public says improving relationships with U.S. allies should be a top foreign policy priority. But Republicans are significantly less likely to hold this view than are Democrats or independents (47% vs. 58% and 59%, respectively).
Several of the remaining foreign policy priorities relate to providing assistance material, security or other forms to countries in need. Half of the public says dealing with the problem of world hunger should be a top priority. This issue, like preventing the spread of AIDS and other infectious diseases, faded somewhat in the immediate post-9/11 period (34% said it should be a top priority in October 2001), but has since assumed more urgency.
Addressing the problem of world hunger is given much higher priority by Democrats, liberals, women, blacks and the less affluent.
By comparison, there has been little change in public attitudes toward preventing genocide, despite the ongoing tragedy in Sudan. Roughly half of the public (47%) rates “protecting groups or nations that are threatened with genocide” as a top policy priority; prior to the terrorist attacks on 9/11, 49% held this view.
There are no major differences in this view demographically or politically, but this is a higher priority for those who have followed the situation in Sudan very closely (59% top priority) than for those who have paid less attention to the story (45%).
A third of the public believes promoting and defending human rights in other countries should be a top foreign policy priority. This number has increased steadily since 1993, when 22% viewed human rights as a top priority and an equal percentage said it should have no priority at all. In the pre-9/11 poll, Democrats placed more importance on this issue than did Republicans (32% vs. 24%, respectively). Today Republicans feel more strongly about the issue (38% vs. 30% of Democrats).
Spreading Democracy a Low Priority
Despite President Bush’s goal of a more democratic Mideast, only about a quarter of Americans (24%) believe that promoting democracy in other nations should be a top priority. There has been no increase in support for this objective since October 2001.
There is no significant partisan division on this question just 27% of Republicans and 22% Democrats rate this as a top priority. Those who feel the war in Iraq was the right decision are more likely to rate this an important objective. Still, just three-in-ten war supporters call this a top priority, compared with 18% of those who feel the war was the wrong decision.
In addition, white evangelical Protestants are stronger proponents of promoting democracy than are non-evangelical Protestants or Catholics (30% vs. 20% and 22%, respectively, say this should be a top foreign policy priority).
Waning Support for Addressing Global Warming
Global warming is a much less important issue to most Americans than it was prior to 9/11. Just 36% rate it a top priority, and while this represents a small rise in importance since the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks (31%) it is still far below previous levels. In early Sept. 2001, 44% of Americans said global warming should be a top priority, and as recently as 1995, fully 56% of the public held this view.
Republicans and Democrats are worlds apart when it comes to global warming. While 44% of Democrats say this issue should be a top priority, only 22% of Republicans agree. Independents are much closer to Democrats on this issue (42% say top priority). There was a similar partisan gap in the pre-9/11 survey, when 51% of Democrats but just 30% of Republicans gave global warming top billing.
The public is somewhat more supportive of reducing U.S. military commitments abroad than it was in early September 2001; 35% now rate that objective as a top priority, compared with 26% three years ago. For the most part, however, public attitudes on defense issues are now similar to where they were prior to the attacks.
Overall, 53% think the U.S. should keep defense spending at about the same level, 25% believe it should be increased while 18% think it should be cut back. Public support for increased defense spending rose sharply between early September 2001 and the survey conducted just six weeks later, after the 9/11 attacks (from 32% to 50%). The current balance of opinion is much closer to measures taken prior to Sept. 11. In August 1999, for instance, 54% backed maintaining the current level of defense spending, 27% favored increased spending, and 16% supported a cut in defense expenditures.
Americans are somewhat more supportive of increasing the size of the military. About a third (34%) express that opinion, while a majority (54%) favors keeping the military the same size and just 8% support a cut back. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the gender gap on many defense issues has disappeared, and in the current survey nearly as many women as men are supportive of increasing the defense budget. However, men are significantly more likely than women to favor increasing the size of the military (40% vs. 29%).


The Speed 3 suffers from far too much turbo lag for my tastes, and it has far too narrow of a power band. Then did the second about 3200. Mazda also claims they will not honor the warranty in this matter if it appears anything other than the approved Mazda oil cap wrench was used to. No issues as of yet, I think it has around 50k on it. He never called, and did not offer to assist me in a sale. Instead, the company set out to make incremental improvements. In mixed driving, I managed 25 mpg with the big motor, and 35 mpg with the 2.
The Mazda3 Touring also comes with some additional safety features like blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. It's powered by the efficient 155-hp 2. It's a pretty trick setup. One thing I don't get is that whereas the Mazda 3 is available in hatchback and sedan bodies, the mazdaspeed 3 is only available in hatchback. If the Mazdaspeed were available as a sedan, I think it would have jumped into first place.
Once concern is whether the hatch can hold as much cargo as the sedan when the seats are up. It keeps the same basic architecture, with some upgrades. A great car to start autocross in. If there is one thing that sticks out about the 2016 Mazda3 it is just how much you actually get at the base or mid-level trims like the Sport and Touring. Yes, our own greenbacks, earned writing car porn. Both cars make strong cases for themselves, when cast either against each other or against the rest of the segment, adding the rarefied fun-to-drive factor in the daily driver. The only thing that's broken is that one of the turn signals doesn't cancel.
With plenty of torque in the midrange, the 3 can sprint like a wide receiver through traffic. Available in three different trim levels — Sport, Touring and Grand Touring, the new Mazda 6 offers something for every driver. Compared with other compact offerings, the Mazda offers an unparalleled chassis that delivers ride comfort without compromising handling. For the 2012 model year, the Mazda3 will receive the first of a new line of the automaker's much-hyped Skyactiv powertrains along with an exterior refresh. That always costs a few eye blinks.
As is the mazdaspeed3 is proven to be much faster than the new wrx in both cornering and straight line speed. . The bigger motor comes courtesy of Ford, and is similar to the one found in base versions of the Ford Fusion. Just thought of this since I am looking myself. He fed me a line about the owner driving it the day before, which seemed doubtful.
I wasn't real crazy about the hatchback at first, but it grew on me, and have found it is handy to have the extra space. It was the hottest thing last year, and anyone selling it did good business in a soft market. Of course, this is just personal preference and speculation, and, as you know, a test drive is the best option. The faux futurism that pervades the interior design would make Sulu and Uhura feel right at home behind the wheel. I liked this car and was willing to make it work, but the transaction has to be from both customer and dealer.
The front grabs with 10 fingers, the back end pushes and tucks, pushes and tucks as you gas it. Well, in all fairness, she wouldn't appreciate it as much as I would. Oh, where art thou, change? But the chassis is so good, in a segment relative kind of way, that it highlights, with big bold yellow strokes, the lack of grip in the Bridgestone Turanzas. Mazda reserves the right to change product specifications at any time without incurring obligations. The same port-injected, twin-cam 16-valve cast-aluminum engine as in the base Mazda 6 gains 0. Dimensionally, the passenger capsule is almost unchanged, putting it midpack, and the trunk, accessed through a lid that pivots up and forward on multi¬link hinges, stays the same at 12 cubic feet. Been doing some sedan shopping the past few weeks and my wife and I are drawn to the Mazda 3s an alternative to a used 5 or 3 series.
I have a 06 Mazda 3 hatch. It comes with the more powerful 2. We've narrowed it down to a 07 3-sport with 3,000 miles or a 07 Mazdaspeed3 with 9,000 miles. The extra gearbox ratio helps hold the line on fuel economy, though the city rating drops 1 mpg to 21. I for one wish they would.
But since there's no sedan. The Speed 3 definitely has a special air about it, but the power delivery feels more like the car came from a small, local tuning shop rather than a factory. We throttle-steered it around the skidpad for a 0. Sarc, you'll be amazed how much stuff you can fit in a hatchback. Her '04 3S 5 speed has 62K miles. The Mazda3 Touring has the fundamentals that mark the difference between appliance and car. I can't even pry the keys from her hands.
With its sportier character, better looks, and more useful interior space, the hatch is our choice between the two body styles. We aren't talking about a soul-stirring, meet-your-maker-on-the-back-road experience. That being said with kids coming in the next couple of years, it's big enough, plenty comfortable, awesome interior. I'm currently debating between the i Touring +tech package and s Touring. Standing for Adaptive Front Lighting System, this enables the lights of the Mazda3 S to swivel based on the road conditions and whether the car is turning or not, providing the driver with a better view of the road ahead and those precious milliseconds to react to any obstacle on the road. I currently have a '02 Jetta Turbo, so the specs on the s match what I currently have more.


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A man, who is accused of committing war crimes in Somalia, is working as a security guard at an international airport near Washington, DC.
According to Press TV, Yusuf Abdi Ali is living a normal life with his Somali wife near Washington and has been working at Dulles International Airport over the past six years..
He was a military commander during Somalia’s deadly civil war in the 1980s, where he allegedly committed atrocities against the Isaaq community in the African country’s northern region.
The Isaaq clan was heavily repressed and brutalized by government troops during the war. Many of them were killed and buried in mass graves.
Ali moved to Canada after Somalia’s military regime led by Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed in 1991. He was deported several years later after the CBC network aired a documentary about his war crimes in Somalia.
He then entered the US under a visa through his wife, Intisar Farah, who got a US citizenship after claiming she is from Isaaq clan that was tortured by Ali.
He is placed on administrative leave following media attention to his past and is being sued in a civil court in the US. The lawsuit describes him a “war criminal” who committed “crimes against humanity.”
Kathy Roberts, an attorney of Center for Justice and Accountability that leads the lawsuit, said Ali “oversaw some of the most incredible violence that you can imagine.”
“He tortured people personally; he oversaw torture,” Roberts also said, stressing that Ali is directly responsible for the violence.
“He arrested people, stole their stuff, burned villages, executed masses of people. At one point he had a school come out to view an execution,” she added.
The lawsuit against Ali was initially filed in 2006. The case had several twists and appeals over the years. In February, a US appeals court ruled that only part of the case can move forward and the part that he committed “war crimes” cannot be addressed because the alleged crimes happened outside of the US.

domain: law


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- Room 110, Hepworth House, Drake Circus
Ms Jane Cullen
Marketing Services (External Relations)
As Marketing Manager, I lead a team of marketers to develop and deliver the integrated marketing and communication plans for the University's portfolio of strategic projects. Broadly speaking this is a focus on profile, reputation and research, but also touches on student experience, alumni, The Arts Institute public programme and fundraising.
Chartered Institute of Marketing
Fellow, Royal Society of Arts

domain: artistic


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At the keynote for Google I/O 2013, the search giant had a pretty heavy statistic lurking in its back pocket: as of this year worldwide, there have been 900 million Android activations.
With nearly a billion people using an Android device daily, it's no surprise that Android apps are also hitting some big numbers. Google Play just crossed 48 billion app installs, and it seems to be growing at an enormous pace. In fact, Google's VP of Product Management for Android, Hugo Barra, says that in the last month alone, there have been 2.5 million downloads off of the Google Play store.
It's a major number, but it's rather understandable given the software's ubiquity in the smartphone world. Major players in the hardware industry, though dabbling in other software options, are more reliably turning to Android to provide the magic within their phones. And the increasing popularity of those products, like Samsung's current fleet, make Android's big boom a no-brainer. Right now, it's safe to say that when it comes to the sheer volume of high-quality phones, Android has everyone beat.
In their next move, Google is focused on getting more of the world, including places where the penetration of Android is less than 10%, up and running with Android.
What do you think of Android's adoption rates? Let us know in the comments.

domain: news


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domain: hobby


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PARIS (Reuters) - France’s presidential election looks set to become a straight fight between Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande and incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy after both widened the gap with other contenders over the past month, a poll showed on Sunday.
The survey by pollsters LH2 showed Hollande extended his lead over Sarkozy for the first electoral round on April 22 to 8.5 percentage points versus a 4.5 point gap three weeks ago.
Hollande scored 34 percent against the president’s 25.5 percent, according to the poll carried out for website Yahoo! on February 3 and 4. Far right candidate Marine Le Pen is in third place with 15 percent, down 2 points, and centrist Francois Bayrou, also lost 2 points to 12 percent.
Le Pen on Sunday accused the big two parties of trying to exclude her from the race.
The trend towards a two-man contest comes as both leading candidates step up their campaign efforts, even though Sarkozy is still waiting until close to a March 16 deadline before officially declaring his candidacy.
The pollsters said the two main contenders had benefited from more exposure during the recent busy political period. “While our previous studies had marked a progression of the challengers, they have now lost some momentum,” LH2 said in the survey, based on interviews with 955 adults.
Hollande looked set to defeat Sarkozy in the second round with 57 percent of the vote, according to the poll.
His first big rally last month and the withdrawal of maverick left-wing candidate Jean-Pierre Chevenement from the race have helped him in opinion polls.
Sarkozy’s prospects have brightened too after he announced a flurry of measures to boost employment and competitiveness.
He was also buoyed this week by securing the “active support” of German Chancellor and fellow conservative Angela Merkel, who will appear with him at events during his campaign.
A separate TNS Sofres poll for Canal+ showed that 40 percent of people had yet to decide who they would vote for.
Reporting By John Irish; Editing by Ben Harding


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I tried to start reading some of David Byrne’s book, “How Music Works”, opening the page indiscriminately at a section that was discussing Marshall McLuhan’s acoustic and visual distinctions of the world. It isn’t for me. However, I will give it a couple of more attempts because I think Byrne a musical genius and I am certain that he can tell me many things I might want to know.
If there is a difference between today and the 18th century, I think it partly resides in the way we experience things. Music, for example, can be experienced anywhere these days. In the 18th century, you had to go and watch the music and there was necessarily an involvement that was more than simple listening. The orchestra, the crowds, the violin that was out of tune, a bravura performance, the person with a cough—the experience was far more than the music by itself. This was true of every performance—you could not distance yourself from it.
I am certain Byrne has thought about this. In a broader context, if one’s interaction with music was greater in the 18th century, was that not also the case with everything? The question is whether our lives are removed, sort of encased as it were, because our existence can almost be hermetic, or for lack of a better word, digital? Does it matter that we are so removed from this more “life-like” experience. For my part, I know that furniture design and manufacture was never better than in the 18th century, but what does that mean?
I read an article about a snow boarder who does split boarding in the most inhospitable and death defying locations around the world. His goal is to confront himself physically and mentally to the fullest extent possible. To me, it seems like a crazy way to live, but for him it is life with a capital “L” and it certainly is not digitalized. Ultimately, I believe life is about going to the fullest extent. For a musician, I can see it being live performances. For me, I love not only knowing about 18th century furniture but buying, selling, touching and being amazed by it. It never ceases to open my eyes.
All the best,


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The Bank Nifty registered its worst fall since January 2014 and lost around 3.08%...
The Bank Nifty registered its worst fall since January 2014 and lost around 3.08% on Tuesday. Indian stocks, especially private and public sector banks remained under pressure following the rout in crude prices and concerns that Greece might exit the euro zone.
The Bank Nifty on Tuesday opened at 18,874.60 and touched intra-day low of 18,388.35 and finally ended at 18,430.75 down by 586.65 points or 3.08%. Market participants say that, although the sell-off on Tuesday was triggered by global factors, in the last one year the index has gained nearly 70% and was on course for some correction.
A fund manager from a leading fund house on condition of anonymity said, “I don’t think there is anything fundamentally wrong with the banking sector. We still believe, with falling current account deficit (CAD) and fiscal deficit, this is the sector to be invested in, for 2015. But valuations of many stocks had turned too expensive and some correction was expected. Investors can use such corrections to enter the quality names.”
All 12 banks in the Bank Nifty ended the day in the red, with the biggest cuts seen in Bank of India (-5.29%), ICICI Bank (-4.59%) and State Bank of India (-4.11%). The CNX PSU Bank index which represents public sector also lost 4.12% and ended the day at 4,104.60, down 176.55 points. Within the PSU banks index, the worst losses were seen in Syndicate Bank (-5.52%), Union Bank of India (-5.45%) and Indian Overseas Bank (-5.44%).
Gopal Agrawal, CIO at Mirae Asset Mutual Fund says, “What we have seen on Tuesday is a knee-jerk reaction to falling crude prices. We saw across-the-board selling and not only in the banking stocks. I think this is short term volatility as falling crude prices will benefit India.”
Market participants say that, overall the outlook for the banking sector is positive in the medium to long term but there might be some short term volatility due to the global factors. “In 2015 we might see substantive developments for banking sector in India; there might be new banks coming up and government rationalising foreign ownership norms. All these factors will help the sector, especially private banks,” concluded the head of equity at a top brokerage house.


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Relative sizing of widgets with a maximum size limit in Qt Creator
I am struggling to design my UI with Qt Creator 2.8.1.
I have multiple windows with multiple panels.
The first window has 3 panels, 1 with a login/view button, 2 giving instructions and 3 serving as an application log.
How do I fix it so that panel 1 and 3 are small, with a limitation on the maximum possible button size while
Panel 3 is relatively small.
I want my panels to expand with the window size but only upto a limit.
I could figure this out if I can generate C++ code from the creator, this qml is very confusing.

domain: design


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Good Friday Catfish Fry
About this event:
Let the Knights of Peter Claver do the cooking this Good Friday!
That’s right, come get a plate to-go or join us for a meal and some good company.
*All proceeds will go to the Knights of Peter Claver Council # 89.*
Days till Event:
Your shopping cart is empty.
Items/Products added to Cart will show here.

domain: food


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PML-N Lahore News Updates For The Party Supporters
The leaders of the PML-N, Lahore, have said that the soon-to-be-brought-in government of the incompetent government will make them strong and the people will not have to come on the streets.
Senator Abdul Qayyum, Senator Javed Abbasi and other leaders held talks with the former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at the Kot Lakhpat Jail to meet the media. Mushahidullah Khan said that Nawaz Sharif will not bow his head nor his crores of companions will bow their heads. He said that tomorrow I would not spread my hands in front of anyone. He is sitting begging for two lives today.
While some one the brave family like sharif will have to face all the problem and they will have to fight against the Nab and the other problems.when they have the to face all the problems they should be very careful to protect themselves and to protect there property and there family problems.
Sharif is bravely facing the situation, close Nawaz Sharif to the seventh base of the earth, but he will remain in the hearts of the people. Are the BI suspects in PTI or not? Their movements are similar to thieves' noise. He said that the accused of EOIB are also in PTI, 34 companies are also in PTI. Rana Sanaullah Khan said Imran Khan was brought in through a fake mandate and nothing was hidden about the people who brought him.
Those who bring the government will be quick and the people will not have to come on the roads, Imran Khan's government is not going to run much. Senator Abdul Qayyum said that the case against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is not strong, inshallah they will get justice. Senator Javed Abbasi while talking to the government said that the government will burden itself with the burden of its faulty policies.
In the near future they will have to face such problem that they will have to fight back for the security of the family and to make them self very safe!


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A representation of the various types of chocolate couverture coins we offer. Our chocolate couverture coins have approximately 450 pieces per pound. From left to right showing: unsweetened, dark, dark milk, milk and white chocolate.
Showing in this photo is a representation of our 2000 count chocolate chips. The count represents approximately how many chips per pound there are. From left to right showing: dark, milk and white.
Chocolate chips come in many different shapes and sizes. At Santa Barbara Chocolate, we are able to offer a wide range of customized chips made fresh to order. Taking a look at the image above, you will be able to see the largest chip (right) compared to one of our smallest chips offered (left). The measurements are done in chips per pound. On the left, '1M' refers to the count per pound for the chip size (1,000 count = 1,000 chips per pound). The 'K-200' measurement, on the left, refers to the amount of chips per 100g. In this instance it would mean 200 chips per 100g.
In this photo we can see the shape and size of our Milk and White Couverture Chocolate Tabs. These are considered to be approximately 800 count per pound with slight variation between pieces. On the left we have our Milk Couverture Chocolate and on the right we have our White Couverture Chocolate.
Here is a side by side comparison of our most popular chocolate couverture sizes. The medallions will include approximately 230 pieces per pound, the coins will have approximately 450 pieces per pound and the count on the chips represents approximately 2000 pieces per pound. From left to right showing: medallions, coins and our 2000 count chips.
Introducing our organic cocoa powder line, we decided to go with a dutch and natural option depending on your application. Left we have a slightly darker organic dutch cocoa powder and on the right our organic natural cocoa powder.
Current Chocolate Couverture Sizes
- 100% Pure Cacao Organic Dark Unsweetened Chocolate- Coin
- 100% Rainforest Cacao Organic Dark Chocolate - Coin
- Cacao Chocolate Chips | Chocolate Liquor - 2000ct Chip
- Bulk Organic Dark Chocolate 72% without soy lecithin - Medallion
- Organic Chocolate Chips | Coconut Palm Sugar Sweetened - 1000 count chip
- Organic Dark Chocolate 70% without soy lecithin couverture - 2000ct Chip
- Couverture Chocolate - Coin
- Belgian Bulk Dark Chocolate King of the Belgians - Coin
- Belgian Dark Chocolate Couverture Grand Aroma - Coin
- Melting Chocolate Chips - 1000ct Chip
- Truffle Chocolate; Best Chocolate for Candy Making - 1000ct Chip
- Milk Chocolate Couverture - Tabs
- Belgian Milk Chocolate Bulk Couverture - Coin
- White Chocolate Couverture - Tabs
- Belgian White Chocolate Bulk Couverture - Coin
New Mini Wafer Chocolate
Features: 1,200 pieces per pound approximately, small flat round chocolate disks, easy melting, easy tempering and perfect for chocolate inclusion applications like in cookies or granola.
- Unsweetened Chocolate
- Organic Milk Chocolate
- Organic White Chocolate
- Stevia Chocolate
- Coconut Sugar Chocolate
- Couverture Chocolate
Chocolate Shape and Flavor Profile
The shape chocolate is made into plays a role into flavor perception. Santa Barbara Chocolate shape and sizes are designed for both application and the maximum flavor experience. Please see this article to understand more: https://www.santabarbarachocolate.com/blog/chocolate-shape-and-perception/


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Wilko Dog Toilet Bags 20pk0121929
Rollover to Zoom
Pinch to Zoom
You May Also Like
While we’re sure you’ll love what you’ve ordered, if you’re not completely satisfied, we’ll gladly refund or exchange it. That’s our Wilko promise, and it’s in addition to your statutory rights.View Terms & Conditions »
Our tough, tie-handle dog toilet bags are specially fragranced to help neutralise smells and large enough for use with a scoop. Simply bag it, tie it and bin it!

domain: pet


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71364 Whomp's Lava Trouble Expansion Set
Regular price $22.99
Heat up the competitive LEGO® Super Mario™ action with Whomp’s Lava Trouble Expansion Set (71364). This modular LEGO Super Mario playset features a sliding platform, Whomp figure guarding a P Switch (found only in this set!) and a brick-built, shell-shaped system to topple the Lava Bubble figure. It’s the ideal gift toy for kids who own the LEGO® Mario™ figure found in the Adventures with Mario Starter Course (71360).


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April 24, 2009
Florida LB has OSU offer
Another prospect from the Florida area that has picked up an offer from Oklahoma State as a result of his familiarity with new running back coach Robert Gillespie is Opa Locka native Issac Dixon. The speedy 5-foot-11, 185-pound linebacker recently talked with OSI about recruiting and any interest he might have in the Cowboy program. Get the details inside
...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now!

domain: sports


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In wake of the coronavirus pandemic, liberal San Francisco has banned the use of reusable grocery bags.
Usually on the progressive forefront of “green” initiatives, this is quite a 180 degree turn from the city that has a 60 foot mural of Greta Thunberg.
Politico reports in the latest sign of how dramatically the coronavirus pandemic is altering the social landscape, even the liberal San Francisco Bay Area this week banned reusable grocery bags as a sanitary measure, dismaying recycling advocates who say durable sacks should still be allowed at stores.
The provision was among a host of lifestyle changes imposed Tuesday by six Bay Area counties in a rewrite of their first-in-the-nation March 16 order that required millions of residents to shelter at home. The counties have been credited with taking early actions that may have helped slow the spread in California.
The Bay Area counties reduced the types of businesses and facilities that can stay open to the public and tightened requirements for those still operating, including grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants still open for takeout or delivery. Among the updated requirements in the order, which lasts through May 3: “Not permitting customers to bring their own bags, mugs, or other reusable items from home.”
The rule appears to be the most stringent coronavirus-related restriction placed on reusable bags in California, which has banned single-use plastic bags since 2016. California allows the 70 or so jurisdictions whose local bans preceded the state ban, including most of the Bay Area, Los Angeles County and Sacramento County, to preempt state law.
California has aggressively moved toward reusable containers in an effort to reduce plastic consumption. Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed the nation’s first state law banning hotels from using small single-use plastic containers for shampoo and other toiletries. State lawmakers have also worked on bills that would phase out single-use plastic by 2030 in California.
But the coronavirus has altered the state’s environmental march. Bottled water has flown off store shelves, while some fear the coronavirus will hinder efforts to build high-density housing near transit. Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee, which have coffee shops across Northern California, stopped refilling customers’ mugs earlier this month in favor of paper cups.
The plastics industry has lobbied on the federal level and in New York, New Jersey and other states, asserting that often-unwashed reusable bags are hotbeds for the coronavirus, which early research suggests can remain on surfaces. But so far, there hasn’t been evidence of industry lobbying in California.
Recycling advocates said they would prefer a statewide policy that says customers can still bring their bags into stores, but grocery employees don’t have to fill them.


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In Pharaoh's Army
A memoir by Tobias Wolff, published in 1994.
GradeSaver provides access to 934 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 7502 literature essays, 2119 sample college application essays, 310 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.
War has both rattled and captivated society since the beginnings of human history. Tales from war have long excited audiences, and images of great courage and heroic acts have often shaped the public view of war into a grand experience of fighting...

domain: library


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broken toilet seat, empty soap dispensers, no maid service during stay, worst breakfast ever-anywhere, no staff on site after 7:30, no where to sit outside your room as cafe and terrace locked up and gated at 7:30. dirty floors in rooms. no elevator. dilapidated stairs. no air conditioning. windows didn't open. NO WAY it gets 4*, maybe 2.
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, Hotels.com and Ebookers so you can book your Hotel Riverside reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.

domain: travel


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Crypto wallet startup BRD has been bought by Coinbase, according to a BRD blog post Wednesday (Nov. 24), which co-founders Adam Traidman and Aaron Voisine say will accelerate the company’s decentralization goals.
The post notes that “at this time, nothing will change in the BRD wallet app” and reassures users that their funds are “safe and secure.”
According to a tweet from the Coinbase Wallet account, the BRD team will help with the adoption of web3, and the team’s expertise in crypto wallets will help Coinbase with its crypto safety and security needs.
The post also notes that in the future, BRD wallet users can choose to migrate to self custody with Coinbase Wallet, “which will include a special gift.”
That said, the startup’s utility token is facing an unknown future. The token trades under $BRD and is part of the customer loyalty program.
Coinbase has been debuting new tools to help boost education about crypto, and allow the community to share what they know and be interactive with the effort.
The company said customers have been “looking for ways to better understand crypto both as an investment and as an app platform,” but Coinbase acknowledged that sometimes it can be difficult to keep ahead of all the news.
The company said it would “self-empower” the community and make it “simpler and more fun” to share information on portfolios and learn about things like new assets.
Coinbase already had some educational tools, and its new tools will let users share information more easily, which will share allocation percentages and not a user’s portfolio balance.
Users will be able to choose what they share, or if they share at all — users can even switch between sharing or not at their whim.
As crypto has always been volatile, Coinbase could see the third quarter lately as “either a harbinger or a missed opportunity,” PYMNTS wrote recently.
Read more: Coinbase Tells Investors to Remain Calm, Focus on Long Term As Trading Drops 29%
Coinbase co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong remains optimistic, saying in early November that there was a “really strong and accelerating pace” of crypto around the world.


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- A1- Halophytic plants
The aim of this activity is to study the biological profile of halophytes distributed in the western Centro Region of Portugal which presents a huge flora biodiversity with high potential for research and valorization.
- A2- Dye and invader plants
The main goal of this activity is to obtain naturals dyes from invader dye/aromatic trees, as Dyer’s Greenweed (Genista tinctorum L.), Mimosa (Acacia dealbata), Incense tree (Pittosporum undulatum), Elder or Judas tree (Sambucus nigra L.), using economic feasible and environmental friendly extraction processes. Functional properties of the essential oils, as antimicrobial properties and insect repellence, dictate the success in textiles applications. The obtained extracts and essential oils will be studied in terms of composition and functionality, in order to evaluate their adequacy to be applied as natural dye and substrate in the textile industry, for color, aroma and antimicrobial properties incorporation and for the production of perfumes with repellent properties.
- A3- Aromatic and medicinal plants
This activity focuses on the extraction of biological active compounds (extracts and/or oils) from indigenous medicinal and aromatic plants, or plants often found and traditionally used in Portugal, their characterization and (bio)activity evaluation. The plant material will be collected from producers using organic agriculture practices or from wild populations located in Coimbra and Castelo Branco regions. It is also intended to evaluate how the geographical origin of some plants influences its chemical composition and bioactivity.
- B1- Residues from the food industry
The main goal of this task is to obtain bioactive natural compounds from agro-industrial residues of rice (rice husk), cardoon (flowers’ seeds), fava (pods with no beans), and strawberry tree (fruit pomace) using economic feasible and environmental friendly extraction processes. The obtained extracts will be studied in terms of composition and functionality, in order to evaluate their adequacy to be applied as biocides in agriculture and forestry safe practices, natural drugs, functional food ingredients, nutraceuticals, etc.
- B2-Residues from the cork industry
The main objective of this activity is to optimize, at an industrial scale, the extraction process of natural bioactive compounds in order to valorize cork by-products, namely the cork powder and the black condensate. The triterpenic and phenolic extracts obtained by supercritical extraction will be studied in terms of composition and functionality, in order to evaluate their adequacy to be applied in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, due to its biological properties, such as antioxidant, anti-thrombotic or antiproliferative activities.
The aim of this activity focus on the use of the most promising biological active compounds (extracts/EOs), obtained from A1, A2 and A3, or deliverable systems where they will be incorporated, and the evaluation of their efficiency when applied to specific uses in the food industry, agriculture and cosmetics, aiming high quality and safety standards.

domain: agronomy


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FROZEN 2 SISTER MUSICAL SNOW WAND
or 4 fortnightly payments of $9.75 NZD with More info
The epic adventure continues in Disney Frozen 2, the exciting sequel to the hit film, Frozen! Join your beloved friends, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven as they venture beyond Arendelle’s gates to strengthen their bonds and make new discoveries that will change their lives forever.Celebrate the unbreakable bond of family with Disney Frozen 2 Sisters Snow Scepter. Anna and Elsa are dressed in their adventure outfits, ready to face the outside world together. Wave the scepter and watch as a flurry of glittering snow swirls around the sisters! Scepter features elements inspired by the film and the instrumental version of “Into the Unknown” from the film. Includes: 1 Scepter (Wand). Requires 3 x AAA batteries (included)
5 in stock
or 6 weekly interest-free payments from $6.49 NZD with what's this?
All of our products are 100% genuine articles, purchased from the same suppliers as the Big NZ Stores do. I guarantee no knock off products, just great prices as I dont have the same overheads that they do.
Thank you for viewing our website, it is great to see you! If you have any questions i am happy to help, send me through a message in the Contact Us tab. Kind regards, Kylie
We ship NZ wide and send our orders out within 48 hours (in between mum duty), sent by courier and delivered in 1 -3 working days.
We proudly accept Direct Debit, Stripe, Paypal, Laybuy, AfterPay, Genoapay, Visa and Mastercard.

domain: entertainment


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Owning a vacation rental can be a profitable way to make money from an investment property or a second home in a popular tourist destination.
Depending on the market, a vacation rental may earn even more than a long-term rental property. You also don’t have to screen tenants or worry about missed rent payments or the possibility of having to force an eviction.
Here are several points to consider and the best platforms to buy vacation rentals.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Vacation Rental?
- How to Buy and Invest in Vacation Rentals
- Potential Return on Investment
- Local Vacation Rental Property Laws
- Is It a Good Location?
- Property Condition
- Property Management
- Business or Leisure Travel?
- Dual-Use Property
- Best Way to Buy Vacation Rental Property
- Pros and Cons of Buying Vacation Rentals
- Final Thoughts
What Is a Vacation Rental?
A vacation or short-term rental property usually offers rental periods of less than 30 days to a single guest. However, some cities have a shorter maximum rental period.
Your vacation home can be a full-time investment property or a second home that you rent when you’re not staying there. Vacation rentals compete directly with hotels and bed and breakfast establishments.
How to Buy and Invest in Vacation Rentals
As you compare investment properties, you should incorporate these factors into your research process.
Potential Return on Investment
Vacation rentals are an exciting alternative investment, as you can enjoy annual returns that rival the stock market while owning a tangible asset.
Here are several metrics you should be aware of to ensure a positive return on investment.
Many investors measure the capitalization rate (cap rate) to estimate an initial profit. Many consider a cap rate above 5% as a good return and an 8-12% cap rate as ideal.
To calculate your cap rate, divide your net rental income by the purchase price.
Formula: Cap Rate= Net rental income (gross income-expenses) / purchase price
The cap rate is easier to estimate if you’re planning on buying a current short-term property, and the current owner can provide an income history and typical expenses.
Additionally, vacation rental sites like Airbnb and Vrbo have monthly income estimates for hosts to see how much similar properties earn.
Gross yield lets you know what rental income you can earn before expenses by measuring your revenue for the previous 12 months before expenses and taxes.
After tallying your total annual rent, you divide it by your property purchase price. This percentage is the gross yield.
This estimate lets you make an initial budget to determine how much income you have to allocate for property taxes, repairs, utilities, mortgage payments, and incidentals before dipping into your cash reserves.
If you’re targeting a minimum gross yield, you also know how much money you must earn each month. That means you know how much to charge per night during the peak, shoulder, and off-peak seasons.
Formula: Gross Yield= Total rental income/purchase price
If you’re using leverage to buy a property (i.e., a mortgage or debt), the cash-on-cash return can be a vital cash flow metric.
With this calculation, your net annual income deducts your expenses and loan payments but excludes your property taxes. This measurement is your pre-tax cash flow.
Next, you divide your annual pre-tax cash flow by your down payment (total cash invested).
Formula: Cash-on-Cash Return= Annual pre-tax cash flow / total cash invested
Seeing how frequently a unit is occupied serves several purposes:
- Estimate your annual income
- Identify the busiest travel times
- Compare rental frequency to competing properties
While you will most likely charge the market rate to remain competitive with other listings, you can use this data to collect a higher nightly rent during the peak travel weeks.
Consider This: Arrived Homes makes it easy to figure out your potential investment returns. The crowdfunding platform lets you invest as little as $100 into a single property. In addition, each listing has a calculator to list your hypothetical returns based on the property’s recent rental income and property appreciation.
Local Vacation Rental Property Laws
More communities are enacting laws that restrict the density of new short-term rentals or make it challenging for real estate investors to rent the unit full-time. This is because an influx in short-term rentals means fewer housing options for long-term residents and potentially higher rents.
For example, Austin, TX, only allows one non-owner-occupied short-term rental every 1,000 feet. A license is also required for all vacation rentals within the city, whether it’s owner-occupied, the owner is absent, or it’s in a multifamily development.
Another example is Lexington, VA, located in the scenic Shenandoah Valley, home to two of the nation’s best colleges. Currently, the city only allows owner-present rentals for up to 104 nights per calendar year and 45 nights when the owner isn’t present.
Additionally, if you’re planning to buy a home in a homeowner’s association (HOA), verify that the bylaws permit short-term rentals. Find out what current short-term regulations and permit requirements are on the book and if there is any pending legislation.
Is It a Good Location?
“Location, location, location” is also true for vacation properties. You will want to consider destinations with steady demand, such as a popular beach town or a mountain city.
Being near a bustling city district or famous landmark can also increase your occupancy rate. You may also try to be in an area that’s busy every season.
Realtor.com lists some of the most affordable vacation home markets in the United States with steady tourism demand.
A property inspection can help you verify that the current asking price reflects the home’s fair market value and any necessary repairs.
Depending on your budget and skills, you may also look for turnkey properties that are already furnished and don’t require renovations before you can accept your first guest.
Additionally, you must decide how to maintain and clean the property. Hiring a cleaning service and a property management company is the most convenient option for most, but there is a cost.
If you’re considering buying a short-term property in a rural area, you may struggle to find a reliable cleaning service. If you need to self-maintain the property between guests, you may want to consider if it’s the right property to buy.
You should purchase a home warranty to protect your appliances and systems. This coverage can be cheaper than paying for out-of-pocket repairs if you don’t have a preferred technician to fix a leaky sink, malfunctioning fridge, or an ineffective HVAC system.
Business or Leisure Travel?
You may also decide to cater to a specific traveler type that can be less likely to cause property damages or receive nuisance complaints from the neighbors.
For example, you may look for properties in a big city or near a convention center to be more likely to attract business travelers. However, you may need remote-friendly accommodations such as a workstation and fast internet.
Well-developed touristy areas are more likely to have rowdy tourist travelers than rural towns.
Some of the other property factors you may also wish to include to attract more guests include:
- ADA friendly
- Eco-friendly amenities
- Flexible cancellation policy
- Pet friendly
- Plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Unique amenities (i.e., basketball court, beach access, hot tub)
- Updated and functional interior
- Well-stocked kitchen (i.e., stainless cookware, utensils, coffee, and tea)
Adding little touches can help you receive more positive guest reviews. In time, positive feedback makes potential guests more likely to book your place, and your property will rank higher in the search results on vacation rental websites.
You’ll need to determine if you plan on staying at the property periodically. If so, choosing a desirable floor plan for your travel needs is vital, along with having secure private storage inaccessible to your guests.
When buying a home with several investment partners, you must determine how to share the revenue and operating expenses.
Best Way to Buy Vacation Rental Property
Below are several platforms that can make buying an income-producing vacation property easy.
Arrived Homes lets all investors buy fractional shares in vacation and long-term rentals across the United States. The minimum investment starts at $100, which is affordable and makes it easy to manage risk by keeping a diversified portfolio.
Recent offerings for individual properties are in these locations:
- Blue Ridge, GA
- Clearwater, FL
- Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Nashville, TN
- Palm Beach, FL
- Phoenix, AZ
Each listing includes the current rental income and property appreciation to calculate potential investment returns. The crowdfunded real estate platform has an average investment period of 5-7 years, but you won’t have to manage the property or coordinate repairs. For more information, read our Arrived Homes Review.
Why We Like Arrived Homes
- Minimum investment as low as $100
- Managed properties
- Local market insights
You can purchase short-term rental listings and single-family rentals on Roofstock. Most of the vacation rentals are in Florida and beach towns in Texas.
Shopping with a Roofstock agent or buying a real estate portfolio for personalized results is also possible. You will see the potential cap rate and gross yield in the initial listing, plus a property analysis and comparable properties.
You can submit purchase offers after verifying your mortgage pre-approval letter or proof of funds. These listings include an inspection contingency to protect your interest if the home inspection finds red flags about the property’s condition.
While most investment opportunities require buying the entire home, accredited investors can enjoy fractional ownership through the Roofstock One program. The minimum investment is $5,000, and you can invest in a basket of properties instead of a single unit. Learn more in our Roofstock Review.
Why We Like Roofstock
- Offers single-family and vacation rentals
- Can purchase the entire property
- Fractional investing for accredited investors
Yieldstreet is an excellent platform for accredited investors looking for a suitable alternative investment. In addition, the service regularly offers real estate portfolios, including vacation properties.
Unaccredited investors can also invest through this platform with its Prism Fund. This managed investment vehicle has a $2,500 investment minimum and provides exposure to Yieldstreet’s art, commercial, real estate, and short-term note offerings. Check out our Yieldstreet Review for full details.
Investing directly in vacation rentals is still a new concept in real estate crowdfunding. While Fundrise doesn’t invest in full-time short-term rentals, you can earn passive income from single-family and multifamily properties.
Managed real estate portfolios (eREITs) only require a $10 minimum investment, although investing larger amounts lets you unlock advanced strategies specializing in dividends or long-term appreciation.
Additionally, high-net-worth investors can access priority support and exclusive investment funds for a curated portfolio. For more details, check out our Fundrise Review.
Why We Like Fundrise
- $10 minimum investment
- Managed portfolios
- Multiple investment strategies
Vacation Rental Websites
Several vacation rental websites offer an online marketplace that can be easier than hiring a realtor, sifting through the MLS listings for your desired market, or relying on word of mouth.
Some of the platforms to consider include:
Sites like Realtor.com, Redfin, and Zillow can also be used for comparative analysis. In vacation areas, plenty of listings are currently short-term rentals or converted into one.
Why We Like This Option
- Easily find active short-term rentals
- Platforms offer property management services
- Can purchase whole properties
Pros and Cons of Buying Vacation Rentals
Owning a vacation property may sound like a dream, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Here are several pros and cons for you to consider before buying or investing in vacation rentals.
- Passive income: You can earn passive income from a second home or a full-time investment property. These investment returns can rival stocks and exceed interest-bearing savings accounts and CDs.
- Potential personal use: It’s possible to vacation at the properties you own in addition to earning rental income.
- Tax deductions: Earning rental income may allow you to deduct certain expenses on your tax return. These deductions help optimize your business income and minimize the ownership costs of a vacation home.
- Ongoing expenses and taxes: Real estate is a reliable income-producing asset, although there are several inevitable expenses, including management fees, taxes, repairs, and utilities. Other investments may require less upkeep and can have higher profit margins.
- Seasonality: It’s not uncommon for vacation rentals to be vacant during off-peak season. For example, beach houses can be relatively challenging to rent from Labor Day to Memorial Day when the weather is cooler and schools are in session.
- Local rules and regulations: You must abide by the community and local government guidelines for short-term rentals. These include occupancy restrictions, maintaining a minimum exterior appearance, and having a business permit.
Making money from vacation rentals can be less stressful than a long-term rental as you’re constantly turning over tenants. It’s also possible to stay at the property on your desired travel dates or between guests.
However, vacation rentals aren’t risk-free investments, and you must perform your due diligence to avoid a money pit or an unpopular location. You can also easily manage risk with crowdfunded vacation rentals to gradually scale into this investment idea.

domain: finance


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By Melissa Walsh Photos: Yanni
Emma Skeggs works as a psychic medium and clairvoyant, fulfilling her soul purpose to help others, but this wasn’t always the case. The bubbly blonde mother of two ditched lucrative careers to pursue a passion that haunted her entire life, and has never looked back.
“The first time I realised I could see spirit was at the age of three. I had gone to visit friends with mum and dad and was off in the play room. When my dad came in I told him I was talking to a man on the couch whose name was Jobe. I told dad he just wanted to say hello and that he was very happy we were all there. It turns out he was the deceased husband of the owner of the house,” said Emma, whose father had similar abilities. “I am from a family of mediums, although the first to be formally trained. My dad used to take me to spiritualist church as a youngster, where unbeknown to me, he was teaching me to connect to spirit. I only went for the bickies and orange cordial and to amuse my dad. My mum, on the other hand, well let’s just say hearing me speak to passed over loved ones would send her screaming from the room. She even had me blessed as a child as she thought I was going to die.”
While Emma experienced seeing spirits and her own guides from a young age, she was never scared of her gift, and thought that everybody saw the same thing.
“I would see people in their cars that weren’t there and didn’t realise that others couldn’t see it. It’s a weird sensation, as if you see it in your mind,” she explained. “Looking back I can identify things that happened which were all related. I remember being thrown out of class the first day of prep because I was playing ‘knock knock’ with one of my guides, Jason. When it was time for school reports, mine always said ‘off with the fairies’, and I recall at seven, riding my bike down a very steep hill too fast to stop before I got to a busy road. I felt this presence behind me say ‘just breathe and go with the flow’. The bike hit the gutter and I breathed and just tumbled.”
Emma says we all have guides to help us along our journey. “You are born with one, and then get them intermittently during your life so that you eventually end up with about six or seven guides,” she said. “My main guide is named Archi and I didn’t find him until I started to focus on development and figure out what I needed to do with my abilities.”
Many mediums that experience their gift from a young age tend to suppress it when they reach puberty.
“I was about 12 when I suppressed everything because, as an empath, I could hear what people were saying or thinking and knew if they were not telling me the truth. With hormones coming through and this feeling I had to live in the real world, I started to focus on more external things, and became less introverted,” said Emma, whose gifts would come and go over the years, usually during crises.
“Normally, through a crisis, I would retreat and reconnect to who I was and my higher self and my guides would pop up again. I had Jason who has always been my age, and another guide is a security guard that keeps me safe and protected.”
These days, Emma is so passionate about helping people that she does it for a living.
“My journey always led me to this point. I had ticked all the boxes of society with career, education, a husband, two kids, big job and big money but each time I got what I wanted I became more miserable because I wasn’t on my path and purpose,” she said. “My passion is to help people find themselves, and help them make choices to bring bliss, joy and happiness. If you are not on your path or purpose, your guides will strip everything away from you, but I can help people define what makes them happy. Your life is a reflection of your soul. You experience your soul through your thoughts and emotions. The same way your thoughts can affect your emotions, they affect your physical body. How you see yourself, how you carry your stress and how you perform in our physical, third dimensional world are all directly related to how balanced your soul is feeling in your body. While your body is a reflection of your physical health, it is also a reflection of your mental and emotional state. If you want to heal one, you also have to heal all connected components; mind, body and soul.”
Often described as a helping hand that comes out of the darkness, Emma knew that she wanted to make a difference.
“I studied life coaching and counselling, but didn’t know where I fitted in to helping people. Eventually I decided to do a massage course and started massaging from home while still working full time. But every time I massaged I got aches and pains from the other person and eventually I could sense things they were feeling. I was intuitively getting stuff out of them so I looked on line and a friend had some tarot cards. She suggested that I should learn about energy and so I started meditating which gave me more peace and heightened my intuition.”
Before she knew it, the teacher appeared. Emma was in spiritual development courses and swapping massage for tarot classes.
“After all of those years I came back to what I knew as a kid,” she says with a smile. “I have no idea what is in store for me and releasing that allows me to live in the moment. I have learnt to go with the path of least resistance.”
As for seeing dead people everywhere, Emma says she has learnt to control what she sees.
“Part of developing that side of me and learning about it is getting control over it. I am a human being and need to have a relatively normal life, so I don’t see people in cars anymore unless I want to.”
Emma Skeggs Soul Healing offers a variety of services including psychic medium, tarot and lenormand readings, Akashic record readings, past life regression therapy, spiritual development classes, reiki and spiritual healing, psychic parties, and a meditation app.
Phone: 0404 838 549

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A couple of weeks ago Zen Studios released the first batch of DLC for Castlestorm, called From Outcast to Savior, that added 20 new missions, new troops and a new Hero for the Royal Guard. They promised that the second batch of DLC would make its way to the console in the future and that time has arrived. Thursday, March 13th Castlestorms get a little bigger with the addition of The Warrior Queen. This additional content adds a further 20 missions and takes a look at the fate of Viking warrior Freia. New weapons like Meteor Showers, Exploding Barrels, Stormbringers, Golem Hostages, and the Frozen Swordfish add to the Vikings arsenal of weaponry as they take the fight to the armored Royals.
The Warrior Queen will be available for download from the Wii U eShop for $3.99.
Our good friend Robert Busey has been making some changes to the art direction for his upcoming PC and eShop game Sword ‘n’ Board since he first started. The main character has gotten a bit of an overhaul as have some of the other screens in the game. One of them that he sent along to us was the new look version of the title screen which he’s graciously allowed us to share with you.
What do you think? If you haven’t yet I’d highly encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 184 of the Nintendo Okie Podcast for an interview we did with Robert Busey where he talked about his inspiration for the game. He’ll be on again with us after the first of the year to talk about the progress he’s made on the game.
Yumi is a young girl traveling through a dream-like world filled with wildlife gone awry. The only tools she has at her disposal are a backpack and a fishing rod. She must use those tools to navigate through the newest release from Natsume called Yumi’s Odd Odyssey. The game, which has been available in Japan since June will be available on North America 3DS systems in January.
According to Natsume’s press release:
You’ve never played a puzzle platformer quite like this! Using her fishing hook, Yumi must make her way through a variety of levels by running, jumping, and throwing her coveted fishing line. Yumi can use her fishing line to swing between platforms, lower herself down to other ledges, and even catapult herself great distances by stretching the line to its breaking point. Its unique mechanics are sure to excite even veteran gamers of the platforming genre!
Yumi’s Odd Odyssey was originally released on the Super Famicom before later making its way to the Playstation and the Nintendo DS. It will be available for the first time in North America on the 3DS. To get you ready for the game’s release Natsume has sent a long a few screenshots to show you what you can expect.
What do you get when you cross a platformer and an RPG with a big joke set inside a medievel fantasy castle? The answer is Unepic, the latest game from Spanish developer/publisher EnjoyUp Games. The game stars a “normal” guy who thinks he’s hallucinating and decides to set out on an adventure. He does this because he thinks his friends spiked a drink with drugs and decides to take advantage of it while the drugs wear off.
This 2D platforming RPG will feature more than 200 different rooms to explore, seven bosses to kill, 70 spells to learn and 100 different weapons. According to the developer there is more than 2,000 lines of dialogue, many of which will reference other games, movies and comics. There are three different endings and four difficulty levels. A castle map will allow you to write down notes during your adventure and traditional RPG elements allow you to upgrade your character and craft your own potions.
Unepic reminds me a lot of older Castlevania style games. There is no release date announced yet for the game, but look for it on the Wii U eShop soon.
According to an Atlus press release today, the last time that a game in the main Shin Megami Tensei series came out, Square and Enix had just merged, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker wasn’t on store shelves, the GBA SP was just being released, and Nokia thought the N-Gage was a good idea. That was the release of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. (Somehow 2008′s Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey has been forgotten.) That’s all going to change this summer with the release of Shin Megami Tensei IV on the Nintendo 3DS.
To make sure that the past decade has been worth the wait, Atlus is pulling development staff from their other popular franchises like Persona and Devil Summoner. This new game will feature decisions that affect not only your partner, but NPCs around the world. There will be more than 400 demons to collect, recruit and fuse together.
No official release date has been announced, but the game is expected out this Summer and also could feature an M rating from the ESRB, though at this time it has not been officialy rated by the board.
I recall saying recently that I was more interested in playing New Super Mario Bros. 2 than I was in playing New Super Mario Bros. U. (Good grief, could we please change the name of one of those games? This will in actuality be New Super Mario Bros. 4) During the podcast this week, we get into a big discussion on multiplayer vs. single-player experiences. I thought the 3DS game was going to be more to my liking because the focus was on the single-player game. NSMBU is going to be all about the multiplayer, much like NSMBWii was. This new set of screens for NSMBU has me pretty excited about the game coming out later this year.
I think because it reminds me so much of Super Mario World, which is my favorite game in the franchise. The amount of detail Nintendo is putting into this first HD outing for Mario is quite lovely to behold. Just look at how much detail is in everything on these screens. Look how deep the environments go back. Lighing effects, shadows, sparkles, the detail on the trunks of trees. It all looks quite nice and appears to be a nice step up from the Wii and 3DS games we’ve seen so far.
Are you still exciting about sidescrolling Mario games? Which of the two are you most excited about?
One of the games I played last year, and was really surprised by, was Cabela’s Survival: Shadows of Katmai. The game was essentially a survival-style game set in the wilds of Alaska where you had to traverse icy, snowy lands and avoid dangerous creatures like mountain lions and bears.
This year, Cabela’s and Activision are introducing a new controller (for the PS3 and the 360) called the Top Shot Fearmaster for Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013. This new controller, which is improved over previous Top Shot models, will feature an infrared aiming system, but even more interesting is that it will house two heart rate monitors and a motion sensor that will let the game know how stressed you are and how steady your hand is. This will cause your shots to become erratic and controlling your stress levels will determine how successful you are in surviving against lions, bears and many other dangerous creatures.
I’ve played a bunch of these games in the arcade and I like them more when they get away from the semi-realistic hunting simulation and just go crazy with the setting and the things you do on screen. It’s a shame the Wii game will not include this same technology, but I don’t know yet how much it will hinder the game, if at all.
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013 will be available with the Top Shot Fearmaster on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 23 for $79.99. The game will also be available for the Wii with the new Top Shot peripheral for $59.99. This game is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB.
The story of La-Mulana has definitely been one of ups and downs. The game was announced a couple of years ago and the development ended up talking way longer than expected. Back in March it was announced that the game would not see a release in North America for a number of reasons, one being that it was going to be hard to get the Japanese DLC over here. Well, the game has been picked up by another publisher and it will be seeing a North American release after all.
EnjoyUp Games has picked up the title and will be releasing it to WiiWare on September 20th. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself if you’re not sure about trying this game. Do you like Indiana Jones? Do you like caves? Did you enjoy playing Cave Story? Do you like giant, screen-filling lizard bosses? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you might be interested in this game. It will cost you 1000 Wii Points to download. Press release and screens after the jump. Read more…
Teyon’s next game, being published by Mastiff, is called Outdoor Unleashed: Africa 3D. The game is scheduled to hit the 3DS eShop on August 30th for $3.99. This game puts you in the shoes of a big game hunter in more than 35 missions throughout the African Savannah. There are 15 big animals and birds in this arcade-style shooter where you’ll be trying to rack up as many points as possible with various weapons. Want to see the game in action? Check out this trailer and head past the break for the full press release and more screens.
Polish Studio, Teyon, is working on several games that are going to be hitting Nintendo’s portable platforms soon. The first is a DSiWare game called Escape the Virus: Shoot’Em Up! which will be hitting the DSiWare on August 28th for 200 points or $1.99 through the 3DS eShop. The game looks like a top-down shooter where you control the action using the touch screen to aim. Check out this trailer game and head past the break for the full press release and more screen shots.

domain: game


Red Double-Edged OTF Knife - Stainless Steel Blade, Metal Alloy Handle, Reversible Pocket Clip - Overall Length 7”
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- The OTF knife has a keenly sharp, 2 3/4” stainless steel blade with a metallic red finish and weight-reducing thru-holes
- The black handle is made of high-quality metal alloy with a red deployment button placed along the spine for fast opening
- The inner mechanics of the knife are all stainless steel precision parts, along with, a coated high-performance spring
- The tough handle also features red screws, a stainless steel reversible pocket clip, and it has a glass breaker pommel
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The Red Double-Edged OTF Knife is a pocket knife that gives you quick access to a penetrating sharp, eye-catching blade. The red metallic blade is stainless steel, and it features weight-reducing thru-holes. It can be smoothly deployed with a red button on the side to activate the stainless steel, precision inner mechanics of the knife. The black handle is metal alloy, and it features red accents and a reversible pocket clip. It also has a glassbreaker pommel.
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Lethbridge man painted swastika, anarchist symbols on Vulcan buildings 0
On Aug. 15, the Vulcan RCMP investigated a call of mischief to property.
RCMP attended the local business and located a spray-painting of a symbol on a wall. Local bylaw officer David Murray contacted the RCMP and advised that he had arrested a suspect, said RCMP.
The suspect was apprehended while spray-painting a symbol on the door of Murray's enforcement
RCMP were contacted and advised of other locations where spray-painting on businesses had occurred. Investigation by RCMP located the anarchy and swastika symbols spray-painted on the properties.
RCMP identified the male as 21-year-old William Deslauriers of Lethbridge. Deslauriers was charged with five counts of mischief, two counts of willful promotions of hatred, and was released to appear in Lethbridge provincial court.
The symbols were located on businesses and private property belonging to local Vulcan minority residents.
Anyone with information regarding this matter is asked to contact the Vulcan RCMP at 403-485-2267 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).


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Yoga Berries Yoga Pants
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