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Liquidation Sale - Very hot Tires Mario Kart Glider Automobile Pack - Memorial Day Markdown Mardi Gras:£33
Liquidation Sale - Very hot Tires Mario Kart Glider Automobile Pack - Memorial Day Markdown Mardi Gr - Hot Wheels Cars
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Very hot Tires? Mario Kart Glider Automobile Pack

domain: entertainment


Taiwanese-American violinist Richard Lin is the newly crowned Gold Medalist of the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis which took place in September of 2018. In addition to the Gold Medal, Richard captured three Special Prizes for his performances of Milstein’s Paganiniana in the Preliminaries, Kreisler’s Tambourin chinois in the Classical Finals and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy in the Finals. Highlights of Mr. Lin’s 2019-2020 season include concerto engagements with the Indianapolis, Montclair and Chippewa Valley symphonies as well as the New Mexico, Evansville and Marion philharmonics in the United States. Multiple recitals in Dallas, New York, Washington, D.C., Poland and China will culminate in a Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium recital debut in June 2020. In Asia, Richard will tour Vietnam with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra. He will also perform Beethoven Triple Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra in Taipei and Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra.
Richard has collaborated with numerous orchestras and performed at celebrated concert venues throughout the world including his debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra under conductor Norichika Iimori at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall performing Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2. Other orchestras with whom he has worked are the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Poznań Philharmonic, Łódź Philharmonic, Polish Baltic Philharmonic, Oldenburg State Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Nagoya Philharmonic, Sendai Philharmonic, Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Taiwan Philharmonic, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Amadeus Polish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, Yokohama Sinfonietta, Macau String Association Orchestra, and Academy of Taiwan Strings.
He has also concertized throughout the United States, Canada, Germany, Poland, Finland, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Macau and Taiwan.
In 2013, Richard released his first album on the Fontec label. The album includes works for violin and orchestra by Beethoven, Bartók and Brahms performed with the Sendai Philharmonic and conductor Pascal Verrot. The following year, he released his second album consisting of the complete Brahms Sonatas for Piano and Violin with his brother, Robert Lin, an accomplished pianist and now doctor in Taiwan. The Lin brothers have been collaborating for more than a decade and have performed critically acclaimed recitals in major cities in Taiwan and Japan.
Pianist Chih-Yi Chen’s versatile qualities as a collaborative pianist, chamber musician and soloist have distinguished her as a rarity amongst pianists. Her work with the talented young violinists of the Indiana University Violin Virtuosi directed by Mimi Zweig garnered her recognition as a specialist in violin repertoire and she has since become a sought-after collaborative pianist. Ms. Chen’s concerts with the Violin Virtuosi took her to France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Japan and throughout the United States. Since 2003, she has been performing with International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Laureates on the annual Laureate Series and on tour. She was also one of the official pianists for the 9th and 10th Quadrennial Competitions. At the 10th Quadrennial, she was awarded special recognition for “Best Performances” of the Beethoven and Mozart Sonatas.
Among the numerous musicians with whom she has collaborated are Noah Bendix-Balgley, Jaime Laredo, Andrés Cárdenes, David Chan, Barnabás Kelemen, Simone Lamsma, Liviu Prunaru, Mihaela Martin, Augustin Hadelich, Clara-Jumi Kang, Soovin Kim, Ji Young Lim, Susie Park, Svetlin Roussev, Celeste Golden Boyer, Atar Arad, Masumi Per Rostad, Sharon Robinson, Peter Stumpf, James Campbell, Howard Klug, William Ludwig and Thomas Robertello. She has also performed with the Michelangelo, Pacifica, Rubens and Verona string quartets. Chih-Yi was the official pianist for the California State University, Fresno concerto competition for several years.
Born in Taipei, Ms. Chen received her Bachelor, Master and Doctor of Music degrees from Indiana University where she studied with Lev Vlasenko, former chairman of the piano department at Moscow Conservatory and Luba Edlina-Dubinsky, pianist of the Borodin Trio. Ms. Chen is on the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she teaches collaborative piano. She is also a faculty member at the Indiana University Summer String Academy.


The popular dark fantasy role-playing game Blood Brothers is celebrating its 1st birthday! So, DeNA is excited to share with you a new data-packed infographic showcasing the extraordinary milestones the game has achieved in its 1st year on the Apple App and Google Play stores. You can download the free game right here for either Android or iOS.
The anniversary infographic – which you can view for yourself directly below – highlights Blood Brothers’ tremendous performance over the last year. Also check out the celebratory video trailer embedded at the very bottom of the article.


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HB1492 vs SB343 – What to do about Arkansas’ Planned Obamacare Exchange
Arkansan’s who now buy Obamacare insurance do it through a federal exchange but Arkansas passed a law that will soon make Arkansas create its own Obamacare Exchange. Meanwhile the large majority of states say “no” to creating a state exchange and three states dropped their state exchanges as a waste of time.
HB1492 by Rep. Mary Bentley would stop the creation of the state exchange and leave things as is. SB343 by Sen. Jim Hendren is the other bill on the subject. It has a misleading title and sends confusing messages. SB343 does not end the effort to shift to a state exchange, and depending on a federal court case either goes forward with a state exchange or puts the state exchange on hold while Arkansas bureaucrats continue to spend money on creating a state exchange. Conduit for Action supports HB1492 and opposes SB343.
An “Exchange” is the government vehicle under which government subsidized insurance is sold. Obamacare envisioned each state setting up its own Obamacare exchange but so few states were willing to do so that the federal government setup up a federal exchange to operate within a large majority of the states. Three states that agreed to set up a state-based exchange reversed course after spending many millions of dollars and dropped their exchanges in favor of the federal exchange.
Meanwhile Arkansas went against the flow and passed legislation in 2013 to transition from the federal exchange to a state-based exchange. In September 2014, the board of the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace ratified the move to a state-based exchange in 2016 with coverage starting in 2017.
The U.S. Supreme court now has King v. Burwell before it. The case challenges whether insurance bought through a federal exchange qualifies for a tax subsidy or if the tax subsidies only apply to state-based exchanges. Opponents of Obamacare hope the court strikes down subsidies for insurance policies bought on a federal exchange because they see this as an opportunity to replace Obamacare with something much more reasonable.
CFA AGAINST SB343
The title of SB343 is misleading. The bill title “says” it prohibits “the establishment through state law of a State-Based Health Insurance Exchange in this state.” This is not accurate. Within the language of the bill it states that depending on the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case Arkansas would either go forward with its planned exchange or would put it on hold awaiting further state action.
ALL the Democrats in the Arkansas Senate voted for SB343. Meanwhile, nine Republican senators refused to vote for it.
SB343 has an odd plan. If tax subsidies under federal exchanges are validated by the court, SB343 would keep Arkansas on schedule to create a state exchange. What? If the court okays federal exchanges why create a state-based exchange? SB343 would continue the state-based exchange in this case despite:
- the large majority of states went in the opposite direction and chose not to create a state-based exchange and instead rely on the federal exchange, as Arkansas does now; and
- three states dropping their state exchanges as unworkable in favor of a federal exchange.
So tell me again why the state needs to go in the opposite direction of most of the country and adopt a state exchange instead of just remaining with the federal exchange?
Under SB343, if the court invalidates tax subsides under federal exchanges, Arkansas would put its plan on hold awaiting more legislative action. The state exchange would merely be put on “hold” and not repealed. If the plan is put on “hold”, the Arkansas Insurance Marketplace and its staff would still continue to spend money and continue to work on moving Arkansas toward a state-based Obamacare Exchange.
You may be thinking, “Surely it doesn’t say that.” Read SB343 for yourself.
(b) If the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace determines that the decision in King v. Burwell, 759 F.3d 358 (4th Cir.), cert. granted, _ U.S. _, 135 S. Ct. 475 (2014):
(1) Allows subsidies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-152, for a state-based health insurance exchange, but not for a health insurance exchange operated by the federal government, then implementation of an appropriate health insurance exchange for the State of Arkansas shall be determined by a future act of the General Assembly; or
(2) Allows subsidies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, and the Health Care Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-152, for both a state-based health insurance exchange and a health insurance exchange operated by the federal government, then the authority of the Arkansas Health Insurance Marketplace to implement a state-based health insurance exchange shall not be affected by this act.
CFA SUPPORTS REP. BENTLEY’S HB1492
Representative Mary Bentley’s HB1492 is a clear bill with clear language that stops the Arkansas-based Obamacare Exchange and leaves things as is.

domain: news


ICRC official: Flour and medications sent to residents of Armenian origin living in Garabagh
Aghdam, September 18, AZERTAC
“The International Committee of the Red Cross has ensured the delivery of humanitarian cargo with supply trucks passing through the Lachin and Aghdam roads. These are flour and medical supplies,” head of public relations department of ICRC Ilaha Huseynova told journalists.
She said that if the agreement would be reached, the ICRC would continue its operations: “We are very pleased that the humanitarian consensus was reached and the operation was realized. We hope that these steps will contribute to continuous delivery of the necessary humanitarian aid to the people”.
According to her, as part of ICRC’s activity, the medical evacuation of more than 800 people had been carried out since December last year and the medical supplies had been delivered via Lachin road.


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I like pilaf, the word. Mushroom pilaf sounds so much better than mushroom rice, doesn’t it? Even though pilaf is just rice lightly sautéed in oil before being cooked in a seasoned broth, it sounds much more impressive to me so I’ll go with that. Also, pilaf is often mixed with some onion, vegetables, other grains and spices like I’ve done in this recipe so it makes a great one-pot wonder for mid-week dinner.
I mixed the rice with some green lentils for added protein as we had this as our main dish. I also love adding some sweet flavours into savoury dishes and so here I’ve used dried apricots which go beautifully together with the pine nuts and mushrooms and put a smile on your face (even if it is a tired face).
If you have any pilaf leftovers for the next day it makes a great lunch which you can have also cold mixed with some salad leaves, water-cress or rocket.
Ready to impress someone with a bowl of rice? Just make it mushroom pilaf!
- • 1 tbsp coconut oil
- • 250g chestnut mushrooms
- • 1 yellow onion
- • 2 garlic cloves
- • 250g brown rice
- • 100g green lentils
- • 150g dried apricots
- • 1-2tsp cumin
- • 1tsp coriander
- • 1tsp paprika
- • 1-2 vegetable stock cubes and 900ml water
- • 50g pine nuts
- • Fresh coriander
- Start by dicing the mushrooms, halving the apricots and finely chopping the onion and garlic cloves
- Heat up a large pan with ½ tbsp. coconut oil and add the mushrooms. Sauté over a high heat for 4-5 mins or until nicely browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside
- Add ½ tbsp. coconut oil to the pan and the onion. Sauté for a couple of minutes before adding the garlic, rice, green lentils and apricots. Stir in the cumin, coriander and paprika and cook for a couple of minutes
- Prepare the vegetable stock by dissolving the cube(s) into boiling water. I like using 2 vegetable stock cubes as I like my food quite salty but you could use just one and add more salt if needed. Add the vegetable stock to the pan to cover the rice and bring to boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes adding more stock little by little as required. Cook until the rice is tender
- In the meantime, lightly roast the pine nuts and chop the coriander
- When the rice is done, stir in the mushrooms, pine nuts and coriander and serve

domain: food


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New Mexico Horned Toad – almost tripped over him, today.
❝…In an attempt to make it easier for states to handle science education a bit better, a group of prestigious scientific societies banded together to make their own science education standards. The resulting Next Generation Science Standards were offered to the states free of charge, allowing them to be adopted in their entirety or modified to fit a state’s needs.
❝ Last week, it became apparent that New Mexico’s modification of the standards was a bit extreme, eliminating references to climate change, the age of the Earth, and evolution. And this week, some New Mexico legislators are blaming it on a misguided attempt to “politically sanitize” the science…The problems came to light earlier in September, when New Mexico’s Public Education department released a formal notice that it was seeking input on new science standards…Mother Jones decided to have a look at some of the changes, and they were rather striking.
❝ For example, a mention of “Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old geologic history” was chopped down to “Earth’s history,” neatly getting rid of the information about how old it is. A reference to the evolution of life was cut entirely. The clear rise in global temperatures was swapped out in favor of talk about temperature fluctuations. In short, the proposed new standards get rid of basic facts, specifically in areas that are politically or culturally contentious…for Republicans and other anti~science nutballs.
The one thing that was missing was why. This wasn’t a case of local politicians messing with science education as a part of their platform, as has happened in Texas and elsewhere…Two Democratic lawmakers have pointed the finger at the state’s Republican governor, Susana Martinez. The lawmakers, Bill McCamley and G. Andrés Romero…had been supporters of a bill that would see the Next Generation Science Standards adopted verbatim, a course that had been recommended by a panel of education experts organized by the state. The bill passed both houses of the state legislature but was vetoed by Martinez…
You don’t have to be trapped by Know-Nothings in the American Confederacy to have children’s education threatened by bigots and superstitious fools. Martinez is governor by virtue of a Democrat Establishment throwing away easy electoral opportunities to satisfy a cabal more concerned with lineage in political power – than issues.
Colorado regulators tour grow facility — AP/Kristen Wyatt
❝ Three years, billions of dollars, and thousands of new jobs into Colorado’s legal marijuana experiment, we’re still nowhere near the economic ceiling of retail cannabis.
New monthly revenue figures indicate the state is on track to exceed last year’s massive sales totals for medical and recreational weed. Retail stores sold more than $125 million in product statewide in April, The Cannabist calculates based on state revenue numbers.
❝ Through the first four months of 2017, the state has collected over $76 million in taxes and fees on almost half a billion dollars in sales.
The figures project out to a wild increase over the previous year’s sales and revenue numbers. Raw-dollar sales totals are up about 27 percent despite falling prices, according to The Cannabist’s metrics.
State revenue collections from taxes and licensing fees are almost 50 percent above where they stood at the same point a year earlier. Colorado ended up netting about $199 million in public revenue from cannabis that year…
❝ Colorado’s own industry won’t keep lapping itself like this perpetually, of course. At some point — when enough other states have legalized, and when Coloradans have fully abandoned the black and “gray” markets for weed in favor of the fully sanctioned marketplace — the growth rates will soften.
The real story of the 2017 growth, Marijuana Policy Group research associate Clinton Saloga told ThinkProgress, is that legalization is still moving pot activity out of back alleys and into the light…“The continued rise in sales is due more to people leaving the black market and starting to shop in the regulated market, as opposed to a huge surge in total use,” said Saloga…
❝ Opponents of softer marijuana laws have often argued that decriminalization or legalization will increase usage. That’s not what MPG’s numbers show in Colorado, Saloga said…When masses of smokers, brownie aficionados, and chronic pain sufferers shift their dollars from illicit sources to official ones, they aren’t just providing a “peace dividend” to public spending for schools and other services. They’re depriving the organized drug networks and cartels of a major revenue stream.
Living in New Mexico – a state with a pretty straightforward medical marijuana protocol and with one ailment I recently learned responds well to cannabis treatment – sooner or later I figure I’ll check out the brownie cure. I quit smoking cigarettes 59 years ago. I don’t see myself starting, again, as treatment.
Still, getting our chickenshit politicians over the hump with the example of Colorado just next-door is sort of amazing. Not the Republicans. They’re mostly of the bible-thumping, Tea Party, Earth is 6000 years old variety. Nope, many of our Democrats have a great tradition of understanding class loyalty, supporting essential needs for the mass of low-income families in our state. They just need to get beyond their fear of  condemnation by the Catholic Church and  doing something newer than the government of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Should be, progressives – who helped drag the Roundhouse, our state legislature, back from a couple years of doing even less for the working class than our do-nothing-for-anyone-who-doesn’t-drill-for-gas-or-oil Republican governor – will succeed in including this issue more pointedly in electoral campaigns over the next few years. Overdue.
One month of Trump’s R&R cost taxpayers more than a year of Obama
❝ New Mexico’s Senator Tom Udall just introduced an important bill with a funny name: the MAR-A-LAGO Act, or the, Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act.
❝ Mar-A-Lago is President Trump’s self-described “Winter White House,” and it’s been the focus of a lot of attention since Trump took office. His weekly trips cost taxpayers $3 million each weekend he attends and he’s not just going alone. Trump infamously held an open air situation room meeting in front of his club members and the press as he monitored a North Korea missile test while dining on the patio…
So…Sen. Tom Udall, along with other members of Congress, introduced the well-named MAR-A-LAGO Act to require Trump’s White House to disclose who is meeting with Trump behind the closed doors of Trump’s secretive Winter White House.
❝ “It’s simple: the American people have a right to know who has access to the president and who has leverage over this administration,” said Udall.
No doubt True Believers in Trumpism will maintain their habit of ignorance, following every statement, every order as direction from a primitive god. The rest of us – the majority of those who voted, the majority of the whole nation IMHO, want to know what is going on? Especially since we’re picking up the tab.
Always heartwarming to see our state talents recognized.
Do Not Resist
Nov 19 to Nov 20
Saturday and Sunday 1pm
Dir. Craig Atkinson – 2016 – 72m – No Matinees
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE ALBUQUERQUE CENTER FOR PEACE & JUSTICE AND BURQUE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS! ADVANCE TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW WITH THEM!
SPECIAL PANEL DISCUSSION ON SUNDAY NOVEMBER 20 TO FOLLOW SCREENING WITH ADRIANN BARBOA (APD FORWARD), SAMSON COSTALES (FORMER POLICE OFFICER), ARTHUR BELL (BROTHER WAS KILLED BY THE S.W.A.T. TEAM ), JAVIER BENAVIDEZ (SOUTHWEST ORGANIZING PROJECT) Dr. FINNIE COLEMAN, DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN LITERARY STUDIES, UNM DEPT. OF ENGLISH PLUS OTHERS T.B.A.
Thanks, Michelle Meaders
❝ Hispanic voters were largely credited with President Obama’s victory in 2012, but they weren’t as crucial as many believed. Mr. Obama didn’t even need to win the Hispanic vote to put him over the top, thanks to high black turnout and support among white voters in the North. The turnout among Hispanic voters didn’t surge, even though exit polls implied that it had.
This year, Hispanic voters, perhaps motivated by Donald J. Trump’s policy proposals (including deportation) and harsh language aimed at undocumented Hispanic immigrants, really might decide this election.
❝ Early voting data unequivocally indicates that Hillary Clinton will benefit from a long awaited surge in Hispanic turnout, vastly exceeding the Hispanic turnout from four years ago.
It’s too soon to say whether it will be decisive for her. The geographic distribution of Hispanic voters means that many of her gains will help her in noncompetitive states like Texas and California, not Michigan and Pennsylvania.
But the surge is real, and it’s big. It could be enough to overcome Mr. Trump’s strength among white-working class voters in the swing states of Florida and Nevada. If it does, it will almost certainly win her the election…
Lots of details for electoral politics wonks. When you live in a state where Hispanic ethnicity wavers forth-and-back over the 50% boundary you accept that issue-specific voting takes place. That’s fine. Here in northern New Mexico at least the memory of days when Democrats had the backbone for class warfare still counts at election time.
So does voter turnout. Not so unusual to see 50% turnout in primaries. At least Democrat primaries, here. Presidential elections often turn out 60-70% of registered voters. Better than average US numbers.


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domain: medical


Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that his government would not make a formal apology for the country’s role in the slave trade, after two parties in the Dutch government — D66 and ChristenUnie — called for the move.
With the Netherlands on Wednesday marking 157 years since it abolished slavery, Rob Jetten, leader of the social-liberal D66, said “we do not yet take historical responsibility for our history.” He added, “That is only possible if we acknowledge the suffering of many people and apologize for our own actions.” ChristenUnie leader Gert-Jan Segers said the Netherlands “must reconcile itself with a past in which inhuman suffering has been inflicted.”
But Rutte said during a discussion on racism in the Dutch parliament that while he understood apologies are important to some, “others may find that painful,” and the “question is whether you can hold people who live today responsible for the past.” He added: “The victims and the perpetrators no longer live.”
Although the government has in the past expressed regret for the Dutch role in slavery, it has never formally apologized.
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During the annual day to commemorate the abolition of slavery, the government announced plans for a nationwide dialogue to confront the country’s links to the slave trade. The dialogue would focus on “how the history of slavery still influences our daily lives,” Education Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven said during a ceremony in Amsterdam. “I hope that it will open the eyes of many Dutch people, young and old.”
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the Black Lives Matter movement had brought about a tipping point and created “an unstoppable new people’s movement.”
“It’s a movement that is not destroying traditions, but helping to improve traditions and create new traditions, that doesn’t wipe out our past, but adds new histories,” she said.
On Tuesday, on the 60th anniversary of the Congo’s independence from Belgium, the king issued a statement expressing his “profound regret” for the wounds of the colonial past, and the “acts of violence and cruelty [that] were committed” in the Congo under Belgian occupation.
This article has been updated.


Concord Jazz is proud to announce the release of Italian singer Patrizio Buanne’s newest album, PATRIZIO. Having sold over one million albums worldwide, and already making a mark on the UK album charts with his first two albums of Italian standards, the Italian crooner will release his third and newest album on his birthday September 20, 2011. Known for his engaging and spectacular performances, Buanne will be touring in support of PATRIZIO.
For Patrizio Buane, it is all about the voice, and an instinctive ability to convey real emotion. The dark, ruggedly handsome singer has already won over a legion of fans with two previous albums rooted in the pop traditions of his Italian homeland that he released internationally. Buanne has also performed for such luminaries as The Pope, The Royal Family, and former President George W. Bush.
Patrizio Buanne and Kenneth Hieber take you on a delightful musical journey during this episode of One Voice From Africa - PATRIZIO: A true voice of Dolce Vita.
This special episode of One Voice From Africa will air on September 14th - visit One Voice From Africa for more information.


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ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – It’s now been a year since an American journalist went missing in Syria, and his parents in New Hampshire are calling for a day of prayer.
James Foley was last seen Nov. 22, 2012, in northwestern Syria, where he was contributing videos from the nation’s civil war to Agence France-Presse and the media company GlobalPost.
John and Diane Foley, of Rochester, N.H., say in a message posted on a website dedicated to the search for their son that it’s a somber day for them, but it’s also a day to renew their commitment to find him and bring him home.
The Foleys were attending a Friday morning Mass in Rochester.
Investigators have said they believe Foley is being held by the government near Damascus with one or more Western journalists.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a Utah Power & Light Co. proposal to buy out a QF contract with Firth Cogeneration Partners Ltd., which the PUC found cost-efficient less than eight months ago. The utility said that the grandfathered avoided-cost contract rates were too high, and that lower-cost supplies were available from other sources.
While granting authority for the buyout, the PUC denied approval for accounting treatment and rate recovery of $4.4 million in cancellation fees suggested by the utility. The state's three commissioners issued separate opinions; only PUC president Marsha H. Smith approved deferral of the ratemaking issues to the utility's next rate case. Commissioner Nelson would have approved the proposed accounting treatment for the cancellation costs while Commissioner Miller dissented from the decision entirely, stating that utility buyouts of approved QF contracts are not in the public interest. He said that the goal of promoting diversity in generating resources is compromised when a utility is permitted to eliminate independent power proposals, especially by using ratepayer funds. Miller also said that the short-term change in the market price for electrical power was an inappropriate standard for judging the price of a long-term resource, such as the Firth contract. Re Utah Power & Light Co., Case No. UPL-E-94-6, Order No. 25754, Oct. 14, 1994 (Idaho P.U.C.).
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domain: politics


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MelroseWakefield Healthcare Competitors, Revenue, Alternatives and Pricing
Estimated Revenue & Financials
- MelroseWakefield Healthcare's estimated annual revenue is currently $55.4M per year.
- MelroseWakefield Healthcare's estimated revenue per employee is $270,000
- MelroseWakefield Healthcare has 205 Employees.
- MelroseWakefield Healthcare grew their employee count by 28% last year.
- MelroseWakefield Healthcare currently has 17 job openings.
|Competitor Name||Revenue||Number of Employees||Employee Growth||Total Funding||Online Review||Pricing|
|Circle Home, In...||$21.1M||78||5%||N/A||-||N/A|
|Navin, Haffty &...||$95.3M||353||10%||N/A||-||N/A|
What Is MelroseWakefield Healthcare?
MelroseWakefield Healthcare is a coordinated system of hospitals, physician practices and community-based services providing care for communities throughout north suburban Boston. We are distinguished by the range of clinical care and services we provide locally for the continuum of care: · Community hospitals in Melrose and Medford · Urgent care locations in Reading and Medford · Outpatient services including physical therapy, imaging and radiology, lab services and wellness education · More than 90 community physicians, who are part of Tufts Medical Center Community Care (formerly Hallmark Health Medical Associates), providing primary care and specialty care · Visiting nurse and hospice carekeywords:N/A
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MelroseWakefield Healthcare News
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It sure looks like 2013 is going to be a stellar year for billionaires that have an affinity for really fast cars. We already have the Pagani Huayra and Lamborghini Aventador on the roads, and soon they should be joined by the absolutely bonkers McLaren P12 hypercar.
And soon those three will have another rival from Maranello: Ferrari's replacement for the Enzo.
Now, we've been seeing little bits and pieces of Ferrari's latest hypercar for a few months. From certain angles, the heavily disguised car looks a lot James Glickenhaus' gorgeous Enzo-based P4/5. But from the front, it's the spitting image of a whale shark. We're hoping that changes, and soon.
The car, which is rumored to make more than 900 horsepower from a combination of V12 powwwwwwwwerrrrr and a KERS-style hybrid system, is actually seems to be quite quiet when it's on the move.
Other videos of the car have shown a V12 bellow, but this one shows a subdued, nearly silent car. Can it run on electric only? Perhaps it can, although you'd expect a car with a mouth like that to be pretty shouty.
Expect the car, which we're calling F70 but may actually be the Farfegnugen, to make it's debut at the end of 2012. Don't expect to be able to afford it.
(Hat Tip to FalconHoon!)


The General Services Administration’s 10x technology investment program will fund 22 Phase 1 projects based on new priorities set last year, the agency announced Tuesday.
Housed within the Technology Transformation Services, 10x selected the projects from a pool of 250 internal submissions to fit three themes: rebuilding public trust, environmental protection and promoting equity.
The announcement comes as 10x nears completion of two Phase 4, public-facing technologies.
“We’re moving from shipping prototypes to shipping live products,” Will Cahoe, project coordinator for 10x, told FedScoop. “And I think this is a testament to how we’ve matured as a program over the last couple of years.”
The 10x program was developed to “crowdsource ideas from federal employees and turn them into real products that improve the public’s experience with the federal government.”
Phase 1 in the 10x process is the “investigation” phase and consists of a two-week sprint in which project teams determine if their ideas are worthwhile by considering legal and regulatory hurdles, consulting experts in the space, and ensuring similar government projects aren’t already ongoing.
A public trust project being evaluated currently would aggregate all agency Freedom of Information Act responses in one place.
Environmental projects address climate change, national parks and conservation issues, with one currently looking to ameliorate sewage spills into public water resources. That project also crosses into the equity space because it would identify underserved communities that are affected.
The equity theme aligns with the Biden administration’s priority of racial equity in the president’s American Rescue Plan and asks who’s left behind by government services. Translation products, as well as those supporting everyone from rural and tribal populations to former inmates, fall in this category.
Phase 2 is a six- to eight-week “discovery” phase, where project teams decide if there’s a solution to the problem identified in Phase 1. Some remain undecided, but 10x has nine definite Phase 2 projects — one of which is a COVID-19-inspired effort to provide contact tracing for GSA buildings in the event of another public health crisis.
In Phase 3 “development” begins with engineers being tasked to build a minimum viable product, potential partner agencies being identified and an end goal of solving one problem for one active customer. 10x has four Phase 3 projects, the latest of which kicked off Monday.
The Combating Bias in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Implementation project is ahead of schedule in that the product is already live. A suite of digital tools helps data and program professionals identify different types of bias — possibly racial or gender-based — within datasets that will ultimately power AI pipelines.
10x is collaborating with the Census Bureau on the project.
“My understanding is that the Census Bureau is going to be on the forefront of using this new technology because they’re really a data agency,” Cahoe said. “They have so much data, and a lot of the census open data is what’s going to be used to power these kinds of AI implementations across government.”
Phase 4 attempts to “scale” solutions to as many users as possible and identify alternative funding to keep products sustainable when the 10x seed money dries up.
Of 10x’s two Phase 4 projects, Site Scanner is just ending.
There are a lot of mandates for .gov websites, and the Site Scanner platform delivers customizable scans keeping agency web managers abreast of accessibility, uptime and downtime, related security certificates used, and required data files listed. The product is live, additional scans continue to be added and TTS will manage the platform within its Digital Analytics Program portfolio.
The other Phase 4 project is DevOps for Privacy Offices, which created a live dashboard empowering such offices to respond to security issues with people’s personally identifiable information (PII). The dashboard, which resides within TTS’s Identity Management portfolio, could eventually help implement the Creating Advanced Streamlined Electronic Services for Constituents (CASES) Act and allow people to see what agency systems hold what PII of theirs.
10x’s phased approach to innovation investment mitigates risk by increasing the funding and time devoted to projects as they advance, which only a third do from phase to phase.
“We do not view closing down projects as failures,” Cahoe said. “We view it as a success because one of the great value propositions of 10x is that we can save money and prevent duplication.”
The funding for 10x comes out of the Federal Citizen Services Fund (FCSF), just like other programs within the TTS Solutions office: the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, USA.gov, U.S. Web Design System, and Data.gov. While the FCSF received $150 million in the American Rescue Plan Act, 10x won’t see a funding increase because it’s funded specifically out of a smaller pot called the Digital Services Fund.
That dollar cap means 10x is at its hiring limit currently, but it did launch a new website Tuesday detailing its work. And the program could always receive more funding during the budget process, as consistent as that funding has been throughout 10x’s life.
“Are we going to be getting a bump next year? I couldn’t tell you,” said Nico Papafil, 10x director. “I hope we do.”


News that several relatives of Pope Francis were killed in a tragic accident in his native Argentina has left the Pontiff devastated. Information is scarce at this time; however, we know that some of the victims were very young.
A statement from the Vatican and local police indicates a total of three relatives of Pope Francis were killed in a car crash while a fourth remains in critical condition near the city of Cordoba, Argentina. A small vehicle carrying Emanuel Horacio Bergogolio, 35, a nephew of the pope, along with his wife, and two young children, slammed into the back of a truck, according to Jorge Raineri, a highway police superintendent.
The accident, which happened about 360 miles northeast of the capital, Buenos Aires, killed Bergoglio's wife Valeria Carmona, 36, and their children. The husband and father, who is the son of Pope Francis' late brother, Alberto Bergoglio suffered serious injuries and remains in critical condition, according to Ignacio Bruno, assistant director of the hospital in Villa Maria, speaking to Todo Noticias television.
Bruno said that Carmona and the two children, José, two years, and Antonio, eight months, died before reaching the hospital due to the severity of their injuries. The accident happened on a stretch of highway between the cities of Rosario and Cordoba, while the family was returning to Buenos Aires after a long weekend. The driver of the bus was unharmed.
The Vatican spokesman, Reverend Federico Lombardi, said: "The pope was informed about the tragic accident. He is deeply pained." He added Pope Francis asked for prayers for his relatives "all who shared in his grief to unite with him in prayer."
Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires with the name Jorge Mario Bergoglio and is the first South American to be elected head of the Catholic Church. The death of his young relatives comes as the Holy Father has just completed a successful visit to South Korea and made some startling statements about his future.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Pope Francis made a startling statement when he suggested that he might only be around for two or three years, leaving reporters baffled:
"I see it as the generosity of the people of God. I try to think of my sins, my mistakes, not to become proud. Because I know it will last only a short time. Two or three years and then I'll be off to the Father's House."It is unlikely Pope Francis would travel to Argentina to be with his family after the death of his relatives. Many are already offering condolences to the man who has shaken the Catholic Church in the short time he has been at its helm.


Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Scout's Honor - Chapter 2
< Chapter 1 Chapter 3 >
Struck by an asteroid after exiting a wormhole, our hero's ship is out of control.
The ship spun and tumbled dizzily toward the planet below as the air in the cabin shrieked, leaking out into space. Strapped in tightly to the pilot seat, there was nothing I could do. Nor would I survive more than a few seconds of being tossed about the cabin if I were free to move.
"Abandon ship protocol initiated," the computer said inside my head, broadcasting directly to my implant to overcome the screams of my dying ship.
The pilot's seat dropped through deck and into the escape pod, plugging itself into the control interface. The interface showed green and the escape pod launched itself from the ship and plunged toward the unknown planet. Initial sensor readings were cut off as the pod hit the atmosphere, but what I'd read looked promising.
I kept the pod's flight steady until it completed entry into the atmosphere, absently noting the fuel leak alert, then issued the command to deploy the wings and stabilizer. The grinding sound from the pod's machinery told me there was a problem before the lights started flashing. I guessed the asteroid impact managed to damage than just the fuel tank. Fortunately, the designers had taken both fuel leaks and wing damage into account. The escape pod was a lifting body and could glide without the wings. More or less.
I worked the controls, slowly changing the angle of descent until the pod began to generate some lift. At two hundred meters, with the pod finally leveling out, I saw it. A primitive airship floated right in the middle of my glide path! Instinctively, I dove beneath it -- and the escape pod lost all lift. The ground rushed up, ready to crush me.


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Hand painted mug
Hand painted mask in wooden frame.
X-mass tree decoration.
X-mass tree decoration made from plaster.
Angel and clouds are made from plaster, set on a wooden painted board. Everything is hand painted. It is a part of my christmas 2011 collection.
Character from “Game of Thrones”.
I’ve changed her hair to blue, it was more fun to draw it that way .
Made as a Bday present for a friend. “Sretan ročkas” in Croatian slang means “Happy Bday”.
Continue Reading →
This was a commission for xmas card.
This is a tree I’ve painted last year on my bedroom wall.
I did this on canvas with acrylics and glitters. Originally it’s a David Bowie album cover.
I’ve made this for my BF nephew’s baptism as a present. Giving money is so old school :D. I think it will be cool when he grow up to have something to remember. It’s made on A3 canvas with hand painted animals from plaster, glitters and acrylics.
Tree is painted on canvas with acrylics, prismacolor markers, zircons and glitters.
© Copyright 2011

domain: artistic


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Reed bed boardwalk
This SSSI reed bed (designated Site of Special Scientific Interest) is a one of the largest in Sussex. Reed beds are a priority habitat for nature conservation in the UK and WWT are working hard to restore and maintain this vital habitat for wildlife.
This stretch of the boardwalk, beside the Meadow Maze, is a great spot to look for water voles. To the right is nesting box number four designed with nesting holes against the trunk especially for tree creepers. Ahead an old water butt wedged in a tree top is a nesting box for owls. Across the small bridge you enter the reed bed.
Along this section the reeds tower overhead and wave gently on all sides, punched through by channels cut in on a six year rotation.
Make frequent stops along the way to listen out for reed buntings and cettis warblers. Look up to see the majestic Offham Hanger, where peregrines and buzzards soar.
Along the way read the Field Notes boards with tips on spotting wildlife, while the Discovery Trails offer titbits relating to our themed events.
A small side path leads you to the reed chamber, a building and sculpture created by artist Chris Drury in 2002.
This chamber, made on the floating boardwalk within the reed bed, is thatched with reeds and, via a lens and mirror, projects the image of the waving reed tops within.
The sculpture becomes a large camera obscura. By placing a lens or aperture in the roof and making the floor white, the reed chamber brings what it is outside, inside.
The structure is made from willow battens supported by curved chestnut poles.
Thatching is by Chris Tomkins. During the 25 years Chris Drury has been creating art, the themes in his work have included nature and culture, inner and outer and microcosm and macrocosm.
Here you can see how wetland converts to woodland as tree leaves build up, decomposing into soil. Look here for water rails in winter. The nesting boxes often house blue tits.
Wetlands secrets and reed bed hide
The reed bed stretches onwards past the thatched building of wetland secrets and around the reed bed hide.
Wetland secrets houses a display of wetland plants and how man has used them as food and medicine throughout history.
The reed bed hide looks out over the reed bed. Grit tables beside the hide are to entice wintering bearded tits. Pipistrelle bats nest in boxes alongside the hide and in its rafters.

domain: biology


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Saturday, April 7, 2007
Throughout the world activists are opposing WTO rules as unfair and detrimental to food, farming and rural society. Then comes Minister of Trade Sami Haddad who never misses an opportunity (see previous posts for his latest achievements). He is now trying to convince the poor that joining the WTO, which he predicts will be for next year, will mainly benefit... the poor. Except, he says, some people employed in the non competitive sectors who will lose their employment. Read this Al Safir article for more details.


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In Notice 1003 published in Government Gazette No. 41935 dated 27 September 2018, the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) invited the public to provide written comments on proposed policy and policy directions to the authority on licensing of unassigned high-demand spectrum.
Our submission is premised on the supply-side challenges identified in the White Paper to transform “South Africa into an inclusive, people-centred and developmental digital society.” As acknowledged, “multiple networks have been rolled out across the country, with deployment skewed towards urban areas,” yet the cost of communications, especially mobile broadband, is far from being affordable to many.
In particular, our submission provides complementary strategies aligned with the White Paper’s goals of defining and treating spectrum “as a public good used to meet public interest objectives” and of managing and using it “effectively and efficiently”. The two complementary strategies proposed are:
2x5 MHz of spectrum in the 800 MHz band should be set aside for non-profit, black-owned, small operators.
Licensing of spectrum in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands should include Use It or Share It provisions allowing qualifying operators to access unused spectrum on a secondary basis.


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Learn How To Create A Contemporary Collage Artwork
We’ll be making contemporary collage art! Everyone will have a choice to create, one piece of letter-sized collage art!
1. The first thing we’ll do is start the lesson out with a little inspiration. I will walk you through previous works and a little history and current collage art world status. Then we’ll go through technique, assembly, color combination and form examples to get you started.
2. Secondly, we’ll begin assembling our material by gathering cutouts from magazines, papers and any mixed media you have at home
3. We will cut out our shapes and figures and share our creative thinking or inspiration.
4. Then we will make layouts and creations before gluing them down
5. We’ll get into finalizing the work and letting it dry and sharing our creations with each other!
All at your own pace, in the comfort of your home!
Hello! My name is Maria - I am a multi-disciplinary creator working in art, photography, and design. Collage is an integral part of my practice and always expands my imagination! I have been running my own creative studio for over 8 years now and create collage as fine art as well as for clients within a variety of disciplines. I invite you to create something fun, colorful, and original with me!
What Team Members Should Bring
The Setup For the Virtual Session
Paper, Scissors and glue stick or scotch tape
Magazines or any cutout inspiration you can find
Even paints if you want to add a layer of mixed media! And your Imagination ✨
Diversity and Inclusion
Team Building and Camaraderie
Communication and Trust
Kindness and Empathy
Learning Something New
As a customer if you cancel 48 hours after you have booked a session with a guide you will get a 50% refund. If you cancel before the 48 hours you receive your full refund. Customers also receive full refunds whenever a guide cancels
How to Experience Seshie
Please make sure you and your team members have Zoom downloaded. After you book a seshie in the confirmation email you will receive details providing the Zoom link and password information.


What did we do?
We worked with the largest coding Bootcamp in the North on a monthly basis to produce and manage content for their paid media. Driving new BTC and B2B leads via Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Northcoders are the UK’s fastest-growing coding BootCamp. Their 13-week course has been taken by thousands of students up and down the North-West of England.
Along with a very strong consumer side of the brand, they also have a growing B2B business. To put it simply, they help their students land jobs at some of the UK’s biggest tech firms.
In order to help sustain the brand’s rapid growth, they need a constant flow of leads from both potential students and businesses. That’s where we come in.
what we did
Our first challenge was to make coding attractive to everyone- not just those who love tech. We did this by avoiding showing code directly in our adverts. A lot of their historic adverts relayed heavily on the use of code and the results showed this didn’t work. Instead, we made our creative fun and people-driven. This allows for our adverts to connect on a personal level allowing for a much better CTR.
Delivering ads on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok gave us a great range of results. The data then allowed us to scale faster than normal.
Our creative is a mixture of length to help to retarget from view videos. Creating educational content and short, direct action ads allows us to build pixel data fast.
We continue to create industry-leading creative for Northcoders paid media and help grow the brand.
Ready to work with us?
Take the next step and book a call with our team today.


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Recently, an incident has been reported from Karimganj district’s Nagharia village. Where ‘objectionable’ pictures of a housewife were made viral by a person. The lady has pleaded for ‘justice’ to the Superintendent of Police, Padmanabh Baruah. As per the updates, the accused are not yet arrested.
The village Nagharia falls under Patharkandi Police Station. It is located near Baroigram and is around 28 km away from Karimganj.
While speaking to the media, the housewife mentioned that the incident took place a few days back. The prime accused, who is identified as Nijam Uddin, is a mason by profession and was working at the victim’s house. As no one was present in the house the accused took the advantage of the situation. While the victim was sleeping with her baby inside the house, he clicked ‘objectionable’ pictures. The pictures showcased the accused, Nijam Uddin, and the victim in a compromising position.
Later, Nijam showed the pictures and demanded money from her. The victim claims that he also threatened her to post the pictures online. The housewife denied to pay the amount, resulting in which Najim making the pictures go viral on social media.
She later filed a case against Nijam Uddin and two other person named as Asad Uddin and Choloi Uddin at the Karimganj court. The housewife demanded justice and action from Karimganj Superintendent of Police, Padmanabh Baruah, regarding the matter
According to the sources, the case (930/21) has been filed under Section 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 34 ( acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, 500 (defamation), and 67A (publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act were registered and a probe initiated.
Although the court-ordered Patharkandi Police to arrest the accused, no one has been arrested till the last update.


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JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts today expanded its luxury portfolio in China with the unveiling of the highly anticipated 416-room JW Marriott Hotel Zhengzhou in Henan Province. Marriott International manages this landmark hotel under a long-term agreement with the owner partners, Greenland Group.This new hotel is located on the top floors of the Millennium Royal Plaza, which is in the CBD of Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province as well as an important transportation hub in China. The 60-floor Millennium Royal Plaza stands at 280 meters and is the tallest building in Central China. The JW Marriott Hotel Zhengzhou is the first Marriott property in Henan as well as the seventh JW Marriott hotel in the Greater China region.
The design of Millennium Royal Plaza was inspired by the Songyue Pagoda, a renowned cultural relic that was built approximately 1,500 years ago. The aluminium exterior’s sunscreens give the structure its distinctive pagoda-shape. The sunscreens also maximize the amount of daylight entering the building while reducing glare and solar heat gain. The hotel’s interior design reflects the hotel’s location with subtle brown metal celebrating the historic importance of bronze, and pale greens representing high quality jade artefacts that were produced in the region throughout the dynasties.
Zhengzhou is an important transportation hub within China and Henan has a rich 5,000-year history. The city boasts several UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the world famous Shaolin Temple. The new hotel is ideally located in the heart of Zhengdong New District – the new centre of Zhengzhou – and is positioned between the Zhengzhou International Convention & Exhibition Centre and Henan Art Centre. Due to its impressive location, the JW Marriott Hotel Zhengzhou is well poised to service both the upscale business and leisure travellers.
The new property features a total 416 of spacious guestrooms and suites located from the 41st to the 55th floor, each offering floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views of the city. All guestrooms feature luxurious JW Marriott bedding designed in collaboration with Todd-Avery Lenahan and ergonomic work spaces that foster convenience and productivity.
The hotel’s dining experiences on the 38th and 39th floors include The Grill,specializing in both Chinese and Western dishes made from the freshest seafood and finest cuts of beef; Man Ho, headed up by Executive Chef Wong from Hong Kong and featuring Cantonese classics as well as Henan and Sichuan delicacies; and Zhengzhou Kitchen, the best buffet in town boasting dedicated Western, Chinese and Japanese live-cooking sections. The Lounge – borrowing inspiration from the building’s height – features the “tallest tea” in the city, a four-tier stand filled with delectable treats.
The JW Marriott Hotel Zhengzhou offers more than 2,500 square meters of stunning function and event space, including the 1,000 square meter JW Grand Ballroom with an LED wall panel, six meeting rooms – each with natural daylight – and a spacious pre-function ballroom foyer.

domain: geography


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In June, Glen Eira City Council presents a range of events and activities that celebrate stories and those who tell them. The Festival is held in venues including: the Glen Eira Town Hall, Council’s libraries and local cafes and other venues across Glen Eira.
Storytelling is a common and shared human experience that transcends culture, language and time. Through storytelling we can come together as a community, sharing our histories, our experiences and the important stories that have been handed down through the generations.
Follow Glen Eira Arts and Culture on facebook www.facebook.com/gleneiraarts
Corner Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads
PO Box 42 Caulfield South 3162
Telephone 03 9524 3333
National Relay Service
TTY 133 677
Speak and Listen 1300 555 727
Facsimile 03 9523 0339

domain: sociology


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This is awesome!! You are so talented :)
you know, gina, i was inspired by an old post of yours about how you stained the paper with tea (i think it's the 'smitten' post for IF), so i gave it a try on one of my recent works, and, voila, it came out really beautiful! ^_^ (thanks!)this one is another beautiful tea-piece, you're so good with colors.
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Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is such a pretty city. I loved walking along its cobbled-stoned streets with a contrast of centuries-old buildings and huge impressive structures. The city just surprises at every corner– it’s so historical, yet modern at the same time.
Most of the popular sights are in the city center within walking distance from each other– but for those further away, the metro is a convenient mode of transport to get there. I had a wonderful time exploring Brussels in winter, and here are the top 10 favorite things I did on my visit. Make sure you do them too!
1) Marvel at the Grand Place
Brussels’ Grand Place is a gorgeous public square and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the most important tourist destination and landmark in Brussels; and is surrounded by the city’s Town Hall and guildhalls. The buildings are absolutely majestic with its Gothic architecture and shiny gold trimmings. During the day, the square is filled with art stalls and at night, the buildings come to life with bright lights. I was there during Christmas– so the crowd was treated to a sound and light display. It really brought out the magic of the season.
2) Admire the Atomium
The Atomium is one of the most bizarre structures in the world! It is 102m tall and looks exactly like an atom (well, it’s 165 billion times bigger)– with 9 huge stainless steel spheres. The highest sphere offers panoramic views; it was a clear day when I visited, so I could actually spot the Grand Place. From the top; going down the ‘warp-ish’ escalators and stairs lead to permanent and temporary exhibitions– mostly on architecture and the Expo 1958, which was when the structure was built.
The exhibitions didn’t really catch my attention; but I think the Atomium is worth a visit for its sheer uniqueness, its history, the fact that you’ll never find another atom-shaped building this size anywhere in the world (there are smaller duplicate versions around), and of course, it makes a good photo op.
3) Snap a Photo with the Manneken Pis
This is another popular landmark in Brussels, the little peeing boy, also known as the Manneken Pis. It is exactly as the name implies, a small bronze statue of a little boy peeing into the fountain. There are many legends surrounding it– from stories of courage, battles and fires; to a missing little boy. The statue was placed here in 1618, but after being stolen many times, it was replaced with a replica. The cutest thing is that the little boy statue has his very own wardrobe– he is usually naked, but when an occasion comes along, he gets a new outfit . While I was there, he was decked out in hip-hop green. Probably for Christmas.
4) Explore the Many Museums
There are so many museums around Brussels to suit every interest. With the intention of only visiting one, I picked the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History; and enjoyed it immensely. If you ever want a military rundown of Belgium, this is the place to visit– it is packed with history and memorabilia; ranging from uniforms, weaponry, vehicles and military equipment. It also has an impressive aviation hall with a variety of airplanes and flight machinery. The museum is located within the grounds of the Cinquantenaire Park, which is a great place for a stroll.
Other museums of note in Brussels are– the City Museum, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Autoworld Car Museum, Natural Sciences Museum and Musical Instruments Museum.
5) Get to Know the World of Comic Strips
Belgium is pretty famous for several of its comic characters, like Tin Tin and the Smurfs, just to name a few. It is said that there are more comic strip artists per square kilometer here than any other country. Therefore, Brussels has a museum dedicated to comic strips; the Belgian Comic Strip Center. This is the best place to find out more and immerse yourself in drawings, comics and cartoons.
There is also a Comic Cafe in the city, with a comic shop next to it. It’s got a pretty cool collection of comic strips and comic miniatures– and you can dine amongst drawings of your favorite Belgian comic characters.
6) Visit the Royal Palace
The Royal Palace, or Palais Royale, is the official palace of the Belgian King. Certain parts of the palace are opened to the public during the summer months; but unfortunately I was visiting in winter, so I could only admire the beautiful architecture from the outside. The palace overlooks the Brussels Park, which was pretty quiet when I visited in the late evening. There were only a few couples sitting on the benches spending some quality time together– and it looked really romantic with the bare silver trees back-dropped by the colorful hues of the dusk sky.
7) Walk Around Sablon
Sablon is located on the upper half of the old city of Brussels. It is divided into two parts– the Place du Grand Sablon, which is a beautiful public square surrounded by refurbished centuries-old shophouses; and the smaller Petit Sablon, which is a lovely flower garden with fountains and stone statuettes.
I enjoyed walking along the shops surrounding the Grand Sablon; it was an interesting mix of antique stores, fashion boutiques, hotels, restaurants, and mouth-watering chocolate and pastry shops. I also visited the Petit Sablon garden. It is a good place to relax, and provides a lovely view of the Church of our Blessed Lady Sablon that stands between the two squares.
8) Shop at the Galleries and Markets
Just like any other big European city, Brussels has its own fair share of shops and luxury stores. There are a couple of famous galleries about town with gorgeous glass roofs; like the Galeries Saint Hubert and the Royal Galleries. Stroll along the arcades, have a drink at the cafes, or pop into the many luxury boutique stores to look around. If it suits your budget, go crazy shopping!
There’s a flea market and an antique market (located in Sablon) in the city too. And during Christmas, make sure you spend some time at the wonderfully magical Christmas markets.
9) Dine at the Rue de Bouchers
When it is time for dinner, the best place to go to is the Rue de Boucher. It is a walking street that is filled with cafes and restaurants– all displaying their wide array of seafood selections on piles of ice, and delicious fare through their shop windows. Waiters stand by their restaurants, calling out and inviting passers-by into their place, promising the best seafood in town. The area has a delightful charm, and I enjoyed the hustle and bustle… but it often got me confused and indecisive when trying to pick a restaurant to dine in.
10) Taste All the Belgian Delights
The first two things that springs to mind when I think of Belgium are chocolates and waffles. After visiting Brussels and having these two sweet desserts there, anywhere else will probably never come close… especially those sugar snow topped waffles– to die for! Another two classic Belgian foods that are must-tries are mussels and fries.
I was glad I visited in winter, the Christmas Markets gave me the opportunity to go on a food tour. It is the best place to savor all the local flavors. I had pasta, stew, hand-rolls, shellfish, mash potatoes, cheesy delights, and everything with mushrooms. Also, chocolate dipped apples, liquorice and macaroons!


The collection of nine former New Orleans Adolescent Hospital buildings acquired by Children’s Hospital will receive landmark protection, but the rest of the 17-acre site will not, a city panel ruled Thursday — effectively allowing the demolition of six dilapidated NOAH buildings in the near future and defining the path ahead for the expansion of Children’s Hospital.
Thursday’s ruling followed a sometimes-contentious discussion between Children’s Hospital officials and members of the Louisiana Landmarks Society. Although the sides had previously compromised on the demolition of only the six former residential buildings along Henry Clay Avenue, the Landmarks Society wanted to see the entire rest of the site protected by the Historic District Landmarks Commission — not just the remaining buildings.
“We don’t want to stop Children’s Hospital from expanding any more than you do or than anyone else does,” said Stephen Chauvin of the Louisiana Landmarks Society. “All we want is for the site to be designated so that in the future, it will have your review, your oversight. It’s just a layer of protection and we should be afforded it.”
The residential structures and wall must be removed so that the entire campus can be unified on both sides of Henry Clay Avenue, hospital officials have explained. In their place, Children’s Hospital will build a new parking garage and clinic building, connected to the current hospital buildings over Henry Clay Avenue. The remainder of the former NOAH buildings are not designed to meet modern medical standards, so they will be used for administrative offices and short-term housing for patients’ families.
But in the negotiations over this plan, Children’s Hospital officials said that the Louisiana Landmarks Society have continually changed their goals. If they really supported the development plan that Children’s Hospital has proposed, why create so many new regulatory hurdles for its creation? asked Dr. Stephen Hales, a pediatrician and long-time member of the hospital board.
“They have shown in the past week they will resort to almost any tactic to have their way,” Hales said. “Why would we object to the designation of the site itself? The answer has been made abundantly clear in the last week, through the implacable opposition of those who have the most extreme opinions.”
The city’s historic planning staff acknowledged the rich legacy of the property. Originally the U.S. Marine Hospital, it was part of the federal Public Health Service Hospital system intended to care for returning seamen and protect the country from epidemics they may have brought from abroad. The buildings were designed in Colonial Revival Style by Percy I. Balch and the grounds by landscape architect A.D. Taylor — all of which contributes to the property’s significance and need for protection.
Tearing down the residential buildings and the wall, however — the compromise already agreed upon by preservationists and the hospital — “will fundamentally undermine” the campus-like nature of the property, said Eleanor Burke, deputy director of the Historic District Landmarks Commission. What is significant about the entire property, Burke said, is the way that it is visually cohesive and set apart from its surroundings.
“It is a site unto itself which is separate from the rest of the city,” Burke said. “The removal of the six structures and the wall at Henry Clay Avenue will compromise the significance of the site in such a way that it no longer retains that character-defining feature of the campus.”
With that element lost, Burke said, it makes more sense simply to apply the landmark designation to the remaining buildings.
The Historic District Landmarks Commission largely agreed with Burke’s report, and said that the proposal by Children’s Hospital is likely the best outcome for the property.
“Just seeing any of these buildings saved is an incredibly wonderful thing,” said Commissioner Greg Hackenburg. “I’ve been watching this site decay over the years and watching the holes in the buildings get bigger and bigger. I don’t think any sort of organization could take over the site as-is, without doing significant alterations to it. We just don’t build hospitals over this any more.”
The staff report to landmark the buildings but exempt the site passed the HDLC by a wide margin, with Commissioner Ed de Montluzin the sole vote against it.
The vote does not, however, give Children’s Hospital a blank check for development, officials said — but it does establish the path that lies ahead for the expansion project.
Children’s Hospital does have permission to tear down the six residential buildings and portion of the wall along Henry Clay Avenue, granted by the City Council last week. Because approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is needed for work so close to the river levees, however, the hospital would at some point be required to conduct a federal process (known as a Section 106 review) for discussing the impact of the work from a historical standpoint.
The Section 106 review primarily constitutes a public discussion on ways to mitigate the losses associated with the project — such as how to memorialize the buildings that will be torn down — and is unlikely to prevent the demolition process from moving forward.
Children’s Hospital does not have permission to begin building the new parking garage or clinic space on the site, however. Under the new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, all major institutions — including hospitals and universities — must create an official Institutional Master Plan that must be approved by the City Planning Commission.
“If approved, the plan becomes effectively the zoning for the site. From that day forward, anything the hospital wants to do, so long as it’s compliant with the publicly vetted master plan, it can be built by right,” said Robert Rivers, director of the City Planning Commission. “But any time hospital chooses to do something different, if they want to do something that is not in the master plan, they have to go through a public process … that requires public hearings before City Planning as well as the City Council.”
The entire $250 million project is expected to take up to five years to complete — 18 months for architecture and site planning, and three years for actual construction, hospital officials have said.


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10 Things You Must Know About Babies and SleepAugust 29, 2016
Sleep. To a parent of a newborn or young child, it’s a magical word. It can also be one of the things of which nightmares are made if you have a little one that does not sleep well. Newborns sleep 16 hours or more per day, but usually in stretches of only a few hours at a time. After a few months, babies usually sleep 5 hours at a time, with most babies sleeping through 10 hours during their first year. But getting through the process makes for very sleepy parents or caregivers! Below are some answers to common questions about babies and sleep:
1. How can I start my infant off with good sleep habits?
Infants – to about 4 months – cry because of physical needs. They can’t be “spoiled” at this age, so when your infant cries, pick him up and give comfort by rocking and cuddling. When your infant wakes up at night, take care of him quickly and matter-of-factly, without much social contact or play. Then put him back in the crib and leave the room, to discourage waking up for the rewards of play and attention.
2. How can I put my older baby to sleep?
The older baby (4 months and older) must learn to relax and fall asleep without help. After the rituals of bathing, quiet play and feeding, put your older baby into the crib while he is still awake. Your baby will become better at relaxing and drifting off to sleep without help, which will also help when he wakes up in the middle of the night.
3. What is SIDS and can it be prevented?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of a seemingly healthy baby younger than 1 year of age. Although there is no known cause of SIDS, there are things that parents can do to help with prevention:
-always place babies on their backs to sleep for every sleep
-use a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress in a safety-approved crib, with a fitted sheet
-have the baby share your room, not your bed; your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair alone, with you or with anyone else
-keep soft objects, such as pillows and loosed bedding out of your baby’s sleep area
-prevent exposure to smoking during pregnancy and after birth as these are important risk factors for SIDS; the risk of SIDS is even stronger when a baby shares a bed with a smoker
4. What should I do if my baby wakes in the middle of the night?
Many older babies wake up at night for the privilege of sleeping in the parents’ bed. This desire often continues throughout childhood. Unless you believe in the family bed, avoid this attractive response to nighttime waking at all costs!
5. What tips can you offer for helping my baby sleep?
Establish daytime routines, including consistent waking times. Regular meal and activity times promote regular sleeping times. Develop bedtime rituals (a story or song, bath); routines make it easier for a child to “wind down.” Provide an environment that promotes sleep. A cool, dark, quiet room is best. Discourage excess evening fluids. Be consistent!
6. If I wait a while, will bedtime be easier?
Don’t postpone bedtime in the hope that a tired child will be easier to put to bed. When an overtired child loses self-control, it can be almost impossible to meet the child’s needs and the child can’t fall asleep comfortably.
7. What if my preschooler won’t go to sleep?
If your older preschooler resists going to sleep, try allowing the child to stay awake–but only in his bedroom–as long as the child wants, but without the stimulation of television or other screens. Your child feels somewhat in control, while you maintain a defined bedtime. There’s little reason to stay awake once the child realizes that further contact with the family is unlikely, and the child is likely to drift off the sleep—perhaps while playing on the floor. Eventually, the child will find that a soft bed is a better place to spend the night.
8. What is an example of a bedtime ritual?
Following a nightly routine makes bedtime easier because children (even young babies) learn what to expect. Routines encourage relaxation, which leads to sleep. Begin by establishing a consistent bedtime. Begin the transition to sleep a half-hour to an hour before bedtime. This transition can include things such as a giving your baby a warm bath, brushing his/her teeth (even older babies need their teeth brushed!), giving your baby a last drink of water, changing baby’s diaper, and reading a story. Then—and here’s the big one—put your baby in his/her crib while still awake and say good night. He/she must get used to falling asleep alone so that baby can do it again if he/she wakes in the night!
9. When should my child move into a bed?
Generally, a bed is introduced at about age 2-1/2 or 3, when the child can get in and out of it easily. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises switching to a bed when a child is 35 inches tall. Other signs of readiness include if your child starts climbing out of the crib, or if he sleeps through the night and adheres to a regular bedtime routine. Some popular choices with regard to selecting a bed include:
-A junior bed is made for young children. It is low to the ground and has guardrails. However, as it uses a crib-size mattress, it will be good only until your child reaches age 5 or so.
-A twin-size bed will work, but push one side against the wall and use a guardrail on the other.
Be sure to keep the bed away from windows, and as your child will be mobile, remember to keep doors and entrances to off-limit areas closed and locked, and install a safety gate at the top of stairs.
10. My child is on medication. Does that affect sleep?
Medications definitely can affect a child’s sleep. Many times, unbeknownst to parents, medications—over the counter and prescription–can cause or add to a sleep problem. Always check with your child’s pediatrician before administering medications of any kind.
The bottom line is each child is different and in most cases eventually develops an acceptable sleep routine. Adhering to consistent bedtime rituals and nighttime waking strategies are important for parents and caregivers, and babies alike. Patience goes a long way too! As with any concerns, speak with your child’s pediatrician first. MKSA is always available to answer questions and make appropriate referrals. For more information about MKSA’s services, click here.


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Kim Kardashian is having fun with her 9-year-old daughter North West, showing off their dance moves and lip-synching to Taylor Swift’s hit song ‘Shake It Off.’
Fans of the reality star remember Kim’s feud with Taylor back in 2016, after her ex-husband Kanye West released a song with a “strong misogynistic message,” as detailed by Taylor herself. However Kim would go on to post clips of a phone call between Kanye and Taylor at the time, in which she apparently gave permission to the rapper to release the song.
It seems the celebrity feud has been left in the past and both Kim and Taylor have moved on from the controversy. The mother-daughter can be seen enjoying the song in their new TikTok, singing all the lyrics and coordinating their dance moves.
“Once a swiftie always a swiftie,” one person commented, in reference to a previous interview, in which Kim reveals that her favorite song at the moment was ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift. “We ALL saw Kim trying to get into Taylor’s good graces coming after the kanye split,” someone else commented.
North has been having a lot of fun on TikTok, recently posting one doing a prank on her 4-year-old sibling Chicago. Using a filter that warps faces, North covered Chicago’s eyes before she rubbed her face and made the big reveal.
But the 4-year-old looked unbothered and started dancing until North pointed out what was wrong with her face. It’s an adorably harmless prank since Chicago handled it well and was laughing along.
KIM KARDASHIAN IS OPEN TO ANOTHER MARRIAGE AND MORE CHILDREN IN THE FUTURE
TAYLOR SWIFT’S CAT IS REPORTEDLY ONE OF THE RICHEST PETS IN THE WORLD
KIM KARDASHIAN’S NATURAL HAIR ISN’T AS LONG AS YOU MIGHT THINK [PHOTO]


text: ECOS® is the best selling environmentally preferable laundry detergent in the United States! Versatile, safe and hypo-allergenic; ECOS® can be used in high-efficiency machines or standard machines and in hot, warm or cold water. Safely cleans clothes without disintegrating fabric fibers or fading colors. Free and Clear version has no scent, and no fabric softener added, it just cleans! Non-toxic, readily-biodegradable, pH balanced formula is made using sustainable, plant-based ingredients. Product is free of synthetic perfumes and dyes, greywater and septic safe. Recognized by the EPA's DfE and USDA's Biopreferred Program.

domain: chemistry


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I've been reading this one with my son over the last few months. Napoli has really brought the Greek stories to life. She has some funny commentary inserted into the stories to bring attention to some of the crazier/violent aspects of the stories. There are also some excellent extra insights into the stories, such as the science behind the sun or moon or the geography of Greece or its people and culture.
The drawings are also amazing. Beautiful and colorful. This is a great edition to our library!


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Compost Division ManagerAldergrove, BC (Canada – 60 km East of Vancouver)
About South Mill Champs – "Mushroom Creations. Responsibly Grown"
South Mill Champs is a leader among the largest mushroom growers in North America and Canada. South Mill Champs' history began four generations ago in 1932 as a family mushroom farm. In the 1950s, they began supplying mushroom growing substrate. In 1982 the family purchased one of Pennsylvania's largest mushroom farms and soon sold its fresh mushrooms directly to the retail, wholesale, food service, and commercial markets under the "South Mill" label. In 2018 South Mill acquired Champs Mushrooms in Aldergrove, British Columbia. Today South Mill Champs seamlessly supplies over 50 thousand tons annually of fresh, frozen, and minimally-processed mushrooms into expanded territories throughout North America.
For its composting facility at Champ's Farms in Aldergrove, BC, we are looking for a Compost Division Manager responsible for overseeing the production operations and developing additional policies and procedures in line with current European composting best practices to ensure the composting facility's optimization.
Manage, optimize and oversee the production operations of the composting facility.
- Be responsible for overseeing production operations for the composting facility at Champ's Farms in Aldergrove, BC.
- Closely cooperate with the Director of Composting and the General Manager to develop and manage policies and procedures aligned with current European composting best practices to ensure the composting facility's optimization.
- Ensure the compost system uptime.
- Provide training and daily guidelines to your team and ensure that Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) are followed. Ensure compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
- Lead the composting team by fostering engagement, building on a positive working atmosphere, and assessing and improving your team members' performances.
- Conduct daily visual observation of compost condition with staff.
- Collaborate with the mushroom growing department to monitor/steer the compost quality and consistency by monitoring KPIs and data to ensure quality products and excellence.
- Create composting processes and policies aligned with South Mill Champ's Mushrooms' business goals. Reduce waste, manage labor efficiencies and machine reliability.
- Manage compost budget and implement appropriate cost controls for the composting division.
- Be responsible for establishing a positive and effective relationship with key stakeholders to develop or expand the company's business.
The ideal candidate is a people-oriented manager, pro-active, and passionate about composting and growing mushrooms.
- Higher education (agriculture / biology / science related) and managerial experience.
- At least 3 years of experience in a European mushroom compost production environment.
- Possess extensive knowledge of European methods for the overall composting process.
- Fluent in English.
- Driving license.
- Natural leadership skills are goal-oriented and able to motivate a team towards common goals.
- Able to pro-actively respond to changes or failures, entrepreneurial and problem-solving skills.
- Independent in action and decision making, able to keep the helicopter view.
- Positive, thinking ahead, and proposing (cost and quality) effective solutions.
- Analyze and make data-driven decisions, analytical and hands-on mindset.
An interesting but challenging career opportunity with an innovative, sustainable, producing, and ambitious market-leading company. You will have a chance to impact the business and develop yourself further. The company offers an attractive remuneration package with many extra's (e.g., Medical, Vision, and Dental support), provides accommodation, relocation assistance, and will assist you in the immigration process. The position offers a high level of autonomy and room for a personal initiative to develop your ideas to improve the composting division.
South Mill Champs has outsourced the Recruitment and Selection for the Compost Division Manager exclusively to CeresRecruitment. More information about the company is found at www.southmill.com. A personality questionnaire can be part of the recruitment process.

domain: agronomy


Reducing Use of Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox Can Result In Fewer C. Diff Infections: Study
Limiting the use of popular antibiotics, such as Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox, may reduce the number of drug-resistant Clostridium difficile (c.diff) infections acquired in hospitals, according to the findings of new research.
In a study published online last week by the medical journal The Lancet, researchers from the U.K. report that limiting the use of a class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones may have a greater impact on C. diff infection prevention than other control measures hospitals can put in place.
Researchers looked at regional and national data in the United Kingdom on the incidence of C. diff infections and antimicrobial prescriptions between 1998 and 2014, and also looked at whole genome sequences from 4,045 C. diff isolates. They used the data to determine the incidence of C. diff infections caused by bacteria that was either resistant or susceptible to drugs like Levaquin and Avelox.
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The findings indicated that limiting fluoroquinolone prescriptions also limited the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections. In the Oxfordshire region, for example, in 2006 about 67% of C. diff infections linked to fluoroquinolones were resistant to such antibiotics. After use of drugs like Levaquin and Avelox declined, only about 3% of such infections were drug resistant. The rest were easily treatable.
In fact, researchers found that restricting the use of the drugs caused a drop in overall C. diff infections that was more effective than any other effort, and appears to be the reason for a significant decline in such infections seen during the time of the study.
“Restricting flouroquinolone prescribing appears to explain the decline in incidence of C. difficile infections, above other measures, in Oxfordshire and Leeds, England,” the researchers determined. “Antimicrobial stewardship should be a central component of C. difficile infection control programmes.”
The study appears to correlate to findings of another investigation published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in October 2016, which indicated that hospital patients may be more likely to get a hospital infection if they are in a bed that was last used by another patient treated with antibiotics. That study found that a 22% relative increase in risk for C. diff infections for subsequent patients occupying the same bed as a previous patient given antibiotics.
Levaquin, Avelox and Cipro Health Risks
Fluoroquinolones are a popular class of medications, which have been widely used in recent years to treat a variety of infections. The brand name drugs Levaquin, Avelox and Cipro are the top selling members of the controversial class of antibiotics, which have also been linked to a number of serious side effects in recent years, including a risk of severe nerve damage, as well as the possible degradation of connective tissues, which may result in aortic aneurysms and aortic dissections.
Due to the various different side effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, federal regulators warned last year that the drugs should not be considered for uncomplicated infections, which is expected to greatly reduce the widespread use of the medications.
There are currently hundreds of Levaquin lawsuits, Avelox lawsuits and Cipro lawsuits pending against the manufacturers, each involving allegations that users were not adequately warned about the risks associated with the medications. Most of the current claims involve individuals diagnosed with permanent peripheral neuropathy, which is a severe form of nerve damage that may cause problems for users long after the antibiotics are taken.
Over the past year, a growing number of aortic aneurysm lawsuits and aortic dissection lawsuits have also been filed, alleging that side effects of the medications also increase the risk of painful and potentially life-threatening complications involving the aorta.
Aortic dissections pose a serious and potentially life-threatening health risk, involving a tear inside of the aorta that causes blood to low between the layers, forcing them apart. Similarly, aortic aneurysms occur when the walls of the artery weaken and an abnormal bulge develops. The conditions are associated with severe chest or back pain, which can quickly lead to death or severe, long-term injury.
Antibiotic Overuse Concerns
Widespread use of antibiotics in hospitals has become a growing concern nationwide, due to the long established evidence that antibiotic prescription in hospital settings is a crucial risk factor for clostridium difficile colitis infection outbreaks. Several studies have shown antibiotics are over and unnecessarily prescribed, increasing individual risk for clostridium difficile colitis.
In a study published by JAMA in May this year, researchers found antibiotics were prescribed unnecessarily 30% of the time. This included prescriptions that were given to treat viral infections and prescriptions that were given for the incorrect length of time.
Using antibiotics inappropriately contributes to the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria, making it more difficult to treat infections. Research published in March by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates one-in-seven hospital acquired infections are now antibiotic resistant, focusing scrutiny on the way doctors treat antibiotic resistant infections, especially with unnecessary rounds of antibiotics.
Other research indicates more than 23,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic resistant bacteria and 2 million become sick due to the so called superbugs every year.
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The way we build our schedules is the way we build our lives. Chances are that if there’s no room for you in your calendar, you might be feeling like there isn’t much room for you in your life. So many of us women build our schedules around supporting others. We’re the reliable ones, the responsible ones, the ones who get shit done. We’re willing to cancel a workout or an afternoon of alone time in order to take another thing on because on some level, we think we should.
I should make myself available to others.
I should put others first because that’s what good people do.
I should say yes, even if it means that I have to give up some me time.
On the surface, these thoughts might seem harmless. However, if you often feel tired or sick, if you’re starting to feel resentful or bitter, then it’s time to take a closer look. Are you saying yes even when you want to say no? Are you neck-deep in commitments that don’t light you up? Are you making yourself into a martyr for a cause that nobody sees? The badge of honour is heavier than you’d think, and my love, it will weigh you down. Perhaps it’s time for a change.
What would it be like to reclaim five or ten minutes a day for yourself? Imagine having a non-negotiable window of time just for you. Time to unplug, to stop, maybe even to relax. What would that be like?
When we’re constantly caught up in the hustle and bustle, it’s hard to hear our hearts. Our values get drowned out by the noise. No wonder there’s dissonance. That’s what happens when our choices no longer reflect our values and life becomes a never-ending to-do list. Today, I invite you to reclaim five minutes for yourself. Sink beneath the noise and connect to your own heart. It’s never too late, and no length of time is too short.
Start by stopping. There’s power in pausing.

domain: psychology


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Place shiitake and maitake in separate bowls, cover with warm water and soak 20 minutes. Drain off soaking water and reserve 2 cups. Chop the maitake and shiitake coarsely.
Heat oil in a soup pot and sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add celery, potatoes and sauté 2 minutes. Add water, mushroom soaking liquid, kombu and sea salt to the pot. Cover and simmer over a low flame for 5 minutes. Remove kombu and discard. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes. In two batches, puree in a blender until creamy. Place the liquid puree back into the pot. Add all remaining ingredients, except the parsley and chives and simmer on low without boiling until hot. Turn off flame, mix in parsley and chives. Mix and serve hot or chilled.
Per serving - 174 calories, 7 g fat (33% calories from fat), 8 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium


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By Marine Le Pen • The New York Times
“To misname things is to add to the world’s unhappiness.” Whether or not Albert Camus really did utter these words, they are an astonishingly apt description of the situation in which the French government now finds itself. Indeed, the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius no longer even dares pronounce the real name of things.
Mr. Fabius will not describe as “Islamists” the terrorists who on Wednesday, Jan. 7, walked into the offices of the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, right in the heart of Paris. Nor will he use “Islamic State” to describe the radical Sunni group that now controls territory in Syria and Iraq. No reference can be made to “Islamic fundamentalism,” for fear that Islam and Islamism might get conflated. The terms “Daesh” and “Daesh cutthroats” are to be favored instead, even though in Arabic “Daesh” means the very thing to be hidden: “Islamic State.” [Read more...]