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Tourist Information Centre at the Brunei International Airport Provides Convenience for Visitors to Brunei
Present to officiate the launching of the Photography Exhibition at the Departure Area of Brunei International Airport, Guest of Honour Yang Mulia Awg Wardi bin Hj Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) also visited the brand new Tourist Information Counter (TIC), which commenced operations at the arrival area of the Brunei International Airport.
The Tourism Information Centre is open from 9am to 6pm daily and will go a long way toward creating a positive impact on visitors to Brunei. By promoting landmarks and places of interest to visitors, the TIC will also act as an information provider on Brunei and services, from accommodation to events and activities.
In a bid to improve tourism services in the country, the Association of Travel Agents of Brunei (ATAB) will work with stakeholders so that each tourist will be furnished with enough information on places of interests, tours, brochures, maps, accommodation, transportation, shopping, restaurants and other related tourism services, thereby taking the right steps in ensuring their stay in Brunei is a positive one.
Yang Mulia Awg Wardi also stepped outside of the arrival area to view the new map of Brunei, which will include places of interests near the airport, and maps of Bandar Seri Begawan, Gadong and Kiulap. The maps were installed for the convenience of visitors and tourists to Brunei to help them navigate nearby places of interests and attractions.
The Tourism Development Department has been working hard in their initiatives to improve the quality of tourism facilities for all visitors to Brunei Darussalam. In 2017, the total number of international tourist arrivals to Brunei through the Brunei International Airport reached a milestone of 258,955 tourists, marking an 18.3 percent increase from 2016. This remarkable achievement exceeded the 10% projection of 2017 and marks the highest record of international tourist arrivals since 2011.
The Tourist Information Counter is managed by the Association of Travel Agents of Brunei (ATAB) with the support of Tourism Development Department, Mix Mediaworx and the Department of Civil Aviation.

domain: travel


That statement is true as Samsung, one of the top chip makers has lost a considerable amount of its market share in the mobile processor market due to MediaTek’s domination. As per a Counterpoint Research report, the South Korean tech giant’s processors fell to the fifth, with a market share of just 4% which is unusual.
Samsung is currently in the middle of reshuffling its smartphone portfolio strategy to include sourcing from both in-house and third-party Chinese ODMs. Meanwhile, Qualcomm and MediaTek have taken over the application processor market. MediaTek has been seeing much success in Samsung’s own smartphone lineup in the mid-range segments for 4G & 5G devices.
Currently, Samsung leads the market globally with a 34% market share. Exynos had a 4% global share. MediaTek has become the topmost chipmaker in the US beating even Qualcomm. Apple on the other hand witnessed a decline of 1% in 2021 due to chip shortages.
Unisoc secured a respectable 11% of the global chip market share. Huawei landed at the bottom of the pack with its HiSilicon market securing a 1% market share. As of now, the Exynos decline in the segment can be due to the increasing popularity of MediaTek.
The latest chip from the brand, the Dimensity 9000 was announced late last year and has outperformed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chip in many benchmark tests. High-end flagship processors are no longer one and the same, take the Dimensity 8000 Series, for instance, it caters to the high-end market while the Dimensity 9000 is MediaTek’s first foray into the flagship market.
The Dimensity 8100 features the design of the 9000, but not its performance. It does provide an enjoyable flagship experience across games, imaging, display, and communication.
The Dimensity 8100 is an octa-core unit, four of which are Cortex A-78 cores clocked at 2.85GHz. The Dimensity 8000, the same cores max out at 2.75GHz. Both the chips use the Mali-G610 MC6 GPU assisted by MediaTek’s HyperEngine 5.0 gaming technologies for graphics.
MediaTek’s biggest goal is to stand firm as a flagship chip maker and the brand is looking to work harder to launch better products constantly.
- A new Core i7-12650HX spotted on Userbenchmark with 14 cores, 20 threads
- AGON by AOC reveals the world’s first official League of Legends gaming monitor: The AGON PRO AG275QXL
- MediaTek surpasses Qualcomm to become the biggest chip maker in the US


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President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law on March 27, 2020. The CARES Act creates a number of programs aimed at assisting small businesses meet their immediate needs due to the economic uncertainty caused by the Coronavirus. Perhaps the most significant program for small businesses created by the CARES Act is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which is a loan program intended to provide small businesses negatively affected by the Coronavirus with the capital needed to cover the cost of retaining their employees. The PPP is administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and will offer fully federally guaranteed, nonrecourse loans to small businesses that maintain their payroll during the Coronavirus emergency. Small businesses that were harmed by the Coronavirus between February 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020 may apply for a loan under the program until June 30, 2020. The following is an overview of the PPP:
In general, the following businesses and entities are eligible for a PPP loan:
Businesses and entities (including nonprofits) with less than 500 employees;
Sole proprietors, independent contractors, and eligible self-employed individuals;
Accommodation and Food Service businesses (those with an NAICS code beginning with 72) with 500 or less employees per physical location. Note: the SBA’s affiliation rules are waived for such businesses.
Amount of Loan
The maximum amount of a PPP loan is generally capped at the lesser of: (1) $10 million; or (2) an amount equal to 2.5 times the business’ average monthly payroll costs incurred during the one-year period before the date of the loan. An alternative calculation is applicable for seasonal employers.
The following are eligible as “payroll costs”:
Compensation (salary, wage, commission, or similar compensation, payment of cash tip or equivalent);
Payment for vacation, parental, family, medical, or sick leave;
Allowance for dismissal or separation;
Payment required for the provisions of group health care benefits, including insurance premiums;
Payment of any retirement benefit;
Payment of state or local tax assessed on the compensation of employees.
The following are not eligible as “payroll costs”:
Employee/owner compensation in excess of $100,000;
Taxes imposed under Chapters 21, 22, and 24 of the Internal Revenue Code;
Compensation of employees whose principal place of residence is outside of the United States;
Qualified sick and family leave for which a credit is allowed under Section 7001 and 7003 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Permitted Uses of Proceeds
The following are permitted uses of PPP loan proceeds:
Costs related to the continuation of group health care benefits during periods of paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums;
Employee salaries, commissions, or similar compensation;
Payment of interest on any mortgage obligation. Note: Loan proceeds may not be used for prepayment of, or payment of principal, on mortgage obligations;
Interest on any other debt obligations that were incurred before February 15, 2020.
Application for PPP Loan
Businesses interested in applying for a PPP loan may apply to an existing SBA 7 (a) approved lender. The SBA and the Secretary of the Treasury may also authorize additional lenders to make PPP loans as long as those lenders have the capability to process, close, disburse and service loans guaranteed by the SBA. In order to receive a PPP loan, recipients are required to make a good faith certification that:
The uncertainty of current economic conditions makes necessary the loan request to support the ongoing operations of the eligible recipient;
Acknowledging that funds will be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage payments, lease payments, and utility payments;
That the eligible recipient does not have an application pending for a PPP loan for the same purpose and duplicative of amounts applied for or received under a covered loan; and
During the period beginning on February 15, 2020 and ending on December 31, 2020, that the eligible recipient has not received amounts under the PPP for the same purpose and duplicative of amounts
Loan Repayment and Forgiveness
PPP loan principal (but not interest) is forgivable in an amount equal to the sum of the following costs that a business incurs between February 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020:
Payroll Costs (not including employee compensation over $100,000)
Payment of interest on any covered mortgage obligation
Payment on any covered rent obligation
Covered utility payments
Any portion of the loan that is forgiven is excluded from taxable income. Loan forgiveness will be reduced proportionally to the extent a business: (1) reduces its workforce between February 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020 compared to the average number of employees for the same period in 2019; or (2) reduces wages/salaries of its workforce by more than 25%. However, if an employer either reduces its workforce below such a level or reduces its wages/salaries by more than 25% between February 15, 2020 and April 26, 2020, those changes are not counted if the employer restores its workforce or returns the adjusted wages/salaries by no later than June 30, 2020.
Any amount not forgiven will be turned into an ongoing loan. The maximum term is 10 years with an interest rate of 4% for any amount that is not forgiven. Principal and interest will continue to be deferred between 6 to 12 months after the disbursement of the loan.
Application for Loan Forgiveness
In order to receive loan forgiveness, an eligible loan recipient must submit to their lender servicing the covered loan an application that includes:
Documentation verifying the number of employees on payroll and pay rates, including IRS payroll tax filings and state income, payroll, and unemployment insurance filings.
Documentation verifying payments on covered mortgage obligations, lease obligations, and utilities.
Certification from a representative of the business or organization that is authorized to certify that the documentation provided is true and that the amount that is being forgiven was used in accordance with the program’s guidelines for use.
Any other documentation the Administrator determines necessary.
DeMark, Kolbe & Brodek is committed to helping your business during these uncertain times. Please contact one of our attorneys if you have any questions or require any assistance as your business navigates the economic uncertainty created by the Coronavirus.
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; DeMark, Kolbe & Brodek, S.C. does not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website authors, contributors, or contributing law firms. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this site are hereby expressly disclaimed. The content on this posting is provided "as is;" no representations are made that the content is error-free.

domain: finance


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Bethany Coleman couldn’t believe her eyes when she was walking her dog, Rogue, and came across another dog that looked just like her Cairn terrier mix. The twin pup, later named Beast, was with Last Hope K9 Rescue for an adoption event.
Initially, Bethany was hesitant about adopting another dog. Her boyfriend wanted another pooch, but she disagreed. They already had two older cats and Rogue, so adding another pet seemed overwhelming. However, once the two dogs started playing together, Bethany knew she couldn’t leave Rogue’s twin behind.
Despite appearances, Rogue and Beast aren’t from the same litter. It was fate that brought these pups together.
Bethany shared her story with Bored Panda. She was walking Rogue to the local farmers market when they passed a rescue’s adoption setup. That’s when she spotted Beast, who looked strikingly similar to Rogue.
Bethany had been against getting another dog, but she instantly fell in love with Beast. “He was Rogue’s twin!” she said. Seeing the two dogs happily playing together, Bethany decided to adopt Beast.
Bethany filled out the adoption paperwork, and soon, Beast was part of their family. The transition wasn’t entirely smooth. Rogue, Beast, and the two cats needed time to adjust to each other.
“It took about a month for everyone, including the cats, to find their groove,” Bethany explained. Once they established their pack order, it was clear that bringing Rogue and Beast together was the right decision.
Rogue and Beast even have their own Instagram account to share their adventures. The family recently moved from Boston to Hawaii. Although the pups miss chasing squirrels, they’re starting to enjoy their new home.
Beast loves the beach and is trying to teach Rogue how to leave the crabs alone for some fun in the sun. It’s evident that these two adorable dogs coming together was an act of fate. Everything truly happens for a reason!

domain: pet


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The District of Sparwood is dedicated to finding safe and happy forever homes for all animals in our pound that have been left unclaimed after 144 hours (6 days).
We encourage you to take your adopted pet to your veterinarian within 3 days of purchase to have it examined. The Animal Control Officer does not knowingly adopt out unhealthy animals, however, it is possible that animals may have been exposed to diseases and have not shown symptoms while in our care.
A notice will be posted on the District’s website, Facebook, Twitter, municipal notice boards, and the local newspaper (time permitting) offering the animal for sale.
We advise those interested in adopting an animal from us to do the following:
The lowest acceptable price will be the outstanding boarding fees:
Any animals that are currently in the pound or available for adoption will be listed below:


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Editorial: Transparency could spur involvement
Published 10:10 pm Saturday, January 6, 2018
Government leaders in Rowan and Salisbury could set goals for 2018 in several critical areas: economic development, public safety, education, health and more. Here’s one action that would help in all those areas and more: increase government transparency.
For citizens to support public initiatives in a collaborative spirit, they need confidence that they’re getting the whole story and can have real input.
Transparency means holding open meetings with adequate advance notice, sharing information and documents and taking every measure possible to remove the appearance of secrecy. That means obeying not just the letter of the state’s open meetings and public records laws, but also the spirit.
The county’s big boards do all this pretty well — the Board of Commissioners, City Council and Board of Education. But when they or their top leaders appoint committees and task forces, the law is not as closely followed.
Take committees and task forces. They study key issues in a way that a full, elected board cannot with any efficiency — gathering and analyzing information in order to make a recommendation. Yet sometimes the public does not hear about these groups until the recommendation is made, even though as public bodies they are required to have open meetings.
The state’s sunshine laws regarding open meetings and public records apply to more than the boards we elect. They also cover any committees or other groups appointed by those elected boards and officials. Here’s an excerpt from the open meetings law’s defnition of “public body”:
“[A]ny elected or appointed authority, board, commission, committee, council, or other body of the State, or of one or more counties, cities, school administrative units, … that (i) is composed of two or more members and (ii) exercises or is authorized to exercise a legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative, or advisory function.” (Italics added for emphasis.)
Another trouble area in transparency is the proliferation of private nonprofits that are essentially government agencies taking in a nominal amount of private money. The Salisbury-Rowan Community Action Agency is one such group; it handles millions in Head Start funding, yet is a private nonprofit.
Cardinal Innovations Healthcare is perhaps the most notorious example — an agency that handles millions in Medicaid funding for behavioral heath but also claims the role of private nonprofit. Its steady move toward privatization, in fact, produced the high CEO pay and severance packages that prompted the state to oust the board and CEO. Cardinal reached the point of claiming independence from the state — a bridge too far for legislators and taxpayers alike.
Newly energized voters plugged into the election process last fall and likely will now follow the governing process more closely, too. Give them every chance to be knowledgeable and involved by embracing transparency.

domain: news


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Food Wine Rome is a tightly focused guidebook and traveler’s companion to the culinary delights of Rome. For each neighborhood, listings are in three categories: 1) dining: restaurants, trattorie, osterie; 2) gourmet shopping: bakeries, markets, salami makers, cheesemongers, and more; 3) wine: shops and wine bars. A dozen or more sidebars add entertaining and informative bits of city lore, culture, customs, quotes, and anecdotes to bring alive the city’s historic culinary richness: the Roman love affair with artichokes; the watermelon festival held for years on August 24, when giant, ripe watermelons would be released into the river upstream and Roman kids would dive into the river to grab them; Lucullus’ Kitchen Garden; the Cacio e Pepe Family of Pastas; the cult of the strawberries of Nemi (one of whose devotees was Caligula); Papal cuisine; the Renaissance of Rome’s wines; Holy Water and the Aqueducts; Spring Fever (lamb, favas, artichokes, zucchini flowers); and dozens more.
A glossary of essential Roman/Italian food terms helps make shopping, marketing, and eating fun and rewarding. It is illustrated with scores of atmospheric photographs and an overall map of central Rome, plus detailed maps for each of Rome’s nine central neighborhoods, so that readers can find addresses immediately.
"...an invaluable key to the city's authentic quaffs and cuisines. Eschewing eateries that are likely to be visited by the typical bus-group turiste, Downie walks readers through bountiful food markets, into artisanal-food shops and to the front doors of Rome's temples of food and drink. The reviews in this highly informative restaurant guide, accompanied by Alison Harris's photographs, also celebrate the people, customs and tastes that tempt so many travelers to eat as discriminating Romans do." --Town & Country
"Italian food guru David Downie wrote the recently published Food Wine Rome. It's an insightful and lovingly written guide to my former home town one of Italy's great food capitals. He starts out with some important definitions of classic Roman treats like local bitter vegetables, goes into 33 ways to order some of the best coffee you will ever drink and highlights some of the region's top wine producers...The bulk of Downie's book focuses on restaurants, wine bars and food shops of this food-crazed town." --The Examiner (San Francisco)
"Getting to the heart of regional cuisine can be a tall order, but The Terroir Guides ably examine the interplay between markets, local food artisans, winemakers, and chefs on a town-by-town basis, taking the reader from field to plate and making a great companion for any food-obsessed tourist...packed with local history, food lore, and useful translations." --Sherman's Travel
"When I travel, food is naturally a primary focus, but most guidebooks provide minimal information in that realm. Thankfully, The Little Bookroom is publishing Terroir Guides, a series for the foodie traveler that focuses entirely on culinary delights. The third in the series, Food Wine Rome, just came out this month...Even though I’m not actively using the guide on the ground, it’s a fun, informative read that’s prompting me to plot out all the gastronomic destinations for my next visit." --Cravings
"I love The Terroir Guides. They give me everything I want. They're a tactile pleasure, compact, meaty. They're lovely to look at, elegantly laid out, mutedly and tastefully colored...positively overflowing with the Who, What, Where and How even an intrepidly independent traveler should know...The Little Bookroom has a knack for putting guidebooks into print that are as useful as they are beautiful." --Wine News

domain: food


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Last year with precious metals, apart from palladium, falling short of projected values, our predictions and anticipated stock gains fell well short of expectations.
For 2019, we again anticipate relatively conservative gains in precious metals prices and continuing falls in general equities and bitcoin valuations.
If our predictions are correct, we could see a further recovery in precious metals prices and a sharp upturn in relevant stocks.
We are sticking in our stock recommendations to major precious metals miners and royalty/streaming companies as they are likely to remain comfortably in existence if metal prices move against them again.
To read full article on Seeking Alpha click on:


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THE DEVOURED HEART
It was nearly midnight as I hiked up the trail into Coyote Hills.
It was going to be October 16th, my mother’s birthday had she still been alive.
During my climb I stepped aside for only one traveler, a whirring night-bicyclist, her bright light beaming as if she were a falling star descending past me.
A fog had begun to engulf the lower Coyote Hills.
The fog luminescent in the moonlight, the peaks of the higher hills still visible darkly, the stars sparking above, I arrived at the crest of the trail where the great Weeping Willow tree spread.
The great Weeping Willow was often a campsite for homeless people but I never saw the same person there twice. Or ever again. This night there was no one; only the debris of previous habitation.
I stood beneath the great Weeping Willow and sighed at the unbroken view. I inhaled deeply the perfume of sage brush.
Then I caught the scent of wild onion. I thought, “This is odd. Wild onion grows near streams.”
I turned and I chilled with a shock.
There stood a young woman, her long pale hair like fog cascading over her shoulders, her pale skin pearlescent in the moonlight, her eyes eclipsed beneath long dark lashes, and just as dark were her lips. She wore a short pale dress that might have been satin.
I said, shaken, with a nervous laugh, “You startled me.”
The young woman’s expression was of indifference.
I offered, “It is beautiful up here, isn’t it?”
The young woman did not reply. I felt that she was studying me. She raised her slender arm and with her fingertips she delicately wiped her dark lips.
I offered, “My name is Adam.”
The young woman then softly said, “I am Jannah.”
I asked, “You aren’t really dressed for hiking, are you? I mean, it’s a great dress… You know… Just, uh… Not typical.”
Jannah said, “I am not hiking.”
I asked, “I’m not ruining your night here, am I? I won’t be long. I just came up here to say a prayer for my mom.”
Jannah seemed to shudder imperceptibly. Then she said softly, “Then don’t leave because of me. I don’t mind.”
Jannah stepped lightly toward me. I was mesmerized by her manner, her voice, her truly haunting presence.
I thought to my imagination, “Down, hound.”
Jannah stood now not far from me, looking out at the moon. I still could not discern her eyes under her long lashes and averted gaze. I thought her dark lips looked more… more wine-stained than made-up. She was an unnatural beauty. I smelled wild onions again and I liked it. I felt myself flush.
Jannah smiled and she asked, “Should we talk the moon down?”
I laughed, “I’d like that.” I suddenly wanted to howl at the moon like a coyote.
I said, “So what brings you up here tonight, Jannah? You could be dressed for dinner.”
Jannah answered after a moment, “I did dress for a late dinner. And I often appear here on nights like this.”
I said, “Yeah. It is a unique place. That is so cool that you think so too.”
We both watched the creeping fog below.
I finally asked, “Are you up here alone, really? Are you meeting your boyfriend?”
Jannah whispered, “Yes. And no.”
I joked with intent, “You do have a boyfriend, right?”
Jannah delicately wiped her lips as she answered, “I have had many men. And women.”
I laughed in astonishment.
I said, “Jannah, you are totally something else.”
Jannah suddenly seemed sad.
I quickly added, “But in a good way. I’ve just never met anyone like you.”
Jannah smiled again, “Obviously, you would only meet such a person as I once in a lifetime. Ordinarily.”
Once in a lifetime. She was right, I thought: Love at first sight. I felt giddy.
I ventured, “Would you like to go out together some time?”
The scent of wild onions became overwhelming. Jannah answered, “We are out together now.”
I took that with perplexed encouragement and I asked, “Well then… Again, some time… Again?”
Jannah tilted her head as if pondering a great conundrum.
Had I been presumptuous? Had I misinterpreted her friendliness? I suddenly felt foolish.
Jannah then said softly, “No.”
I fell inside myself and I blurted, “But why?”
Jannah replied, “Because… I have a… feeling for you…”
My heart leapt. I quickly affirmed, “And I have feelings for you.”
Jannah turned and took a step toward me and she raised her face.
Jannah’s eyes were sewn shut.
I glimpsed moonlight sparking off of tears.
I gasped again and again in anguish as Jannah turned slowly and left me alone on that peak.
She had devoured my heart.
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Previous posts are at: THE TABLE OF MALCONTENTS

domain: artistic


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Part one of thousands
I was sure doors would open in front of me, and for long I seemed to have lost the keys.
I thought I’d always be thin. Now I can’t imagine myself without my breasts and hips. But I also thought I would never have to worry about my weight, and now I know I need to.
I thought I did not need to get married, and I wanted to have separate lives with an independent boyfriend, and many casual foreign lovers. But then I met you.
I swore I’d never take drugs. Now I add: I do not take drugs unless a respectable member of the medical society rightfully prescribes them to me.
I thought I’d never doubt about how good I am, and for almost four years I did nothing but this.
I thought I was meant to be rich, and I have learned to scale down my expenses with no regrets nor anger.
I thought happiness was overrated, now it’s almost the only thing that counts.
The list can continue, and will.

domain: literature


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Half the month has gone by and as speculated by multiple creators, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) has not made its return and continues to remain banned in the country.
After nine months, it seems that the game might allegedly never return. Well, that is how one of the top gaming creators, Tanmay “Scout” Singh, supposedly reacted in one of his recent livestreams.
He expressed frustration and disappointment towards what viewers thought was related to BGMI’s permanent ban. However, Scout himself never clarified what the minute-long rant was about.
If true, this information seems to be in disjunction with information shared by Shiva Nandy, who claimed that BGMI could likely return by the end of April or the first week of May.
Scout reacts to BGMI allegedly getting permanently banned
During a recent livestream session, Scout was seen expressing frustration which involved a lot of expletives, over something which fans think was related to BGMI allegedly never returning back.
When asked if he wanted to play more BGMI, Scout responded by saying that he does not feel like it, “With a lot of interest and after so many years I had started playing the game. I was working by putting in so much focus, looking forward to it, and full of passion.”
Scout explained that he was in a vibe where he was focussed and ready to put in a lot of work, “I was pumped like crazy. It has been ages since I got so pumped. But now there is nothing left, I will build my body. I’m an Instagram influencer now boys!”
When asked about BGMI’s return directly, Scout gave the classic response, “The game will come or it won’t, who knows, I don’t know anything about it. Now guys I don’t know anything all my contacts have been exhausted.”
Scout himself did not provide a classification behind the outburst but with BGMI’s delayed return following heavy speculation that it would be back in the first week of April, many expected that this was in relation to that.


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Belfast, Northern Island is one of the biggest shooting locations for HBO's hit series Game of Thrones. Kit Harrington, whose character was thought to be dead, was photographed there, leading to speculations that Jon Snow may return in Season 6; now, actor Rory McCann, best known for playing Sandor Clegane aka The Hound, was also spotted at a hotel in Belfast often used by HBO and the Game of Thrones cast members during filming this week, according to Watchers on the Wall.
Last time we've seen The Hound, he appeared to be dying on the side of a hill in Game of Thrones Season 4, wounded following a fight with Brienne of Tarth.
Arya Stark may have refused to end his misery, and in a barren landscape where no medical aid was around, fans assumed that he already passed away.
So it's interesting that McCann was spotted in Belftast. He currently doesn't have any other projects lined up. But who knows? Maybe he's just there to visit the cast, or to film a funeral or flashback scene, or maybe he's just eat more f*cking chickens.
So do you think The Hound will return in Game of Thrones Season 6?
Go in peace, Sandor Clegane. The Lord of Light isn't done with you yet."
- Beric Dondarrion
(Via Watchers on the Wall)

domain: entertainment


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This is an article by Joe, a young artist who I met at a London Buddhist Centre retreat last month, and whose story I drew on for my latest blog-post, Re-finding Your Joy. He told me his story on the retreat and I asked if I could interview him. He preferred to write his own account. Big thanks to Joe for being so open, generous and cool. I hope you also find his story moving and useful. The picture on the left is by him.
I moved to London when I was 18 to study art. To pursue a passion. It was an incredible time and as most youngsters leaving the nest I was becoming aware of the waves of change. After five years the big wave had finally come. The laser focus marathon of three different courses and an internship came to a close. Four and a half years spent in love with a beautiful kind-hearted woman were pushed into turmoil by the legal pressures of borders and visas. Then my bounce back, the plan of travelling the world on my bike also ended when I unexpectedly started ejaculating blood. They were all obstacles that could have been overcome sensibly but I lacked the wisdom to step back from it all. I was caught up in the maelstrom. The illusion of structure I had built up around me came tumbling down as I realised I was but a panicked young man walking along a tight rope. I did what little boys do and ran home to my Mommy with my tail between my legs. It was impeccable timing. She was due to have a hip replacement so I looked after her while working a minimum wage job. The love me and my Mom shared was wonderful, but everything else unfulfilling. I felt wasted.
I was pulled back to London after a few months. My creativity was rather accidentally channeled into working for a fledgling start-up. It started off as a small group of hard working youngsters in a shed and grew to 80 people in three offices across the world. I went from being a designer to being the creative push behind an exciting new project. I had a lot to be grateful for in life but seeing things crumble so easily had given me a devil may care attitude. I didn't know what gods to worship anymore so I filled that emptiness with whatever came my way. Work and play. When I say "play" I mean messing about. I had always had a naughty streak but I was being irresponsible and completely unaware. Getting fucked up in public spaces. Not sleeping. Thinking a lot of myself but not actually caring for myself. The thing is I could always taste the bitter aftertaste of everything I did. I knew that even if I saw no bad consequences yet, following this path would eventually lead me to them. My knowledge of this and my willingness to continue down this path made it all the worse. I am just glad that I was aware, which I think most people are, otherwise I don't think I'd ever have been able to step out. The repercussions hadn't shown their face yet. But they soon would.
One night, I went to a house party and took acid. I gathered friends around me thinking I was a little God. I took them all into a circle and told them that this night would change our lives forever. The grandest quest ever known was about to begin. Not long after this a woman entered into the room. She shone with the brightest light and it was if a thunderbolt of energy cracked through time and space. At the time I knew that she was an angel and was the new most important thing in my life.
In hindsight I think this flash may have just signified a moment of great importance. One that would teach me the most important lesson of my life thus far. I'd got what I wished for. One with a heady mix of positive and negative consequences for myself and others, but a turning point nonetheless.
Uninhibited we dived into an intense relationship. It had beautiful moments but there was so much clinging too. Life became a roller coaster of ups and downs so intense that I perpetually felt sick. Sleeping and eating evaded me. I would cry over a smudge on a bus window. There were things that happened in that time which I shall not address here and that I deeply regret. This is when I finally became aware that my actions were having dire consequences.
I do not want to dwell on the intensity of this time but I will give you a glimpse into it. After a few weeks of being in the relationship I was due to fly to the other side of the world for a holiday with two of my best friends. My girlfriend drove me to the airport, crashing the car on the way there. I left her crying on the hard shoulder as I called an Uber to get my flight. When I got there I embarked on a convoluted blur of a few days. I drank more than I thought possible. I spent the last hour of 2016 and the first hour of 2017 throwing up with my head wedged between a toilet bowl and seat, in a yacht in a storm as fireworks went off. I hoped this would be my rebirth through fire. That this was as bad as it would get and I'd rise like a phoenix from the flames. How naive.
It was my first holiday in a year since working at the start up. I had a very intense but creatively rewarding job, a relationship with such a pull that it put all art I had experienced to shame. The most supportive and loving family. A group of loyal, exciting, communicative friends. On paper my life was ideal. Yet I wanted more and I wanted less. I craved both at the same time, more extremity, and an end to the intensity. It made no logical sense. Only the experience of it made sense.
When I could convince my friends to momentarily end the madness i did step out of it all and forgot who I was. A coach journey along coastal hills, a walk in the mountains, a glimpse of a golden statue of the Buddha. These were the moments that had weight to them. Sublime. A flavour that I could taste and feel nourishment from.
I got back, and everything was horrible. Work was insane – I was working 8am to 10pm every day. The relationship with my girlfriend wasn’t working out. I had acted quite simply, despicably and we were arguing a lot. And I was completely exhausted – I’d got food poisoning in Hong Kong, then I was passing out because of low blood sugar. I went to have an operation on my nose, because I wasn’t breathing properly, and was told to rest completely for two weeks. But the day after the operation my work rang up and said ‘when are you coming back?’
The relationship was in tatters. I wanted to quit my job. I'd physical destroyed myself, repeatedly ending up in Hospital. I got to a point where I thought ‘fuck all this’. I thought how do I stop it all. Not just conceptually, but practically. I was at home by myself and I thought the best thing would be to find some form of rope, hanging myself. Then my sister’s boyfriend walked in to the house, which pulled me out of my thought pattern and I had this moment of insight. Another voice stepped in from somewhere else. A domino effect of sensations tumbled from me in that moment to a long distant past.
The voice of a young Joe. Perhaps 4 or 5 appeared within me. He was hurt and crying, big eyes glistening as tears spilled down his cheeks, arms wrapped around his torso and snot dribbling from his nose. Despite this his voice was clear and confident like only children seem to be. "What has happened Joe? What is this? Depression? Suicide? Do you not remember? You would never comprehend such thoughts. Why would people ever do this. It makes no sense. I don't understand. Do you not remember. You used to have so much joy."
And then I believed him. At that moment I knew two things. Despite having these suicidal blinkers on, Little Joe had given me the faintest memory of a dream like sense of innocent joy. Free from the pain soaked indulgences I had been swimming in as of late. Firstly, I should make a valiant effort at trying to explore that more. Secondly, even if exploring that wasn't fruitful, I still had value. I could help people with the skills I had and the knowledge of feeling this way.
My new purpose was to always be there for others if I could. I saw this as part of my work. I believed the project I was working on should help others. It went further than this though. The experience made me see everyone in a new light. Every one was surrounded by this aura of pain. The emotions I had experienced they had, were or probably would feel. This sounds morbid but it was the total opposite. My heart went out to everyone. For a while everyone felt like my newborn sibling.
There was a work friend who was younger than me and he had just gone through a divorce. I saw etched into his face, the exact feelings I had been through. I went over to him and said: ‘I see how you are right now, and I think I can understand, at least somewhat. If you ever need to talk to someone, or just hang out. Please just call me up and I will be there’. I could empathize with his pain. He called two weeks later on a weekend and we met up. He was upset but we sunbathed, played frisby and went to the cinema. A month later he moved into my flat and we spend time together almost every day. He is one of my best friends now and we love each other.
My quest for finding Little Joe had also begun. I made a list of all the things in my past that made me happy and I experimented with them. I stopped using all public transport and only ever cycled. I did something every night after work. Without fail. Dance lessons. Life Drawing. Handstand lessons. Singing. Avoiding romantic relationships and paying real attention to friendships. Snippets of that child like sense of wonder were flashing in. I could not control them, but they were coming. Even in my hedonistic times I achieved these same joys occasionally. But by following my two new purposes there was a sense of them growing.
There were also two specific things I had open in two tabs on my internet browser. One was meditation. The other a love and sex addict group. Both on at the same time the next night. I was honest with myself and asked why did I really want to go to that love and sex addict group? Needless to say I went to the London Buddhist Centre.
Meditation felt like such a stark contrast to what I had been experiencing. It brought a bliss that was so very different to everything before. The Metta Bhavana, a meditation on loving kindness, helped me develop the feelings of compassion for people that I was already feeling. The mindfulness of breathing helped me regulate the roller-coaster of ups and downs and allowed me to step back from the impulses and the instant reactions. I became more aware and in touch with my experience. I have been going every week since, have attended and helped out on retreats and made some really lovely friends.
I went on a ten day spring retreat in April. Over a year had passed since little Joe had talked to me. I hadn't seen him since. I really embraced my little walks. I was able to truly appreciate nature emerging when I really slowed down. The trees were blossoming, the pond was full of newts. I used to love newts when I was a kid. I realized I’d lost that child-like curiosity, because I’d been in sprint mode this whole time.
One day I sat on the ground, back propped up by a sappy wooden lampost as it whirred away. Bugs nonchalantly wondered over my bright yellow trousers as clouds glided by overhead. Out of nowhere that innocent joy washed over me. I was fully submerged. Little Joe said "Look. I'm here. I've always been here. You just needed to slow down and take a look around."
When I went back into the shrine room that evening I sat for a whole hour meditating and crying. A sense of gratitude not just for that joy, but for everything that was, came over me. Everything. Everyone.
This year and a half has seen a lot of outward changes growing from the inner. I went vegan. Stopped drink, drugs, social media, romantic relationships. There was no effort involved with any of these. When my mind had changed it was easy.
I knew for a while that my job was one of the biggest obstacle but that's not something you can drop with the click of your fingers. They preached Collaboration, dignity, empathy, creativity, but in actuality they were becoming the antithesis of this. Decimating the passion and intent that used to be felt by a core group of us. Some of the people there pursued goals did not align with my own. Despite their great successes in certain fields, they were not what I would call role models. There were two very distinct paths before me. I knew I wanted to truly help people, face the repercussion of my actions, and continue working on my list full-time. My job was detrimental to that journey. I decided to leave.
I've left London, am working on a writing and illustrating a children’s book, and I’d like to use my artistic skills to help tell Buddhist stories. I may work in a start-up again, but this time I’d like to work with people whose values I share.
I don't know where this will lead me. But I know the past year and a half I've been making a kind of progress that has been far more challenging and rewarding than anything I've known before.
Someone once showed me a thing called a happy-graph. You fill in your day with the different moments and how it makes you feel. When I filled it out it was clear I used to be strapped into a rollercoaster that would plunge up and down between the depths and the heights. Screaming and gasping for breath. I think I probably still have the depths and the heights but it isn't feeling so much that way any more. Maybe it's because I can see myself on the rollercoaster for now. But it feels like I'm on a nice stable ride through the tree canopy with friends and I'm able to get a good look around.


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To my suprise this is one of the most downloaded weapons from the GtaGaming Site, and I never thought this weapon was too great looking. Another piece of work from my earlier modding stages, this weapon is featured in the anime Outlaw Star. In the series this gun fired magical rounds, but for Vice City it replaces the larger handgun. Gun is scratch built with the exception of the gun handle, which was taken from the Vice's original colt 45.
A San Andreas convertion will be done in the future, I plan to remake the gun with more 3d details and will be completely scratch made. It will replace the sawed off shotguns so you can wield two.

domain: hobby


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About The Luxury Safari Club
About the Luxury Safari Club
About The Luxury Safari Club, partner of The Luxury Train Club: The Luxury Safari Club presents the very best safaris.
Club Members have discount off every listed journey, plus occasional other benefits. Join free by subscribing to the newsletter.
Only one passenger per booking needs to join the Club (but everyone is welcome, of course!), and the Club discount is per booking.
Browse through our safari experiences and contact us if you wish to make an inquiry or a booking.
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Ask Questions About Luxury Safari Travel
Go to our Facebook page, where Joanna will answer your questions about luxury safaris, or email us.
Joanna is the founder of ecoTravel Africa and works with the Luxury Train Club to deliver exceptional safari experiences.
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Anthony Lambert Travel Writer
Anthony Lambert has written articles for such newspapers and magazines as the Independent, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, New York Times, Orient-Express Magazine and Wanderlust. He has lectured to a wide variety of audiences, including the Royal Geographical Society, of which he is a Fellow.
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Pepper farmers lament low prices from processors
I write to bring the financial plight of Jamaica's hot pepper farmers to the attention of the public, the minister of agriculture, and particularly to the pepper processors who buy their pepper.
First, the woefully inadequate price paid to pepper farmers has been fixed by the major processors at around $40 per pound for the past six or so years. One major processor has been holding out at $38 per pound for ages, and at one stage even dropped its price to farmers to $35. This, in the face of ever-increasing pepper production costs.
The $40-per-pound price was unilaterally set by processors without any consultation with farmers. As far as I have seen, only some of the direct input costs have been taken into account in determining the price offered to farmers, and these have not been reviewed in several years.
The typical pepper farmer has no interest in the ridiculous price that pepper sells for in times of scarcity such as at Christmas and in periods where adverse weather conditions limit output. Farmers would much prefer a steady price which is determined by accurate costing and which is reviewed at yearly intervals.
Such an undertaking would benefit both farmer and processor; the processor would have the assurance of a continuous supply of raw material, and the farmer would increase production to take advantage of a reasonable return on his investment. Additionally, the farmer would be put in a position to implement agricultural best practices and increase productivity by the use of basic technology.
Although farmers have not received any increase on the $40 per pound since around 2006, this has not kept at bay increases in production costs. Every increase in fertilisers, agricultural chemicals, labour costs and packaging material has had to be absorbed by the farmer. Even the Government has added to the farmers' burden by recently adding GCT to urea, a major fertiliser input, and also on seeds for planting.
In the face of the diminishing worth of the Jamaican dollar, one fertiliser manufacturer has already posted an increase for 2013. I expect that this will be the first of many such increases if the dollar continues to go south.
With the changing weather patterns predominantly trending to extended periods of drought, farmers have had to find ways to conserve on the use of water and the cost-effective application of expensive fertilisers.
One option available to pepper farmers is the use of drip-irrigation technology. There is only one company that provides drip-irrigation equipment in Jamaica and, probably because of the absence of competition in the market, farmers have had to take whatever price drip equipment is being sold at. It requires several hundred thousand dollars to equip an acre of pepper with drip hoses, fittings, fertiliser injectors, etc.
Tacked on to these already challenging prices is the Government's take of 16.5% GCT.
The other essential component of a drip-irrigation system is water. The National Irrigation Commission has also recently increased its water charges to farmers, and more increases are scheduled.
Some of the pepper processors operate farm stores which offer seeds and fertilisers to farmers.
rising input costs
Pepper pickers charge up to $10 per pound, 25% of total price received by the farmer, to pick the crop. Nevertheless, the gullible pepper farmer continues to produce while his input costs constantly rise, and the price he obtains never changes.
It is important to note that hot pepper processors have largely abandoned growing of the pepper consumed by their plants. Instead, they have left the entire production of raw material on which important parts of their businesses depend on small farmers.
These farmers shoulder alone the entire risks of droughts, hurricanes, praedial larceny and all the other hazards of farming without obtaining even a break-even price for the pepper they produce.
If processors think that this state of affairs can continue indefinitely, they are making a serious error of judgement. There is only so much that the beleaguered farmer can take without buckling under the pressure.
Western Union responds to People's Report query
We write in response to Ms Joan Mair's letter to the editor published in the People's Report section of Saturday, March 16, 2013.
The issue of 'source of funds' is one that raises questions from many of our customers, and your letter gives us the opportunity to clarify the issue for you and any other reader sharing your concerns.
GraceKennedy Money Services (GKMS) has offered Western Union services in Jamaica for more than two decades, and both companies remain committed to fully meeting the needs of our customers while operating within the remit of the laws which govern us.
Increasingly, over the past 23 years, the regulatory environment has changed worldwide, and we have been forced to change along with it in order to protect our legitimate customers, and our business here in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.
Some of these requirements, like source of funds, may appear onerous, but are implemented to comply with our responsibilities to know our customer base. It is never our intention to appear intrusive or unduly interfere in our customers' financial affairs.
To the best of our ability, we train our GKMS team members to balance customer due diligence and customer service, so we are able to comply with our regulators without compromising the speed and convenience to which our customers have become accustomed. We acknowledge that, at times, customers may feel they are being interrogated, and although this is never our aim, we must comply with our regulatory obligations.
We thank you for your business and hope this clarifies your questions.
Courteous call from Minister Thwaites
I would like to say a public thank you to the Rev Ronald Thwaites, minister of education. I wrote to him on several occasions concerning a very important unsettled matter, and followed up with calls to the ministry to get updates as to his response.
At no time did I ask to speak to the minister, but to my surprise, the minister returned my call. At my expressed surprise, he pointed out that he had a duty to do so - it was the courteous thing to do. And he was humble, courteous and pleasant.
I must also point out that, although I never had the pleasure of speaking to the former acting permanent secretary, Ms Grace McLean, she also responded to me via email.
There are positive changes in the way the Ministry of Education interfaces with the general public and its clients. It is an indication that, at the very top, this ministry really does set an example of courteous interaction it has been preaching, as it strives to change the country into a more civil society - and what better place for it to start than the head of education?
Truly, his action reminded that Jesus Himself said in Luke 22:26 (English Standard Version): "But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves."
Can you imagine what a great country we would have if other ministers and their employees adopt both the example of the Honourable Ronald Thwaites and the principles expounded by his ministry? Jamaica would become a great place for everyone to live.
Minister Thwaites, thank you for making my interaction with your ministry such a pleasure. Above all, thank you for practising what you preach. It is a refreshing change.
May your ministry be blessed as you continue to be God's public servant.
Tell us about the positives and negatives affecting your community, school or any other social space. Email submissions to firstname.lastname@example.org.

domain: agronomy


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Composing at the piano can seem like a daunting task for beginners, but with small and simple guided steps, it can be a success for even young beginners. For November piano lessons, students in my studio are creating an "I am Thankful" Composition using the step by step approach below.
Start with a Melody
- Pick a scale (key) to compose your song with and use only notes that are in that scale. (C Major Pentascale-C, D, E, F or G?) or (D Major D, E, F#, G, A, B,C#, D)
- Use the rhythms at the top as a guide. You could replace 2 quarter notes with a dotted quarter + eighth note or use swing style eighth notes.
- Do the note values in each measure add up to 4 beats?
Add Variety and Form
- Play some parts backwards (retrograde). (For example C_ EFG becomes G_FEC).
- Add a sequence.
- Double (augmentation) or half (diminution) the note values.
- Represent your thankful item with a "sound effect" on the piano?
- Choose notes/rhythm for lyrics "Feelin' grateful, Feelin' grateful, Feelin' grateful everyday." or "Counting blessings, counting blessings, gratitude brings me joy." or come up with your own lyrics for 4 measures.
What about the Bass?
- Single Bass Note?
- Blocked Chords?
- Broken Chords?
- Copycat of the Melody?
- Ostinato Repeating Bass?
Expression and Title
- What expression marks could you add to make your piece more interesting?
- Dynamics? (pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff)
- Decrescendo or crescendo?
- Staccato or Slurs ?
- Read this post by Bradley Sowash to learn how to add an Intro.
- Look at examples endings or watch Bradley Sowash's video on how to add any of these Outros ending).
- Repeat the end and I mean it!
- Range Change
- Flying Hands
- Scaling Away


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I write this letter for two reasons: to bring awareness to some of the major accomplishments of our new Emmaus Borough Manager Shane Pepe and to remind all taxpayers, everywhere, to become more involved in their local government.
Emmaus' 3 percent tax increase would have been much higher had Mr. Pepe not resolved seven boggled grants and renegotiated three union contracts (police, public works and secretarial). The amount of action items he instituted and completed in his first year is amazing, all lowering Emmaus' yearly budget costs. Mr. Pepe's diplomatic skill and focused efforts saved Emmaus taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars this year and into the future. I have confidence that Mr. Pepe will continue to meet future challenges with the same vigor and determination he demonstrated during his first year. Thank you, Mr. Pepe.


On this week’s A Haunting, a Nazi soldier is out for vengeance and a woman is consumed by a spirit that tormented her as a child.
A Nazi soldier is out for revenge over his death and wreaks havoc on the lives of a couple who have done nothing wrong.
They try to make peace with this restless and angry ghost, but can a ghost ever come to terms with it’s death?
In the second episode a woman was terrorised by a spirt as a child but now, years later, it has returned to menace her family.
Watch A Haunting – Back From the Dead: Ghosts of War at 8 PM and Living Nightmare at 9 PM and on TLC.


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Doctor Feinberg, does the rash of ars accompany the other symptoms or can it occur by itself? I had an ars type illness starting at 3 wks post exposure that resolved in 9 days. Ten days later I broke out in a rash on my chest and upper back. Thank you.
The rash of ARS can be the only symptom of new HIV infection, or it can be part of a constellation of symptoms, commonly including things like fever, sore throat, swollen glands, etc. I suppose it is also possible for other symptoms to precede the rash.

domain: biology


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domain: medical


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Galway Bay fm newsroom – The HSE has defended its response to the collapse of a patient in the emergency department at UHG last week.
It follows claims that it took staff several minutes to locate a resuscitation trolley when a man allegedly went into cardiac arrest.
According to the Irish Times, a couple visiting Galway were at the emergency department at UHG last Thursday afternoon when the incident occured.
They witnessed a man in his 50’s, who was waiting to be called, get into difficulty and collapse, allegedly hitting his head on the floor with severe force.
The couple claims that while staff came to the assistance of the man, it was several moments before a resuscitation trolley arrived on the scene.
They also allege that the emergency department was not overly busy at the time.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm news, the HSE says at the time of the incident, the emergency department was very busy and congested.
It further says that the ED is outfitted with all necessary resuscitation equipment and the patient received immediate treatment before being admitted to an inpatient bed.
The incident follows the launch of an investigation into the discovery of a woman’s body in a toilet at UHG during the August bank holiday weekend.
Listen: Galway TD calls for investment in building control in light of mica controversy
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A Galway TD has called for increased investment in building control during a Dáil debate on the mica controversy.
Around five thousand homes are estimated to be affected by the defective blocks, mostly in the west and north-west of the country.
It’s estimated the final bill for dealing with the scandal could come to over 1.5 billion euro.
Addressing the Dáil, Deputy Sean Canney said it’s time to take the issue of building control by the scruff of the neck.
He expressed an opinion that a severe lack of independent building control is directly responsible for the controversies over mica and pyrite.
Deputy Canney pointed out that under the current system, just a fraction of new developments are being inspected by local authorities.
Deputy Canney argued that proper investment in building control would save the state money in the long term.
329 new cases of Covid-19 nationwide
Local TD uses Dáil to demand urgent action on beef regulator
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A local TD has told the Dáil there will be no next generation of young beef farmers unless the Government takes action.
Deputy Claire Kerrane was contributing to a debate on the need for the establishment of an independent beef regulator.
She said as someone who grew up on a beef farm, it’s very hard to watch farmers break their backs for very little in return.
Sinn Fein Deputy Kerrane said she was “at a loss” as to why the Government has failed to address the situation.
She pointed out that previous Agriculture Ministers have supported the creation of a beef regulator.
Deputy Kerrane warned if action isn’t taken, farmers will close their gates – and there will be no next generation – to hear more on this, tune in to FYI Galway@5


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'Economy Class Syndrome' Back in the News
Jan. 12, 2001 -- Joining a growing list of airlines, Singapore Airlines announced plans Friday to warn travelers about the risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots during long-haul flights.
Singapore's national carrier joins British Airways and Australia's two biggest airlines in issuing brochures on travel health tips to counter deep vein thrombosis (DVT), also known as "economy class syndrome." The condition may occur when people develop blood clots in the deep veins of their legs after sitting through long flights, presumably in cramped airplane seats.
According to the Singapore airlines web site, health tips will be displayed at check-in counters and on board the aircraft, where they will be printed on laminated cards placed in each seat pocket. These tips will advise passengers how to relieve stress, minimize jet lag, and reduce the risk of motion sickness, heart conditions, and DVT.
Affecting millions of people each year, these blood clots can travel to the lungs or other areas, causing severe organ damage or death. Such clots have been reported after automobile trips and even after evenings at the theater, but long airplane flights pose a greater risk.
Still, most medical experts here and abroad contend this condition has more to do with passengers sitting still for too long than with cramped seating conditions on airplanes.
"It's fair to say that common sense goes a long way, and airlines are doing what they can to provide recommendations for their passengers that will promote and insure a comfortable travel experience," says Michael Wascom, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association in Washington, D.C, a trade group that represents major U.S. passenger and cargo airlines.
"This particular medical ailment has not been widely reported among U.S. travelers," he tells WebMD. "It's not an epidemic."
Wascom, along with medical experts, says that DVT actually is caused by remaining in the same position without moving, not by too-small airplane seats.
"When you sleep at night, if you sleep on one of your arms, at some point you will lose feeling in your arm," he says. "It's the same concept."


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Residents wearing masks or face shields buy vegetables at a street market in Hong Kong on July 26. (Photo/CHINA NEWS SERVICE via China Daily)
At the request of the HKSAR Government, the National Health Commission of China has formed a "Mainland Nucleic Acid Testing Support Team" to assist Hong Kong in fighting the epidemic in the near future.
This team consists of about 60 clinical laboratory technicians from more than 20 public hospitals in Guangdong Province, and seven of the members will go to Hong Kong to assist in testing work on August 2.
A support team for a makeshift hospital was established too, which is made of up of six experts with practical experience in Wuhan. The team will provide technical support for the conversion of the Hong Kong Asia World-Expo into a makeshift hospital .
The NHC will mobilize medical resources from the mainland to provide more support in accordance with the needs of Hong Kong to fight COVID-19.
Hong Kong's first COVID-19 temporary hospital starts operating
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's (HKSAR) first temporary hospital for COVID-19 patients started operating on Saturday. It received the first group of more than 20 patients, according to CGTN reporter Zhu Dan.
Asia World-Expo in the HKSAR, China, August 1, 2020. (Photo/CCTV via CGTN)
The temporary hospital, located in the venue housing the Asia World-Expo, will mainly treat coronavirus patients aged 18-60. The 500-bed facility provides 24-hour medical services, lung X-rays and blood tests.
On its first operational weekend, the hospital is expected to receive 30 patients each day.
Around a dozen nurses and two doctors are on duty on Saturday to take care the patients.
A medical expert said the temporary hospital is designed to receive patients with mild symptoms and confirmed patients awaiting to be hospitalized.
The internal view of the temporary COVID-19 hospital at Asia World-Expo in Hong Kong, China, August 1, 2020. (Photo/Hong Kong's Hospital Authority via CGTN)
The HKSAR has a total of 3,272 confirmed COVID-19 cases and with 17 deaths as of Friday, and the number of newly diagnosed patients has exceeded 100 in 10 days.
Source: People's Daily, CGTN
Editor: Lv Yun


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Nollywood actress Cossy Orjiakor has proven that it is not only fans who know how to engage in online begging. The busty actress just shared a post on Instagram in which she included her bank account number.
According to her, she has been getting numerous men begging to be her baby daddy, hence the reason why she put her account number up for them to send money because being a baby daddy isn’t all about sex.
Cossy is known for flaunting her breast at events, she describes them as a great gift from God, and stated she wouldn’t breastfeed her kids directly to keep them firm. Her rise to fame was propelled by her significantly large breast, which she frequently displays.
Cossy Orjiakor wrote: “My Dm is littered with application for the post of baby daddy. Well being a baby daddy is not just about fking. It must come with shopping. So to filter men from boys. Send designers shopping money to my account in bio…. Uba Savings 20********”.
Orjiakor has ventured into many aspect of entertainment. She has featured in musical videos, starred in films and has an album to her name. She released her debut album Nutty Queen in 2013, which she admits conveys important lessons for the masses. She dismissed the possibility of going totally nude in a movie on moral grounds.
She highlighted exposure of her physique as part of her branding as an entertainer. In January 2013, she was admonished by a female blogger to amend her lifestyle in order to stop the supposed negative perception on Igbo girls. She replied explaining that the letter was an act of “joblessness”, and she has brought recognition to her country internationally through her career


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The Competition Commission of India has approved Reliance Retail’s ₹24,713 crore acquisition of the retail, wholesale, logistics, and warehousing businesses of the Future Group — a deal shrouded in controversy so far. The Commission has ignored Amazon’s request that it consider a ruling by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre which had temporarily halted the planned sale. Amazon had obtained the emergency arbitration order arguing that a 2019 deal that it signed with Future Coupons, the promoter entity of the Future Retail Ltd., gave it a right to block the transaction. The Future Group had proceeded anyway, arguing that the arbitration order had no legal force in India, and that provisions of Indian law concerning arbitration did not provide for emergency orders from arbitration centres. https://twitter.com/CCI_India/status/1329755690412380162 Future Retail Ltd. and Amazon are now fighting it out in the Delhi High Court. Future Retail, represented by senior lawyer Harish Salve, has argued that Amazon mischaracterised the suit as an anti-arbitration suit, when Future was simply seeking non-interference, while continuing to question whether the arbitration court’s order has legal force in India. Salve has argued that under Amazon’s shareholding agreement with Future Coupons Ltd., it merely has investor protection rights, and that only Future Coupons would require prior consent and not Future Retail Ltd. Future Group’s lawyers have said that "showing off" the SIAC’s orders to different regulators "as a binding order is unlawful interference" with Future Retail Ltd.’s business. The Delhi High Court today reserved its order in the suit. Earlier this month,…
- “Foreign state actor” may be responsible for the ransomware attack on AIIMS-Delhi: Report December 3, 2022
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- India’s IT Minister on DPDP Bill: Law should be kept ‘simple’, subordinate rules won’t exceed Act December 3, 2022
- MIB approves ninth self regulatory body, PADMA, under the IT Rules, 2021 December 3, 2022
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domain: law


Recently the Korora Project founder Chris Smart posted about the state of the Project. There was a response from the user who created the community releases. So while Korora is dormant there is a new Fedora remix to try. See the post on Korora’s news page for full details.
I did post some time ago about the disappearance of Tilda from Fedora. At the time this was due to the lack of upstream support and the fact that development had stalled. Since then development has again started and Tilda is being improved. While it is not (yet?) available for Fedora it is a simple procedure to add it. The following link covers compiling and installing it. I tested it in Korora 20 Xfce and it worked fine and I have the latest Tilda running now.
/kernel_reloaded/ » compile latest tilda and enjoy solarized terminal.
Google Chrome in Korora
Korora comes with many repos already set up so you can just install many software packages from the Package Manager or command line. One of the repos that is set up is Google Chrome. A simple
dnf install google-chrome
will install the stable version of Google Chrome.
However if you want the beta or unstable version, I prefer the beta version, then you need to edit the repo file. Actually other versions like the beta will install with the specific command
dnf install google-chrome-beta
but they won’t be updated in future. Using your preferred text editor open /etc/yum.repos.d/google-chrome.repo. The last line is an exclude statement. You will need to delete or comment out this line. Alternatively you could edit it by removing the version you wish to install / update from that line.
Now you can use the beta or unstable version of Google Chrome in Korora.
RIP Tilda, Long Live Tilda
UPDATE: Since I wrote this there has been some progress, although Tilda still isn’t available from the Fedora repos there has been some development work done on it. There is a new maintainer so go here for the latest details. You will need to build from source to have Tilda in current versions of Fedora or Korora but hopefully a new packager will emerge.
As many who have read this blog will know I’m a fan of drop down (aka quake style) terminals. I use Yakuake in KDE but in Xfce I’ve been using Tilda. I prefer its minimal style and features to the other options.
However when I installed Korora 19 I discovered that Tilda has been dropped from Fedora’s repos for 19 as it isn’t being currently maintained. In cases like this you have the choice of finding an alternative or building it yourself from source.
I found there is another way of installing Tilda in Korora or Fedora 19. Please note that this isn’t a procedure I would recommend for most packages but it works for Tilda. I ran Fedup on one of my systems but did a clean installation on another. Initially I didn’t notice the Tilda hadn’t been updated by fedup as it was still working. Only after I installed on the other system was the lack of Tilda noticed. I realised that packages from the older version still worked. So that was how I got it working in 19.
First we need a rpm file to install. That’s easy as I found the version for 18 works in 19. One way to obtain rpms is with RPM Search. I’ve used it before to back date when updates break something and yum history hasn’t worked. Go to here for a 64 bit file or here for an i686 one.
Now, as root, change to the directory where the downloaded file resides and run ‘yum localinstall packagename’, obviously replace packagename with the name of the file you downloaded. Yum will handle the dependency and install Tilda for you.
Problem solved, you now have Tilda in Korora or Fedora 19. Hopefully someone will step up and package it again in future version but as development has been slow I guess that’s not likely. See Tilda on github for details on the current state of development.
Korora 19 Released
Korora 19 has just been released. For the first time it is released at the same time as the new version of Fedora. No waiting for the latest version.
See here for the details.
Korora Project | Korora 19 (Bruce) beta released
Korora Project | Korora 18 (Flo) released
Korora has updated to a final version of 18. The details are here Korora Project | Korora 18 (Flo) released.
Fedora (and therefore Korora) has just received the update to KDE 4.10.1. THere are a number of improvements claimed for the new version including better stability.
This has been the improvement that I have noticed the most. I had been having issues with KDE locking up after a short time. THere was no discernible pattern to the lock ups so I had found a solution. To be honest I hadn’t tried too hard. I simply switched back to Xfce which was rock solid as always.
One change I’ve made to KDE is that I added the Daisy plasmoid as a Launcher panel. It is now included with Korora 18 and makes a nice addition. It still needs some development as it is missing some features such as the ability to re-arrange icons but it is a nice addition.
KDE 4.10.1 is a recommended update for KDE users and if my experience is a guide it is worth the update.


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Gingivitis is an infection of the gum tissues surrounding the teeth. It is a common infection and affects almost 95% of the world’s population. This infection can be characterized by redness, swelling, and bleeding of the gums around the teeth. This infection absolutely needs to be treated as soon as possible. Gum infections are almost always preventable with sound daily oral self-care.
Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal disease and is reversible. By definition, there is no loss of bone that supports the tooth. If treated early, gingivitis can be eliminated. If left untreated, it can progress into the more serious form of periodontal disease called periodontitis. In its more serious form, the bone and gum tissues can be permanently affected. Bleeding gums, one of the signs of gingivitis, are a sign of infection in the mouth. Your gum tissues should never bleed. It is not normal for blood to appear on your toothbrush when you have finished brushing. Gingivitis does not generally hurt, so you may not even know that you have it. It can be localized (around a few teeth) or generalized (around most or all of the teeth). Gingivitis is seen most often in patients who do not brush and floss well daily, but it can also be related to medication. Bad breath can be another sign of gingivitis. If you are using a mouthwash to get rid of bad breath, you may need dental attention. While bad breath can be related to some medical problems, most often it is just debris that is not cleaned properly from your teeth, gums, and tongue that is decomposing in the dark, warm, and moist environment of your mouth⎯a perfect place to breed germs.
If you have bleeding gums, you should be concerned. Healthy tissue anywhere in our bodies does not bleed. So what can you do to stop the bleeding?
We can help you eliminate the gingivitis. It involves a good professional cleaning and good oral self-care habits. Plaque (soft debris made up of bacteria) and tartar (calculus or hardened debris) must be removed before the gum tissues can heal and the infection can be eliminated. If it has been some time since you had your teeth cleaned properly, it may take more than one appointment to get you back into shape.
Get your teeth and gums cleaned on a regular basis. Keep them clean with daily brushing and flossing. The infection you have will be eliminated. If you keep your teeth and gums clean, they can be healthy and trouble-free for your whole life.

domain: health


text:
Fix your Gut– Not the beer gut, your intestines. Grains and toxins cause damage to the intestinal lining and facilitate leaky gut syndrome. Depleted beneficial bacteria in the gut caused by poor diet, antibiotic use or being bottle fed as a baby can make the problem worse. Remove the grains, avoid toxins whenever possible and take a high quality probiotic to help the intestines heal. As a note: some people will have continued damage to the gut with exposure to grains, especially gluten, as little as only every 10 days or even every 6 months.
Capsaicin cream, a topical ointment made with cayenne, has been reported by some patients to help lower pain in the hands and feet from diabetic neuropathy. But people with loss of sensation in the hands or feet should use caution when using capsaicin, as they may not be able to fully feel any burning sensation. Check with your doctor if you are thinking of trying this product.
Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by the spice turmeric, among other plants. Curcumin seems to have multiple benefits for diabetes symptoms. It has been shown to be a marked inhibitor of reactive oxygen species that promote oxidation damage in cells. Curcumin lowers inflammatory chemicals like tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and that’s good because TNF-a causes insulin resistance and irritates fatty livers. Curcumin can reduce another pro-inflammatory chemical called NF-KB. The above-mentioned actions provide a benefit in diabetes protection and reduce the risk of developing diabetes symptoms and complications. Curcumin has also been shown to enhance pancreatic beta cell functioning and reduce fatty liver deposition. It reduces high blood sugar, A1C, and insulin resistance. It was also shown to reduce the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and that is a higher risk in diabetic patients than in nondiabetic patients. A good dose is 200 to 3,000 mg a day.
^ Jump up to: a b Safren, S.A., Gonzalez, J.S., Wexler, D.J., Psaros, C., Delahanty, L.M., Blashill, A.J., Margolina, A.I., & Cagliero, E. (2013). "A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) in patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes". Diabetes Care. 37 (3): 625–33. doi:10.2337/dc13-0816. PMC 3931377. PMID 24170758.
Chromium plays a vital role in binding to and activating the insulin receptor on body cells, reducing insulin resistance. Supplemental chromium has been shown to lower blood sugar levels, lipids, A1C, and insulin in diabetic patients. It can also help decrease one’s appetite, particularly for sweets. A dosage from 200 mcg to 2,000 mcg a day is safe. Higher doses are unnecessary and can cause acute kidney failure.
Drugs of this class decrease the absorption of carbohydrates from the intestine. Before being absorbed into the bloodstream, enzymes in the small intestine must break down carbohydrates into smaller sugar particles, such as glucose. One of the enzymes involved in breaking down carbohydrates is called alpha-glucosidase. By inhibiting this enzyme, carbohydrates are not broken down as efficiently, and glucose absorption is delayed.


text:
There are numerous questions linked to Dianabol. Do men and women enquire as it is lawful to obtain Dianabol from your USA, USA, Great britain, New Zealand, and Australia or anywhere worldwide? It could be authorized in lots of countries worldwide as Thailand, India, and Chinese companies as well as other while not legitimate in virtually all developed countries. You may buy steroids USA very easily online. You need to review and know very well what D-bol is? It may be commonly described with the community of muscle building. It can be full of energy orally, called the androgenic anabolic anabolic steroid ointment, which will help in muscles power and gains. Also, it really is generally known as Methandrotestonlone, which can be quite definitely preferred from the black coloured industry spot such as a medication which can help for making spectacular effects very easily.
Could it be the versus the law anabolic steroid lotion Dianabol?
Although some muscles contractors hailed it the most beneficial steroid ointment cream in the provide market place, it truly is completely forbidden because it includes some significant side effects. Several Dianabol’s legal choices readily available that are known to proffer all excess weight lifters the best option to obtain fantastic muscle tissue benefits and without their unwanted effects. There are lots of realities and frequent common myths even that center around the steroids which can be used bodybuilding. The body builder must carefully analysis and also inform themselves regarding how they operate, their undesirable and results or sort of anabolic steroid ointment, from the legislation and approved kinds, doses, cycle, and a lot more before you start the anabolic steroid lotion use. We have seen no other item around that may supply all this kind of details as the Testosterone buy online muscle tissue development.
However, these drugs’ side effects are modest if compared to the against the law steroid ointment cream Dianabol, that are very severe on the human body. Make sure to go for these prescription medications from the reputed seller that markets an exceptional item and not compromises with a similar.


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Letter to the editor, mid-Valley newspapers, May 30, 2021
“This Memorial Day, honor the fallen U.S. war hero if you will.
But, where is the memorial day for victims of U.S. aggression? If you have studied the true history of the U.S. empire, you know that this country has waged war for empire or some perceived threat to U.S. interests since the country’s inception. We have created literally countless victims, including Native Americans. None of these victims will be memorialized this Memorial Day.
Many of those who joined the U.S. military had the best intentions. But how many were misled into combat service by politicians and their corporate backers? Some voice support for the “good” wars. But those too could have been avoided through savvy diplomacy and other actions short of war.
Some U.S. veterans and current military members have committed atrocities and even war crimes. This is well documented. Are we honoring them too? When you say “Thank you for your service,” do know whether the recipient served honorably? Do you care? Many veterans we know prefer not to be thanked, as that can trigger memories of the horrific destruction in which they took part.
As we honor the U.S. war dead, we must also acknowledge our longstanding militant foreign policy, and we must honor and mourn the victims of U.S. hegemony. These were fellow human beings routinely swept away silently and promptly from American consciousness and under the historical rug.
This Memorial Day, please honor all victims of war.”
Bart Bolger, Former president, Veterans for Peace, Mid-Valley Chapter, Corvallis

domain: history


text:
ISPO Bike Highlights Urban and E-Mobility
MUNICH, Germany – In 2013, ISPO Bike emphasizes its claim as the information platform for the sector of urban mobility. The highlight is the ISPO Innovation Forum on July 26th –under the motto “Urban Biking – Global Networks”.
At the 7th ISPO Innovation Forum experts and visitors will jointly discuss the future of cycling in the urban environment and the areas of development for the bicycle industry. Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize Consulting will hold this year’s keynote address, with the title “Bicycle Culture by Design”.
The following speakers will also hold motivating presentations:
- LasseSchelde, Manager Bicycle Innovation Lab
- Randy Neufeld, Leiter SRAM Cycling Fund
- Thomas Schröder, Manager Marketing & Communication m-way
- Burkhard Stork, ADFC Federal Chief Executive
The increasing importance of cycling as a means of urban mobility becomes clear when considering the current statistics of the city of Munich, home ground of the ISPO Bike. In the next few weeks the number of bikeways is expected to increase from 22 to 47. The existing network of bicycle paths with a total of 1,200 kilometers will likewise be extended with the help of expansion and improvement measures. Reason enough for ISPO Bike to highlight this subject.
The second focus of ISPO Bike is on e-mobility. The event will offer more than just the wide-ranging spectrum of the bicycle industry; the trade show also includes an interesting side event program with conferences, workshops, special exhibits, test track and the new e-bike/pedelec race “Pedals of Power”.
David Badalec, ISPO Bike Exhibition Director, summarizes the goals of the event: “We provide an informational as well as practical side event program in order to further emphasize the multi-faceted character of the subject and the position of ISPO Bike as the platform for e-mobility and urban biking.”
ISPO Bike 2013 is held from July 25th to 28th, 2013 at Messe München.


text:
If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning, torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day... EB White
Sunday, March 31, 2013
One of the things I enjoy most is seeing the beautiful creative patterns in nature that are often replicated across the elements. For example this picture of melting snow reminds me of a bank of clouds one might see from an airplane window. What an amazing creation! Happy Easter to all.


The committee charged with finding a replacement for Rob Guidry is playing its cards close to its vest, but ABiz has learned a new leader could emerge as soon as Friday.
The committee charged with finding a replacement for Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Rob Guidry is playing its cards close to its vest, but ABiz has learned a replacement could emerge as soon as Friday.
"The leadership has done a remarkable job in remaining tight lipped on this," Guidry tells ABiz in an emailed response Thursday. "All I can tell you is the selection committee is to make its recommendation to the board of directors tomorrow."
A source with limited information on the search tells ABiz more than one person considered local - either living in the area/state or having lived and worked here recently - has made the cut of finalists.
Guidry announced in mid-2012 that he'd retire by the end of this year, giving the chamber ample time to conduct a search for his replacement. Guidry has been with the local business lobbying group for 35 years.
The chamber's then-chairman, Jerry Greig said in the prepared announcement that Guidry would remain in his current capacity until his successor is seated and a seamless transition is completed.
Guidry has said he plans to remain fully engaged in the business and social aspects of the community after his retirement.


Organisciak says former Holley police chief would be first choice for undersheriff
HOLLEY – William Murphy, the former Holley chief who worked at small and large police departments in a 30-year law enforcement career, would be Don Organisciak’s first choice for undersheriff, the candidate for sheriff said on Wednesday.
Organisciak, a retired Medina police officer and investigator, is endorsed by the Democratic Party in the Nov. 3 election for sheriff. He faces Randy Bower (Republican and Conservative lines) and Tom Drennan, who is running under the Reform and Independence lines.
Bower has said Chris Bourke, a lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office, would serve as undersheriff and Drennan last week said Brett Sobieraski, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department and a Kent resident, would serve in the role if Drennan is elected.
Murphy, an Albion native, started his career with Holley in 1985. He went on to work at the Albion, Rochester and Greece police departments and then retired. However, he took the opportunity to return to Holley as police chief about 7 ½ years ago.
He led the department with 10 part-time officers until Sept. 1.
“He would be my first call,” Organisciak said about Murphy.
The sheriff candidate said Murphy’s experience with small, medium and large departments would be an asset. Murphy has been an officer and worked in management, Organisciak said.
“He has a good background,” Organisciak said. “If I had to leave the office or go out of town, I would feel comfortable leaving him in charge.”
Organisciak has said the election should be about the sheriff. However, he wants the public to know if he is elected he will have a qualified and experienced undersheriff in the post.
“I want someone I can trust, someone with a level head, someone who can communicate with the staff and the citizens, and Bill can do that,” Organisciak said.


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Dealing with cystitis can be an unpleasant and painful experience. Cymalon sachets offer an effective treatment for cystitis related symptoms, and are one of the most popular remedies in the UK.
The sachets contain sodium citrate, which works with your body to neutralise the acidity within your bladder, delivering an effective and welcome relief from discomfort and irritation.
Cystitis is a form of urinary tract infection (UTI) and creates an inflammation of the bladder. Cystitis is usually caused by some kind of harmful bacteria, causing you to urinate frequently and painfully.
Once the urinary tract becomes infected, harmful bacteria begin to turn your bladder into an acidic environment, helping them to rapidly grow and spread. This makes your urine acidic, causing burning pains when you urinate. Sodium citrate works to decrease the bladder’s acidity, decreasing discomfort and making it harder for the bacteria to reproduce.
Cystitis in an infection that mainly affects women – it is thought that almost 50 percent of women will suffer from cystitis at least once during their lifetime. Cystitis usually occurs in women who are: young, sexually active, pregnant, menopausal, or elderly.
The body will usually clear itself of the infection after a few days; however treatments such as antibiotics and Cymalon will help to combat the symptoms, making the condition more manageable.
There are numerous symptoms associated with Cystitis, including:
- Burning or stinging during urination.
- An increased desire to urinate.
- A sensation that you are unable to empty your bladder.
- General pain across the abdominal area.
Cymalon sachets can be used as an effective symptomatic relief from the detrimental effects of cystitis. Sachets should be taken orally with water over a two day period.Cymalon is recommended for use by adults only. Cystitis is painful and Cymalon sachets help by alkalising the urine and soothing the burning sensation when you urinate. They also make the surrounding environment in the bladder less suitable for replicating bacteria.
For further relief, consider taking pain killers and drinking cranberry juice.
Additional help for chronic cystitis sufferers:
Repeated and continuous attacks of cystitis can be both painful and detrimental to your quality of life. The unpredictable nature of the attacks means that it is important to always have a safe and effective treatment on hand. Antibiotic treatments are available from the Online Doctor service and can be used as a back-up supply, allowing you to treat the condition as and when needed.