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Keyword: Norwegian Cruise Line
Planned for next August, the ASTA Global Convention will welcome top executives from Hilton, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. Learn who will be coming.
The marketing group for home-based travel advisors is appointing Joe Jiffo to the position of vice president, business development for the United States, effective immediately. Check out more.
It’s been a busy week for cruise ship renovations. Here's what you need to know.
The renovation project was part of Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Edge fleet refurbishment program. Here's the latest.
The recently renovated ship will begin sailing five- to 11-day cruises to the Caribbean from the Big Easy November 11. More here.
The Avoya Conference, taking place June 2-7, will return to the sea for the first time since 2014. It will also take place on land at the Hyatt Regency Miami. Learn more.
The service is available now for new bookings for guests sailing on Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises. Learn more.
Ensemble Travel Group's newest survey, based on input from early 2,000 Ensemble member advisors in the U.S. and Canada, shows growth. Check out more:
Norwegian Cruise Line's senior VP of sales says, in a strategic move to enlarge its sourcing, Norwegian is looking to a stronger West Coast and Hawaii presence. Read more.
More than 1,000 attendees at the CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. annual conference were updated about trade programs, strong growth, new tech and more. Here's more.


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Many banks in UAE offers premium credit cards to help you fulfill your personalized needs. These cards are normally offered to the customers with a strong credit score. Premium cards come with impressive rewards and limitless benefits. In fact, they serve as the entry pass to a world of exclusive privileges and high-end leisure activities. In UAE, banks like Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Commercial Bank International (CBI) and Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) offer premium credit cards with unmatched global experiences.
Premium Credits Cards in UAE:
ADCB Islamic Gold Premium Card:This is a premium credit card offered by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank. The card comes with the following benefits:
- Utility bill payments through internet banking for 24 hours a day.
- Get cash against your available credit limit with Pay Order option.
- Pay your ADCB Islamic Bank credit card bill at over 50 ADCB branches or 35 select ATMs.
- Enjoy credit shield facility by using which you can get protection against permanent disability, critical illness and death.
- The card also offers purchase protection benefits. With your ADCB Islamic Gold Premium Credit Card, you can make any purchase anywhere in the world and enjoy a free protection period of 90 days.
Low Rate Visa Platinum Card:This is a premium credit card offered by Commercial Bank International. The card comes with the following benefits –
- Balance transfers without any penalty fee.
- Easy cash transfers to CBI accounts.
- Get free supplementary cards.
- Credit shield is available in this card.
- EMV Chip and PIN payment protection is available.
- Get SMS alerts on all your credit card transactions
- Enjoy easy repayment facility.
- The card also offers discounts at hotels across the globe and lifestyle benefits.
- Offers free extended warranty.
- Purchase protection insurance is available.
- Free medical and referral service benefits.
Al Islamic Infinite Card:
This is a premium credit card offered by Dubai Islamic Bank. This credit card is particularly designed to fulfill your personalised financial needs. The card comes with a number of modern amenities and special privileges. The card sticks to the concept of Islamic Sharia. This is an interest free card with no over limit fee. Al Islamic Infinite Card comes with the following benefits:
- Travel desk assistance. This will include no agency service fee on purchasing air tickets for any airline, free home delivery of tickets, free chauffeur drop off service, free entry to Marhaba lounge at Dubai International Airport, 50% discount for guests and many more facilities.
- Extended warranty. Being a privileged Al Islami Infinite Credit Card Member, you will enjoy extended warranty by 12 months with each purchase made with your card.
- International concierge service. This service will provide you expert individuals fluent in Arabic and English to answer all your queries by 24 ×7.
- The card offers visa premium services.
- Purchase protection guarantee. If anything bought with this card is lost or damaged by fire or accident or stolen within 60 days of purchase, it will be either replaced or repaired with no extra cost, or the cost will be reimbursed.
- The card offers emergency medical and legal assistance services.
- Credit shield is enabled in this card.
- It offers roadside assistance and full multi-trip travel assistance.
- You can get entry into more than 600 airport lounges at 300 cities in over 100 countries with this card.

domain: finance


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Shabby Chic Retreat
Create a warm and inviting haven without compromising on style with the shabby chic collection of Allure Décor. Boasting a warm and weathered finish, and eye catching metal detailing, this collection of décor accessories adds personality and character to your space. Whether it’s a striking candleholder you’re after, or a stylish and functional coat hanger – there’s a product to delight anyone’s requirements! Tantalising textures come to life in this must-have range for the complete room.

domain: artistic


As the 12th and final episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 16” opens, several members of Team Nelson lament their experience on the show. Joey Rivera and Julian Lane seem most critical, but pretty much everyone jumps in and complains about Roy Nelson’s approach as a coach.
Roy has an issue to deal with, as two of his athletes – Jon Manley and Colton Smith – are facing off in the semifinals. Roy explains his approach: coaches will help prepare both fighters, but the semifinalists will need to bring in their own cornermen. Roy believes its an evenly-matched fight that will ultimately boil down to which competitor can instill their own gameplan.
After a commercial break, Joey is in the locker room with Roy and openly criticizing the way the season played out. Roy tries to explain it isn’t his job to motivate or provide heart for the athletes, but he does offer an apology to anyone’s whose feelings he may have hurt.
With that, it’s on to the first semifinal fight.
TEAM NELSON’S JON MANLEY (7-1) VS. TEAM NELSON’S COLTON SMITH (3-1)
Round 1 – Referee Hern Dean is in the cage for the contest. Jon takes the center before Colton rushes forward behind a flurry of punches and into a clinch. Jon eventually pulls away and resets. Colton again closes the distance on the restart and this time brings the fight to the floor. He postures and works to pass the guard of his opponent, and he advances position briefly before Jon stands. Colton stays tight against the body and presses him to the cage, grinding away up against the fence until the end of the round.
Round 2 – Jon presses forward to open the second, but Colton stays away from his punches and ultimately pushes back into a clinch. An outside trip ears Colton top position, but Jon again pushes back to his feet and eventually breaks away from his foe. Jon again gives chase and looks to strike, but Colton simply moves into the clinch and brings his opponent to the floor. Jon doesn’t stay there, but as he crawls back to his feet, Colton remains tied to his body. Jon tries to secure an arm lock as he falls to the floor, and when it misses he scrambles again to the standup department. But Colton elevates and slams him to the floor. It’s a well-established pattern now, and Colton is controlling the positioning of the fight, even if he’s not doing a ton of damage. Jon nearly scores his own takedown in the closing seconds, but a nifty reversal sees Colton finish on top and score another round in his favor.
Round 3 – Jon again opens with strikes from the center, but Colton stays at a distance and avoids any serious damage before ultimately working back into the clinch. Colton isn’t battering his opponent, but he’s undeniable control of the positioning battle. Jon breaks free with a little more than two minutes left, and Colton gets on his bike and circles away, comfortable to cruise with two rounds in his pocket. They engage briefly with about a minute remaining, but Colton isn’t taking any chances. Jon gives chase but isn’t able to land anything of real consequence before Colton ties him up again to end the round. At the final bell, it’s clear who’s walking away with the win. Colton embraces Jon, who breaks into tears.
Colton Smith def. Jon Manley via unanimous decision
The season is over for Team Nelson, and Colton starts the celebration with a little Jim Beam in the locker room. Now it’s time for Team Carwin to host their inter-squad matchup as Neil Magny meets Mike Ricci.
Prior to the fight, the fighters have nothing but praise for the Team Carwin coaching staff. Now it’s time to see who will represent the group in the finals.
TEAM CARWIN’S NEIL MAGNY (7-1) VS. TEAM CARWIN’S MIKE RICCI (7-2)
Round 1 – Referee Steve Mazzagatti in charge. Both look to find their range early as the hold distance and paw jabs. Mike eventually settles in the center of the cage and throws to the body. Neil circles away and looks to fire straight punches. Neil moves into a clinch, but Mike sprawls well against the cage and eventually pulls free. Neil scores a solid kick to the body on the restart. Mike is comfortable and answers back with a similar strike before landing a devastating straight left. Neil collapses to the floor but somehow regains his wits and ties Mike up when he follows to the floor. Neil scoots to the fence and works back to his feet while preventing Mike from taking his back. Once they stand, Mike fires in a crushing elbow that ends the fight in incredible fashion. Neil is in bad shape and takes some time to gather his wits, and Mike is in the finals.
Mike Ricci def. Neil Magny via knockout (elbow) – Round 1
Mike admits the win is tough to enjoy because of what he had to do to a teammate, but he’s happy to be in the finals. Neil is understandably devastated.
With those two fights, the tournament finale is set. It’s Team Nelson’s Colton Smith vs. Team Carwin’s Mike Ricci. UFC President Dana White says he believes it’s a proper final involving the two best fighters from the cast. For Mike, it’s also a little chance at history, as he hopes to become the first Canadian fighter to become a “TUF” winner.
Catch new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter 16: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson” every Friday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on FX. MMAjunkie.com recaps each episode of the reality series, and full series coverage can be found on The Ultimate Fighter 16 page.


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Enter your Social Security Number in the space indicated. Your Social Security Number is requested under the authority of Executive Order 9397 to uniquely identify your records from those of other applicants who may have the same name. As allowed by law or Presidential directive, your Social Security Number is used to seek information about you from employers, schools, banks and others who may know you. Providing your Social Security Number is voluntary, however we can not process your application without it.
Are you an ICTAP Eligible?
For information on how to apply as an ICTAP eligible see http://opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp#ictap. To be well-qualified and exercise selection priority for this vacancy, displaced Federal employees must be rated at 85.0 or above on the rating criteria for this position.
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Are you eligible for preference based on being a Public Law 94-437 Indian Health Service Scholarship recipient? For more information, please click here.
Are you eligible for the Federal Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities? (For information on Schedule A appointments, see the OPM website.)
Are you a PHS Commissioned Officer (This includes active duty officers, inactive reserve officers, and applicants who have been approved for commissioning in the USPHS Commissioned Corps)?
Are you eligible for noncompetitive appointment?
This includes applicants who are eligible for special or noncompetitive appointment authorities such as 30% or more compensable disabled veterans, persons with disabilities and PHS Commissioned Corps Officers. This also includes applicants who meet the qualifications for this position and who have previously held, or currently hold, a Federal position at the grade of this position.
Enter the lowest grade level that you will accept for this position. The lowest grade for this position is 15.
If you are a male at least 18 years of age, born after December 31, 1959, have you registered with the Selective Service System?
Select/enter at least one occupational specialty. The specialty code for this position is:
Select/enter at least one geographic location in which you are interested and will accept employment. The location code for this position is:
1. From the descriptions below, select the one response which best describes your experience which meet the Qualification Requirements for Deputy Director, GS-0301-15.A. I have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service, to include experience providing staff leadership and direction by performing substantive activities related to the planning and development of enforcement strategy and prioritization of compliance actions.
In this section, you are asked to evaluate yourself on task items using the scale provided. When marking your ratings, please do not overstate or understate your level of experience or capability. You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. Do not give yourself credit for having performed tasks you have not performed. Additional steps in the selection process are designed to verify your stated level of experience and capability. Deliberate attempts to falsify information will be grounds for not selecting you or for dismissing you from employment with the organization.A- I have not had education, training or experience in performing this task.
2. Research and interpret the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to create policies and procedures for development of enforcement strategy and prioritization of compliance actions.
3. Recommend changes to policies and procedures to ensure timely development of enforcement strategy and prioritization of compliance actions.
4. Conduct research into legal precedents and legislative history of the laws enforced by a regulated industry.
5. Evaluate the impact of existing laws and new or revised legislation and regulations.
6. Formulate and evaluate organizational policies, objectives and long range plans.
7. Implement procedures to regularly inform management of programs, resources, problem situations and/or success.
8. Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with high level officials within a regulated industry and in other federal agencies.
9. Provide guidance and consultation to other offices on the laws and regulations enforced by a regulated industry.
10. Provide guidance and consultation to other regulated industry on the development of enforcement strategy and prioritization of compliance actions.
11. Make oral presentations to recommend changes to programs and procedures to management officials and major stakeholders within the organization at different levels to work on issues, goals and objectives.
12. Serve as agency representative in conferences, meetings and workshops with regulated industry, major stakeholders and other government agencies.
13. Make oral presentations on enforcement strategy and prioritization of compliance actions for high level officials and in other federal agencies.
14. Write a variety of legal documents that require research and analysis.
15. Develop written materials for presentation to high level officials and in other federal agencies.
16. Prepare recommendations to resolve complex legal or compliance issues.

domain: law


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...random thoughts on music, film, television, sports, or whatever else pops into my head at any given moment.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Songs of the Year - "Split Decision," Bonnie Raitt
"Slipstream" was the best Bonnie Raitt album in quite some time, and this was my favorite song on it. If this doesn't make you want to jump around a bit or run a little faster, then you may be in a coma.

domain: hobby


Stars Shine at the Tony Awards
Neil Patrick Harris brought down the house as the host of last night's Tony Awards and The Book of Mormon was the night's big winner. INSIDE EDITION has the details.
How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris brought down the house at last night's Tony Awards, and the event was most certainly star-studded.
The Book of Mormon proved to be the big winner, garnering nine awards. The other winner of the night was Catherine Zeta-Jones, who made her first public appearance since her brave revelation that she is being treated for bipolar disorder.
Drop-dead gorgeous in a sparkling red gown, the actress handed out the Best Actor awards during the live broadcast of the Tonys.
This year's show had its own live faux pas when Brooke Shields flubbed a joke about disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner.
Later onstage, Shields explained what happened.
"I can do eight shows a week, but I can't read a teleprompter," she joked.
Comedian Chris Rock cracked up the crowd when he presented the Best Musical award to The Book of Mormon.
But most of the jokes were directed at the famously troubled Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, even though it wasn't eligible for this year's Tonys because it doesn't officially open until next week.
"Pretty soon they'll be changing the name to 'Spider-Man: Turn off the Lawsuits,' " Harris commented.
Even Spider-Man composers Bono and The Edge chimed in.
"We used to be famous for being in U2," the musicians said.
Actors Ellen Barkin and John Larroquette, who made their Broadway debuts this year, also took home trophies.
From the comedic interludes to glamorous appearances, this year's Tony Awards was without a doubt a memorable evening.
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Sustainability in the fish industry is vitally important to maintaining the quality and quantity of the fish population for future generations. Three local food professionals have uncovered innovative sustainability processes: Sitka Salmon Shares created a transportation and sales model for Alaskan fish; Rushing Waters, an established organic Wisconsin trout farm, embraces transparency across the board; and Screaming Tuna, a popular player in the local sushi game, maintains strict sustainability standards as a way of doing business.
The message “Eat Local, Think Global,” planted the seed for Sitka Salmon Shares. Nic Mink, the company’s founder/Chief Salmon Steward is a Wisconsin native and UW-Madison graduate. He explains, “Sitka was born as a local food movement in Madison. I went to the farmers’ market; I was a member of the CSA. I ended up moving to Alaska after more than a decade in the Madison food world.”
During a 2009-2010 stint at the Sitka Conservation Society, Mink discovered he could combine two of his passions: high quality food and preserving the environment. “We hoped to create an eco-label for fish from these amazing, pristine watersheds and habitats in southeast Alaska,” Mink said. He committed to bridging the gap between consumer consumption and sustainable fishing. “I was interested in branding that has a component of an environmental message and helps raise awareness of environmental issues around food,” Mink adds.
Mink and two students from the Environmental Studies classes he teaches at Knox College in Illinois came home from a trip to Alaska with boxes of Sitka salmon. Mink’s friends loved the fish so much, it spawned a business (pun intended). Mink explains, “The idea was to create awareness about sustainability issues and motivate people to choose fish from this region. Our pipe dream was to fundraise for college internships.” Mink’s concept has grown into a thriving cooperative for fish and seafood and has a group of obsessed followers.
Commitment to quality and sustainability begins on the water. “The fishermen are harvesting for the future; they fish for low volume quality rather than high volume commodity…here you have conservation and quality totally aligned.” Mink adds.
Sitka has a unique process for preserving and freezing fish. As Mink explains, “Fish is never going to get better than the moment it’s pulled out of the water. One of the most important things you can do is get that fish’s core temperature down to 32-degrees.” Mink regularly battles an unjustified stigma around frozen fish. “If you bleed a fish, gut a fish, gill a fish, and ice a fish, you’re taking all of those things that decompose the quickest out of the fish. If you don’t do those things, you’ve got twelve hours. If you do everything you can to ensure that fish doesn’t decompose, you can have a superior product four days later,” Mink adds.
For photographer Craig Stodola and his wife Angie, it was love at first bite. “My wife and I tried Sitka salmon and halibut at La Merenda, and we went home and joined Sitka,” Stodola says. The CSA model was the perfect way for the Stodolas to combine a love of good food with growing concerns about health. “We were taking fish oil pills because it’s good for your heart, but why take pills when we can just eat fish?” Stodola wondered. The Stodolas were disappointed in store-bought salmon. “We purchased farm-raised salmon from stores and it was always a little bit mushy,” Stodola recalls. Sitka changed all that. “We love being able to trace Sitka fish back to its source…we love the Copper River salmon, the halibut, the black cod. My kids love it too. The rock fish is fish taco heaven,” Stodola says.
Decades before the birth of the field-to-fork movement, Rushing Waters had already perfected the pond-to-plate concept in Palmyra, Wisconsin. Rushing Waters has been raising rainbow trout since the 1940s, and today they have fifty six ponds on their eighty acres in the heart of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The secrets to Rushing Water’s success are Mother Nature and an ongoing commitment to quality. Co-owner Peter Fritsch explains, “We’ve all heard ‘location, location, location’…we have this abundant pristine water source an hour out of Milwaukee, which means we’re close enough to the markets to have this fresh fish available to restaurants and retailers within twenty four hours.”
Consistent water temperature is another reason Rushing Waters raises the highest quality trout. “We do this year ‘round. The water is 50-degrees and it never freezes, but one of the biggest challenges is what Mother Nature throws our way. When we get big snowfalls, our farmers have to plow their way in there.” Fritsch explains. Fritsch and his team take pride in being excellent stewards of their environment. “We don’t take shortcuts; we don’t use antibiotics or chemicals. We’re doing aquaculture the way it should be done,” he adds.
Rushing Waters serves the rainbow trout at their company-owned restaurants, both aptly named The Trout House. With locations in Delavan and on-site at Rushing Waters, these restaurants have become the go-to for trout-loving diners. The Trout House at Rushing Waters allows diners the unique opportunity to tour the facility, visit the ponds and catch their own fish through the restaurant’s unique “Hook and Cook” program.
Day-in and day-out, Fritsch and his Rushing Waters team live their motto “When quality matters.” He explains, “We raise our fish in natural ponds with low population densities and we use non-GMO soybean meal; it’s the most expensive feed on the market.” Fritsch realizes the impact of these decisions. “Everyone loves clean water and people have to remember we have the most to lose by not having clean water. We spend a lot of time and money managing this resource because it’s our duty to protect it,” he adds.
Kermit the Frog could have been foreshadowing the sustainability movement in the fish industry when he sang “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” But for Jeff Bronstad and his team at Screaming Tuna, sustainability has become their modus operandi. As Bronstad explains, the concept initially came from a customer. “About five years ago, a customer who knew a lot about sustainable sushi asked us about it and we decided to look into it,” Bronstad explains. “We found vendors that had marine biologists on staff.”
Screaming Tuna signed with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, which sets the standards for sustainability in America with sushi. “We sign a contract not to serve anything on the Seafood Watch Avoid List, including unagi and hamachi (which you find in every restaurant because they’re sushi staples). We had to switch from unagi, which is freshwater eel, to saltwater eel; and we switched from hamachi to kampachi.”
The primary difference is the way the fish population is managed and how the fish is processed. “Russia and the U.S. catch crab in the same location in the Bering Sea. Russia takes their crab and processes it in Russia and Alaskan crab is processed in Alaska. Russian crab doesn’t have documentation of where it went after they caught it.” Bronstad adds. “But we have clear documentation of the crab’s journey from the ocean to the restaurant.” Over the years, this commitment has become easier. “I have a pretty good idea of what is sustainable and I’ll read up on it and make sure it’s copacetic. Our executive chef Jason Morimoto also has a pretty good idea of what’s going to work and a good grasp of sustainability,” Bronstad says.
Customer response has been very positive. “It feels good to get the positive feedback, but it’s just something we choose to do. We were the first restaurant in Wisconsin to partner with Monterey Bay and the first sushi place in the Midwest…we would absolutely do the same thing in whatever endeavor we decide to do next.” Bronstad adds. “If enough people start only buying sustainable seafood, the market for the unsustainable seafood market drops away and hopefully those endangered or semi-endangered populations can recover. We do pay a little more for our fish than normal fish…we’re investing in the future so there can be sushi restaurants.”

domain: news


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A few new pieces, some DIY projects, and a touch of vintage. See how we styled our living room for Christmas! Merry Christmas Eve! I can't believe we're here - just one sleep away from the big day. Our house feels so magical! The smell of freshly-baked eggnog cookies, . . .
Creating holiday magic in your home doesn't have to be expensive. Here are budget-friendly Christmas decor ideas and styling tips to wow your guests! No one does Christmas like Cory Christopher. The Edmonton-based Designer and Florist is practically Santa, . . .
Our Pumpkin Place Cards DIY is fast, easy, and oh-so-pretty! See that one extra touch that took this to the next level. Pumpkin Place Cards DIY I love a feminine fall tablescape! If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, and you're looking to do something pink and . . .
My favourite projects are the ones with little effort that look like you may have spent hours! This Easter brunch tablescape is just that. I teamed up with my friend, Edmonton Designer and Florist Cory Christopher to create a beautiful, yet simple table for Easter brunch. . . .
Remember how fun it was to sit at the 'kids table' at big family dinners? I have such great memories of that! The designated Easter Brunch Toddler Table can be just as pretty as the Grown-up table (perhaps with fewer breakables). My friend, Edmonton Designer and Florist, . . .

domain: design


Acclaimed Dutch Saxophonist's Fourth Album As A Leader Launches New Amsterdam Based Label EtceteraNow Records To Be Distributed By Allegro
(Amsterdam, The Netherlands) With the January 12, 2010 release in the U.S. of The Traveller,
the award-winning Dutch saxophonist Tineke Postma is poised to claim within the all-important American jazz community what she has already earned in Europe and Japan: A legitimate place among today's leading jazz instrumentalists and composers.
The Traveller (EtceteraNow KTD 6003), Postma's fourth album as a leader, is unquestionably her most impressive recording to date. She is as talented a writer as she is a player and the CD showcases eight original compositions and her arrangement of part of a Heitor Villa-Lobos string quartet that are each superbly interpreted by an all-star quartet featuring pianist Geri Allen, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist Scott Colley , three contemporary American jazz masters who are each leaders in their own right and among the most accomplished musicians in the world on their respective instruments. Postma debuted this sensational band earlier in 2009 at Barbican Hall in London (UK), the North Sea Jazz Festival (NL) and Jazz Ramatuelle (F).
Postma has in a few short years built up a global following through touring and performing in clubs and at festivals in over 20 countries. She fulfilled the promise of the title of her 2007 release A Journey That Matters that received rave reviews in DownBeat, JazzTimes and other influential publications and significantly raised her profile across the Atlantic from her home in the Netherlands. Postma is the only Dutch artist featured along with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and other legends in the critically acclaimed four- part documentary Icons Among Us - Jazz In The Present Tense" showcasing veteran and rising jazz artists that premiered on The Documentary Channel in April 2009. She also has the distinction of being the first European jazz musician signed by the respected American talent agency IMN (International Music Network) joining an illustrious roster of saxophonists including Shorter, Joe Lovano, Joshua Redman, Chris Potter and Maceo Parker as well as other renowned artists like McCoy Tyner, Dianne Reeves, Dave Holland and Brad Mehldau.
These are two of several highlights during a landmark year for the 31-year-old Amsterdam-based Postma during which she also won the coveted Revelations Award, the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize at the 49th Antibes Juan-Les-Pins Jazz Festival in France and was a finalist for the prestigious Paul Acket Award at the North Sea Jazz Festival. Postma will end 2009 on a high note, with a November 11th appearance at Zankel Hall in New York as a member of bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding's quartet, having previously performed with Spalding's band in July at the North Sea festival.
One of my goals has been to make music with as much feeling as possible, music that touches me and the audience on an emotional level," Postma said when asked what distinguishes The Traveller from her earlier releases. I feel on this album I'm playing in a freer, less inhibited way than ever before and creating music that's more developed than what I was playing, say, right after graduating from the conservatory in Holland and the Manhattan School of Music when I felt I needed to prove myself and impress people. I really learned a lot from playing with Terri Lyne and Geri," continued Postma, who first encountered Allen in 2008 when she performed several concerts in Israel as a member of a band led by Carrington that included bassist Esperanza Spalding (The Traveller is the saxophonist's third record featuring Carrington.). Terri Lyne and Geri have performed with two of my idols, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, and I could hear their influence in their playing and that in turn influenced me," Postma added. While I work regularly with my Dutch quartet, performing with these American musicians inspires me in a different way. They make me fly when I play and it's exciting and challenging to be creative and open to all the musical impulses they're giving me on stage."
Before I met Terri Lyne I was not really focused on the rhythmical and the timing part of jazz...as a horn player your first impulse is to focus on playing the right notes and melodies and harmonies," Postma explained. Terri Lyne made me aware of how important it is to avoid playing cliches and to take musical risks, to really search for inspiration and not just play on automatic pilot. The same goes for Gerri and Scott who not only improvise on a composition's melody but also its rhythm."
Geri really knows the jazz piano tradition that preceded her while also having found her own style. In addition to being a soloist she's also an amazing accompanist who knows how to make you sound good and never plays the same melodic ideas twice," Postma said. And one reason Scott is one of the busiest bassists on the scene today and has played with practically everybody is that he's so versatile and has a deep feel for time. He's more than just an incredible sideman and soloist as he writes fantastic music as well. I don't think I could have found a stronger rhythm section to play with."
The feeling is clearly mutual, as the comments below from the other members of Tineke Postma's All-Star Quartet" make clear:
I've had the pleasure of watching Tineke grow and develop into a formidable force on the jazz saxophone and this new CD is her best yet. The compositions provide the perfect palette for the synergistic creative expression of this particular quartet and I'm happy I was a part of it! - Terri Lyne Carrington
Tineke's an expressive, and inspired player with a lyrical approach that embraces and challenges the listener. Her compositions and lithe execution served as fertile ground for the quartet to discover many enjoyable surprises. - Geri Allen
Tineke displays great focus and passion in every aspect of her compositions and performance. I enjoyed so much being a part of this recording and I look forward to witnessing her growth along whatever musical path she chooses. Making music with Terri Lyne - in so many different musical contexts and environments over the years - has been and continues to be a great experience for me. Geri is someone whose music I've long admired...a thoughtful, profound musician and an artist I've wanted to work with for a long time, but had not yet had the opportunity until this project. The Traveller truly documents the love and vision of dedicated musicians. - Scott Colley
About Tineke Postma
Born in Heerenveen, The Netherlands, on August 31, 1978, Tineke Postma earned an M.A. with honors from the Amsterdam Conservatory in 2003 and currently teaches there. She then received two scholarships to attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she studied with Dick Oatts, David Liebman and Chris Potter. Postma has received, among other honors, the international Sisters In Jazz All-Star Award, the Singer Laren Jazz Award, the Heijmans Award and the distinguished MIDEM International Jazz Revlation of the Year award in 2006 during a French National TV gala broadcast Victoires du Jazz."


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Real Madrid suffered a backlash on the field rather than from an expected hostile atmosphere amid political turmoil in Catalonia as they slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat at Girona on Sunday.
Goals from Cristhian Stuani and Portu in four second-half minutes cancelled out Isco's opener for Madrid as Real fell eight points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after just 10 games.
Madrid were making their first appearance in the deeply divided region since a violence marred October 1 referendum plunged Spain into political crisis.
As a reported one million people joined a rally in Barcelona in favour of Spanish unity on Sunday, just over 100 kilometres away in the pro-independence heartland of Girona, the visitors were expected to receive a hostile reception.
However, it was events on the field that proved far more troublesome for Zinedine Zidane's men as they lost more ground on rivals Barcelona in the Primera Liga title race.
Chants in favour of independence and "freedom" followed in the 17th minute as is common at Girona and Barcelona home matches to mark the fall of Catalonia in the Spanish War of Succession in 1714.
However, with plenty of Madrid fans present in the capacity 13,500 crowd, there were also plenty of Spanish flags on show.
In their first top flight match against the European champions, Girona looked keen to make a mark from the outset and were desperately unlucky not to go in front when Pablo Maffeo's cross came back off the inside of the post 12 minutes in.
Seconds later, though, the ball was in the Girona net as Madrid broke immediately upfield and Isco tapped home the rebound after Bono parried Cristiano Ronaldo's initial effort.
Girona continued to dominate the game and hit the woodwork again before half time when Portu's flicked header looped over Kiko Casilla and back off the inside of the post.
Real suffered an injury blow days before they travel to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday as Raphael Varane was replaced by Nacho at half time due to a muscular problem.
And the French international's presence at the heart of the Madrid defence was badly missed as Stuani jinked past Nacho to fire Girona deservedly level nine minutes into the second half.
Just four minutes later, Girona were in dreamland as Maffeo's driven cross was flicked home by Portu and the goal was allowed to stand despite the striker appearing to be in an offside position.
Stuani had a huge chance to make the game safe when chipped the ball beyond Casilla and wide of the far post.
Yet, rather than mount a late comeback as they did so often on route to a first La Liga and Champions League double for 59 years last season, Madrid looked short of energy and ideas in the final half hour as Girona held out for a famous victory.


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Carter, Bernie (2000) Every child deserves a perfect childhood. Journal of Child Health Care, 4 (1). pp. 4-5. ISSN 1367-4935
Full text not available from this repository.
Official URL: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0...
|Uncontrolled Keywords (separate with ;):||attitude to health; child; child development; child health care; child welfare; editorial; health care quality; human; organization and management; social psychology; standard; United Kingdom|
|Subjects:||R Medicine > R Medicine (General)|
R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics
R Medicine > RT Nursing
|Schools:||College of Health and Wellbeing > School of Health|
|Deposited By:||Carmit Erez|
|Deposited On:||27 Nov 2012 13:25|
|Last Modified:||06 Mar 2014 13:06|
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domain: medical


Our reliable solutions extend the lifetime of your string inverters and optimizers. Integrated features, and low power losses reduce design complexity, system temperatures and improve efficiency.
AN296236 - This application note discusses the industry standard of using RΘJA to design for maximum junction temperature and why it does not apply to Allegro MicroSystems integrated conductor current sensors.詳細をご覧ください
Closed-loop current sensing technology is employed in many industrial and automotive applications for accurate current sensing. Allegro MicroSystems has developed magnetic-based current sensor IC solutions that achieve near closed-loop accuracy using an open-loop topology.詳細をご覧ください


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Collection: Trailblazer TUESDAYS: Trekking, Touring, and Tasting Local Delights!
Every Tuesday, Saigon Hikers unveils Vietnam's beauty anew. Traverse hidden trails on our hikes, immerse yourself in pulse-pounding adventure tours, meander through the vibrant cityscapes, and taste its authentic flavors. Come join us, craft indelible memories, and build lasting bonds. Your ideal Tuesday is calling at Saigon Hikers!

domain: travel


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After the Matildas defeated France in an epic penalty-shootout on Wednesday, discussions have continued around a proposed public holiday if they win the World Cup.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese first suggested the possibility of a public holiday in June and has thrown his support behind it as the Matildas continue their push towards the final.
However, the final decision will be left to state leaders.
Mr Albanese said the success of the Tillies was “much more than just a sporting event” and encouraged state leaders to side with him and adopt the idea.
“I know that it’s received a pretty warm reception in most quarters,” he said on Monday morning.
“The idea twenty years ago that packed stadiums [would watch] women’s team sport around the country is something that could not have been anticipated.”
The idea of a proposed public holiday will be raised at Wednesday’s national cabinet meeting before the Matildas take on England at 8pm that night.
“So certainly, I’ll be raising with all the premiers and chief ministers, seeking their views on the potential to have a day off,” Albanese said.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns is strongly in favour of the public holiday and even mentioned the possibility of a “ticker-tape parade”.
“If the Matildas win the semi-final and then win the World Cup final, then yes we will pursue a public holiday in NSW,” he said.
“Not just to celebrate the victory but also to have a massive civic celebration and allow the Matildas to celebrate with the people of Sydney what will be an amazing, like, life-changing and unbelievable event in the state’s history.”
The Matildas will take on England in the semi-final Wednesday night in Sydney with the match set to start at 8pm.
Stadiums around the country are being opened to accommodate the thousands of fans who want to watch the game. Rod Laver Arena hosted 12,000 fans on Saturday and AAMI Park will be opened for Wednesday night’s clash.
White Adidas Soccer Ball on Grass by Pixabay available HERE and used under a Creative Commons license. This image has not been modified.

domain: sports


Antimicrobial Resistance: The hidden global crisis in the shadow of climate change
There are links between two major global crises: climate change is contributing to worsening rates of antimicrobial resistance. Jillian Sprenger discusses the need for increased global collaboration on both political and scientific levels to address these issues.
While AMR is clearly an existential threat, only recently are its direct links to the climate crisis becoming clear. AMR does not exist in isolation: it is in fact worsened by the effects of climate change. As the planet warms, the biological processes that underpin bacterial evolution accelerate. This allows bacteria to divide and reproduce more quickly. In the simplest terms, the production of more bacteria leads to a higher chance of developing resistance. Unfortunately, the impact of climate change on AMR goes even further than this. Disaster-related population displacement (such as that experienced as a result of severe flooding or drought) can lead to conditions of overcrowding and poor sanitation, which is also known to increase infection rates and therefore antimicrobial resistance. As the climate crisis worsens, so too will AMR.
Join the AMR Insights Ambassador Network today!
Connect to over 650 AMR professionals and students in 65 countries!


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Italian glass Maestro Lino Tagliapietra will spend two weeks in the Museum of Glass (MOG) Hot Shop from February 10 through 21. Tagliapietra’s Visiting Artist Residency will kick off with a “Tips and Tricks” special presentation in the Hot Shop on February 10 starting at 9 am. Artist John Kiley will provide in-depth commentary about glassmaking techniques while Tagliapietra works. The presentation is open to the public and included with museum admission.
“Cool – Clean – Water,” landscapes by Kathleen Hooks debuts February 10 in a special opening reception from 6-8pm at the Gunnar Nordstrom Gallery, 800 Bellevue Way NE. The gallery has partnered with the Clean Water Foundation of Washington for the show. Leon McLaughlin with the Clean Water Foundation of Washington will unveil the newest Portable Solar Powered Clean Water Filtration Unit destined for Swaziland. Hooks’ work has been included in 30 national juried shows and has won 8 awards including earned signature status in both the Northwest Watercolor Society and the Eastern Washington Watercolor Society. The show runs through March 5.
Wallingford Art Walk starts at 6pm each month. Visit www.wallingford.org
Gig Harbor Art Walk along the waterfront in the summer until 8pm. www.gigharborguide.com
Blitz, Capitol Hill’s Art Walk is from 5 – 8pm.capitolhillartwalk.com
West Seattle Art Walk is from 6 – 9pm.westseattleartwalk.blogspot.com
Belltown Art Walk is from 6 – 9pm.www.belltownartwalk.com
Phinney Wood Art Up Art Walk is from 6 – 9pm. artupphinneywood.com
Kirkland Art Walk is from noon – 8pm.www.kirklandartwalk.com
Ballard Art Walk is from 6 – 9pm.www.ballardartwalk.com
Central District Art Walk is from 1 – 5pm. At various locations around 23rd Ave. and E. Cherry St. www.seattleartists.com
Georgetown Art Attack is from 6 – 9pm.www.georgetownartattack.com
Port Angeles Art Walk is from 5 – 8pm.www.olympicpeninsula.org
Poulsbo Art Walk is from 5 – 8pm.www.historicdowntownpoulsbo.com/ArtWalk.html.
February 12 – 21
Great Northwest Glass Quest, Stanwood and Camano Island. Search for unique, hand-blown glass treasures. Visit www.greatnwglassquest.com.
Bainbridge Arts and Crafts, 151 Winslow Way E., opens from 6-8pm tonight with a reception for “Toying Around.” The group show is all about discovering your inner child through the eyes of Morgan Brig, Lynn Brunelle, Megan Drew, Garth Edwards, Jeannie Grisham, Solia Hermes, Sandi Hurd, Linda Jarvis, Don MacLane, Mary McInnis, Shane Miller, Carl Morgan, Gregg Onewein, Loran Scruggs, Raquel Stanek, and Kamilla White. Shown at the left: Loran Scruggs, The Chocolate Rat.
The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art has extended glass artist Steven Maslach’s exhibition, “New Light,” through February 28. The solo show is a survey of large-scale cast glass, wood and mixed media sculptures. New Light refers to his recent development of a unique means of coloring thick, clear glass. Also featured in the exhibition are examples of his older work which use more conventionally colored glass.
“Mini Show: Diane Reincke’s Student Artists” is the featured show through February 28 at The Island Gallery, 400 Winslow Way E. The student artists featured in the show are Stella Carosso, Meloni Courtway, Stephanie Hammermann and Marilyn Turner. In concert during the artists’ reception from 6-8pm are Ranger and the Re-Arrangers, Bainbridge Island’s own gypsy jazz band. Shown at the right The Copper Pot by Marilyn Turner.
The Blue Whole Gallery, 129 W. Washington St. in Sequim, features Marilynn Evans, digital artist, and Janine Hegy, sculptor and jewelry maker, both of whom showcase their original work in the front windows throughout the month of February. Meet the artists in a reception February 5 from 5-8pm. Shown: March of the Terra Cotta Warriors by Marilynn Evans.
The First Friday Artwalk is Friday, February 5 from 6 – 9 pm.
705 Commercial Ave., A.C.M.E. Creative Spaces
ACME Creative Space will be featuring a body of work by Jane Alynn entitled “Half-remembered Dreams”. The exhibition of black and white photographs (gelatin silver prints from film negatives) evoke memories and half-remembered dreams, a sense of the fragile, the fleeting and ephemeral.
704 Commercial Ave., Anacortes Oil & Vinegar Bar
Featuring Cynthia Richardson with her impressionistic acrylics and Cynthia Recker with her recaptured wood.
620 Commercial Ave., Burton Jewelers
February Art Walk at Burton Jewelers will be the last art walk of the current show of Peregrine O’Gormley, sculpture, and Philip McCracken, graphic works. Peregrine will unveil a new work during the evening and will be in the gallery to meet and provide information on his work! Refreshments will be served.
420 Commercial Ave., Scott Milo Gallery
Scott Milo Gallery presents “The Final Chapter” with photographs by Dick Garvey. This is a show featuring the remaining inventory of photographs from the Estate of Dick Garvey and will have over 30 canvas prints and selection of matted work available for the first time. Shown: Stencil D, photograph on canvas by Dick Garvey.
419 Commercial Ave., The Majestic Inn and Spa
Lance Ekhart’s photography life started 38 years ago in high school and sailboats have taken Lance and his cameras to many exotic places around the world, and finally here to the San Juan Islands in Washington. Lance lives aboard his sailboat in Anacortes and recently has been photographing the Skagit Valley’s Great Blue Heronries.
611 R Ave., The Depot Gallery
Anacortes Arts Commission presents, Tribute to the Great Blue Heron. At the Anacortes Depot on Friday, February 5, 2016 from 6-9 pm and Saturday, February 6, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Local artists will pay tribute to the Great Blue Heron.
ArtXchange Gallery, 512 First Avenue S., opens for First Thursday with “S’Agapo: Expressions of Love.” On view through February 27, the exhibit explores the various ways in which love can be expressed through the lens of four types of Greek love – agape (unconditional love), philautia (self-love), storge (familial love), and eros (sexual, intimate love). Shown: Love Agreement by William Hernandez.
Flatcolor Gallery, 77 S. Main Street, opens from 5-9pm with Stacey Lovejoy’s “The Radiant Thread.” Also showing is “Good and Gone,” work by Michael W. Hall.
On view this month at the Foster/White Gallery, 220 Third Avenue S, are two new artists to the roster, Steven Nederveen and Joshua Jensen-Nagle. Nederveen’s work deals with the passage of time, a theme stemming from his own practice of meditation. Joshua Jensen-Nagle has captivated viewers with his evocative photographs and singular aesthetic.
Frederick Holmes and Company, 309 Occidental Avenue S., opens from 6 – 8:30pm by introducing their new show,” Four/Three (4/3).” The group exhibition features works by Michael Caci, Claudio Olds Goldie, Marko Kratohvil and Heloisa Pomfret. Shown at the left: Michael Caci, I Will Always Love You.
Gallery 110, 110 Third Avenue S., opens from 5-8pm with “Beam Me Up,” their sixth annual juried show. An additional reception and presentation of awards takes place on February 6 from 5-7pm. More than 1500 works were submitted from artists across the world. The exhibition runs through February 27.
Hanson Scott Gallery, 312 S. Washington, opens from 5-8pm with works by glass artist Laura Wessel and paintings by Liana Bennett.
Opening from 6-8pm at the Linda Hodges Gallery, 316 First Avenue S., is work by Seattle artist Ryan Molenkamp and British Columbia artist Kentree Speirs. Molenkamp continues his series of graphic representations of mountainous regions and volcanoes while Speirs delves into the mysteries of raw mountain landscapes. . The show runs through February 27.
Lisa Harris Gallery, 1922 Pike Place, presents three concurrent shows with works by pinhole photographer, Christopher Harris, landscape paintings by Kathryn Altus, and mixed-media abstractions by Dion Zwirner. A reception for the artists will take place First Thursday, February 4, from 6 – 8 p.m. Shown: : Dion Zwirner, Landscape with a Vermillion Hill, 2015.
Marian Ibrahim Gallery, 608 Second Avenue, announces “Maroons,” a solo show dedicated to photographer Fabrice Monteiro. The exhibition opens on February 4 and runs until March 12 2016. Fabrice Monteiro draws on the techniques of photojournalism and fashion photography, while referencing tradition-based West African cosmologies and the modern history of African and African American photography.
Pilchuck Seattle, 240 Second Avenue S., opens from 5-8pm featuring, “Many Moons,” through March 1, an exhibition by Pilchuck’s year-round staff including: glass, ceramics, sculpture, photography and prints. Shown at the right by one of the staff.
“Print Matters: Printmakers of the Northwest Coast,” debuts at the Stonington Gallery, 125 S. Jackson Street, inn a reception from 6-8pm. The gallery celebrates printers and print-making on the Coast in February. Along with their usual print bins, they will also feature a salon-style show of framed works to highlight the vast range and array of styles, techniques, and subjects that make up the Coast’s best printers. Shown at the left: Susan Point (Musqueam), Woven Forest, Limited Edition Serigraph 25.88"h x 41.38"w
“Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered: Jewelry Art to Confound,” a contemporary jewelry art show at Facere Jewelry Art Gallery opens February 3 in a reception from 4-6pm at the gallery at 1420 5th. Avenue, Suite 108. Parking passes are available for the City Centre garage for people who attend the opening. The show is on view through February 23.
Gallery Walks in Pioneer Square and the Seattle Art Museum area, 5 – 8pm.
Downtown Museum and Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park are free all day on First Thursdays.www.firstthursdayseattle.com
Art in the Park at South Lake Union Park.May through Oct. 11am – 7pm. Free admission at Museum of History and Industry. For more information: www.nwartalliance.com
SLU Art Walk from 5 – 8pm Oct. and May. South Lake Union event features temporary art shows in multiple venues run by Shunpike.
Silverdale Artwalk, March – Nov. 5 – 8pm, Meet at Lisa Stirrett Glass Art Studio, 9536 NW Silverdale Way. 360/613-5472
Anacortes Galleries are open 6 – 9pm.www.anacortesart.com
Bainbridge Island Galleries are open from 6 – 8pm. www.bainbridgedowntown.org.
Bellingham Downtown Art Walk is from 6 – 10pm. www.downtownbellingham.com/artwalk
Bremerton Art Walk is from 5 – 8pm in downtown Bremerton. www.ci.bremerton.wa.us
Ellensburg Art Walk is from 5 – 7:30pm in historic downtown Ellensburg.www.ci.ellensburg.wa.us
Fremont Art Walk is 6 – 9pm.www.fremontfirstfriday.com
Issaquah Art Walk is from 6 – 9pm, May – September in downtown Issaquah.www.downtownissaquah.com
Sequim Art Walk is from 5 – 8pm in downtown Sequim. www.sequimartwalk.com
Vashon Island Gallery Cruise is from 6 – 9pm.www.stov.us/art/firstFriday.html
La Conner Galleries are open April – Oct. 5 – 8pm as part of the Skagit Valley Art Escape.www.skagitvalleyartescape.com
Langley on Whidbey Island Art Walk is from 5 – 7pm. www.visitlangley.com
Port Orchard Art Walk April – Oct. from 2 – 5pm. www.pobsa.com
Port Townsend Art Walk is from 5:30 – 8:30pm.www.ptguide.com/arts-music-theatre/158-gallery-walks
Fine Impressions Gallery, 8300 5th. Avenue NE, wants to share some information to all of you out there who may have questions about an original A reproduction is a copy made by photographing or scanning an original work of art and printing it from a machine. An original print, however, is handmade by the artist, who creates the image on the plate, inks it and transfers it to paper. By learning more about the printmaking process, one can better appreciate the creativity, knowledge and skill that goes into each one. You can learn more about printmaking on the Fine Impressions Homepage as they explore the different styles of prints and share examples from their collection over the next few months. Or, and even better, drive over to the gallery and talk to the owner, Carol Maurer, who’s been in business for over 30 years..
Bellevue Arts Museum will be the first US venue to host the prestigious exhibition, “Louis Kahn: The Power of Architecture.” The exhibition is organized by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, and will open in Bellevue on January 29. It is the first major retrospective of the famous American architect , regarded as one of the great master builders of the twentieth century, in twenty years. Original drawings and sketches, historic and newly constructed models, photographs, and films in which contemporary architects shed light on Kahn’s pivotal role in the discipline of architecture will be presented in BAM’s main gallery. The exhibition will run through May 1.
Opening tonight at 7pm at the Nordic Heritage Museum, in the Ballard area of Seattle, is “This is My Childhood: Finland at War 1939-1945,” a documentary film based on the wartime memories of local Finnish and Swedish immigrants This is My Childhood: Finland at War is a 55-minute film culled from nearly 25 hours of interviews recorded by volunteers of the Nordic American Voices Oral History Project over the past six years. It is the second documentary film to come out of this project – the first being the highly successful Under the Clouds of War: Growing Up in Occupied Denmark and Norway. Admission is free.
Ai Weiwei Exhibition January 23 Through April 11 at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art in Friday Harbor
The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) presents an exhibition of work by Ai Weiwei, one of the most influential artists and most closely followed dissident political voices in the world. Ai Weiwei: Fault Line presents three pieces from his ongoing investigation into the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 quake that killed over 60,000 people including 5,196 schoolchildren in Sichuan province, China. This is one of the first museum exhibitions of Ai Weiwei’s work in the Pacific Northwest. Ai Weiwei: Fault Line is a rare opportunity to see work by one of the world’s top artists. The shown runs from January 23 through April 11.
"In With The New" featuring two artists who were juried in as members of Gallery North, 401 Main Street in Edmonds, during the past year, are featured this month.The show is an exhibit of paintings by award-winning Northwest artists Leah Rene Welch and Robina Lindsay. The show is also featured in tonight’s Art Walk in Edmonds from 5-8pm. Shown: Birchin Snow by Leah Rene Welch.
Edmonds Art Walk is from 5 – 8pm.www.edmondsartwalk.com
Third Thursday in Kent 4 – 7pm,www.thirdthursdaykent.com
Seattle Design Center Art Walk is from 5 – 9pm. at 5701 Sixth Ave. South.www.seattledesigncenter.com
Tacoma Art Mingle when Tacoma museums offer free admission and galleries are open from 5 – 8pm.
Upper Queen Anne Art Walk is from 3 – 9pm and takes place between the 1500 and 2400 blocks on Queen Anne Ave. N.
Salient, a benefit reception for Photographic Center Northwest takes place on Friday, January 21 from 5:30-8:30pm at 900 12th. Avenue in Seattle. $75 ticket includes a one-of-a-kind glass, created with salt from Spiral Jetty, handmade exclusively for this event by Museum of Glass; beer, wine, and a special cocktail courtesy of Oola; light fare courtesy of Marjorie Restaurant; and a guided tour of the exhibition Salt/Water by PCNW Executive Director Michelle Dunn Marsh.


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A Pakistan-Afghanistan cricket series due to be held in September has been postponed, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The three One Day International (ODI) series was due to be held from September 1 to 8 in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.
Both the PCB and the Afghanistan Cricket Board jointly agreed to postpone the series until 2022, according to a statement released by the PCB.
Disruption to flights out of Afghan capital Kabul was cited as the reason for the postponement.
Chaotic seens have been witnessed at the airport in Kabul after extremist group the Taliban took control of the city.
Throngs of people have been attempting to flee the city, with at least 20 people so far having been killed in the ensuing confusion.
U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t block Texas abortion law, sets hearing
Turkey’s Halkbank can be prosecuted over Iran sanction violations, US appeals court
Israel designates six Palestinian civil society groups as terrorists
Russia’s infections, deaths soar to another record
France urges Iran to curb nuclear activity, resume talks
Science1 week ago
Star Trek’s William Shatner blasts into space
Health1 week ago
U.S. FDA panel endorses booster shot for J&J COVID-19 vaccine
Europe1 week ago
Protests greet debut of Italy’s workplace COVID-19 pass rule
Asia1 week ago
Suicide attack on Shiite mosque in Afghanistan kills 47
U.S6 days ago
Biden: ‘Democracy survived’ U.S. Capitol riot because of police
Canada1 week ago
Canada-U.S. will reopen land border to fully vaccinated visitors in November
Asia5 days ago
Chinese military condemns joint US-Canada warship transit through Taiwan Strait
Entertainment1 week ago
Adele announces release date for new album


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The End Is Near
With two more weeks of the CSA remaining, we will be bringing out the winter squash. This week you'll be receiving acorn squash with your share. It cooks like most winter squash, but if you would like any details, talk to me tomorrow.
Other than that, your share will include tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, spaghetti squash, Swiss chard, kale, leaf lettuce, arugula, radishes, string beans, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, basil and onions.
I'll be available to distribute shares from 3:30 to 6:30 tomorrow.

domain: agronomy


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Jun Takeuchi, producer of upcoming Resident Evil 5 has revealed a few more details on Capcom’s next survival horror.
When speaking to Famitsu Xbox magazine, Takeuchi discussed a fair amount regarding graphics. It looks like the game features Chris Redfield as the main character, but this hasn’t been confirmed. Regardless of who he is anyway, the leading guy’s apparently modeled in extreme detail, complete with every individual blade of his stubble specifically laid out and shaped.
Takeuchi revealed that Capcom are planning to make a visual engine that can control every muscle in the face of the characters, though this mightn’t actually reach the final release.
We do know that the game is set to be similar in terms of gameplay to RE4, being much more action-packed than the previous incarnations of the franchise. There’s also set to be a much more responsive physics engine in the game, which will enable the player to be able to break loads of stuff. Always good. The developers are hoping to run the game at 60 frames per second, which is twice the speed RE4 ran at, and this is with the extra heat-depicting visual effects.
Famitsu asked Takeuchi if they were considering using any middleware, making reference to the Unreal 3 engine, he said they were looking into seeming as making a specific one is so expensive.
We don’t yet have any kind of release date for the game, but do keep checking back as we’ll update the Resident Evil 5 game hub as we get any news.

domain: game


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The Tourism and Sports minister has unveiled a tax deduction scheme to try to get more people to eat out at restaurants during Songkran.
Kobkarn Wattanawarangkoon said yesterday that people who dine at restaurants and keep their receipts between April 9-17 can claim a tax deduction of up to THB15,000.
But don’t get too excited because the tax deduction doesn’t apply to booze.
The move will also encourage more restaurants to legally register in the VAT system, she said.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong said the cabinet has also approved to bring back last year’s incentive benefits that allow up to THB15,000 in tax deductions from hotel receipts when taxpayers travel inside the country until the end of the year.
This means taxpayers can claim a deduction of up to THB30,000 along with the Songkran feast scheme, Prachachart reported.
In December last year, the junta also rolled out a scheme which allowed another tax deduction of up to THB15,000 on purchases made during the New Year’s holiday, but this scheme has not been considered this year.
Kobkarn estimates that there will be about 2.6 million tourists during the Songkran festival — 2.1 million Thais with the rest made up of foreigners. Tourism during the festival is expected to generate THB15 billion.


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Date(s) - 12/02/2017 - 12/03/2017
10:00 am - 7:00 pm
High Hand Art Gallery
Join us for a magical experience in the historic High Hand Fruit Shed in Loomis, CA. The Victorian Holiday Faire is a free event, held in conjunction with High Hand Nursery’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Saturday evening. From tradition Dickens to Steampunk Edge, it offers fun for everyone!
There will be fun for all ages, with live holiday music, refreshments, photos with Steampunk Santa, artworks and vendors.
Dive into a unique seasonal spirit, created by artists and participants dressed in traditional Victorian attire or edgier Steampunk costuming.

domain: entertainment


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Irani Cup 2013: Suresh Raina ton powers Rest of India to huge total
Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina struck a brisk unbeaten century to propel Rest of India towards a huge total against Mumbai on Day Two of the Irani Trophy.
Suresh Raina scored his 11th First-Class ton at the Wankhede against Mumbai © Getty Images
Mumbai: Feb 7, 2013
Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina struck a brisk unbeaten century to propel Rest of India towards a huge total against Mumbai on Day Two of the Irani Trophy. Rest of India took lunch at 487 for six and are in total control of the match.
Raina paired up with Abhimanyu Mithun, who unleashed some powerful strokes himself, and upped the ante at the Wankhede by scoring at over a run a ball. The duo shared an unbeaten 135-run seventh-wicket partnership.
Raina struck 13 boundaries and three sixes in his 114, which came in 159 balls at a strike rate of 71.69. A major chunk of his runs came on the off-side backward of square as he toyed around with Mumbai’s hapless attack.
Mithun, meanwhile, scored his 46 not out off 85 balls including eight boundaries and a six.
The duo made mincemeat of Mumbai’s bowling on a ptich that has eased up after its early movement. The last 10 overs before lunch yielded 66 runs.
Skipper Harbhajan Singh was the only wicket to fall in the morning after Dhawal Kulkarni found the leading edge whick was pouched by Mumbai captain Abhishek Nayar.
Brief Scores: Rest of India 481 for 6 (Suresh Raina 114*, Murali Vijay 116; Abhishek Nayar 2 for 57) vs Mumbai


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posted by lisa .
The solubility of cholesterol in 95% ethanol is 32.5 mg/mL at 37°C and 11.5 mg/mL at 7°C. How much 95% ethanol is required to dissolve 1 g of cholesterol at 37°C? If that volume of warm, saturated solution is cooled in a refrigerator to 7°C, how much cholesterol will crystallize?
1000 mg x (1 mL/32.5 mg) = ?? mL at 37 degrees C.
How much will dissolve at 7 degrees C? That will be
??mL from above x (11.5 mg/mL) = ??

domain: chemistry


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Solar energy production has really gone up across the world, as countries like the United States, and Australia see the potential value of embracing solar energy.
In particular, data from the US’s Solar Energy Industries Associate shows that the US has over 49 megawatts of solar capacity across the country, powering around 9.5M American homes. Meanwhile, solar panels on the Gold Coast are being installed, as part of the Queensland’s initiative to make itself more eco-friendly.
For regular homeowners, the decision to go solar is a big one. There’s a lot of variables to consider, but, ultimately, it boils down to whether or not the costs of going solar outweighs the benefits, at least within a reasonable timeframe.
If you’re looking to get some solar panels on the Gold Coast on your home, here are some tips to consider.
- How’s the meter?
- Net metering laws are a new thing, due to the fact that solar tech is a recent development. These laws require power companies to store any excess power generated by solar panels for later. Under these laws, you would not have to pay for any the stored power you spent, provided you generated more than you spent. Some places even reward homeowners for generating extra power.
- Is it under warranty?
- Solar tech is the same as any tech, as any product. It needs maintenance, and it can fail. As such, you’ll want to consider something you consider in pretty much anything else you buy: warranties. Pay attention to the warranties of your solar products, which vary depending on the brand, and the type of product. Some manufacturers have stood out from the rest, due to their particularly notable warranty programs.
- Start from the basics.
- Before jumping into the solar energy bandwagon, there’s one key step to undertake first: basic energy-efficiency upgrades. That’s not exactly the flashiest thing to talk about, nor the most original, but it’s there, and it’s important. Simple changes, upgrades to high-efficiency appliances, that sort of thing. Explore your electrical system, make sure it’s as efficient as you can possibly make it. Solar power won’t make much of a difference if it just goes to waste.


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Both parties need to replace their old-school leadership. Washington has been in a rut for decades, weighted down by ineffective, angry, nasty, vengeful, deranged representatives. Americans are sick of it. The country needs statesmen, not politicians.
I never thought I would wish to be 65 years old. I am only 62 but ready for my COVID vaccine.
I read Del Vecchio and Avera in the letters to the editor. Both are spot on. And I feel bad because they are right. Where will these lunacies end?
The post office on Meredyth Drive had its outside mail drop box broken into over a week ago. Poor leadership/inept management still has not repaired or replaced the boxes, causing several hundred people each day to have to get out of their car and go inside the post office to drop mail off. Just another example of why the post office needs to be privately run.
For you Democrats that like the idea of socialism, read some news about Venezuela on the internet. There are hundreds of thousands going hungry because of their socialist government. It very well could happen here, and under a socialist government will.
Legislature to change election laws? Why, since there was no fraud and corruption?
Carlton, every word you wrote in Sunday’s paper is so true and also so sad. I wish people would read “How Do You Kill 11 Million People” by Andy Andrews. So many have spent the last four years singing.
Support free speech and free press! Cancel big tech!
Speaker Pelosi continues to mark people with her biased/negative words. She should realize she is at the end of her time in Congress. It’s time she is removed from her post, which she has held too long. She needs to find that rocking chair in her home, sit it in front of her TV and review her decisions she has made during her time in Congress and get ready for meeting her maker.
I received a letter from Elizabeth S., a Working America (AFL-CIO) member, in December telling me how to vote in the Senate runoffs. Her return address in Suwanee belongs to the International Food and Commercial Workers International Union. And, bless her heart, Elizabeth went all the way from Georgia to California so the letter would be postmarked San Francisco.
I am having difficulty deciding whether to blame or praise Carlton and Trump for the results of the runoff election.
It’s truly amazing: Georgia voters voted for socialism, higher taxes, government-controlled health care, and take their gun or pay a fine for having them.
I hear the Democrats said they have a clear mandate. Since when is a bare minimal win in a whole bunch of cases a clear mandate? You had best remember almost half the folks don’t agree with the policies you intend to push. You are supposed to represent the state in total, not just the Democrats.
Hey SMRs, reality-check: Since the failed Trump coup on the Capital, “The Contract with America” is no longer worth the paper it is written on. You should anticipate the Democrats controlling the government for the next 40 years. Don’t complain, just blame it on Trump and his mindless followers.

domain: politics


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Glee's Matthew Morrison Announces Christmas EPMatthew is celebrating the holidays with a new 6-song release.
Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele Address Passing Of ‘Glee’ Co-Star Cory MonteithBefore starting his concert in New York last night (July 14), Matthew Morrison addressed the death of his 'Glee' co-star Cory Monteith, while other members of the cast have taken to Twitter to honor their fallen friend.
Watch Matthew Morrison Critique Fellow Curly-Haired Singers, From JT to Kenny GMorrison also gave his opinion on a few other famous curly-haired men. It seems he’s on board with Justin Timberlake’s straight look, but isn’t quite sure what to make of Kenny G. But who is, really?
Matthew Morrison Gets Help From Adam Levine On New Album [VIDEO]The Maroon 5 frontman signed Morrison to his label 222 Records and enlisted legendary producer Phil Ramone, who worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Barbra Streisand to Billy Joel before passing away earlier this year, to help the actor work on an album filled with standards and Broadway hits.
Matt Morrison Celebrates Upcoming AlbumMatthew Morrison, star of "Glee" on Fox, wraps up his three-night engagement at 54 Below celebrating his album "Where It All Began" this week.
Matthew Morrison Offers Insight Into ‘Glee’ Finale: 'Things End Very Nicely'On the eve of the 'Glee' finale, Matthew Morrison assures fans that his character Will Schuester will get his happy ending.
Matthew Morrison Takes On Broadway With Help From Adam LevineTo the delight of many and the surprise of a few, Glee star Matthew Morrison will release his second solo album, Where It All Began, on June 4. The album, which finds Morrison covering his favorite Broadway hits and a few standards, was recorded with producer Phil Ramone, the man responsible for the sounds of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.
'Glee' Cast Perform Original Track For Season Finale
Jim & Kim Interview Matthew Morrison!
"Glee" Streaming Tracks: Gwyneth Paltrow Teaches You About Sex
"Glee" Star Matthew Morrison Duets With Music Legend
"Glee" Cast Grabs Golden Globes


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These women have increased risk of chromosomal errors and high incidence of fetal wastage--prenatal diagnosis is strongly recommended. This type of problem arises with inversions and translocations that can form abnormal quadrivalents during crossing over and recombination in meiosis.
This is called X inactivation or lyonization named for Dr. Known disorders in humans include Wolf-Hirschhorn syndromewhich is caused by partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 4; and Jacobsen syndromealso called the terminal 11q deletion disorder.
If this mutation does not result in any phenotypic effects, then it is called silentbut not all synonymous substitutions are silent. This is obvious when one compares the condition of 46,XX and 45, X, Turner syndrome phenotypes.
Karyotype Karyogram of a human male In general, the karyotype is the characteristic chromosome complement of a eukaryote species. A point mutation can be reversed by another point mutation, in which the nucleotide is changed back to its original state true reversion or by second-site reversion a complementary mutation elsewhere that results in regained gene functionality.
Producing too much or too little protein can have serious consequences. Most of the genes on the X and Y chromosomes are not involved in sex determination although a few are and they are very important as we will discuss in a later lecture.
The Cinnamon with Ino can create the Lacewing variety.
Known human disorders include Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1Awhich may be caused by duplication of the gene encoding peripheral myelin protein 22 PMP22 on chromosome In some cases, there is significant variation within species.
Noonan syndrome has a normal male or female karyotype. Sex Influenced, Sex Limited and Sex Linked Traits Sex linked, sex influenced and sex limited traits should be distinguished from one another.
Inactivation of "extra" X's arose to maintain the balance of genes between males and females gene dosage compensation. From discovery to cancer treatment.
When a male calico cat was found it was shown to have an XXY chromosome constitution. Affected individuals have wide-set eyes, a small head and jaw, moderate to severe mental health problems, and are very short. Cocks which are heterozygous for Cinnamon are identical to the corresponding Normal.
Generally speaking, if the male is a translocation carrier, there is a lower risk of recurrence than if the female is the carrier. Sex linked traits are those whose genes are on the X or Y chromosome. If the parents do not possess the abnormality it was not initially inherited ; however it may be transmitted to subsequent generations.
Known disorders in humans include Wolf-Hirschhorn syndromewhich is caused by partial deletion of the short arm of chromosome 4; and Jacobsen syndromealso called the terminal 11q deletion disorder.
Fact sheet published by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) about chromosome abnormalities. More than 1, mutations in the CFTR gene have been identified in people with cystic fibrosis.
Most of these mutations change single protein building blocks (amino acids) in the CFTR protein or delete a small amount of DNA from the CFTR gene.
The most common mutation, called delta F, is a deletion of one amino acid at position in the CFTR protein. A chromosome (/ ˈ k r oʊ m ə ˌ s oʊ m, -ˌ z oʊ m /; from Ancient Greek: χρωμόσωμα, chromosoma, chroma means colour, soma means body) is a DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an elleandrblog.com eukaryotic chromosomes include packaging proteins which, aided by chaperone proteins, bind to and condense the DNA molecule to prevent it from becoming an unmanageable.
The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes in mammals, including humans, and many other elleandrblog.com other is the X chromosome.Y is the sex-determining chromosome in many species, since it is the presence or absence of Y that determines the male or female sex of offspring produced in sexual elleandrblog.com mammals, the Y chromosome contains the gene SRY, which triggers testis.
Types of chromosomal mutations: Deletion. Insertion. Inversion. Translocation. Related questions. What is the cause of cleft lips and palates? What is the general term for a condition where the chromosome number is not a multiple of a complete set?
mutations In mutation than one gene are called chromosomal mutations because they affect the structure, function, and inheritance of whole DNA molecules (microscopically visible in a coiled state as chromosomes).Chromosome mutations

domain: biology


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If you want to write a truly great children’s book, you will need to put in the work. This is because writing a children’s book is not like writing in other genres. You are writing for children. And seeing as kids have very short attention spans, you will have to try another approach. You can’t just write the first thing that comes to your mind. You have to make sure that your story is not only interesting enough to catch your reader’s attention, but appropriate for kids to read as well. So before you write a children’s book you will need a strategy. Here are essential elements to write a good children’s book.
1. Great characters
Great characters are an essential element of a great children’s book because they are the main focal point of your story. Your young readers will see the story through their eyes. Your readers may even see a bit of themselves in some of the characters. So when you write your cast of characters, you should take your time and make your characters as interesting as possible. Give each of your characters defining traits that will separate them from the rest of the cast of characters. You can also give them different motivations and challenges that they must overcome. Overall, your cast of characters can make or break your story. So take your time crafting them.
2. A unique story
Aside from a cast of characters it is also important that you come up with a truly unique story concept. Your story has to be unique because most kids have had read their fair share of children’s fiction. So take your time coming up with a unique story concept. Take the time to brainstorm the overall concept. From the setting, the plot, the conflict to the overall conclusion of your story. You can also write a short version of your story and have kids read them. That way you can gauge how much they will like your work and can write the full version with a sense of confidence.
3. Beautiful illustrations
The Illustrations are one of the main reasons why kids read children’s books. This means that you will have a great deal of competition on hand. So if you want to truly stand out, you will need to make your illustrations beautiful. Don’t stint out on hiring an illustrator because their work could mean the difference between your book capturing children’s attentions or them losing interest in your book. When you choose an illustrator, make sure he or she has had experience working with authors. Make sure that he or she does not take shortcuts and follows your instructions to the letter.
4. An attractive book cover
Your book cover is yet another reason why you should get a good illustrator. This is because the book cover is the first thing your potential readers will get to see of your book. And your book cover is one of the main factors in whether or not a potential reader picks up your book or not. So when you design your book cover, make sure that everything is just right. Make sure that you give your illustrator the right instructions. Make sure that you use the right color schemes and images. All in all, a lot is hanging on your book cover. So make it as attractive as possible.
5. Life lessons and values
Aside from your book’s aesthetics you should also make sure that you incorporate a lot of life lessons and values into your children’s book. Remember that you are writing for kids. So any form of profanity and strong language are not allowed. You should also steer clear of disturbing issues because they may have a negative effect on the kids. Instead, you should infuse many life lessons and values into your writing. Teach the younger generation how to be decent human beings. This will not only endear you with parents, but it will count as a good deed as well. Overall writing a children’s book is not only a great way to show off your creative side, it is also a chance to mold and nurture the next generation.

domain: library


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I have always dreamt of mass plantings of peonies in my garden, and this dream quickly became a reality when I found about 12 mature peony plants that were almost choked out by weeds in my lower garden. This entry is about how I successfully transferred them to a new location in my garden.
First of all, there are three types of peonies: herbaceous peonies, tree peonies and itoh peonies. This is about herbaceous peonies, with stems that die back to the ground each winter and reemerge in spring
The best time to transplant herbaceous peonies is in the autumn, after the foliage begins to brown and die down. They prefer areas with full sun and good drainage.
I decided to plant my peonies at the top of a hill which gets both morning sunlight and evening sunlight. Behind the planting area is a short stone wall which warms the soil quite early in the season.
I carefully dug out and untangled most of the peony tubers out of weeds and overgrown roots in autumn 2019. I had no idea what I was doing, but I Googled profusely.
Here they were! Large well-established plants in a forgotten area of the garden.
I carefully brushed dirt away from the tubers and looked for “eyes”.
If you want to divide your peony tubers – make sure that each divided tuber has a few eyes on them.
I planted the tubers at the very surface of their new home, as I read that they don’t like to be planted too deep.
Knowing that frost was only a few weeks away, I protected the surface with old leaves.
I cut off the rest of their withering foliage, sprinkled bone meal over them and crossed my fingers.
TIP: I read somewhere that peonies wont bloom for a year of two after being transplanted, so I planted tulips bulbs around them to decorate the flower bed while they established themselves in their new home.
In early spring I was relieved and happy to see that they were all poking out of the soil.
To my surprise I suddenly saw peony buds popping up everywhere!
*The dark purple flower in this image is a double tulip that can easily be mistaken for a peony.
Suddenly the peony buds started opening, and I realized that I would be getting peonies on their first year after transplanting after all!
The peonies were utterly heart-stopping in the early summer. I feel that the images speak for themselves.
Now it is autumn again, and I’ve decided to make it “official”. I’ve turned the area into a proper flower bed, and have transplanted the last of the tubers from the lower garden. I now have an over 10 meter long bed with only gorgeous scarlet peonies – all inherited from a previous owner. I even had enough to gift my neighbor with a large tuber which I hope blooms for her next year.
I will keep you updated on this flower bed next spring/summer.


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Americans wishing for a "grand bargain" this Christmas are likely to be disappointed.
The bipartisan conference committee established by last week’s 11th-hour agreement to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling probably won’t produce a truly groundbreaking bipartisan deal that would end the nation's debt problem once and for all, nor are the members aiming that high.
At best, the budget resolution that comes out of the committee may serve as a "down payment" on that debt and provide Congress an opportunity to fulfill its most basic function of setting spending levels so the appropriations committees can fund the government.
In other words, it is likely to be literally the least lawmakers could do — which would be quite an achievement for this unpopular, do-nothing Congress.
As part of the agreement to temporarily keep the government open, the House and Senate have appointed 29 lawmakers to a conference committee tasked with reconciling the House and Senate budget proposals that passed earlier this year. The panel's leaders, Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, who each chair the Budget Committees in their respective chamber, must report back to Congress by Dec. 13 with the final version of the budget.
When the new conference committee members held their first meeting last Thursday, both sides kept expectations low.
“Chairman Ryan knows I’m not going to vote for his budget. I know that he’s not going to vote for mine,” Murray said at the Thursday meeting. “We’re going to find the common ground between our two budgets that we both can vote on. That’s our goal.”
“Our job,” she added, “is to make sure that we have put forward a spending cap and a budget path for this Congress in the next year or two, or further if we can.”
That common ground, as one aide close to Ryan described it to Yahoo News, would amount to little more than “small things.”
At the end of these formal negotiations, Republicans want modest changes made to the nation’s entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare — the primary drivers of U.S. debt — which they say are necessary to keep those programs sustainable for future generations. Democrats want sequestration eliminated, or at least reformed to give federal agencies more flexibility to find savings.
And yes, there is some common ground on this.
Unlike in years past, this time Ryan won’t insist that Democrats hand over the holy grail of Republican entitlement reform: a controversial plan to transform Medicare into a system that provides vouchers for seniors to buy health care in a private market. (Sound familiar?) Instead, as Yahoo News reported earlier this month, Ryan intends to seek more realistic tweaks to entitlement programs that Democrats, including Obama, already have proposed.
Ryan outlined some of his ideas in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal earlier this month. Although he wrote the piece in the context of the ongoing debt-limit debate at the time, aides close to Ryan say it revealed how he plans to approach the budget conference.
“We could ask the better off to pay higher premiums for Medicare. We could reform Medigap plans to encourage efficiency and reduce costs. And we could ask federal employees to contribute more to their own retirement,” Ryan wrote. “Rep. Dave Camp (R., Mich.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D., Mont.) have been working for more than a year now on a bipartisan plan to reform the tax code. They agree on the fundamental principles: Broaden the base, lower the rates and simplify the code. The president himself has argued for just such an approach to corporate taxes. So we should discuss how Congress can take up the Camp–Baucus plan when it's ready.”
As part of the deal, Republicans appear willing to loosen up the tight reins of sequestration, which is their strongest piece of leverage.
“The sequester offers that nice opportunity” to make structural changes to entitlement spending, a Ryan aide told Yahoo News. “In [Ryan's] mind, it's how he can do everything in his power to forge a good down payment on this debt. If you're just cutting government agency spending, you can't get much, but if you go into entitlement programs, that’s where the bigger structural problems are.”
The opportunity is indeed a long time coming. This year marks the first time both the House and Senate have passed budget resolutions since 2009.
Since the passage of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, both chambers are supposed to pass their own resolution that sets spending levels, and then each side appoints members of a conference committee to negotiate their differences. The resolutions are not technically law — the president, who submits his own budget annually, never “signs” a “budget” — but they serve to reveal priorities, force Congress to regularly re-examine its spending and set spending levels for appropriators. For most of President Barack Obama’s time in office — and during three years under former President George W. Bush — Congress has instead funded the government through a series of stopgap bills that set the spending levels for short periods of time
The government currently operates based on spending levels set by the Budget Control Act of 2011, the law that ushered in sequestration, which indiscriminately cut billions across most of the federal government. Democrats hate sequestration outright, and despite the many Republicans who give sequestration lip service because it reined in spending, plenty of them can’t stand the defense cuts.
In March, the Republican-majority House passed its version of a budget resolution, which cut enough spending to balance the federal budget in a decade. The Senate responded two days later with its own resolution (after Republicans threatened to withhold lawmakers’ pay if they didn’t.)
But then seven months passed and nothing happened. Senate Democrats called repeatedly for a budget conference, but Republicans resisted, saying that there was too much disagreement between the parties for formal negotiations to begin. Democrats, who had spent the past four years getting hammered by Republicans because they hadn’t passed a budget resolution of their own, were furious. Finally, last week, as the nation neared its borrowing limit, Republicans agreed to talk.
Striking a deal this year would help the government avoid yet another bout of brinkmanship over a shutdown when the latest round of short-term government funding runs out in January.
But here’s where the hope for a final resolution could fall apart: Traditionally, Congress only really acts when it must. Like schoolchildren and journalists, politicians need deadlines, and severe consequences for not meeting them. (Think back to the ominous-sounding “fiscal cliff,” “government shutdown,” and “Taxmageddon.”)
In this case, there are no hard deadlines for the budget committee.
Yes, the agreement hashed out last week asks the panel to report back to Congress in December, and if they fail, perhaps they’ll find coal in their stockings from Santa Claus at Christmas. Hopefully, the potential for an agreement is more than just a figment of our imagination.


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Defining Danny BoyleJanuary 19, 2018 By Go Back
Danny Boyle can be a hard filmmaker to pin down. He’s undeniably given us era and genre-defining movies ranging from Trainspotting to 28 Days Later to Slumdog Millionaire, but it can be tough to define what makes a Danny Boyle movie. He’s a director that seems to work in phases and purposefully test himself to get out of his comfort zone. While some directors “find” their voices, a lot of what defined Boyle’s early career fell away as he worked and experimented on different films. One step in this process was the controversial capstone of his electric 90s features, 1997’s A Life Less Ordinary.
A critical and commercial flop, especially as a follow up to Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary is an odd tale of two angels (Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo) trying to get a couple of misfits (Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor) to fall in love by any means necessary. Though it has a rabid cult of fans, it wasn’t the smash American crossover Boyle had hoped for. Its high concept romance was still a few years out from the surreal indie boom when filmmakers like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman sold even stranger ideas to a wide audience. Still it’s a fascinating movie to watch, whether the romance grabs you or not, as it does a great job highlighting what made early Danny Boyle films so exciting in the first place.
When you’re looking at what makes early Boyle films feel so unique, it pays to look at the people he surrounds himself with. A Life Less Ordinary features plenty of the same crew that made Shallow Grave and Trainspotting international crossovers. Namely the big influences felt are: producer Andrew Macdonald, screenwriter John Hodge, actor Ewan McGregor, cinematographer Brian Tufano and editor Masahiro Hirakubo.
Despite the negative critical response, A Life Less Ordinary is still a fun film thanks to its visuals, kinetic tempo and slightly outside of Hollywood feel. Even when McGregor and Diaz seem to lack chemistry, the script dazzles and it contains memorable sequences like a karaoke musical number. Hirakubo lends his wonderful musicality in editing, and the soundtrack, not unlike Trainspotting before it, is as much a character as the angels and misfit lovers. The flaws stretch throughout, but the film is buoyed immensely by Boyle and his crack team, who lend the film an unforgettable uniqueness and 90s vibrance.
A Life Less Ordinary is especially interesting knowing it was his next film, 2000’s The Beach, that really was the crucible that changed Danny Boyle. A Life Less Ordinary may have been a failure, but The Beach was a fiasco that lost Boyle’s usual cinematographer and started a decades-long feud between Boyle and his star Ewan McGregor. A Life Less Ordinary feels like an American crossover where Boyle called the shots, while The Beach is much more of a studio picture with Boyle and a handful of his regulars inserted as journeymen. It’s easy to see these twin failures driving (and likely forcing) Boyle to experiment on a smaller scale, eventually becoming a completely different filmmaker.
In many ways A Life Less Ordinary remains a fascinating frozen-in-time look at the style that made Danny Boyle internationally famous. If it had been a hit, perhaps Boyle and his early collaborators would have stayed together and continued to make kinetic Trainspotting-style features until the style began to look long in the tooth. Instead, its failure forced the director to change his style, experiment and consider different options, likely making him the Oscar-winning chameleon we know today.


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Fourth Pharmaceutical Scientific Conference-
5-6 OCT 2023 – Aleppo –
Dr. Shuaib Alahmad
Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy – Al-Wataniya Private University
Lecture title: :
The lecture talked about the definition of counterfeit medicines according to the World Health Organization, in addition to the extent of the spread of this phenomenon according to official statistics and announced numbers. The reasons that led to the spread of this phenomenon were also mentioned and a review of the pharmaceutical reality that we are proud of in our beloved country.
The risks resulting from the spread of counterfeit medicines were also explained, as there are many health risks, as well as economic risks that affect the national economy. Finally, methods of preventing counterfeit medicines were discussed, and recommendations were made to reduce this phenomenon at the global level.
Tel : +963-33-5033 – Tel :+963-33- 4589094 – Tel :+963-33- 4589095
Tel : +963-33-4589096 – Tel : +963-33-4589097 – FAX :+936-33-4589087
Syrian Arab Republic – Hama Government – International Highway (Homs – Hama)


Former Worlds prep debut album ‘Iterations of Time’ (listen to “Spectre”)
Twin Cities metal trio Former Worlds have been on the rise for a bit. They released a buzzed-about debut one-song EP Photos of Eve IX-XVI in 2017, and they've opened hometown gigs for YOB/Bell Witch, Cloud Rat, and others. They're now set to release their first full-length album, Iterations of Time, on January 31 via Init Records (pre-order), and going by lead single "Spectre," it seems like this band is continuing to make good on the promise of that first EP. During its nearly-eight-minute running time, "Spectre" occupies a caustic middle ground between sludge, noise, and a little post-rock/shoegaze that's not easy to pin down. It's very easy to tell how much this band rips, though. Here's what they tell us about the song:
"Spectre" was the final track we had written for the LP. It is composed of layers of distorted and looped basslines, heavy hitting drums, and merciless call-and-response vocals. As the opening track, it sets the tone for the rest of the album. Lyrically, the song explores the hidden nature of heavy stories people carry with them that live and die as secrets.
Listen below. If you're in Minneapolis, you can also catch Former Worlds' album release show on February 1 at Part Wolf, which is their only upcoming date at the moment.
02. Variations On A Cave
04. Widow Moon