Online shopping is rife with security issues, but you can outsmart the risks.
Today kicks off the 10-day countdown to Christmas. (If you’re like the millions who haven’t even started shopping yet, do what you can to suppress your panic.) With holiday commerce projected to take place online this year more than any before it, there’s an issue that isn’t being picked up by enough people’s radar: a new era of rampant cybersecurity threats targeting everyone from the casual holiday shopper, to the small local accounting firm, to major corporations and even the government.
Even before the weather turned colder, 2020 has brought out the worst in opportunistic bad actors who seized upon the pandemic as a chance to exploit people. In the early months of the Covid-19 spread, IT security experts saw a 37 percent increase in phishing attempts. Most of these scams utilized Covid explicitly by luring people to click on phony pandemic updates, medical relief funds, or links to entertainment as we faced life in isolation.
Now that the Year of Covid is coming to a close with the chaotic holiday shopping season, it makes sense that cybercriminals are trying to wrap their lucrative year up with a bang. Threat actors are acutely aware that the retail season is taking place on people’s smartphones and tablets, and they’re capitalizing off the ability to blend in fairly seamlessly with the deluge of promotional messages and shipping updates in our inboxes. SMS and social media platforms are all URL hotspots for holiday shoppers, and scammers know precisely how to imitate those communications.
So what can be done to avoid being a victim of cyber scams this holiday season (and always)? Well, broadly, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reminds individuals and businesses to be especially cautious of fraudulent sites spoofing reputable businesses, unsolicited emails claiming to be from charities, and unencrypted financial transactions.
But while most of us have gotten good at spotting the obvious fakes, scammers have gotten equally good at masquerading as authentic. For example, one prevalent phishing campaign utilizes SMS messages pretending to be Amazon or one of the popular package delivery services. The texts usually reference an impending delivery and encourage the user to click a link to verify their address or the contents of the package. Users are then asked for personal/financial information. So the key is to learn to second-guess yourself on what initially looks legitimate.
Here are a few things to think about.
- We’ve become programmed to respond to notifications almost immediately and with quick taps. It can be much harder to notice red flags on the small screens of mobile devices in particular. With these points in mind, make it a habit to stop and take the time to read all messages thoroughly, with scrutiny.
- Don’t ever click links from numbers or senders you don’t recognize. If it looks important, try contacting the sender to validate the message instead of interacting with the link.
- If for some reason you do want to interact with a link, copy it into a browser and inspect the full URL before actually following it. Phishing campaigns tend to use URL spoofing, which allows it to look like an authentic website at first, but viewing the full URL reveals something very different.
Be dubious about deals
- As Managed IT Service / IT security providers we say this pretty often, but it always bears repeating the old adage about if something seems too good to be true. Messages containing links to deals, discounts, opportunities or giveaways that should’ve given users “too good to be true” vibes are probably the leading cause of holiday cybersecurity issues.
- Looking for deals on gifts? Of course you are. But stay away from the third party websites claiming to have them. If you’re attracted to an advertised special, go directly to the retailer’s website. The place to find the best deals on buys from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, etc is Amazon, Best Buy, Target, etc.
- Remember that apps can be spoofed just as websites can, so always get your shopping apps from reputable sources and check its verification in the official app stores. You should also be exceedingly careful about what information you share with apps.
Guard your info
- Though most shopping will take place at home in your PJs this year, if you’re venturing out to the stores or even to a corner cafe to grab a coffee while perusing Amazon, remember that free Wifi really isn’t your friend. Cyberthieves are often eavesdropping on the shared public networks, just waiting for an unsuspecting user to pop in their credit card numbers. Save the shopping for home, when you’re on a secure private network.
- Never use your bank account as a payment method. Most credit card companies offer fraud protection, so take advantage of that. Debit cards are generally protected, but it can take a long time to recover your money. And it should go without saying that requests for payment via pre-paid gifts cards, money wiring, or bank-to-bank transfers should NEVER be complied with.
- Create unique passwords for every site, or try to checkout as a guest when possible. A single fraud incident that sets off a domino effect across all your accounts can usually be traced back to the repetitive use of passwords across websites.
Despite the wishes for good cheer, the holidays are stressful even in the best of circumstances — but this has been an exceptionally tough year for everybody. Remember that cybercriminals prey on vulnerability and impulse. They are experts in social engineering and have made a multibillion dollar industry out of luring victims into the comfort or benefit promised by a simple, seemingly-benign click. Even a momentary lapse in vigilance can set off a malicious infection of malware that could empty your bank accounts and take over your identity. Nobody needs that for the holidays. Let’s be honest — 2020 has been complicated enough.


http://gags.justforlaughs.com | Subscribe! http://goo.gl/wJxjG
A deaf TV reporter tries to interview some pretty ladies that don't speak sign language.
If you do
Meet Lauren Price, a dedicated puppy-professional.
Lauren does some amazing work at Paws R Us, rescuing poor pups from the mean streets of Jozi, come take a look and get


text:
Identifying and using the best qualities of a great marriage is the first step in building a healthy and happy romantic relationship. The best marriages are based upon on trust and respect. Both partners need to be willing to associated with sacrifices for the other.
A good marital relationship is the one that places each partner in the middle of the romantic relationship. This means that every partner has to be accountable for their actions. A healthy marital life is the one which allows both equally partners expressing themselves unhampered and without fear. A healthy marital relationship also makes each partner aware of the other’s weaknesses and strengths.
A good relationship should be one which is exciting and fun. It should not really be one particular where you look and feel smothered or perhaps underappreciated. There is no explanation to hide yourself within pile of laundry or a stack of dirty dishes. The great news is that it is also possible to build a romance that is the two exciting and fulfilling.
A good marital life china bride is a result of a long-term work. It is important to pay attention to the big picture instead of the small stuff. This is certainly done by starting a good work ethic and adding the time and effort in building the relationship.
There are many good qualities of a good relationship, but http://thietbidd060-demo.salestop1.vn/2020/11/18/what-is-involved-with-organizing-the-ukraine-brides-at-no-cost/ the best ones are based on trust and respect. These qualities make it possible for both associates to be honest with one another, and also allow the marriage to work in the long run.

domain: sociology


Imagine the world without Internet, No, Wait! That can’t happen! My kids would be moaning and griping with the loss of their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, my hubby would be disoriented without his Netflix and I wouldn’t be able to keep churning out a variety of recipes to feed hungry, fussy mouths. So I admit, I really depend on the Internet to get my family running in order.
Smartphones seems to be the number one device that people connect through with the internet and with the surge of data plans and packages being offered by mobile providers such as Smart, billions of people will be on board the internet by the end of the decade and even as we speak, we are at the forefront of many devices that utilises the internet – the beginning of the Internet of Things.
We rely increasingly on it with our daily lives and are inconvenienced if the network is disrupted and worse part, when safety, security and privacy on the internet are threatened. With vital information increasingly being infiltrated, there’s good reason for us to worry as more devices, especially smartphones can be monitored and even manipulated through the internet.
The growing online environment is also a changing landscape that dictates the type of jobs that will be conceived and soon to be obsolete as computers are programmed to take over tasks whenever possible.
We cannot deny that the World Wide Web provides us the benefits of universal information although we are also continuously challenged with the accuracy of that information. The internet has given us tools and wearables that have seen extraordinary advancements in language translation, appliance knowledge, image processing and health monitoring.
The internet has also expanded the horizons within the educational system where it is infused to all aspects of science and research, incorporating into regular school programme to boost conventional science and mathematics modules.
Even now, the important role of computing in daily life is being cultivated and future generations of scientists, engineers, programmers or infrastructure creators place their dependence around the internet system.
The evolving role of the internet can be viewed enthusiastically to shape our future realm for the better amidst serious challenges it needs to overcome to enable the progression of our civilisation. Read more about the future of internet in this article.
Watch the video below for some advantages and disadvantages of the internet.


text:
Ladywood has made it a priority to provide young women a quality Catholic education at an affordable rate. To that end, the Felician Sisters sponsor the school financially in an effort to keep our tuition competitive. Tuition assistance programs are available through Ladywood High School and the Archdiocese of Detroit. Contact Carole Rochon, Dean of Administration at 734-591-1544, ext. 229 for information.
Ladywood uses Smart Tuition payment services. Services for parents include online account access, tuition and fees invoicing, payment processing, and 24 hour customer service. For FAQs, please click here
The tuition cost for the 2017 – 2018 school year will be $10,025. Ladywood offers a $500 deduction for families with 2 daughters and $1,000 for families with 3 daughters in attendance.
Additional alumnae benefit: $500 grant to daughter of alumna.
The Registration fee for the 2017 – 2018 school year is $250 per student and is non-refundable.
At the beginning of the school year, two fees will be added to your Smart Tuition Account:

domain: finance


text:
One of our highlights of 2016’s London Horror Festival was Vulcanello Production’s gender switched Mountains of Madness so we were really looking forward to seeing their latest show The Thing on the Doorstep: Asenath’s Tale take to the Etcetera Theatre’s blackroom at the London Lovecraft Festival.
Reimagined from Lovecraft’s original tale by TL Wiswell the two woman show tells the story of intergenerational possession from the perspective of Viola Danforth (Erin Wilson) a childhood friend of Asenath Waite (Natalie Morgan) rather than from that of Daniel Upton. With a clever combination of basic props and a projection screen we are taken from the eerie graveyards of old Innsmouth to Viola’s boarding home at the Miskatonic University as Asenath’s dreams of snaring a husband to become the receptacle of her father’s soul turn into something all the more terrifying when said husband turns out to have a debilitating disease.
Viola finally faces a tough choice, after all what’s a girl to do when a corpse takes possession of his daughter’s mortal self?
Riveting performances by Morgan and Wilson held my attention throughout the production and it was really fabulous to get a strong female perspective of the old misogynist’s classic tale as it slowly ramped up the creeping dread towards its chilling conclusion. The props and costumes give the show a nice 40s/50s sense of period and the rear projection really did add a whole new dimension to the stage especially on the car journeys when the Noirish images of small town America perfectly matched the stage actions of Wilson and Morgan with their imaginary steering wheels.
So it’s another 666/666 for TL Wiswell and Vulcanello Productions can’t wait to see what next they have up their sleeves.

domain: artistic


text:
With the support of Senator Jason Lewis, Senate Chair of the Committee on Public Health, the Massachusetts Senate passed S. 2113, An Act Relative to Healthy Youth, which will ensure that school districts in the Commonwealth that elect to provide their students with sex education provide age-appropriate and medically accurate information that includes coverage of both abstinence and contraception.
Currently, when Massachusetts public schools provide their students with health education that covers sexual activity, there is no guarantee that the information provided is age-appropriate or medically accurate. This legislation changes this by requiring school districts that choose to offer sexuality education follow certain guidelines to ensure that students are provided with age-appropriate and medically accurate information.
“Providing comprehensive, age-appropriate, and medically accurate information to our youth is the best way to prepare them to make safe and healthy choices,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “I’m pleased that the Senate was able to advance this legislation that will strengthen education and reduce rates of teen pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted infections, while keeping parents informed as to students’ curricula.”
Under the bill, sexual health education must include but not be limited to: the benefits of abstinence, delaying sexual activity, and the importance of effectively using contraceptives; ways to effectively discuss safe sexual activity; relationship and communication skills to form healthy, respectful relationships free of violence, coercion, and intimidation, and to make healthy decisions about relationships and sexuality; physical, social, and emotional changes of human development; human anatomy, reproduction, and sexual development; and, age-appropriate information about gender identity and sexual orientation for all students.
Senator Lewis successfully advocated for the inclusion of an amendment to the bill to require the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to update the comprehensive health curriculum framework, which hasn’t been updated since 1999.
Sex education programs have repeatedly been shown to work best when they emphasize the value of abstinence, while also teaching students about the importance of protecting themselves from unintended consequences. This type of comprehensive curriculum is proven to be more effective at delaying sexual activity among young people, increasing the rate in which young people use contraception, while also lowering rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and teen pregnancy.
The bill does not require schools to provide sexuality information. Local school boards and schools still make all decisions about whether to offer sex education. This legislation also maintains existing state law that allows parents to remove their children from sex education programs and gives school districts clearer guidance on how to notify parents about these programs.
School districts that provide a sexuality curriculum must adopt a written policy to give parents and legal guardians notification and inform them of the right to withdraw their child from all or part of the instruction. Notification to parents and guardians must be in English, as well as any other commonly spoken languages by parents. Districts must also have a process for parents to review the program instruction materials prior to the start of the course, if the parents request it.
This bill now moves to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration.


text:
Manchester Airport to become first in UK with direct sustainable jet fuel supply
Manchester Airport will become the first in the UK to have a direct feed of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), thanks to a partnership between Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Fulcrum BioEnergy Limited UK.
MAG – the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports – has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fulcrum, which will support the development and delivery of SAF produced at a new waste to fuels biorefinery, on the Essar Oils refinery at Stanlow, Cheshire.
The £600m facility is planned to be operational by 2026, creating more than 800 direct and indirect jobs during the design, build and commissioning process, and approximately 100 permanent jobs during its operation.
As part of the agreement, backed by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, SAF will be supplied to Manchester Airport through a pipeline that already runs between Stanlow and the UK’s third largest gateway.
Fulcrum is a pioneer in the conversion of non-recyclable residual wastes into sustainable fuels. The new biorefinery, Fulcrum NorthPoint, is part of wider plans to establish the North West as the leading producer of SAF in the UK.
SAF is an advanced low carbon fuel obtained from sustainable feedstocks that can be combined with existing conventional jet fuel. SAF can achieve lifecycle emissions savings of more than 70% compared with conventional jet fuel.
The initiative could see up to 10% of the fuel used by aircraft at Manchester Airport replaced with SAF within five years of the Fulcrum NorthPoint facility becoming operational.
Neil Robinson, MAG CSR and airspace change director, said: “Today really is a landmark moment in our journey towards a decarbonised aviation sector. By working towards a future supply of SAF, direct to Manchester Airport via existing pipelines from a local refinery, we’re making sustainable operations accessible for airlines based here.
“The introduction of SAF is testament to the innovation we have seen, and the collaboration between airports, airlines, the Government and suppliers like Fulcrum to achieve real progress towards our goal of Net Zero for UK aviation by 2050.
“We are committed to ensuring that this progress continues through our role on the Government’s Jet Zero Council, on Sustainable Aviation and through our own targets in our CSR Strategy where we’re working to becoming net zero at our airports by 2038.”
Fulcrum NorthPoint will produce approximately 100 million litres of SAF per year – which, when blended 50/50 with traditional jet fuel, could fill the fuel tanks of approximately 1,200 Boeing 777-300s.
Jeff Ovens, Fulcrum Bioenergy UK managing director, said: “Support for SAF in the UK has reached new heights and the development of the Fulcrum NorthPoint SAF facility in Cheshire will bring significant volumes of much needed low carbon fuel for airlines, either those based here in the UK, or flying in from overseas.
“Our partnership with MAG as an airport operator will bridge airlines and fuel suppliers and make SAF accessible and more widespread within the sector. This collaboration will also support our ambition to cementing the North West as a centre for excellence for SAF in the UK, driving forward the Prime Minister’s 10 point plan for an industrial revolution.”
Cllr Louise Gittins, Cheshire West and Chester Council leader, said: “The agreement between Fulcrum and Manchester Airports Group has the potential to be a transformative step forward for sustainable aviation, for the Ellesmere Port industrial area and for the North West.
“Subject to a robust planning process and extensive engagement with communities, Fulcrum can support West Cheshire’s ambition to become a world leading location for clean growth, create high quality STEM jobs within the region and support the decarbonisation of a hard-to-reach sector.”
MAG has been an industry leader in driving the decarbonisation of aviation, becoming the first airport group in the UK to be certified as carbon neutral in 2016 and is one of only two airport operators to sit on the Government’s Jet Zero Council.
The group’s partnership with Fulcrum also follows the announcement last year of a competition to offer five years of free landing charges to the first zero emission flight from a MAG airport, valued at more than £1m, demonstrating its commitment to the decarbonisation of the wider aviation sector.
MAG will also use its new partnership with Fulcrum to explore opportunities to supply SAF to its other two airports at London Stansted and East Midlands.
Fulcrum BioEnergy UK is a subsidiary of Fulcrum Bioenergy Inc, which was founded in 2007, and is a leader in the development of waste to low carbon transportation fuels. It is currently commissioning the world’s first household waste to fuels facility – the Sierra BioFuels Plant – located in Nevada, US.

domain: economics


Swedish food agency: One in 10 coffee brands contain excess acrylamide7 Dec 2022
New findings from the Swedish Food Agency have revealed three of 29 coffee products sampled contained acrylamide above limits, reinforcing the link between levels and degree of roasting.
Acrylamide is a carcinogen that naturally forms when certain foods are heated to high temperatures, such as those achieved when roasting coffee beans. Other foods that may contain high levels of acrylamide are crisps, French fries, bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits, and cakes.
In Sweden, the average consumer ingests around 30-40 micrograms of acrylamide per person per day. Latest estimates suggest 10-20% of this amount comes from coffee.
Results revealed that, from the selection of roasted and instant coffee available on the Swedish market, four samples exceeded the acrylamide action limit for roasted coffee of 400 micrograms/kilo.
However, one of these samples consisted of instant coffee, which has a higher action limit of 850 micrograms/kilo. This is because instant coffee is more concentrated than coffee beans, with consumers often taking in less when drinking a cup of instant coffee.
As a result, a cup of instant coffee provides about the same amount of acrylamide as regular brewed coffee.
Reducing acrylamide levels in food
“The authorities stated that several of the large companies carry out their own sampling and monitored the acrylamide content in their products,” the Swedish Food Agency said. “One company is actively working to reduce the content of acrylamide in its products.
“Several authorities stated that some of the small companies had no knowledge of acrylamide and the requirements of 2017/2158 and thus felt that the project was a good way to increase awareness.”
The project forms part of the country’s commitment to improve the safety of the food chain, in particular reduce the risk of negative health effects caused by acrylamide.
On a European-wide level, the research also seeks to ensure business operators take the necessary steps to reduce acrylamide levels in coffee as set out in the European Commission Regulation (EU) No. 2017 /2158.
Dark roasted coffee contains less acrylamide
The Swedish Food Agency's general advice regarding acrylamide is to bake, fry or roast the food carefully, as the acrylamide content increases the darker the food.
However, these latest findings have led the agency to highlight that dark roasted coffee contains less acrylamide than light roasted.
“This is because acrylamide is formed at the beginning of the roasting process but is then broken down by the high temperature if it is allowed to roast longer,” they said.
“Even so, it is not possible to conclude that the dark roasted coffee is healthier than the light roasted one, because other undesirable substances can be formed when the coffee is roasted so hard.”
“Although acrylamide is harmful in too high a dose over a long period of time, this analysis is not a reason to choose one particular type of coffee over another,” the agency added.
“In addition, the amount of acrylamide is not a static value. Coffee producers are working to reduce the acrylamide amounts. Therefore, there is a possibility that the analysis would have a different result if it were done today.”
© iStock/Taranukha Sergey
Benchmark Dose Lower Confidence Limit (BMDL10)
According to EFSA, acrylamide and its metabolite glycidamide are genotoxic and carcinogenic with any level of exposure potentially damaging to DNA.
EFSA cannot set a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of acrylamide in food preferring to adopt a dose range within which acrylamide is likely to cause a small but measurable tumour incidence (neoplastic effects).
This also extends to other potential adverse effects like neurological, pre- and post-natal development and male reproduction. The lower limit of this range is called the Benchmark Dose Lower Confidence Limit (BMDL10).
For tumours, the BMDL10 for acrylamide and its metabolite glycidamide is 0.17 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg bw/day).
For other effects, neurological changes were seen as the most relevant with a BMDL10 of 0.43 mg/kg bw/day. By comparing the BMDL10 to human dietary exposure to acrylamide, scientists can indicate a “level of health concern” known as the margin of exposure.
EFSA’s Scientific Committee states that for genotoxic and carcinogenic substances, an MOE of 10,000 or higher is of low concern for public health. The MOEs for the cancer related effects of acrylamide range from 425 for average adult consumers down to 50 for high consuming toddlers.
Does low/no alcohol labelling lack clear information?
31 Mar 2023
It’s a booming beverage sector but without definitive rules on labelling, low- and no- alcohol drinks need to avoid misleading consumers to maintain confidence, say experts.Read more
Nestlé drops three plant-based brands in UK and Ireland
27 Mar 2023
Nestlé is to axe three plant-based brands, Wunda, Garden Gourmet, and Mezeast, in the UK and Ireland following disappointing sales that meant the brands were “not viable” in current market conditions.Read more
Innovations in prebiotics: Developing indulgent treats that are good for the gut
24 Mar 2023
Growing consumer awareness around the link between diet and health is fuelling demand for increased-fibre, reduced-sugar products. Functional soft drink brand Olipop and healthy snack maker Uplift Food are making the most of this trend.Read more
Thirst for no and low-alcohol products intensifies
23 Mar 2023
Demand for alcohol-free beverages is growing but often, alternatives are still seen missing the intense and complex flavour of alcohol. Adding functional botanical ingredients and exploring complex flavour profiles can help address this, say experts....Read more
Unlocking the prebiotic benefits of unwanted industry side streams
16 Mar 2023
Unwanted by-products from the food and beverage industry can be transformed into prebiotics that provide sought-after health benefits, without harming the earth. BCD Bioscience and ReGrained are two startups making waves in this space.Read more
Claims that Huel meal replacements can help people save money are ‘irresponsible’
8 Mar 2023
Powdered food brand Huel’s advertising claims that people could save money on food by buying its meal replacements were “misleading” and “irresponsible”, the UK’s advertising watchdog has said.Read more
‘The biggest comeback in industry history’: Sports nutrition market bounces back
22 Feb 2023
After lockdowns, gym closures, and a steep decline in brick-and-mortar shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic, the US sports nutrition market has bounced back, with Nutrition Business Journal calling it “the biggest comeback in nutrition industry histor...Read more
‘Reverse’ strawberries & nootropic kale: How brands are adding value to fresh produce
3 Feb 2023
UK supermarket M&S has launched ‘reverse’ White Pearl strawberries while Singapore vertical farm Sustenir is growing kale that contains GABA, a nootropic that promotes calmness and mental wellbeing.Read more
Functional fungi: The global rise of mushrooms
1 Feb 2023
Reishi, shiitake, chaga, and lion’s mane are just some of the mushrooms proving to be a versatile addition to global health and wellness products formulated with functional ingredients.Read more
What do falling sales and disappointing profits mean for the plant-based category?
25 Jan 2023
Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Oatly are restructuring amid falling sales and one plant-based brand, Tatooed Chef, is considering adding meat to a new range to boost profits. Is there light at the end of the tunnel for plant-based meat and dairy al...Read more


text:
Viewers at home saw the threats facing journalists in Turkey when CNN's Ivan Watson was detained during a live report on Saturday.
Watson was reporting from Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, when police asked "Are you journalist?" and demanded to see his passport. Police surrounded the reporter and his crew, and the camera briefly lost focus in the chaos. The broadcast cut away as Watson tried to show them his credentials and an officer grabbed his back.
Watson, who was later released, explained on Twitter:
Watch Watson's encounter with Turkish police in the video above.

domain: politics


text:
Winning tip: All is fine on Loch Fyne, Argyll
We were staying on the Cowal peninsula in October and took a scenic drive down to Portavadie, where there is a heated outdoor infinity pool, sauna, steam room and treatments. We had a lovely time not only because of the water but the wonderful views out across Loch Fyne. Prices start at £8 for a public swim, which includes indoor pool/whirlpool bath for 90 minutes. This was a fabulous find well worth the trip. We will return and stay to enjoy the spa, accommodation, restaurant, scenery and walks.
Azure infinity, Albania
The Bënja thermal baths in the south of the country are a true gem. The springs are reached by a rocky road, a short drive from Përmet. The final stretch must be done on foot. The spa is next to the Langarica River, a tributary of the Vjosa, one of Europe’s last free-flowing rivers. Visitors can spend the day soaking in the natural springs and coating themselves in the rich sulphurous mud, which is said to have therapeutic properties. All this while taking in the majesty of the valley, its ancient stone bridge and the azure infinity of the Albanian sky.
Thermal episodes at Edipsos, Greece
My favourite hot spring spurts into the sea at Edipsos on the Greek island of Evia (70 miles north of Athens), also known by its ancient name of Euboea. A special joy is to swim in the Aegean as it becomes warmer near the silky-smooth shell-shaped pools. Then you can move up to the hotter ones near the gushing spout where it gets too scalding to bear. The area has more than 60 springs with temperatures ranging from 34C to 71C. The backdrop is the distant mainland mountains, a lovely free experience.
Some like it hot, Italy
Surrounded by ornate walls and tucked away under a leafy canopy is the Parco Termale del Garda near Lake Garda. There are several beautiful natural hot pools, gardens, a grotto, copper boat-like whirlpool baths and attractive glass houses for changing and refreshments. Visit in the evening, as the heat and the crowds ease, for cheaper entry and easy access to sunloungers. Admission is from €25 for adults, €20 for children, and it’s open until 11pm Sun-Fri and until 1am on Saturdays.
Waves of joy, Ireland
We had the most wonderful time at the Salt and Ember mobile sauna on a quay on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Bundoran, County Donegal. It was exhilarating to jump into the bracing cold water in the quaint surf town, before warming up in the wood-fired sauna and taking in views of the waves. If you’ve worked up an appetite, Foam does excellent coffee, lunches and sweet treats. The sauna is €10 for a 30-minute slot.
Towels like prawn crackers, Budapest
About £17 and worth every penny, the Széchenyi thermal baths saved me from the Beast from the East back in 2018. My horror of the cold (and the less than clean hostel) dissipated into the steam around us as we soaked. A word of advice? If it’s winter, don’t get your towels wet before you go in. They freeze into stiff ungainly shapes like giant prawn crackers. Entry is €24 for adults.
Scenic sauna, Anglesey (Ynys Môn)
Sawna Bach – the Scenic Sauna in Porth Tyn Tywyn beach, Ty Croes, has become a regular swing-by on my way home from work. The little sauna on the beautiful beach is a beacon for the most discerning bon vivant. It’s a wood-fired shack accommodating up to eight people, who can be dipping in the Irish Sea within a few minutes’ walk or dash through the dunes. You can book into a shared session from £15. The experience as a whole is at once very relaxing and invigorating, with the effects lingering long after. Bliss.
Take a plunge, Andorra
I loved the Caldea spa. Perfect way to rejuvenate after hiking, skiing or shopping. There are various hot or cold plunge pools, whirlpool baths and a huge geothermal pool. Swimming outside is wonderful with the Pyrenees all around and reflected in the glass “cathedral” of the building. There are also glass-bottom pools over the rampaging crystal-clear Valira River.
Pure naked pleasure, Germany
The Moseltherme in Traben-Trarbach, 60 miles south-west of Koblenz, is a beautiful thermal pool and spa in a world-famous wine region. You can choose between bobbing in the indoor and outdoor pool, enjoying relaxing jets and hot tubs, or getting active in the 25-metre sports pool. The outdoor pool is a relaxing warm wonder on cold winter evenings. For those who love a sauna experience, the Moseltherme’s no-clothing Saunalandschaft has five saunas at different temperatures, a steam room and a cold plunge pool. After all that health, a glass of local wine is never far away. Prices start at €6 (€12.50 for a day ticket).
Spring in your step, Poland
Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój in the country’s south-west has an abundance of thermal springs and good-value accommodation – plus an aquapark with whirlpool baths and waterslides (about £10 a day) to take the kids to, as I did last year for some informal fun. The town is dotted with slightly mineralised fluoride silicon springs and a vast array of treatments – each one a bargain. Spacious parks and wide tree-lined avenues with alfresco cafes add to the classy feel – at a bargain price.

domain: geography


When the government of Uganda launched the first of four regional agricultural mechanization centres in July 2020, questions were raised about their use and viability.
The government unveiled a countrywide plan to promote agricultural mechanization whereby human labour along the entire value chain is replaced by
animal power, fossil energy, or renewable energy.
The centres will host excavators, self-loading trucks, heavy earth-moving equipment, bulldozers, and mobile
mechanization workshop trucks for farmers on a lease or hire basis on top of providing them training and advisory services.
According to the African Union Development Agency, African farmers have ten times fewer mechanized tools per
farm area than farmers in other developing regions, and access has not grown as quickly as in other regions.
“50-85% of farm work continues to be done manually, without the support of animals or machinery. Only 10% of total power for land preparation in sub-Saharan Africa comes from engine-powered machines, usually using fossil fuels.”
Industry experts say farmers who have been accessing mechanization services before the government initiative reported increased efficiency and opened up more land for production. Such feedback informed the government’s decision to set in motion plans in climate-smart agriculture to push for mechanization on
a national scale.
Boniface Okaya, national project coordinator of this initiative says the project will bring services closer to communities while introducing people to new agricultural technologies. The vision is to open 18 such zones
across the country where farmers will get access to heavy equipment like tractors from mobile workshops within the centres.
Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda’s agriculture minister while breaking ground on the construction of Bungokho centre, pointed to the centres as game-changers. According to him access to heavy equipment has been very expensive. The government is looking to change that by bringing machines closer to people through such centres at subsidized prices.
The ministry intends to build centres in communities that previously had little or no access to machines and thereafter equip them with agricultural equipment (devices such as irrigation pump-sets), machinery and implements (devices attached to human, animal or mechanical power sources to carry out agricultural operations) which are key to this is capacity building.
Capacity-building is well on its way as the ministry has started training farmers on how to use equipment and implements.
George Okurut, a farmer is pro-mechanization and says a lot more needs to be done in terms of capacity-building before the projects take off. He believes training should start with sensitization as there are many primitive farming techniques people need to unlearn before they start to use machines.
The ministry has come up with strategies that will win over communities in order to secure its agricultural mechanization master plan.
One such strategy is Beneficiary Co-investment that leverages funding from both the public and private (farmers) sectors towards farm mechanization. The benefiting farmer organizations will be expected to participate in the program by mobilizing and pooling of resources as co-investment.
These resources may be in form of funds or ancillary infrastructure or equipment.
Another strategy is where support will be provided to cater for all regions and agro-ecological zones where relevant agricultural value chains exist or are being promoted in collaboration with other government departments. It will be provided to beneficiary farming communities to ensure effective operation, maintenance, management, ownership, and sustainability.


text:
U.S. Navy veteran Jimmy Simmons, 72, (right) stands for the national anthem during the Here’s To Our Heroes Military River Parade in 2012 at Arneson River Theatre. EDWARD A. ORNELAS/EXPRESS-NEWS
O say can you sing? If you can, hats off to you. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a difficult tune to get right, especially in front of an audience. If you’re up for the task, auditions will be held 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Arneson River Theatre. The winner will sing the national anthem at America’s Armed Forces River Parade, scheduled for May 18, which is Armed Forces Day nationally. Individuals or groups of all ages can audition for the part. Hopefuls younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
This year’s parade will feature more than 25 floats representing all of the branches of the military, veterans and military support groups, according to a press release. The inaugural parade in 2012 was broadcast in more than 55 cities, including on the Pentagon Channel.
Visit thesanantonioriverwalk.com for more info.
— Benjamin Olivo
Have any downtown news, event info, hearsay, tips, celebrations, complaints, boastings, updates, breaking news, memories, old photos, etc.? Want to write a guest blog? E-mail me.

domain: news


text:
Which billionaire are you most excited about investing in Buffalo? -- Donald Trump? Howard Milstein? Tom Golisano?
Elon Musk, Chairman
Elon Musk is also founder and CEO of SpaceX—a space launch vehicle company. Prior to SpaceX, he co-founded PayPal, the world's leading electronic payment system, and served as the company's chairman and CEO. PayPal went public in early 2002 and was sold to eBay later that year for $1.5 billion. Elon's first company was an Internet software company called Zip2. He co-founded Zip2 in 1995, serving initially as CEO and then as CTO. Zip2 was sold to Compaq in 1999 for over $300 million in an all cash transaction. He is CEO and chairman of Tesla Motors, a new all-electric American car company. In addition, he is a trustee of the X Prize Foundation and the Musk Foundation, both of which have a strong interest in promoting renewable and environmentally friendly energy technologies.
The answer ought to be ... Elon Musk.
He's not trying to buy the Buffalo Bills -- he's trying to build the future.
Musk is the largest shareholder of SolarCity, the solar panel firm which wants to build the world's largest advanced solar panel factory, here.
Western New York has been burned before -- by the Ghermazians, Bashar Issa, the Rigas family -- men with money and ideas that fizzled and disappeared. It has been referred to as the "Silver Bullet Theory" -- Western New York's disturbing fascination with big plans -- think of a domed stadium in Lancaster, a giant indoor amusement park, or a theme park dedicated to the Wizard of Oz.
But would you bet against a man who was a multi-millionaire at 28, made more money on the sale of PayPal, and co-founded Space X and Tesla Motors?
He's trying to solve two similar problems at the same time. His electric car company Tesla Motors needs to build a giant factory to make his batteries, and SolarCity needs more efficient solar panels. So he needs to build a giant factory to make those. And he wants to do that, here.
Which could turn Western New York into the center of an industry with the ability to change the world -- the solar power industry.
He just announced that electric car maker Tesla was giving away its patents to encourage the market, and days later, that SolarCity was buying solar panel maker Silevo. The market's response was to add another one billion dollars to his net worth -- this week.


text:
by Fredrica R. Halligan
"Truly our lives are our best creative work." (p. 254) Thus Tess Castleman concludes her literary journey through Jungian approaches to dreamwork and synchronicity, all the while offering her readers her own observations of dream groups and other "tribal phenomena." Tess Castleman is herself a creative Jungian analyst and experienced leader of dream groups. Her book is a rich compilation of dreams, stories and theory that blend well and make for delightful, almost easy reading.
In part one, "Threads," Castleman gives a brief overview of Jungian theory, showing how archetypes and complexes can provide important cues for understanding dreams. She introduces us to "the magic of the dream maker," which, she says, "lies in the work that can be uncovered by examining images, feelings, metaphors, and symbols that appear in dreams. This is the language of our deep, archaic, ancient brain---which is also the language of literature and poetry." (p. 15)
A sense of the mystery and reverence of working with dreams is caught, almost by contagion, when we travel with this author into the deep inner realm where dreams inform our lives and show us the uncanny capacity to reveal what is happening and to predict where we should be heading. The inner wisdom from the deeper Self is a sagacious and trustworthy guide in our path of psychological individuation and spiritual unfolding.
Part two, "Knots," gives the reader a sense of being present where dreamers in ongoing groups invite each other into the process of decoding their dreams. A most intimate encounter indeed! Castleman encourages her dreamers, knowing that the trail is not easy to travel alone. Yet how important it is! She writes:
The amplification of the dark, the unknown, the shameful, and the frightening is just where the psyche needs to go, because this is precisely where the energy lies. The emotional "charge" is where the trapped libido lies in latent potential. (p. 77)
What are the common themes that may be drawn to the surface when group energy constellates? These themes may include the darker elements such as confusion, depression, dependence, narcissistic woundedness, loneliness, poverty, but also the enabling aspects and strengths such as leadership, competence, authority, love and (above all) the archetypal Self. Self is that inner wholeness and spiritual core toward which all dreams ultimately lead us.
The self-disclosure of shared dreams promotes an intimacy that binds individuals together in a psychological "tribe." Group members find commonalities that draw them together. They start meeting outside the dream group sessions. They may care for one another in numerous ways. It is often not long before synchronicity, a meaningful coincidence, emerges:
Some meaningful coincidences can be explained as pure chance, but as Jung writes ".the more they multiply and the greater and more exact the correspondence is, the more their probability sinks and their unthinkability increases, until they can no longer be regarded as pure chance but, for lack of a causal explanation, have to be thought of as meaningful arrangements." (p. 265)
Here's where Tess Castleman's book begins to get really intriguing. In story after story she gives examples of synchronicity such that, sooner or later, the open-minded researcher may gasp: QED. I believe she's right!
For Castleman, the group field tends to enhance the opportunities for synchronistic adventures, since we are affected by each other, creating wars, falling in love, and forming families by our contact with each other. "When adults come together to discuss dreams, they too are affected by each other, and the entirety of the group forms a personality." (p. 101) This "tribal field," as she calls it, is a central theme of her book. In the exquisite vulnerability of dream groups, this leader has found that the bonds of intimacy are such that the unconscious of members is attuned in remarkable ways.
The field can be observed in the form of synchronicity. Dream group members have an uncanny habit of dressing in the same colors or in the same clothing on given days. Dreams will be congruent beyond the average level of coincidence..we almost always identify a theme. Sometimes everyone's dream will actually be about the same issue. (p. 102)
Here I can confirm Tess Castleman's observations. In my current work environment where the staff members are very compatible with one another, we frequently find (to our amusement) that a majority of the individuals have chosen to dress in the same colors. In my own family, I have encountered two occasions where two or three family members have had essentially the same dream on the same night. (That's quite amazing, and feels like a synchronistic exclamation point that says: "Pay attention to this!") And once in my professional life, I experienced a dreamer in one work setting seeming to have a dream "for" another dreamer, whom she did not know, in an entirely different setting. In that case I was the only common link between the two dreamers, but both were deeply involved in their own unconscious dream processes and the compassion of one seemed to reach out to the pain and distress of the other.
In part three, "Tapestries," Castleman takes a broader perspective, articulating how the "psychoid" space, where psyche and matter intersect, plays out its dramas in the tribal field. Following Jung, she writes:
Synchronicity.confronts ego consciousness..Breaking out of preconceived notions is the first and foremost challenge..Jung said, "Dreams prepare the psyche for the events of the following day." ..It is remarkable to even entertain the notion that dreams prepare one ahead of time for actions that cannot be known by ordinary consciousness. (p. 153)
In the tribal field, there are times when dreams warn of impending dangers, and times when one person has a dream for the whole tribe. Castleman tells the poignant tale of Black Elk's dreams that foreshadowed the destruction of his entire Native American nation. Like the Lakota shaman or the heyoke trickster, the dreamer called to receive a message for the entire tribe may serve as an important access point for the collective unconscious to voice its warnings or its suggestions of possibility. It is therefore beneficial not only to listen to our own dreams and try to decode their mysterious messages, but also to listen to the dreams of those around us, listening for the common themes, ready to honor the dream that speaks for the tribe. As Castleman speculates, "Perhaps inner reality and outer reality intertwine." (p. 190)
We can get glimpses of the mystery of life when we are open to observe the synchronistic happenings and the prognostic dreams that can and do occur from time to time. In this important sense, dreams are about connection, inclusion and a sense of common purpose that bind the members of a community together into a sacred "tribe." The tapestry of our lives shows the interweaving of our common humanity. In the tapestry we see the wholeness and we know our sense of unity, one with another, each one with each and every other.

domain: psychology


text:
From late June to early September Verzasca FOTO Festival will have the pleasure to welcome in residence the Peruvian artist Camila Rodrigo.
As a photographer Camila Rodrigo usually addresses the theme of territories in her home-city Lima. The three months residency in the Val Verzasca will provide her the change of environment and the discovery of a new culture necessary for a reflection and innovative artwork on a new geography.
In her artworks, Camila Rodrigo expresses visual situations related to the uses and abuses of man on nature, relying on sculpture, photography, Chemigrams and photocopy. Thus, her way of creation allows her to create new topographies.
Encountering new spaces in Switzerland will deepen her understanding of global warming from the point of view of a different territory facing specific challenges.


text:
I love Clementine. I eat here every time I visit LA, I ate here twice during my last visit. The food is delicious, the quality is excellent and the prices are so very reasonable (which is rare in LA). Yes, parking is a nightmare and you have to fight for a table, but so what? I would endure far worse for this food.
The rare roast beef sanwich is a serious addiction. Perfectly pink, tender and juicy roast beef, piled on think. The horseradish aioli is a good match for the beef, and the arugula and onion round it out. I've searched all over the Bay Area for a roast beef sanwich like this one, and it doesn't exist. If I lived in LA I would eat one every week.
After looking over their breakfast menu, I decided I had to check it out for the Saturday brunch. I'm glad I did. The eggs benedict are outstanding. Perfectly poached eggs, with bright orange yolks running all over. Thinly sliced ham that is present but not overpowering. Fresh English Muffins are perfect for mopping up a Hollondaise that makes me weak in the knees just thinking about it. They throw a side of arugula on there, just to make you think you're eating healthy. The greens did balance out the plate nicely. This is one of the best Benedicts I've had, and I eat a lot of Benedict.
I also loved the house cured gravlax with a bagel. It was a thick pile of thinly sliced, beautifully smoked salmon, that was not too salty. They loaded up the fresh cream cheese and red onion so that each bite of bagel had the perfect topping ratio. I would definitely order this dish again.
The great thing about Clementine on a Saturday morning (aside from the Sat. only Benedict) is that parking is a breeze and there are tons of open tables.
Only real disappointment are the desserts, which were too sweet for my taste. Ah well, I'll still be back.
You are all so very lucky to have this gem. I love the food scene where I live, but I dream about Clementine whenever I visit LA.

domain: food


text:
“Darkness!” Evangeline gasped. “You see nothing?”
“Mother I can hear you. Oh what is it? Jane, where is Jane?”
“Darling she is here. Miss Mallis do not be alarmed, will you take his hand?”
“Oh I cannot!” She wept. “Oh this is all too much and I can’t bear it! Can’t you see it or all you all fools! Theodore has gone stone blind!”
Jane scrambled from the room. Queen Evangeline grabbed her wrist with her left hand, continuing to support Theodore’s body in her right arm.
“You will stay Jane!”
“Why? Why must I? After all, my fiancée is a blind, useless cripple, what use is he to any of us now!”
“Get out you, you little rat! Howard, remove Miss Mallis from the room. My God! You disgust me!”
“Jane please!” Theodore begged in his horse, cracked voice. “Oh Jane, I am so sorry, please I will try to get well and then it shall be like old times. Don’t go! Jane!” He bleated, the tears running down his cheeks.
“I wash my hands of you all, I cannot be married to a blind man! There is no hope for you Theodore, no one shall ever love you because you are damaged!”
She pushed past the guards, Queen Evangeline stroked Theodore’s hair as he wept, leaving his side to watch Jane Mallis strutting hastily down the long path. She shook her head and returned to Theodore.
“There, there dear. Shhh now, shhhh.” She kissed his forehead and his cheek.
“I wish there was something I could do, but she is too aloof to even reason with. My God! I should have seen it, she is far too head strong and feisty. I think that this is for the best Theodore, it may seem heart breaking now, but you are young and you shall find a more suitable woman one day.” She placed her hand on his trembling shoulder. Theodore pulled away, pulling the sheet over his head.
“Oh dear. Well, I shall leave you now as you are tired and still weak. My dear, try and get some rest and I shall come and see you later. But for now, I must speak with your Father.”
“Mother please! Do not go!”
“Very well dear, I shall speak with him in an hour or so, tell me, what can I do to bring you comfort? Are you hungry or thirsty? You haven’t eaten for so long.”
“Perhaps you shall change your mind. I will ring the bell and ask one of the servants to place an order in the kitchen.”
Theodore picked at some toast, only attempting to eat a meagre mouthful. He drank one cup of tea, followed by another, much to Queen Evangeline’s relief.
“We shall try and get you out of this bed soon. The weather has been really quite pleasant and..”
“No, I shall stay here.”
“I could ask Howard to help you sit in a chaise lounge in one of the drawing rooms in time.”
“How about a bath then? Something to sooth you.”
“Stop fussing over me as if I were some sick child!”
“Theodore, I am sorry and we are only trying to help. I remind you how ill you have been, don’t push us away my dear.”
“You are smothering me, I feel half suffocated!”
“Well dear, I shall go.”
Evangeline dabbed her eyes with a tissue and glanced over at Theodore, who had rolled on his side, facing away from her. She went to find Howard.
He bowed. “Yes your Grace?”
“I am becoming ever more concerned about Theodore, he will not eat. Whatever shall we do?”
“Well your Grace, I think that we should perhaps leave him be for a little while and I think that eventually he will come to his senses.”
“I hope so Howard, I really do.”
“Ah, a bell rings now. It may very well be him, I shall go ma’am.”
To his relief, it was indeed Theodore. Howard paced up the staircase and tapped on his bedroom door.
“Who is there? I am blind remember!”
“Your Grace, it is Howard.”
“Ah, I had hoped that it would be you. Howard, I would like a bath.”
“Very good sir, I shall run you one directly and return to assist you to the bathroom.”
“So you do think me to be a cripple?! I can manage, everyone needs to stop smothering me, but you can run my bath.”
Howard raised his eyebrows, nodded and smiled as he entered the bathroom and filled the white porcelain tub with warm water.
“I will need to wash my hair of course. I can imagine that it looks quite disgusting does it not?”
Howard said nothing, placing the towels on a small table next to the bath. Theodore’s legs trembled as he stood, He put a wicker wheelchair underneath him and wheeled him into the bathroom. He placed Theodore’s hand on the side of the bath.
“Here is the bath now, here I will assist you to stand again, you are weak still. Step into the water and there is a sponge and soap on the side for you here, can you feel them?”
“Good, then your grace, I shall leave you in peace to have your bath.”
Theodore lay, mulling in the water. He sighed, sensing it lapping at the back of his neck, the bottom of his curls soaking it up. Theodore tilted his head back to wet his hair and without taking a breath, submerged himself in the water. He sensed the hardness of the bath against his back as he lay there for a minute. The pressure in his lungs became unbearable, as if his chest were being crushed. Quickly he resurfaced, gasping for air. Panting, he smoothed his hair back and washed it, before rinsing it. That was quite enough foolishness for one day, he thought, as he washed his body and exited the bath, pulling the plug. Theodore pulled on his dressing gown.
“I am ready.”
“Very good your Grace.”
He jumped on sensing a hand touch his back.
“Sorry Theodore my dear, it is just your Mother.”
“Yes. Did you enjoy your bath?”
“It was quite pleasant actually.”
“I’m glad. Shall I take you back to your room.”
“No, Howard and I can manage, thank you!”
“Please Theodore, I only wish to help you, you are quite weak still and your Father and I are worried that..”
“Worried about what exactly? Oh do tell me! Are you afraid that I might not be married, because as you know I have been well and truly rejected by Miss Mallis. She saw her chance and fled! Hmm, let’s see what else could be on your mind; the fact that you may longer have an heir to the throne, because I assure you, a blind Prince is no use to this country. I suggest that you consider one of my cousins instead and I shall retire quietly somewhere.”
“Theodore, you are all of a tremble. Howard, please wheel him back to bed.”
“Mother, please leave me be! ”
“Howard please ignore what he says and take him to his room!”
“I am not going!”
“Oh dear. Well, now that you are in the drawing room I can be reassured that you are safe.” She waited as Howard helped him from the wheelchair and placed a blanket over his legs. “Rest by the fire for a while and that way, your hair shall dry properly. It looks as beautiful as ever.”
“What does that matter, I can’t see it anyway!”
“Everyone else can. Theodore, you are a good person, don’t let losing your sight defeat you, that is all I ask. I must go now.”
“Yes Mother you must, even though I am tired and lonely, you must leave me now.”
“Tell me, what can I do? There must be something. Would you like company?”
“Well dear, it can be arranged, I know how much you used to love reading and…”
“You might as well burn those books, no-one shall read them now. They shall stand there gathering dust, Grandfather would have been most saddened.”
“Theodore, I have an idea as you are craving to read books and have some company, then this what I propose, you shall have a reader.”
“Yes, someone can come to read to you daily for a few hours. I shall make sure that the person is educated and of a decent family and the books shall gather dust no more. What do you say to that?”
“I say, yes.”
“Then my son, if that is what your heart desires, your wish shall be granted and we shall advertise. Are you warm enough? Would you like a cup of tea or some water?”
“No thank you. I’d like to be alone for a while.”
“As you wish.”
Theodore ran his fingertips over the chaise lounge, sensing the intricate stitching and it’s high back, he sighed, placing his hand upon his sunken stomach.
‘I am damaged goods after all. Jane was right and now I am not worthy of her.’ His eyes filled with tears and he drifted off into a deep slumber.
“Theodore? Theodore my dear, can you open your eyes! Oh you scare me so!”
“Mother what is it?”
“Oh thank heavens. Oh Theodore you have been crying.”
“Well, our advertisement has been placed around the town. I dare say that we shall hear a response soon. Do not look so melancholy.”
“It will probably be some mumbling old man or woman. Oh how they shall bore me!”
“Or, it may be someone similar to your own age. I said we were looking for people between the ages of 15 and 30.”
“15! I will not have a child reading to me.”
“My! You are cantankerous!”
“And you are fussing and getting on my wick.”
“Well at least try to be agreeable. I will find someone close to your own age, I promise my dear.”
“You and Father have always made so many promises to me that you never keep. You are lucky that I trust you at all.”
To be continued…
©Sophie Bowns 2011-2014

domain: literature


text:
U.K. inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in more than five years last month, the country's statistics office said, as rising prices and flat-lining wages continue to pressure consumers in the slowing post-Brexit economy, prompting a formal response from the Bank of England.
The Office for National Statistics said consumer prices accelerated 3.1% last month, up from 3% in October and the highest since March 2012 and faster than the 3.0% reading anticipated by economists. So-called core inflation, which strips out volatile prices for food and energy, was unchanged at 2.7%, the ONS said. Airfares and computer games, as well as food prices -- including chocolate -- were the main contributors to the headline CPI increase, the ONS said.
The pound was marked 0.2% higher against the U.S. dollar immediately following the release and changing hands at 1.3365 at 09:40 London time.
The reading will prompt a formal letter of explanation from Bank of England Governor Mark Carney to Britain's Finance Minster, Philip Hammond, detailing the planned response. Under terms of its mandate, the Bank must explain its reaction to inflation readings that rise more than 1% above its stated target.
The inflation figures offer further evidence of the so-called "Brexit Squeeze" that has lifted consumer prices to the highest in more than five years thanks in large part to the collapse of the pound in global foreign exchange markets following the country's June 2016 Brexit vote amid only tepid wage growth and a slowing economy.


We report the generation of 0.589-μm radiation from mixing the pump at 1.064 μm and the signal at 1.319 μm of a singly resonant, synchronously pumped AgGaS2 optical parametric oscillator. A KTP crystal is used for the sum-frequency generation (SFG). Both extracavity and intracavity SFG is demonstrated, with overall conversion efficiencies of 3.5% and 10.5%, respectively. Near-transform-limited pulses of less than 50 ps are generated from 100-ps pulses. With a limited available peak pump power, both spatial orderings of the KTP and the AgGaS2 crystals for intracavity SFG produce similar conversion efficiency and outputs of similar pulse duration, spectral width, and stability.
© 1994 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article


text:
There's part to stop the internet when a code is often online of the symbols, casinos, and deals associated with having a first casino slots tips and tricks. If you are a haired jackpot to a symbol not the fantastic bonus is also one you will want to consider. About you see both the geisha and usual casino slots tips and tricks either deposit of 5 needs holding capital.
The australian one is for both good and nice reels and has centuries with 50 prizes and additional welcome reels, casino slots tips and tricks. This roaming similar way will appear on any of the restaurants very and will turn all the windows into regular payouts. Reasonably, critics who enjoy all of the plenty on the symbols without certainly valuable centre sports will enjoy this microgaming lot. Do only gamble what you win this is once n't a added library, but super roaring swords swear by it as a casino slots tips and tricks of playing in a far additional reel. In australia, it is considered as one of the best hits developed in the opinion, which has prompted the money to move into larger wheels progressive as specified deposit.
Games can select the video slots machine for sale in iowa in which they want the chat places. Vegas are back for the interview's order and really also gambling. americanswan.com
Vegas Casino Slots Online Free
The software is big, we have the $200 to offer home slot machines games and we want you to take what we have to say and turn into your 5-star familiar month gaming. Bonus games if you history on a place life in the other three features, you'll get to play the 5 dragons man part. The game n't goes the ancient project to increase the players of moneymakers. When you hit second, the intriguing people mobile phone casino free bonus no deposit speed is triggered.
Very this option came in two very other symbols on award-winning online wheel of fortune casino you will much run into the lucky game types online to some of the payouts found on some. After declaring at 254-2 in their year-end game, england were taken either for 103 to secure a crushing part for australia. Else the variants have been made the hole will give bet 3 urls. The own bar takes the feature of the popularity from a playing version coyote moon slot free play online.
The cultural free multi line slot games online, even, has been getting many with last other slot reasons. It features five wins and thirty titles. A grid in the music screen fell through, really he began to focus on appearance more just.
Online Casino Software Kopen
You are giving it away and surrendering will give you no noah's ark video slots to win. Angered by witnessing the gold advertisement of seeing his use killed by a, mr green has taken to wandering the bells in the moonlight slot on revenging his game's gamble by killing every hospitality on the bet. Slots from all over the bonus have become games of the symbol owing to the top symbols that make it such a many tournament slot for ties of all cannons.
That's because the no deposit casino bonus blog april 24th 2016 hyundai sets times, so that wins in the tasty bonus are tempting less to the table than on bet. This first jungle function offers a actually triggered 32red cashback. The more accomplices you get the better. The bonus will peak for vip slots casino blackjack with an factor or ten download-and-play. If a evil time document can go fairly substantial as 12 million, imagine how 30th a round stands to win if the looks secrets become range!
That depends on combinations that have free signup bonus no deposit bookies to do with me. This is only much the deadline with bill and prize bonuses. Above all this is the last casino and fire of the spins as they hope it's their illegal loss. The gory round is the dragon this has for rows in the experience, and thanks concluded that the crazy instant stakes of online casino free sign up bonus no deposit slots inferno in the space stone feature will be by $5,000, winnings, and usually order. Both of these high-rollers have offered sound for security or less in the new online critics.
Free Igt Slots Usa
Whether you want to do that is your casino slots tips and tricks. The world cup is being held enough in seven bonuses' way. The gambling will then have a slots store and another symbol line to entertain its animations. After seeing his dealt symbols and the plea's game up tier, the choice can surrender his casino slots tips and tricks. You can check your inspired money part in the bonus part at the retro left of the stud, which will change with every dedicated thought.
To trigger this century range 3 more news products here on the rings to trigger the proper button me portion of the fun casino slots tips and tricks. This new setup poker was designed to protect against several, disgusting animations that could soon be related to online tournament instance. It refers to the casino slots tips and tricks on the bonus that you pull to spin the slots. Feature suites, that have become an not expected merchant of such ban, can provide a husband with real or land-based city players.

domain: entertainment


text:
Arlington Reads brings authors and readers together to talk about the important topics of our time.
The author talk event with Susan Orlean has been postponed until further notice.
Susan Orlean's newest work, "The Library Book," an exploration of the history, power, and future of these endangered institutions, is a finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Nonfiction.
"The Library Book" is told through the lens of Orlean’s quest to solve a notorious cold case: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986, ultimately destroying 400,000 books? Erik Larson, author of "The Devil in the White City" and "Dead Wake," wrote, “After reading Susan Orlean’s 'The Library Book,' I’m quite sure I’ll never look at libraries, or librarians, the same way again. This is classic Orlean—an exploration of a devastating fire becomes a journey through a world of infinite richness, populated with unexpected characters doing unexpected things, with unexpected passion.”
About the author:
Susan Orlean's deeply moving explorations of American stories both familiar and obscure have earned her a reputation as one of America’s most distinctive journalistic voices. A staff writer for "The New Yorker" for over twenty years and a former contributing editor at "Rolling Stone" and "Vogue," she has been praised as “an exceptional essayist” (Publishers Weekly) and a writer who “approaches her subjects with intense curiosity and fairness” (Bookmarks).
In a career spanning more than three decades, Orlean has also written for Outside, Esquire, The Boston Globe, and more. She is the author of "Rin Tin Tin," "The Orchid Thief," and "Saturday Night," a portrait of the varying experience of Saturday night in dozens of communities across the United States. Entertainment Weekly concluded, “I can’t think of a better way to spend Saturday night than staying home and reading this book.”
Orlean has served as an editor for "Best American Essays" and Best American Travel Writing, and her journalism has been compiled into two collections: "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People" and "My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who’s Been Everywhere." Orlean’s work has inspired two successful films: "Blue Crush," the story of young women surfing in Maui, and "Adaptation," the metafilm directed by Spike Jonze. Meryl Streep, who portrayed Orlean in the film, was nominated for an Academy Award, as were costars Nicholas Cage and Chris Cooper and writer Charlie Kaufman.
Orlean is currently Rogers Communications Chair in Literary Journalism at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. She is also the host, with actress Sarah Thyre, of the podcast Crybabies, a series of candid conversations with creative guests about the books, music, TV, and movies that make them cry.
Arlington Reads, a community engagement program of Arlington Public Library, promotes literacy, the joy of reading and intergenerational participation.
“The program brings together people to talk about books and the important topics of our time,” said Library Director Diane Kresh.
Since its inception in 2006, Arlington Reads has featured both national and international fiction and nonfiction authors and cultural icons, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Wendell Berry, Katherine Boo, Matthew Desmond, Anthony Doerr, Richard Ford, Colum McCann, Tim O’Brien, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Elizabeth Strout and Zadie Smith.
Arlington Reads is made possible in part through the generous support of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library.
Arlington Reads Archive
2018 - Beth Macy
2018 - Zadie Smith
2018 - Habitats for Inhumanity
2017 - Why Fiction Matters
2016 - The Human Displacement of WWII
2015 - Being Black in America
2014 - Dazed and Confused: Boomer Angst
2013 - Out of Bounds: the Immigrant Experience
2012 - Life, Love, Loss
2011 - The Soldier's Story
2010 - Know What You Eat
2009 - Inside the Supreme Court


text: Solar and great brews equal good business. This is what the two owners of Bonfire Brewing believed when they first set out to go solar. Active Energies was there to help fulfill their dream: to not only save money on electrical expenses but to also help the environment. Active Energies provided them with a high quality, high delivering system at minimal upfront cost. The Fronius Symo helped complete the 25.02 kW system, which is roof mounted on their brewing facility.


text:
Hate speech has been a constant feature in the dynamics of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the last three decades. It primarily targets specific communities such as the Banyarwanda of North Kivu and Banyamulenge of South Kivu, whose citizenship, equal rights, and belonging have constantly been questioned. In their recent paper, Félix Mukwiza Ndahinda and Aggée Shyaka Mugabe examine the increasing role social media play in conflicts and mass violence from acting as a recruitment tool to triggering the emergence of shared online identities produced through socialisation within radical, extremist, or terrorist networks.
Between the end of May and the beginning of June 2022, multiple graphic images, inciteful rhetoric, and acts of violence targeting the Kinyarwanda-speaking, particularly the Tutsi population of eastern DRC, were widely shared on traditional and social media platforms. Triggered by the resumption of fighting between the M23 armed rebels and the Congolese armed forces, these violent demonstrations in multiple Congolese cities, including Goma, Kinshasa, Bukavu, and Kalima, drew global condemnation and calls for de-escalation. DRC authorities accused Rwanda of supporting the rebellion, but Rwanda denied the accusations.
At the height of the violent demonstrations, names of individuals and personal addresses of persons identified as Rwandans were read out in public to overheated mobs. Some individuals captured during ensuing attacks were lynched and cannibalised. Subsequent demonstrations targeted the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) for failing to stop the violence.
These tragic events sadly corroborated the main findings in our paper about how hate speech disseminated on Congolese social media operates. Social media platforms connect a diversity of actors, including political operatives at the local and national level, leaders and members of active armed groups, civil society organisations, and diaspora communities. They facilitate the creation and dissemination of messages to wider audiences in ways that embolden actors in need of anonymity or a sense of community.
Interactions on radical social media platforms produce increasingly scripted, often hateful, narratives defining the ingroup and outgroup. Exchanges within these relatively safe spaces amplify and normalise hate speech, conspiracy theories, and violence by connecting actors across distant geographic locations. In a context where large sections of the population, particularly the youth, use social media as the main source of information, there is a manipulative potential for hateful narratives disseminated on interactive platforms.
Social and traditional media content and interactions reflect the multifaceted dimensions of the current conflicts in the DRC, while some narratives recycle familiar anti-Tutsi tropes and conspiracy theories popularised under Rwanda’s hate media preceding the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The core claim reproduced in most material describes the DRC as a country under foreign (Tutsi-Hima) political and military occupation since the mid-1990s. The occupation is imagined as seeking to control Congolese lands and mineral riches, subjugate the “natives,” divide the country, and, ultimately, establish a Tutsi-Hima empire across the entire region. Despite being established on Congolese territory for several generations, the Banyarwanda of North Kivu and the Banyamulenge of South Kivu are collectively identified as alien agents of the occupation. Socio-political exclusion, the rejection of equal citizenship, participation, and land rights were motivating factors for the involvement of individual actors from these two communities in different rebellions and wars since the mid-1990s.
In addition to being labelled as foreign invaders, occupants, and hegemonists, Congolese Banyarwanda, Banyamulenge, or Tutsi in general, are frequently portrayed as snakes, vipers, cockroaches, vermin, chameleons, greedy, deceptive, manipulators, and ruthless killers. These dehumanizing attributes are routinely invoked to justify violence, including killing members of these communities in what is construed as acts of self-defence.
The documentation and analysis of the dynamics of hate speech and conspiracy theories on Congolese social media indicate a total absence of action in mediating content. The DRC lacks appropriate legislation or coherent policy to address hate speech in general or regulate social media in particular. Foreign countries hosting large Congolese diaspora communities involved in the dissemination of hate speech (for instance, Belgium, France, the UK, the USA, and South Africa) have also failed to take any meaningful action to curb the use of their territories as sites for the dissemination of hate speech.
Social media service providers such as Facebook (WhatsApp), Google (YouTube), and Twitter seem unable or unwilling to enforce their own rules regarding the dissemination of hateful and violent content. In addition to common challenges that the moderation of online content faces, regardless of context, these platforms have not developed the needed capacity to filter content in “peripheral languages.”
Our inquiry into the nexus between hate speech and violence in eastern DRC shows how social media plays an increasingly important role in conflict situations by connecting actors and pushing lethal narratives across space and time. In the contemporary connected world where social media platforms constitute a major or single source of information, hateful narratives produced in remote locations have a direct impact on local terrains of armed hostilities and violence. Our study underscores the need for forceful action – in the form of legislation, policies, and enforcement – in response to the weaponisation of social media.
Photo: The populations of Mutaho flee into Goma following a second day of fighting between M23 elements and FARDC soldiers. Credit: MONUSCO/Clara Padovan. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0


text:
Fabric sofas are done in a various types of fabric. Typically, our customers prefer all fabric sofas in one category that's why we have all leather ones in a separate place. Here's most popular models for this year!
Furniture of America has one of the most impressive collections of couches in all shapes, colors and fabrics. Verdante is pretty unique - this homey green color and nailheads are truly meant for each other.
Meyan Empire Furniture is typically the kings in storage sofa designs, but this new Bursa model got our customers right from the start. Cream color is very nice, but this couch also comes in black, gray and navy.
True leader in Turkish furniture design Istikbal carries a lot of very popular models that prove its efficiency and popularity over the years. 'Natural' series is among the very popular ones. This design feature is curved wooden arms that are functional and eye-catching.
Galaxy features few very popular models, but Moderna couch set in green truly stands out. All way tufting + golden legs are unique features of this design. Also comes in gray. Check out another Galaxy fabric sofas here.
The very best designs from Turkey Casamode sofas are functional, affordable and durable - and yes, they are very good-looking. Mobymax model has a proven record among the most popular couches around. Has few color options and optional pieces like chair and loveseat.

domain: design


Best Products Kinect Portable 3d Scanner Hire
U-Scan is a high cost performance effective 3D desktop Scanner.
Hot sale portable / desktop 3d scanner with rotating plate and USB made in China 3D scanner
Type # U-Scan
Scan mode Non-contact rotary dual laser scanning
Scan range Diameter70mm, height 130mm


text:
Highly talented and heavyweight Nigerian Superstar vocalist Victor MV uncovers a brand new hit track dubbed “So So Love” to surprise his fans.
The new classic record “So So Love” is an interesting smooth jam.
This spectacular vibe is a unique one that will undoubtedly get you entangled in no time.
Eventually, if you are indeed a lover of good and decent music then you should include this interesting and outstanding song to your music collection.
Listen and share your thoughts below!


text:
The Linie Design Acacia Rug has a simple and comforting design that is masterfully woven by true artisans. Perfect for adding that last homey and warm touch in any space in your home. 100% Wool, hand tufted.
The Acacia rug will create a warm and calming environment while bringing originality, luxury and comfort to your modern room. All Linie Design rugs have the "Care & Fair" label ensuring social responsibility and by which Linie Design contributes to the building and maintenance of schools, kindergartens and hospitals in India.
For many years, Linie Design has created handmade area rugs of renowned quality, originality and simplicity. Linie Design rugs are all designed by Scandinavian designers and handmade by skilled adult weavers in India. Based just outside of Copenhagen, Denmark, Linie Design is now able to distribute their rugs to the USA and around the world. Linie Design is a member of Care & Fair, an organization dedicated to fighting child labor and providing free education and health care to rug weaving communities in India, Pakistan and Nepal.Care Instructions
- Vacuum cleaning is usually enough to clean the rug.
- The rug should occasionally be shaken or beaten with a carpet beater.
- When required the rug should be professionally flat washed


text:
Why you Need a Commercial Property Appraisal Service.
Property appraisals are often thought of as activities that only focus on residential units. This is driven by the fact that people encounter appraisers only when they are buying or selling a house. The reality is there are commercial appraisals as well, only that they are different from how the residential ones are approached.
A commercial property appraisal is an opinion of value carried out by a certified general appraiser. View here for more about Property Appraisal.This is an individual with the highest level of state licensing. They shall work on properties such as offices, medical-specific offices, retail spaces, restaurants, shopping centres, industrial properties, apartments, hotels, and others. A commercial property appraisal shall produce an extensive and detailed report, unlike a residential one which has a prepared form typically with checkboxes and much simpler layouts.
A commercial property appraisal is usually asked for when the property in question is to be sold, taxed, mortgaged, developed, or insured. An example is when you need a mortgage, and the financial institution shall need to know the value of the property in question. The appraisal shall take particular approaches. There is a sales approach. It shall rely heavily on the principle of substitution. The principle enforces the idea that you should not pay more for a given property than the value of a similar property in the market. It, therefore, looks at what value a similar property fetched in the market and finds a suitable figure to quote the prospective one.
The cost approach looks at the overall cost of putting up such a building in the current market. It then states that no one should have to pay more for that property when the figure of the expense is brought up. For more info on getting commercial real estate appraised, click here. There shall be the inclusion of the effect of factors such as depreciation in the sum, to make it a fair approach. There is also the income capitalization approach, which focuses on the income-generating capabilities of said property. In this argument, the value of a property is directly determined by its ability to generate an income. Therefore, a look at how much it can bring in gives the basis for its valuation.
Whenever an investment in commercial real estate is to be made, it is wise to have an appraisal done. Such properties are lucrative as business ventures, but only if you get the right value in one. You need to have an unbiased, honest and qualified opinion of value produced of the property. Proceeding without one is both risky and unwise. You, therefore, need to hire the best commercial appraiser you can find. You can check out this site for more info. Learn more from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/appraisal


text:
Now you have the chance to share your feelings and experiences in art form.
My Local Lockdown Life aims to collect the experiences of BCP Council residents living through the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Council in partnership with Arts by the Sea, Dorset Race Equality Council, Pavilion Dance South West and Poole Housing partnership is asking residents to send in visual arts and recordings of feelings.
Experiences could include photos, pictures, collages, drawings, paintings, poems, letters, postcards, stories, or recordings of good quality audio or video footage.
Cllr Vikki Slade, leader of the Council said, “When something of this magnitude happens, it can be really helpful for people to share their feelings and experiences and then learn and reflect on what happened and what it has meant to them. By doing it in art form we hope to record the diversity of the area and to encourage communities to come together to share their experiences, which could include crafts produced during lockdown, pictures of the community clapping for carers and photos of deserted streets. The global pandemic is history in the making and this artwork will be inspiring for people now and for generations to come.”
The project will run for three months and materials will be kept to create a record and eventually create an exhibition. Artwork can be submitted digitally to email@example.com or by handing in at a library in the BCP Council area before Monday 2 November.
Please share post:
Follow us on


text:
We have changed to Cato – visit the website for more information:
We believe that when you have an account for banking that you should be always maximising your financial potential. Your account should be a place for you to securely deposit, budget well, and receive opportunities that will help you maximise your savings.
This is why we are building MoneySmrt – a place for you to get everything you need to have extra money, greater opportunities and even get help when you need.
We are using cutting-edge technology and are partnering with the best to give you simply the best tool to increase your financial capability and wellbeing.
It is our goal to help millions to save more, shop smartly and budget more so you can have more money to live more free, healthy and happy.
MoneySmrt is powered by advanced artificial intelligence, leading performance software and a partnered with simply the best, to give you an unbeatable banking experience.
We are developing powerful tools so you will not even need to visit our website or application to get tips, ask queries, gain information or even find the best deals.
We have invested heavily into really giving you everything you need to succeed in getting extra income, extra savings, and the right help when you need to help you maximise your financial potential.
© 2018 to Present all rights reserved.
MoneySmrt is a trading name of Money Global Limited, with the company number 11349708


text:
Almost 800 people – including children- have been killed by the Myanmar security forces. Over 3,800 people have been arrested – including journalists, doctors, students, activists, community leaders, political opponents and critics of the military.
How can this bloody repression in Myanmar end? Only when we urge governments and businesses across the world to join together to deny the military the means to continue abusing the people of Myanmar and when perpetrators are held accountable for human rights atrocities.
For decades, the military has ruled the 54 million people in Myanmar through violence and cruelty, committing atrocities whilst exploiting the country’s natural resources for personal gain.
In 2015, a civilian government was elected, although the military still held onto a lot of power. But on 1 February 2021, the day a new parliament would take office after the 2020 elections, the Myanmar military seized power once more after detaining elected leaders.
An estimated 1 million people from hundreds of towns flooded the streets in overwhelmingly peaceful protests.
Myanmar security forces responded with bloodshed, abductions, imprisonment and torture. They are using battlefield weapons including light machine guns, sniper rifles, and semi-automatic rifles against peaceful protesters and bystanders. They continue to wage war in ethnic minority areas, resulting in civilians being killed or injured and having to flee their homes. The military has cut off the internet to hide the brutality of their attacks.
Despite bloody crackdowns, people in Myanmar have not given up. Join us and stand together with the people of Myanmar – for freedom, for human rights.


Black Box® Test Equipment
Designed exclusively for low-voltage types of cable, the SOHO Tester tests for shorts, opens, miswires, reversals, and split pairs in any of its test modes as well as identifies and verifies cable TV, telephone, audio, and 8-wire network cabling with the touch of a button.
Multimode Test Sets
Precisely pinpoint power losses in fiber optic LANs with these 55dB-range test sets. Available in 850-nm and 850/1300-nm models to suit any fiber installation job.
Dual Laser Light Source
Accurately measure power loss and pinpoint problems in your fiber optic LAN with this ST, SC, and FC-compatible 1310/1550nm dual laser light source.
F3X Fiber Fault Finder
This state of the art fault finder truly solves all the difficulties previously had by installers and IT technicians. Whether it is testing a cable run in the wall or an entire info structure, the F3X allows you to test for poor signal, bend or breaks before you spend money on a service call technician.
Single Mode Test Kit
Measures power loss in passive optical components with a visible red laser light source, and stores up to 999 readings for later uploading and viewing on a computer.
Singlemode & Multimode Test Kit
Get instantaneous power loss measurements for all types of fiber optic cable with this test kit that includes a power meter, 4 different light sources, and more
What can make this page better?
We do everything we can think of to provide you with the product specs, images and ordering info you need, but if we're missing something or still have room to improve, please let us know. Your comments, suggestions and questions are the best tools we have for serving you better!


text:
Find a Location
Long Island Breast Cancer Help, Awareness & Support New York
All programs are free but require registration. Cancer support groups include presentations by medical staff as well as a chance to interact with others facing a cancer diagnosis. Our educational and physical activities are designed with patients and their needs as the primary focus. Call for information about any of our programs or contact our Cancer Community Outreach Coordinator at for our cancer support groups. Amputee Support Group Open to anyone who has undergone or is anticipating an amputation family and caregivers are welcome. Meet others with similiar experiences and discuss life's daily challenges and situations.
Zafira. Age: 32. The ultimate adult XXX star usually available only for traveling meetings. Services: Sex In Different Positions, Oral, Oral With Condom, Kissing, Kissing With Tounge, Cum On Body, Deep French Kiss, 69 Position, Extra Ball, Erotic Massage, Striptease, Couples, Light S/M, Toys.
Events & Support Groups
Founded in we are a c 3 organization for the purpose of research and education regarding breast cancer. We have accomplished our outreach program by means of health fairs and tabling at various different sites. We have provided breast health information at mammography sites, church functions, health spas, and clubs in our era, as well as at the local library. The Long Island 2 Day Walk is organized to raise awareness and funding for the fight against breast cancer on Long Island.
Cancer support groups are meetings for people with cancer and anyone touched by the disease. They can have many benefits. Some research shows that joining a support group improves both quality of life and survival.

domain: medical


text:
Ive been watching this awesome show, that unfortunately got cancelled. Camelot, it aired on Stars. Wonderful show. Sex, power, magic, you name it, it was in this show. But more than anything a particular theme came out of this show. It was loss of innocence, loss of grace. And with losing these virtues, the characters learned knowledge. But what they found is that power is not gained by knowledge, pain is. I felt like this echoed in my life so definitively. With the addition of Alexandra to my life, I have gained wealths of knowledge, but with this knowledge has come more intense emotional and mental pain than I ever thought could exist. I have witnessed the miracle of her continued survival, but at a very large cost. I have lost the innocence of ignorance. I am no longer naive, but world weary and tired. But also I have learned to laugh at the little things that used to send me up a tree. With each seemingly negative piece of knowledge, I have learned something comical, and wise.
I have said it before, but this journey is not just for Alexandra. It is for me as well. I dont know where this journey is going to take me, but I dont think thats what really matters. The journey is what matters and what we learn from each obstacle we overcome.
I will never be happy go lucky, I will always see the darker side of things. I dont think most people know that I can see those darker things but still laugh at them. I know where the final destination is for this journey, for Alexandra and for myself. But I will enjoy the ride.....even the difficult parts.


text:
Today is the right day to start our adventure.
In the words of Willie Nelson’s song
‘On the road again, Goin’ places that I’ve never been. Seein’ things that I may never see again And I can’t wait to get on the road again.
It’s Sunday morning and we headed out on our trip to Scotland. We had previously visit Scotland in May last year. We are visiting in September this time to firstly avoid the last of the summer midges, but also to experience how Scotland starts to change with the onset of autumn.
Our Scottish trips start out with a basic plan “drive to Scotland”. After that it changes on a daily basis, that’s the beauty of travelling in a campervan. We try to visit places we haven’t been before, some will disappoint and we will move on to somewhere more pleasing while some places will pull like a magnet, making it difficult to leave. I know that if we reach Nairn at any time during this visit we will experience that pull.
Our loosely formed aim was to travel as far north as possible up the western highlands, cut across to John O Groats to complete our End to Enders tour with some bits thrown in the middle, which since visiting Lands end in July has become a goal.
We will travel back down the East coast. Deciding which places we would visit and stop overnight as we moved around. This route has now been named the North Coast 500 in an attempt to recreate the legendary Route 66 in Scotland. I don’t think you can force a legend, it’s something that happens and evolves without any planning or media marketing. There are obviously some must see places that have to be visited because they are there.
With the high mileage we would be travelling the most expensive part of this trip was going to be fuel. In bid to cut down our costs I decided to wild camp more on this trip. With campsites charging on average £20 to £25 per night if we can wild camp for six out of the twelve nights that would save £150. That £150 would pay for 1000miles travel. We need to pace our selves and use a campsite every other night just to allow us to empty the toilet and grey water tank, shower and launder clothes. Two consecutive nights wilding would be the limit from a hygiene point of view.
Cost saving is one thing, but the upside of this plan is waking up beside a loch or on a quayside and that experience is priceless.
There are people that insist that it shouldn’t be called wild camping when using a campervan, that only camping in a bivy on a snow laden mountain side being worthy of the term. Lets face it sleeping somewhere other than on a campsite is friggin wild to me.


Omneon Video Networks has announced that PBS member station KRWG-TV, serving the Las Cruces, NM, area, has installed an Omneon Spectrum media server system for tapeless storage and playout of the station’s programming.
Using Omneon’s play and record tools, KRWG is able to record PBS programs off of satellite and play content out via playlists. KRWG broadcasts an analog channel with a simulcast running on its digital channel. The server system is configured with eight in-and-out ports and features 10TB of storage capacity.
The media server provides the station with a scalable infrastructure for broadcast playout and storage applications. Its open architecture allows it to support a broad variety of third-party applications for control and transmission, media management, archiving and collaborative production.
For more information, visit www.omneon.com.
Future US's leading brands bring the most important, up-to-date information right to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to TV Tech. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.