President Joe Biden did not explicitly call on people to turn out to vote, but at his White House event on Tuesday celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, he and other Democrats certainly did not miss an opportunity to contrast their agenda with Republicans.
The event on the South Lawn drew thousands of people, as one of the largest gatherings the Biden administration has ever hosted at the White House. In the crowd were House and Senate Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, as well as union leaders and members, cabinet secretaries and other government officials. executive power. The White House sent out invitations far and wide, hoping to build buzz for climate and health legislation, and the event opened with a performance by James Taylor, who has spearheaded fundraising events for Biden in 2020.
Missing from the crowd: Republicans. None voted for the bill, as they have set their sights on hitting Democrats for high inflation. That was evident earlier in the day as the latest consumer price index came in higher than expected, sending the stock market into a tailspin.
Major cable news networks carried the speech, but eventually parted ways.
Pacing back and forth on a makeshift stage, with the Truman Balcony in the background, Biden delivered a spirited speech calling out certain senators, including Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI ), the latter of whom is running for re-election. Scott and Johnson have proposed regular votes on renewing Social Security and Medicare, as well as a host of other government programs and benefits, the president said.
“It’s hard to believe. I would think I was exaggerating if I didn’t look at it myself,” Biden said.
Biden spent much of his speech casting the legislation as a victory over special interests, including drug companies and big corporations. Business lobbyists opposed a provision setting a minimum tax of 15%. “The days of companies paying zero taxes are over,” Biden said.
The legislation, signed last month, includes $369 billion for energy and climate programs over the next decade, including tax credits for the purchase of electric vehicles and other credits for home solar energy. The bill also includes $64 billion to extend Affordable Care Act benefits and $4 billion to address drought in western states. Another $300 billion in the bill would go toward deficit reduction.
The bill would be funded by a new 15% corporate minimum tax, raising an estimated $222 billion, according to congressional estimates. The provision was intended to capture large companies with at least $1 billion in profits that, due to accounting maneuvers and write-offs, pay at a lower rate or do not pay federal corporate taxes. Another $265 billion would come from prescription drug pricing reform, and Medicare will be able to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs. An estimated $74 billion would come from a 1% fee on share buybacks.
taylor sang Fire and rain, you can close your eyes Y America the BEAUTIFULtelling the crowd, “What a beautiful day it is, and what a hopeful time it is too.”
Also seen in the crowd: screenwriter Billy Ray and political consultant Mathew Littman, who heads the Entertainment Industry Task Force, a collection of politically engaged actors, writers and other creatives.
More to come.


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Many flavours of delectable premium ice-creams, delicious treats and thirst-quenching drinks
Cafe Aster celebrates the concept of food, flowers and experience.
Located next to Floral Fantasy and by the Dragonfly Lake outside Bayfront MRT station, diners may choose between indoor and alfresco seating areas. On top of food, the cafe also houses a cold room selling fresh cut flowers from all over the world.
Enjoy a quality dining experience at Cafe Aster, with delectable picks ranging from daily specials to fresh bakes and more! You can also browse and purchase a selection of the season’s finest flowers from our cold room, including brassicas, hydrangeas and peonies. Come recharge at Cafe Aster today!
A spin on four local favourites to delight your taste buds, one new fusion delight to be launched fortnightly!
|1 - 14 Apr||Laksa Pasta at $11.80|
|15 - 28 Apr||Chicken Rice at $10.80|
|29 Apr - 12 May||Rendang Pasta at $11.80|
|13 - 26 May||Kung Pao Chicken Spaghetti at $10.80|
This special is valid from 1 Apr - 26 May 2019.

domain: food


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Poverty in the United States is rising—and pundits are falling all over themselves arguing either that it’s not as bad as it seems and/or might have been.
Robert Greenstein, to consider but one example, offers both arguments:
Poverty would have risen much higher without the temporary expansions in unemployment insurance benefits provided by the Recovery Act and other legislation. In 2008, unemployment benefits kept 900,000 Americans out of poverty. In 2009, by contrast, unemployment benefits kept 3.3 million Americans out of poverty, an analysis of today’s data shows. The majority of the increase in UI benefits in 2009 came from the Recovery Act. . .
the official poverty figures do not count tax credits or non-cash benefits as income — and as a result, do not reflect the poverty-reducing impact of the Recovery Act’s substantial increases in tax credits for low-income working families and food stamp benefits. A broader poverty measure that Census will issue later this year, which most analysts favor and which counts these benefits, will almost certainly show a considerably smaller — although still quite substantial — increase in poverty in 2009.
That means he doesn’t have to consider the long-term trends of poverty in the United States or the links between poverty and both inequality and race. In other words, he (like all the other pundits I’ve read or listened to since the Census Bureau released its figures) can avoid analyzing what the latest poverty numbers say about the conditions and consequences of U.S. capitalism.
Let’s start with a few simple numbers—the percent of people by ratio of income to poverty level,* comparing 1975 (the first year for which there’s a comparable series) and 2009 (from Table 5):
Sure, poverty rose between 2007 and 2009 (from 12.5 to 13.2 and then to 14.3 percent). The effects of the current depression are bad enough (it is the largest year-to-year increase since 1980). But also look at the longer term: the percentage of people living below (.5), at (1), or above (1.5 and 2) the official poverty line has mostly risen (with the exception of twice the poverty line) between 1975 and 2009. And, in 2009, 1 in 3 Americans lived at or below twice the poverty line. If that’s not an indictment of what U.S. capitalism has wrought over the course of the past 35 years I don’t know what is!
Now, look at what’s happened to poverty rates by race (from Table 18):
Again over the long term, the percentage of both Whites and Hispanics in poverty has increased, while the rate for Blacks has decreased slightly. But, the rate of poverty for both Blacks and Hispanics in the United States remains high, and continues to be much higher than that for Whites. We can see that, over the course of the past 35 years, the extreme racial disparities of U.S. capitalism have only been reinforced.
And one last set of numbers, concerning overall income inequality. Here’s a look at the incomes of the top 10 percent over the course of the past 100 years:
The continued existence of massive poverty in the United States coincides exactly with the worsening distribution of income since the mid-1970s.
While I do think we need to pay attention to the significant rise in poverty over the course of the past two years, within the current crises of capitalism, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that U.S. capitalism has continued to produce massive poverty—overall and with large racial disparities—and an increasingly unequal distribution of income for the past 35 years.
We will be able to say the discussion in economics has become serious when it turns from the current topics of choice—tax cuts, fiscal deficits, Chinese exchange rates, and quantitative easing—to the causes and consequences of the massive poverty suffered by a larger and larger number and percentage of Americans. And, of course, when they begin to seriously consider alternatives to capitalism.
* The official poverty threshold for a family of four with two children was $21,756 in 2009.

domain: news


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Everyone has heard that eating “healthier” foods are “better” for them, but how many people really grasp why this is the case? What is the difference between a tomato purchased from a grocery store and a tomato via fresh produce delivery in Sydney (or purchased from a local farmer’s market)? Healthful eating has several advantages, and immune system boosts and better moods are simply the beginning of what you may get from it. MOre than 50% of the people in Sydney say that they eat a healthy diet but is it really healthy when the vegetables and fruits have chemicals?
Concept of Fresh Produce
The notion that fresh fruit is not a very nutritious food is impossible to argue with; yet, there are other downsides to eating fresh fruit, including being more expensive and having a shorter shelf life. Pesticides and hormones used in the creation of mass-produced foods, on the other hand, are among the most significant dangers associated with their use, according to research. Farms use pesticides to control weeds and insects; however, the same chemicals may be taken by consumers and must then be broken down and digested by the body. Was there a significant difference between a tomato bought at a grocery shop and one that was grown at home? The one from a neighbouring garden in Sydney has far more nutrients. Use of pesticides or other harsh chemicals is not required, and any fertilisers or repellents that are used may be controlled on a regional or even a municipal level.
But, if eating fresh, locally produced foods is so much healthier than eating processed meals, why is it that packaged foods are so widely available? The reason for this is that it is more convenient for the user. According to the manufacturers in Sydney, for every “all-natural” label, there are at least twice as many (if not more) alternatives that are less priced, more readily available, and come pre-seasoned or salted. After weighing the pros and cons, many people in Sydney have come to the conclusion that saving money and cutting down on the number of grocery store trips are more important than keeping a healthy eating routine.
The following are some of the benefits of consuming fresh produce:
- It is always preferable to buy and eat fruits and vegetables that have been freshly harvested in order to ensure that no preservatives, chemicals, or colours have been introduced into your food and that is another reason why fresh produce delivery in Sydney is the way to go to ensure you get organic produce with no chemicals.
- When food is left to ripen, its nutritional value declines; consequently, the sooner it is eaten, the more significant the number of nutrients that may be extracted from it.
- It has a better flavour than anything else!
There are many reasons why packaged foods should be avoided, including the following:
- The goal of chemical preservatives is to be added to foods that have been canned, bagged, frozen, or otherwise preserved to make them last longer in storage.
- Among other reasons, these types of meals are often laced with additional ingredients such as hormones, colours, artificial flavours, and sweeteners, among others.
- Because of the consumption of these substances, the digestive system has a more difficult time performing its activities properly. In addition to making the digestion process longer, chemicals that are alien to the body’s digestive system also inhibit actual nutrients from being digested. (This is also the reason why people get hungry more quickly after eating a healthy meal.)
- The mainline is that if a substance has a high concentration of chemicals, it is not favourable to your health.
A change in the chemical composition of food caused by microwave cooking makes it just as challenging to digest as food that has been loaded with preservatives and chemicals.
According to the Australian Dietetic Association, those who keep a regular diet that includes fresh foods will have more physical and mental vigour while also leading a healthier lifestyle in general. The next time you encounter a novel cuisine or meal idea, ask yourself which is more critical: meals that will last a lifetime or nutrients that will stay forever.
Alison Lurie is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.


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Fitness firm seeks self-supply licence
Sport and leisure group, David Lloyd Leisure, has applied for a self-supply water supply licence and a sewerage licence.
The firm said water manager, Waterscan, will take on the role and responsibilities for the retail functions including meter reading, CMOS transactions, wholesaler management and finding further water efficiency savings and act as the managing agent for David Lloyd and provide technical support and services.
The group has 100 clubs in the UK and a further 23 across the Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe.
In its application for the licence the group said self-supply will “provide a platform to be more vocal within the market.”


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Berry farms around Southland are celebrating a bumper harvest, with plenty of fruit sales and enthusiastic pickers.
Prue's Berries, located just outside of Te Anau, has had a strong growing season, with the harvest starting three weeks earlier than usual.
Prue's Berries owner Prue Fraser said that, as of Monday (January 8), 1800kg of fruit had been picked.
"We had a heap of fruit for Christmas which is very, very unusual."
The harvest had increased dramatically in comparison to last year, with much more fruit ripe for the picking.
"We were picking around 70kg a day whereas last year we struggled to get 30 to 40kg. Everything has come in really fast."
Mrs Fraser said so far everything was going really well with one particular berry in high demand.
"Everyone wants raspberries."
The farm also grows tayberries, blackberries and boysenberries, and the fruit is sold fresh and frozen.
"I'm selling heaps of kilos up at the house."
Mrs Fraser said the great harvest could be put down to the hot weather, allowing her to irrigate and get plenty of water on the crops. The heat also plays a major part in the taste of the berries.
"Because of the heat, that makes everything really sweet," she said.
"It's all top quality berries."
Mrs Fraser said she still has frozen fruit available for people to purchase.
"There's plenty of fruit for jams, muffins, whatever they want to make."
Blueberry Country Southland, just out of Otautau, is another place in Southland where the harvest arrived three weeks early.
General manager Simon Bardon said he thought the plentiful harvest was down to two things: the weather, particularly a mild winter, and the care taken during the growing season.
"We're really excited about the quality of the fruit... we care about what we're doing. We've been very focused on achieving a crop that's going to present best at the table and give us the best yield."
"I'm looking forward to seeing a nice long season."
Blueberry Country opened its 'Pick your own' season to the public on Saturday, December 30 last year, and last Thursday (January 4) marked the first day of commercial picking.
Mr Bardon said Blueberry Country was slowly building up picker numbers and he was happy to welcome up to 40 staff in the next fortnight that he could induct and train thoroughly.
The public 'Pick your own' sessions have also continued to be a huge success, with one of the busiest days being held last weekend.
"The numbers have been wonderful," he said.
"It's been lovely to see how many families are coming out, the fact they can enjoy some family time and do something that's not expensive... with us we've got an experience."
Mr Bardon said he was hoping to have blueberry ice cream at the orchard this weekend, a selection of fresh and frozen fruit for sale, and an EFTPOS machine.
People can stay informed via updates on the Blueberry Country Southland Facebook page.


Intel has announced a new deal with ASIC manufacturer eASIC. This new partnership comes in the wake of Chipzilla’s failed attempt to buy FPGA manufacturer Altera — is Intel pivoting its datacenter strategy towards entirely different kinds of chips?
You have to admit it makes sense: The country that spends the most time per capita whining about the weather — the United Kingdom — is investing in the world’s fastest weather forecasting supercomputer. When it’s complete, the Met Office’s new supercomputer will clock in at 16 petaflops — one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, and more than twice as powerful as the next-fastest weather forecasting computer.
Intel has finally shared some details on how it’s customizing chips for companies like Oracle. It turns out that these current parts go through extra validation steps and can adjust their core counts, frequencies on the fly.
Subscribe Today to get the latest ExtremeTech news delivered right to your inbox.


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Siga Technologies (NSDQ:SIGA) said today that it signed a multi-year contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority to provide oral and intravenous versions of Siga’s Tpoxx smallpox treatment to the Strategic National Stockpile.
The contract, which is valued at up to $629 million, also includes funding for advanced development of the the drug’s IV formulation and post-marketing activities for Tpoxx’s oral formulation.
According to the contract, Siga and BARDA will work to maintain a stockpile of 1.7 million courses of the antiviral treatment at the Strategic National Stockpile.
The FDA approved Siga’s oral formulation of tecovirimat in July as a treatment for smallpox in the case of a potential outbreak.
The drug is designed to mitigate the impact of a bioterrorism attack involving smallpox, according to the New York-based company. Siga also reported this year that the FDA granted its request for a priority review voucher, giving the company the option for accelerated FDA review of a future product.
“This contract builds on the strong foundation of the Siga and BARDA partnership and we look forward to working closely with BARDA to ensure the current U.S. stockpile is adequately maintained,” CEO Phil Gomez said in prepared remarks. “The contract provides excellent value to the U.S. government for the mitigation of the risks of a smallpox outbreak, outlines a roadmap for sustaining the current stockpile, and adds the IV formulation of Tpoxx as an available alternative treatment option.”

domain: health


text:
Who's in the Tree?
And Other Lift-the-flap SurprisesBook - 2014
"An elephant in the sky? A peacock in the sea? Are creatures hiding where they shouldn't be? Lift the large flaps, follow the romping rhyme, and find each face that's out of place. Graphic artist Craig Shuttlewood whisks kids from desert to forest to ocean deep--and finally to the zoo, where the only one who doesn't fit is You!"--Publisher's description.
Publisher: New York :, Sterling Children's Books,, 2014
Edition: First Sterling edition
Branch Call Number: E Shuttlewood
Characteristics: 1 volume (unpaged) :,color illustrations ;,27 cm

domain: library


text:
Matthews Exclaims 'Tea Partier Declares War!' Warns of Movement's 'Lock and Load Mentality'
Chris Matthews, on Monday's Hardball, claimed that a Tea Party
candidate, in his new ad, had just declared war and warned this was an
example of the "lock and load mentality" of "the Tea Party folk."
Matthews, during his Sideshow segment, played a clip from a Rick Barber
for Congress ad in which the candidate engages in an imagined
conversation with Sam Adams and George Washington in which Barber tells
the Founding Fathers how far the government has grown in it scope, with
the actor playing Washington saying, at the end, it's time to "Gather
Matthews took this as a sign that Barber was "advocating taking up arms against the government." Matthews also asserted the tea partiers view the federal government as "a foreign occupying force" and told viewers they can see "more of this sort of thing" on his new documentary "Rise of the Right" to be aired this upcoming Wednesday night on MSNBC. [audio available here]
The following teaser, ad clip and Matthews commentary were aired on the June 14 edition of Hardball:
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Up next it's a campaign you have to see to believe! A Republican running for Congress in Alabama, basically is advocating taking up arms against the government. This is the closet thing, well I'm not gonna say it. Well it's the closest thing to "Let's revolt!" that I've seen. You're watching Hardball only on MSNBC.
MATTHEWS: Now to the Sideshow. First tonight, a tea partier
declares war! Rick Barber, one of the candidates competing in the Republican run-off in Alabama's second congressional district has just come out with an ad for TV that tells you the true dimension of the Tea Party mentality. The spot begins midway through an imagined meeting with Founding Fathers Sam Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. Here it is.
(Begin ad clip)
RICK BARBER: And I would impeach him. And if that's not enough, some of you men own taverns. Sam, you were a brewer. Mr. President, a distiller. You know how tough it is to run a small business without a tyrannical government on your back. Today we have an Internal Revenue Service that enforces a progressive income tax. Now the same IRS is gonna force us to buy health insurance, cram it down our throats or else. Now I took an oath to defend that with my life. I can't stand by while these evils are perpetrated! You gentleman revolted over a tea tax - a tea tax! Now look at us! Are you with me?
ACTOR PLAYING GEORGE WASHINGTON: Gather your armies.
MATTHEWS: Actually Washington put down the Whiskey Rebellion. Well this is the lock and load mentality you just saw there, of the Tea Party folk. They see themselves as involved in a battle with the federal government, which they view is a foreign occupying force, like the British during colonial days. For more on this sort of thing, watch our documentary, Rise of the New Right, this Wednesday at 7:00 o'clock Eastern.
-Geoffrey Dickens is the Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here

domain: politics


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Be at the launch of one of the most exciting group shows to date at Kambri at ANU, level 2, Bldg 163 Acton, ACT. It's FREE, and your chance to be the first to view and purchase works from these contemporary artists. Many featured artists will be in attendance at this dynamic event. It's a not to be missed evening on the Canberra social calendar and will feature live music from Vessel Collective DJs Niamh and Maleika, plus complimentary drinks from Lerida Estate and Capital Brewing.
Canberra is all set for the summer with a full program of events presented byKambri at ANUand curated byaMBUSH Gallery Cultural Centre Kambri, ANU Building 153 Level 2, Acton ACT. HERE I Am: Art By Great Women running for the entire summer from 20 Nov 2020 to 28 Feb 2021 is a new Festival celebrating women creatives. This family-friendly Festival aims to re-energise Canberra's cultural landscape and will showcase over 100 featured artists. There are plans to turn this event into a bi-annual Festival that bolsters creative women and holds their work up to acclaim. see here for event details.
Inspired by the Know My Name movement and in a cultural partnership with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), this is a showcase of contemporary Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists from multi-disciplinary backgrounds including street art, fine art, photography, illustration, digital, sculpture, film and more.
It proudly features contemporary female creatives that include Gemma O'Brien, Georgia Hill, Aretha Brown, Lucy O'Doherty, Minna Leunig, Faith Kerehona, Bohie Palecek, Helen Proctor, George Rose, Noni Cragg, Kaff-eine, Nanami Cowdroy, Nicole Reed, and Selina Miles, to name but a few.
The first program release will include outdoor public art and gallery exhibitions, live art and music events, public talks, film screenings, ArtHack and more. HERE I AM: Art by Great Women will coincide with KNOW MY NAME by the National Gallery of Australia and is a free public event across venues at the Kambri Cultural Centre and Kambri's beautiful outdoor public realm. Not only is it a lively program appealing to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, but it will provide an invaluable platform for women artists and creatives to engage with the broader community. It also comprises free public events across the Kambri precinct, including FREE PARKING on weekends. Some of the highlights are as follows.
24 hours, 7 days a week, FREE: At the new outdoor venue, Exhibition Avenue, 24 artists will have a large-scale work on display across 6 exhibition cubes along University Avenue.
10am-6pm weekdays and 12pm-5pm on weekends, FREE: A group exhibition at aMBUSH Gallery Kambri headlines female artists, this time working across a range of disciplines, including painters, illustrators, photographers, digital artists, object designers, and sculptors.
Nov & Dec Film Series, FREE: profiling the life and work of significant artists kicks off with Martha: A Picture Story (2019), a street art doco about legendary photographer Martha Cooper. Features live discussion with Aust director Selina Miles on 21 November.
Selected Sundays Live Art Sessions, FREE: The central Kambri Lawn will become a rousing stage for artists to put their painting skills on show & features an all-female roster of artists creating new work – all to the tune of live music provided by ANU and local Canberra musicians.
Each Weekend, Music on the Greens, FREE: An all-female music talent schedule including Liv Li, Kim Yang, Dana Hassall, and Lucy Sugerman will bring live music to the Kambri Lawns.
ArtHack, Creative Ideas Marathon, FREE: Through both physical and online platforms ANU students and the wider national and international community will come together and solve the current challenges in the Arts and creative industries, which includes empowering females, creatives and artists during the global pandemic. This hackathon event will be a source of inspiration to the participants and all involved parties.
Measure for Measure, FREE: Lakespeare & Co will conduct their 4th summer season with a free preview performance and interactive rehearsal presented exclusively for Kambri at ANU and the HERE I AM festival. Be prepared for the presentation of bold female leaders in this black comedy by the Bard.
25 Nov She Leads in Conversation: A collaborative series of ticketed talks and candid conversations with inspirational women. Presented by YWCA with the Hon. Dame Annette King and Hannah Birdsey.
27 November: Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle will be in conversation with Don Russell (courtesy of ANU's Meet the Author Series) on her new Quarterly Essay The High Road: What Australia Can Learn from New Zealand.
29 Nov & 6 Dec respectively: TEDx Canberra will host a fortnight of 'ideas worth spreading': TEDx Canberra Women 2020: Fearless, and TEDx Canberra 2020: Imagine in the Kambri Cultural Centre. Inspired by HERE I AM, TEDx has dedicated its program to female creatives, with their lineup of keynotes to be released in the near future. TEDxCanberra will ticket events.
Every Week, FREE: Wellness on The Greens – led by women from Club Lime, ANU Sport and ANU Thrive – will provide free health and wellbeing sessions on the central Kambri Lawns and greater precinct. Ranging from yoga to high-intensity interval training, there will be something for all ages and fitness levels. The schedule will be updated weekly on the Kambri website.
The summer holidays, FREE: A range of family-friendly activities led by female creatives. Kids can get their hands dirty with art & craft workshops in aMBUSH Gallery, and keep in step with Kulture Break run dance workshops on the Kambri Lawns.
January, Kambri Film Fest, FREE: Kambri Cinema will host 2 screenings per day across 3 weekends – family-friendly with films starring heroines, and an 'after hours' session with films directed and written by women.
For more information about the HERE I AM: Art by Great Women events and to view the festival program visit the website and follow Kambri at ANU and aMBUSH Gallery on Facebook and Instagram. As mentioned in the first paragraph of this article, you'll also find event details here.

domain: artistic


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Who doesn’t like soup? Who doesn’t like singing and dancing? And who doesn’t like mixing everything with two cute guys? Well, now there’s a video for that, with “Soup! The Musical“.
The entertaining video comes to us from a group called “Egg F*nk“, and stars Nir Kitaro and Eyal Goldshtein. The singing starts right away, with poor Nir being cold and alone. Eyal comes to the rescue, with a song, a dance – and some vegetables.
It all goes crazy from there, with mighty carrots, trumpets, and two guys in a dress. They even provide the actual recipe which you can make at home (two guys not included).
Watch the video right here:


text: You are on the racetrack, and participate in horse riding. Your horse and rider at number four. The horse with the arrow keys to reach the finish line first. After arrival, pay attention to the statistics. Good look at management, or your rider will not be able to win the match.

domain: game


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A website dedicate to games of all favors and varieties, from video games to good old D&D.
Thursday, February 20, 2020
Chutzpah over Charisma
For my campaign, I ignore prime requisite scores and let people run fighters with 5 strength, a cleric with 6 wisdom and so on. I don't require it, I merely allow it for the sake of speed and fun. With my group, I have always received reciprocity from the DM where they allowed me to play such flawed characters, even if they allow for some other method of ability generation that would prevent it. It's just the way we operate.
Since I do this as a normal operating condition, I tend to see characters as problem solvers. Weak fighters develop a means to fight other than brute force. Wizards make up for a lack of spells with magic items, and so on. That's cool.
Except for Charisma. I have this mental image of a high charisma character as stylish and charming. A low charisma character, in my mind, is operating off of what they have in other stats. A low charisma doesn't force foolishness or rudeness which are the purview of intelligence and wisdom, it's merely a lack of polish. Low charisma characters are more likely to use chutzpah over an excellently described plan. They just go for it and have very little understanding as to why this shocks others.
One of these days, I'm going to pull a prank on my players. I will write down the character's stats and then pick on the guy or gal with the lowest Charisma. It will probably come up in a high pressure situation. I will ask that person to roll the dice and no matter the outcome, I will hand them a note and ask them to read it.
It will go something like this:
Mr/Ms. Charisma: Ok, the dragon is probably a sleep, so we'll kick in the door and kill it with arrows.
Me as DM: Good. You have surprise. Make your attack rolls.
Other players: Wait! What?
Mr/Ms. Charisma: The dragon probably thought of this and hired some orcs to guard the lair. And an ogre.
Me as DM: You're right! There are actually 12 orcs and 3 ogres rushing into the room.
The other players argue while being forced to roll attack dice. For some strange reason, they always have initiative and do lots of damage from covered locations. Everything seems to be slanted to the player's benefit.
Me as DM: You have defeated the orcs and orgres, here is your experience points.
Mr/Ms. Charisma, still reading from the note: Oh, but the dragon fled to the next room. I bet he is casting a spell to turn into a giant snake!
Other players: Why the hell would a dragon turn into a giant snake?
Me as DM: You hear the swoosh of scales on rock and a titanic hissing noise. Roll for surprise!
Mr/Ms. Charisma: Oh, this doesn't look good.
Me as DM: Right! The snake swallows the paladin whole!
Paladin's player: I don't want to be eaten by a snake!
Mr/Ms. Charisma: Oh, yeah. That's bad. We can't do that...
Me as DM: Ok, everyone argues against kicking in the dragon's door. So, what is the plan?
That is pretty much how someone with low charisma operates.
I wonder how long it would take my players to figure out I actually handed out experience and didn't ask them to delete it. I think I have 7 charisma myself, so group dynamic analysis is not my strong suit. But I think they'd try to keep the points and I would let them.
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domain: hobby


text:
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We needed a relaxing vacation, but the buzz and lack of culture and personality of resorts wear me out. If you like to go off the beaten track while traveling, then in the DR this is definitely a place worth checking out. The property is...More
I spent two glorious months at Jurassic Park and there are not enough descriptive words in the dictionary to describe my wonderful experience. My hosts, Helena and Dominic were great. Their two young children and the children in the neighbourhood are an absolute delight. Kids...More
Loved it. It was everything and more than I'd imagined. After arriving in Santo Domingo and being so lost we ended up heading north a day early. Helena and Dominic were able to accomodate us early on short notice. Do get Dominican Pesos for the...More
I don't even know how to start describing our experience at the Jurassic Park it was just a dream in a jungle.
First of all you will be welcomed by an amazing English family (Dominique, Helena and their kids) who will make your stay unique...More
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Helene and Dominic were great hosts---before and during the visit. Helene even came out with us the first night. The room was pretty big with a kitchenette and balcony and a comfortable bed with mosquito netting. However, the fact that it was far from town---a...More
Response from JurassicParkDom | Property representative |
Our place is perfect for nature lovers. Jurassic Park is a magical place situated on a small hill, in a tranquil valley, 3-5 mins outside of the main town Las Terrenas, behind us there are two waterfalls with pools - which... More
Our place is perfect for nature lovers. Jurassic Park is a magical place situated on a small hill, in a tranquil valley, 3-5 mins outside of the main town Las Terrenas, behind us there are two waterfalls with pools - which are extremely inviting, great for cooling off.
We have semi controlled jungle areas which we continue to improve and make part of the attraction of being here.
The closest best beaches are Playa Bonita & Playa Coson at a distance of 10 & 20 mins away, respectively. These beaches are away from the town they are less touristic and very often you can experience long stretches of stunning beach completely to yourself.
Most of our guests don’t arrive with a car so they travel around very easily either on moto-conchos (motorbike taxi) - this is a very good working system here which is reliable, efficient and cheap.
Or, if you prefer to be more independent, then there are a variety of companies that rent vehicles: motorbikes, scooters, ATV quad bikes - this is definitely a more fun and interesting way to get around locally and experience this beautiful environment.
There is a small Comedor (restaurant) within 10 min walk from our place. Great local Dominican food.
There is also a small Colmado (convenience store) selling a variety of basic produce.
Las Terrenas town of course has a big range of supermarkets, fruit and veg shops and a huge variety of restaurants to suit all cuisine tastes.
Jurassic Park's administration.
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"My room was on the end and beside a hill, so i found it a bit dark all the time. If you like sunshine in the..."

domain: geography


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Democrats have dropped family and medical paid leave from President Biden’s Build Back Better spending package after Sen. Joe Manchin raised objections to including it in the social safety net spending bill. » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC
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Democrats Drop Family And Medical Paid Leave From Biden’s Bill After Manchin Objections


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Daniel's Story by Carol Matas was written in 1993. It is a fictionalization of one young man's life as he grows up under the Nazi occupation during World War II. Its stark realism has earned it the honor of an exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum located in Washington, D.C.
The first main character is Daniel, the narrator of the story. He is 14-years-old at the start of the story. Through flashbacks, we view him as young as six. By the end of the story, he has progressed to 18 years of age.
Though we meet all of his family members, Erika is the second main character. She is Daniel's younger sister. One of her most memorable contributions is being the youngest violinist in the orchestra at Lodz. It is her spirit which keeps the family "alive".
The final main character is Rosa. She and Daniel meet in the Lodz Ghetto. The majority of her "appearances" throughout the story are strictly in Daniel's memories, until the end when they are reunited.


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Our experience in Defence Litigation
Collins Crowley is regarded as one of the top Defence Litigation Solicitors in Ireland. We are results driven and provide a client facing legal service to the insurance industry and private clients. We practice in all Jurisdictions countrywide and provide a broad range of legal services including employment law and defence litigation. We provide a specialist defence litigation service. Our commercial pro active approach and optimum results, achieved within the best possible timeframe, are valued by our clients.
We fully comply with extensive KPI and MIS reporting requirements through our custom built case management system. We have 30 years experience acting for a major insurer.

domain: law


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Blogs & News
What’s on your Mind?: Mental Health in the Workplace
People + Culture Strategies
Mental health issues can have a resounding impact on productivity, performance and culture within workplaces of all sizes and industries. Approximately 21% of Australian employees have taken time off in the past 12 months for mental health reasons and this has a significant impact not just for the employees, but their colleagues, managers and the rest of the workplace.The effect that mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, can have on Australian business is estimated as being approximately $11 billion per year1. This calculation is based on figures for absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced work performance, increased turnover rates and compensation claims.
From a legal standpoint, employers owe a number of obligations to employees regarding their psychological health at work.
Under work health and safety legislation employers must provide a safe and healthy workplace and take action to eliminate and minimise any potential risks to the health and safety of all employees and those present at the workplace. This is not confined to the physical environment but extends to psychological impacts as well.
In relation to mental illness, the obligations include:
- identifying possible workplace practices, actions or incidents which may be causing, or contributing to poor outcomes for workers in terms of their mental health; and
- taking actions to eliminate and minimise those risks.
Under state and federal anti-discrimination laws employers have an obligation to make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities to enable them to perform the inherent requirements of their job. Examples of such adjustments include offering flexible working options or changing aspects of the workplace arrangements or practices. However, an adjustment is not required if it would impose an “unjustifiable hardship” on the employer, or the employee would not be able to perform the inherent requirements of the job even with such adjustments.
The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) also provides protection for employees with mental health illness from adverse action taken by an employer because of their disability. Potential forms of adverse action include dismissal, refusing to employ a prospective employee or discriminating against an employee.
Responding at the workplace level
There is no “one size fits all” approach to implementing strategies that promote a mentally healthy workplace. Common organisational responses include:
- Employee Assistance Programs;
- flexible work arrangements;
- policies which address mental health issues; and/or
- mental health leave (via personal leave and/or the implementation of mental health days).
These types of strategies are designed to assist employees to manage their mental health issues and, more broadly, to enhance the prospect of a healthy workplace.
On a more individual level, a commitment by employers to properly address the mental health issues of their employees is fundamental, not only in employers meeting their legislative obligations, but also for all employees to flourish in their employment. Employers should ensure that the needs of employees who are experiencing mental health issues are understood, that the impact of workplace practices on these issues are monitored, and that employees receive the support they require. This may necessitate adjustments being agreed to between the employer and employee, and efforts made to keep under review workload distributions, hours and leave arrangements.
We recommend that employers consider the following dos and don’ts in their approaches to mental health in the workplace:
1. Blackdog Institute and beyondblue (2016), “Developing a mentally healthy workplace: A review of the literature”, Report prepared for the National Mental Health Commission, Sydney.
Other relevant resources
16 August 2018

domain: sociology


Kazakh Culture Ministry launches international music challenge to mark Shamshi Kaldayakov’s 90th birth anniversary
This year the famous Kazakh composer and People’s Artist of Kazakhstan Shamshi Kaldayakov would have turned 90 years old. Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports launched an international music challenge ‘Menin Kazakhstanym’ (My Kazakhstan) to celebrate the birth anniversary of the ‘King of the Kazakh Waltz’, as he is referred to, Facebook account of the relevant ministry said.
Bibigul Tolegenova, the ‘Golden voice of the national stage’ and a legendary singer was the first to respond to the challenge. She performed the song ‘Kaiykta’ (On the boat). In turn, Tolegenova nominated other Kazakh stars, as well as Kazakh citizens living abroad, to participate in the music challenge.
Artists from other foreign countries also joined the musical flash mob, including Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Germany, Bulgaria, Bashkortostan and Buryatia. Having chosen bright costumes and interesting location, each of them performed in Kazakh language one of the most lyrical, gentle and melodic songs of Kaldayakov called ‘Kuanysh valsy’ (Joy Waltz), once again confirming that the Kazakh Waltz King was truly a world-famous composer.
The international music challenge ‘Menin Kazakhstanym’, which brings together stars and talented representatives of cultural intellectuals, world-renowned athletes and Kazakh citizens living overseas, will surprise the audience with its originality and novelty.


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When people consider tech giants, few alight on ASML. The Dutch plc describes itself as ‘the most important tech company you've never heard of’, even though it’s Europe’s most valuable technology venture.
ASML makes the machines that inscribe integrated circuits on silicon wafers, and its customers are the world’s major chipmakers. Business is booming, with the company booking a net profit of €1bn on sales of €4bn in the latest quarter.
ASML is coming down with cash, and recently announced an increase in its share buyback programme from €6bn to €9bn. Though the company flies below the radar, investors are up-to-speed, with the share trading on an historic p/e of 76 and a forward p/e of 38.
Market cap has increased by a factor of six over the past five years, a share performance more usual for tech companies on the other side of the Atlantic.
The eurozone’s other largest caps – LVMH, SAP, Siemens, Sanofi, L’Oreal, Total Energies, Allianz, Schneider Electric and Air Liquide – aren’t on the same type of roll as ASML, but there is a view that European shares are back in favour with global investors.
It’s partly to do with the valuation gap compared with US peers, but also due to expectations of 4.3% annual growth across the eurozone this year.
At Zurich, Richard Temperley, Head of Investment Development, says the fund manager is underweight US equities but is positive about prospects for UK and Europe stocks. Zurich’s Eurozone Equity Fund, with c.€120m under management, recorded pre-charges growth of 16.2% through H1, and the 5-year annualised return is 12.2%.
The fund’s in-house stock pickers have mostly loaded up with the large cap giants mentioned above, and the fund has benefited from improved market sentiment surrounding the largest industrial players on the continent.
Evergreen Fund Reaches Half Century
The compound power of fund investing is illustrated by New Ireland’s Evergreen Fund, which was launched 50 years ago and is Ireland’s longest running managed fund.
The company, owned by Bank of Ireland, says that €10,000 invested in Evergreen in 1971 would now be worth c.€600,000. To keep pace with inflation in the half century, the €10,000 investment would have had to appreciate in value to c.€130,000, so long-term Evergreen investors are well ahead.
When we last reported on the fund in May 2018, the fund size was €670m. It’s currently c.€590m after the fund was marked down sharply in the pandemic panic of March 2020.
On the 50-year view, New Ireland says the pre-charges fund return has averaged 8.5% p.a., and year-to-date fund growth of 10.4% has been in line with the sector.
Fund manager State Street has c.60% of the fund exposure in equities, half of them American. Top picks three years ago included Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Skechers and Wells Fargo. Cisco is still favoured and now in the top ten holdings are Discovery, Cognizant, Omnicom, Continental, BMW and SAP.
A quirky Evergreen feature is the eclectic property holdings, which account for one-fifth of fund value. These include properties in London, Paris and Amsterdam (pictured), as well as in Dublin at George’s Dock and on St Stephen's Green.


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Sibongile Mtyali is the new Kaya 959 managing director, taking charge of the Gauteng station from 1 June 2021. Mtyali replaces Greg Maloka, who left in December 2020. Read more
[PRESS OFFICE] JCDecaux, the global leader in outdoor advertising, has announced the appointment of Sebastian Musendo as Managing Director for JCDecaux South Africa. Read more
[SPONSORED POST] The MediaShop Johannesburg is ready to expand its team again with the appointment of a Managing Director to head its flagship office. Are you the one? Read more
Deirdre Kingas is the new managing director of Jacaranda FM. She joins the station from Nando's South Africa. Read more
YouTube has announced Alex Okosi will be taking on the role of managing director of emerging markets for YouTube in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Read more
New agency group Meta Media has announced the appointment of Kagiso Musi as its inaugural managing director. Speaking on the appointment, Chris Botha, group managing director of Park Advert... Read more
Copyright © 2015 - 2019 The Media Online. All rights reserved. Part of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd.


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Peter Andre bringing 'unforgettable' show to Felixstowe theatre
- Credit: PA
Popstar Peter Andre is bringing an "unforgettable" tell-all show to a theatre in Felixstowe at the end of the year.
The Mysterious Girl hitmaker has announced plans for a one-night-only show at the Spa Pavilion in Undercliff Road West on Wednesday, December 7.
An Evening with Peter Andre will feature the singer reveal all about his music career, as well as his appearances on TV shows, in films and on stage.
The Spa Pavilion said on its website: "With an incredible social following of over eight million, the happily married father-of-four is busier than ever and an evening with Peter is an unforgettable experience."
The 49-year-old recently thanked an Ipswich business owner who worked on his son's Audi.
Tickets to An Evening with Peter Andre start at £48, with limited meet and greet packages available for £100.


Our services include:
- Engineering, design and installation of underground and above-ground storage tank systems
- Installation of above and below grade fuel transfer piping equipment
- Fueling facility design and installation
- Fueling equipment certification
- Storage tank system installation, including tightness testing of tanks and piping
- Storage tank system repairs and routine maintenance, including calibration of dispensers and certification of leak detection systems
- Storage tank decommissioning and closure
- Storage tank closure assessment/remediation and reporting
- Compliance and regulatory requirements
- Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plans
- Best Management Plans
Alternative FuelsCEI is a leader in the field of alternative fuels and one of its principals is an active member on the board of the Southeast Florida Clean Cities Coalition. We have extensive knowledge of the industry and established business relationships within the regulatory community. CEI maintains a high level of involvement in existing and emerging Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) technologies. We have expertise and a proven record of seeking and obtaining outside funding sources for AFV implementations. Our most notable project was the design and installation of a 770 cubic feet per minute compressed natural gas fueling facility at the Miami International Airport. CEI installed underground piping and performed preliminary site work for the new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility after completion of a diesel/unleaded fueling facility.
CEI does not offer/provide any engineering in North Carolina. Any engineering required will be contracted out to properly licensed engineering firms and individuals.


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She/Her/HersLicensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
Jeanette Williams is a Systemic Psychotherapist Licensed in Marriage and Family Therapy with offices on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and in South Plainfield, NJ who specializes in anxiety, trauma, family issues, individual and couples counseling. She works with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Many of the individuals she works with are navigating intergenerational trauma.
Jeanette draws from an eclectic systems framework while integrating elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Holistic Therapy, Contextual Therapy, and Narrative Therapy, which collectively promote intergenerational healing and reconciliation. She operates from a place of empowerment and change and identifies that we all inherently have the right to change, shift, and/or modify our story. Tennent’s of Contextual Therapy, her work is rooted in the belief of fairness, equality, morality, and balance. Her sessions are client-centered, ensuring that clients feel safe and comfortable before opening up about past experiences. In practice, Jeanette engages in conducting assessments to gauge where the individual, couple or family is and ultimately what they would like to shift to assess what problems are occurring before working with the client(s) to develop a treatment plan that takes into account clients’ needs and goals.
Jeanette strives to help her clients find balance in their relationships, daily interactions, and endeavors. She will work to support you as you begin the journey towards healing and empowerment.
Anxiety - Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety); sudden and intense feelings of panic (panic disorder)
Imbalance in relationships - Helping clients who struggle with imbalances in relationships
Work/life challenges - Helping clients who struggle with work and life challenges
Grief - Helping clients through grief and loss
Trauma - Coping and healing after threatening or scary events, such as witnessing accidents or experiencing sexual, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse
Couples counseling - Addressing relationship challenges and life transitions; strengthening communication and feelings of security, desire, connection, and love
Family issues - Promoting communication and supporting family members to address challenges and reduce conflict and distress
Intergenerational reconciliation - Helping clients who are struggling with issues of intergenerational reconciliation
Reinvention - Helping clients who are looking to reinvent themselves and their narratives
This provider can support you in getting reimbursement from your insurance company if you are seeking out-of-network reimbursement. Here are the out-of-network billing options they provide:
Frequency of sessions this provider offers to see clients once you are an established client.
Years of Experience: 6 years
Deeper Changer Personal Growth and Therapy Group/Private Practice in South Plainfield, NJ, & UWS NYC, 2017 - Present
Private Practice in Morningside Heights, NY, 2017 - 2019
The Jewish Board, Staten Island, NY, 2017 - 2019
Regroup Behavioral Health, Plainfield, NJ, 2017 - 2019
The Center for Therapy and Counseling, East Brunswick, NJ, 2015 - 2017
Contextual Family Services, Flemington, NJ, 2015 - 2017
The Family Center of Montclair @ Verona, Verona NJ, 2014 - 2016
Seton Hall University, MFT, 2015
The New School, BA, 2009
New Jersey: 001415
New York: 37FI00185400

domain: psychology


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75% Pure Fresh Aloe Vera Penca Zábila (195 grams of Aloe Vera pulp in each container).
Our jams are made in a completely handmade way, without preservatives, with a careful selection of the best Penca Zabila Aloe Vera from the Canary Islands. They have a high content of fresh pulp in a proportion of 75 grams. for every 100 grams thus being marmalades extra quality with all the active ingredients and nutrients of the best aloe vera in the world.
Extra Canary Aloe Vera Jam 260g
Aloe Vera is the medicinal queen plant so with this jam you will contribute to your body more than 200 nutrients and active ingredients beneficial to your health, while you will enjoy an extra jam made with pure pulp of aloe vera to delight your senses . The Aloe Vera with which we produce our jams comes from organic farms of Penca Zábila in the Canary Islands.
It does not contain gluten, nor preservatives.
Format: 260 g
Isla Bonita was born in response to the need to recover and perpetuate the culinary tradition of our beloved Canary Islands, for this purpose, we recover the old recipes and methods of work of our ancestors and adapt them to the new times and the great demand of traditional products .
Little by little we have been enriching our offer by adding more and more products, treating each and every one of them as if they were pieces of art, all the fruits are selected one by one manually and in the elaboration processes of each one of the products that we offer we put the same effort and illusion so that those who taste them feel transported to the sunny and magical Canary Islands, land not only of sun and beaches but of a great and more than ingrained culinary tradition that fortunately transcends the successive generations of good food artisans.
Artisan ALOE CACTUS liqueur from GIN 72 Fuerteventura 750ml
Brand: from GIN72
Producer: AguaGuanches Distillery
Varieties: Artisan ALOE CACTUS Liquor
Bottle volume: 0.75 L.
GIN 72 ALOE CACTUS LIQUOR: Canarian DNA 100% Handmade Copper Alembic Super Premium Smallest distillery in the world Limited Edition Edition.
With Fuerteventura Majorero DNA we produce a delicious ALOE CACTUS Liquor, adding craftsmanship, passion and dedication, with ingredients from local farmers in the Canary Islands in the smallest and most exclusive Distillery in the world.
From Gin 72 ALOE CACTUS Liqueur: Crafted and bottled in the smallest distillery in the world, an extraordinary premium artisan ALOE CACTUS liqueur is born. Made with the best varieties of ALOE CACTUS, we create a liqueur with unrepeatable body, flavor and intensity.
PRODUCTION: For the creation of our liqueurs we use only ingredients from the Canary Islands from local producers that we make 100% by hand in small productions treated with love and care.
Tasting Notes: Very fragrant and delicious ALOE CACTUS liqueur. Natural and digestive product. It can be drunk alone or mixed in cocktails. A new sensation. Better to drink it cold.
Gift Basket Pure Aloe Vera Juices 3x300ml:
Give the gift of Health and Well-being! Give the gift of Pure Fresh Aloe Vera!
Taking care of the health of your loved ones is the best of gifts.
Delicate presentation in a decorated wicker basket containing 1 fresh pure Aloe Vera Juice 300 ml + 1 Aloe Vera Juice with Canary Indian Tuno 300 ml + Aloe Vera Juice with Palm Honey.
Pure Aloe Vera Juice and two variants of Pure Aloe, one with Canarian Indian Tuno and another with Palm Honey from La Gomera, so you can enjoy the purest Aloe that exists and also two variants that enhance the properties and flavor of this elixir of health and beauty.
Aloe Vera extracted exclusively from the pulp of fresh premium organic aloe vera leaves from the Canary Islands, without dehydration, freeze-drying or pasteurization.
Fresh pure aloe vera to enjoy the best of nature. Aloe in its purest form.


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The Master Gardeners of Somervell County are volunteers who work with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to improve gardening skills throughout the community. Program objectives are implemented through the training of local volunteers known as Master Gardeners. We collaborate with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to conduct youth and community education; establish and maintain demonstration gardens; and provide a speakers bureau.
We work with special audiences in the community (4-H horticultural clubs, Junior Master Gardener groups, schools, and others) for youth and community outreach of a horticultural nature. We recruit and educate new Master Gardener candidates for effective volunteering.
Somervell County Master Gardeners Association was chartered in 2001 with 6 members. Each odd year since that time, we have slowly added to our ranks.
Meet the 2016-2017 SCMGA Officers
After a great time as SCMGA President the last two years, Julie will be serving in that capacity once again. Some of her favorite plants include Moonflowers and Iris, and she’s a great teacher when it comes to planting and landscaping with trees. Julie is highly involved in our Community Horticulture Education Sessions (CHES), so come check it out the second Monday of the month at the Citizens Center at 6:30.
Once again, Linda is serving at the Vice President of the SCMGA. Linda is both a gardening and bird enthusiast, and one of her favorite plants is the Poinsettia. Her Master Gardener interests include vegetable gardening, native plants, working with children, roses, and photography. Linda is the mastermind behind our monthly newsletter, so check out the recent posts or subscribe for monthly deliveries to your inbox.
Merilyn is serving a second term as the SCMGA secretary, who faithfully keeps the minutes for our monthly meetings. She has been a Master Gardener since 2007, but she has been gardening since her childhood. Having lived in many areas of Texas, Merilyn has learned firsthand how to make the most of the varying climates as a gardener. She is an avid grower of vegetables, flowers, and herbs, and she loves the idea of leaving a legacy of gardening to the next generation.
Donna spent the last year serving as the President of the Texas Master Gardener Association, and she couldn’t have represented Somervell County better. Now that she has passed on that torch, she is stepping into the role of the SCMGA treasurer. One of her favorite plants is the American BeautyBerry, and her interests include native plants, rainwater harvesting, and vegetable gardening.
Mary Ann Steele
This year, Mary Ann will be serving as the SCMGA historian. Mary Ann is a brand new Master Gardener Intern, but she is a Somervell County native. She has been gardening in the area for years, and she enjoys both vegetable gardening and flowers. You might see Mary Ann working in the Extension Office flower beds to earn her volunteer hours or taking photos of local Master Gardener events around town.
County Extension Agent
Zach is the Somervell County Extension Agent. He works tirelessly to help the Master Gardeners succeed, and we couldn’t do it without him!

domain: agronomy


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Monday, October 24, 2011
I only have a few quilts "in Process" right now!
This is a Scrap Quilt that I am working on! It is totally scrappy, except for each block will have a purple square in it!
Lisa and I had our First Sewing Day in 4 months on Friday!!
I made some cute "Kid" Winter Hats!
And I pieced this quilt top on Friday!
Its not finished, but I finished 90% of it! I only need to add the finishing borders!
My sewing is really helping me. It is hard not talking to Detto on a regular basis and sewing is really helping me keep my mind busy!
I am so blessed to have a sewing room and a best friend to sew with!
Thank You Lord for all of my blessings!


- Special Sections
- Public Notices
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) was unable to release its monthly unemployment figures for the state last week – and it’s the federal government’s fault.
Or more precisely, it is a result of the 16-day shutdown of the federal government.
According to a press release issued Oct. 17, the day Congress and the White House reached a deal to reopen the government, DEW was unable to calculate September’s employment figures because it didn’t have the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the Lancaster News, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.


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When considering what inventions have made the biggest impact over the past 150 years, it’s hard to discount the simple light bulb. While it may be easy to take for granted, electric lighting has completely transformed the way we illuminate our homes, businesses, and streets in a safer more reliable way. During the 19th and 20th centuries, we saw incremental changes, but in the 21st century there has been an evolution in the design and technology. If we rewind just 10 years, what is possible with lighting today would seem like science fiction.
What is smart lighting?
Controlling conventional light bulbs is nothing new, you control them by flipping a switch on and off. Sometimes they are hardwired into a dimmer switch, knob, or slider, allowing you to dim or brighten them. However, this is typically the extent of the functionality you get with traditional home lighting.
Smart lighting gives you far more control over your lights. They are still connected to your home’s power, but each smart bulb, outlet, switch, or integrated fixture allows you to control it wirelessly with your phone, tablet, or smart assistant, such as Alex, Siri, or Google Assistant.
Benefits of Smart Lighting
While the ability to turn the lights on or off, or dim them is clear, there are countless other benefits as well. Once you realize the potential, you can start to dream up solutions that can make a big impact in your home. Below are some examples:
-One of our favorite solutions is what we have coined the “Kevin McCallister” mode. In Home Alone, Kevin had to rig a set of pulleys to make it appear people were home and partying to confuse the Wet Bandits. With smart lighting, you can schedule lights in different parts of your home to turn on or off at predetermined times. Imagine you’re traveling, but as it gets dark the kitchen lights turn on, as the evening progresses, lights in bedrooms turn on for pre-set durations then off again, giving the illusion that people are home.
-By utilizing motion sensors, you can trigger lights to turn on in low traffic areas. In my house for example, at the bottom of our basement stairs we have a small common area, a sensor here triggers the light to turn on and if it doesn’t sense motion for 5 minutes, it turns back off. This is great for saving energy, plus my kids never have to worry about walking into a dark basement.
-Another personal example is our daughter’s room. The bedtime routine was always painful so I installed a smart bulb in her lamp, and programmed it along with an Alexa so that when she would say “Alexa, night night” the light would dim from 50% to 0% steadily over 10 minutes while soft music played. Adding this routine lead to better nights sleep for everyone!
Bulbs, Wall Switches, or Outlets
There are many ways that you can incorporate smart lighting into your home that fit any budget. The most versatile with minimal maintenance would be replacing the switches, with this solution, wall switches are strategically swapped out with a new smart switch that supports internet or hub connectivity. This is ideal for rooms that have a lot of can lights vs attempting to control lamps. You still retain the wall switch functionality, however, you can also control them via voice or app. Our go to solution is via Lutron, the image below is the pro dimmer that offers great aesthetics as well as functionality.
Smart bulbs are a great way to start incorporating smart lighting. Not all bulbs are created equal however, if you go with the cheapest solution, you’ll likely have connectivity issues that can lead to frustration. One of our favorite brands is Sengled, they have multiple bulb solutions in standard white or RGB (multi-color) so you can adjust lighting colors as well. There are WiFi options, but we prefer the Zwave models, they tend to be more reliable. Many Amazon Echo devices have a built in Zwave hub, so controlling the lights via Alexa using your voice or the app is super easy!
Outlets are great for lamps that have bulbs that can’t be swapped, LED strips, or other non-connected lights like Christmas lights. A fun automation is “Alexa, Merry Christmas” then you can program the Christmas tree to turn on and you favorite holiday music can start playing.
This is the tip of the iceberg of what is possible with smart lighting, if you’re interested in learning more contact us and one of our experts can provide guidance on what may work for you.

domain: design


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360 Main Road (cnr Winns Road)Coromandel Valley, South Australia
City of Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg officially "opened the door" of the Watchman House History Records & Community Facility on Saturday 7th May 2016.
Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg addressing guest before officially opening the Watchman House on Saturday 7 May 2016.
The Watchman House History Research & Community Facility on the day of its official opening.
Coromandel Valley & Districts Branch Chair, Trevor Conlon, welcomed guests and shared stories of his family's links to Winns Bakehouse and the neighbouring Shepley House.
Guests at the launch.
Mayor Rosenberg officially opens to door to the Watchman House History Research and Community Facility.
Lorraine Crocker is a talented quilter and husband Ray's antique sewing machine collection inspired one of the superb quilts she displayed at the opening.
Our team of volunteer caterers served a stunning morning tea.
Ray Crocker's collection of historic sewing machines attracted plenty of interest.
Morning tea was scrumptious!


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Finance Minister: Brazil Will Soon Tax Online Sports Betting
BRAZIL (March 2, 2023) — Online sports betting taxation in Brazil will be the alternative to offset the loss of revenue with the correction of the Income Tax (IR) table. This was announced on Wednesday (1st) by Finance Minister Fernando Haddad. According to the Finance Minister, most countries tax the practice and regulation could come as soon as this month. “I’ll regulate. We have readjusted the IR table and this has a small loss. We will use taxes to offset these electronic games that don’t pay taxes but deprive the country of a fortune,” the minister said in an interview. “These kinds of games are taxed all over the world,” he added.
Although the minister referred to electronic games, the Treasury Press Office clarified that Haddad was referring to online sports betting, mainly football scores, also known as sports betting. Video games or electronic sports, so-called e-sports, would not be covered by the measure. In the interview, the minister did not specify how much the government will take from this measure. According to him, the economic team is still studying the tax implications. “The gain would be of the order of several billion reais. Not many [billions], but some.”
The Ministry of Finance is currently finalizing the proposal to correct the income tax table, one of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign promises. In an interview with CNN Brazil two weeks ago, Lula said the government intends to raise the exemption limit from May 1,903.98 to 2,640 reais, the equivalent of two minimum wages. If the measure goes into effect in two months, the government will lose 3.2 billion reais in tax revenue this year, according to the tax agency. For 2024, the impact would be 6 billion reais ($1 equals 5.21 reais).
SOURCE: agência latinapress.Tags: Brazil, Ministry of Finance, Taxation, Online Sports Betting


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About | Presidio Village
Presidio Village is conveniently located in the Alliance Corridor of North Tarrant County. You'll feel right at home in the surroundings of Presidio Village! Located off I-35W in Fort Worth at the Heritage Trace exit. Just minutes from the Alliance Town Center that hosts shopping, dining, entertainment, and specialty shops. Presidio provides residents with quick commutes to more than 100 companies in the area. Not only are you close to work, but your kids will be in the highly acclaimed Northwest Independent School District, giving you access to an excellent education system.


Vasca di Decantazione_EN
The settling tank is a separator system of sludge of wastewater resulting from coating processes.
Principle of operation:
The water saturated with sludge and particulates in the water collection tank of the coating cabins are sucked by means of an electric pump with open impeller. Afterwards they are conveyed, via a pipe to the bag-holder tank. Polluted waters then flow out through the two filter bags, which hold the sludge inside by dropping the filtered waters into the separator tank underneath. From here, by gravity, the water, cleaned from the sludge, goes back into the collector tanks of the painting booths.


Deeper stylus integration, faster displays planned for iPads
New MacBooks, iMac, and 5K monitor with LG in product pipeline
The iPhone 7 just came out, so of course rumors are already swirling about next year’s model.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple a patent that describes a Touch ID sensor which could effectively detect and read a user’s fingerprints through other components of the smartphone, “such as display stacks and touch screens” (via AppleInsider).
As much as we lampoon some of the sillier rumors in this space, we do like taking a peek into the crystal ball of what might happen and picking out our favorites to bet on. As we all know, some of them come true, some of them never do, some may come true someday — so they’re like prayers, in a way — and there is some fun in handicapping the likelihood of which camp a given rumor will fall.


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The Piotroski F-Score calculation for QSR / Restaurant Brands International Inc. is shown here. In 2000, Joseph Piotroski published a paper titled "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers." This paper described a method of using data from a company's financial reports to help predict future performance.
The Piotroski F-Score, as it is known, is a 9-point discrete score, where 9 is the best, that ranks companies based on a number of financial factors. To calculate the score, we compare nine factors from the two most recent annual reports. If the change in the factor is "good", then we add one to the score. If the change in the factor is "not good", then we add zero. The following explanations are quoted from the paper.
QSR / Restaurant Brands International Inc. Piotroski F-Score
ROA : Net Income before Extraordinary Items, scaled by Total Assets at beginning of year
CFO: Cash Flow from Operations, scaled by Total Assets at beginning of year
ΔROA: Current Year's ROA less Prior Year's ROA. If this negative, ROA (and therefore profitability) has decreased.
ACCRUAL: Current Year's Net Income before Extraordinary Items less Cash Flow from Operations, scaled by Total Assets at beginning of year. In short, one if CFO > ROA. The relationship between earnings and cash flow levels is also considered. Earnings driven by positive accrual adjustments (i.e., profits are greater than cash flow from operations) is a bad signal about future profitability and returns. This relationship may be particularly important among value firms, where the incentive to manage earnings through positive accruals (e.g., to prevent covenant violations) is strong.
Financial Leverage, Liquidity, and Source of Funds
ΔLEVER: The historical change in the ratio of long-term debt to average total assets. By raising external capital, a financially distressed firm is signaling its inability to generate sufficient internal funds. In addition, an increase in long-term debt is likely to place additional constraints on the firm’s financial flexibility. An increase in financial leverage is a negative.
ΔLIQUID: The historical change in the firm’s current ratio between the current and prior year, where we define the current ratio as the ratio of current assets to current liabilities at fiscal year-end. An improvement in liquidity is a good signal.
EQ_OFFER: One if the firm did not issue common equity in the year, zero otherwise. Similar to an increase in long-term debt, financially distressed firms that raise external capital could be signaling their inability to generate sufficient internal funds to service future obligations. Moreover, the fact that these firms are willing to issue equity when their stock prices are likely to be depressed (i.e., high cost of capital) highlights the poor financial condition facing these firms.
ΔMARGIN: The firm’s current gross margin ratio (gross margin scaled by total sales) less the prior year’s gross margin ratio. An improvement in margins signifies a potential improvement in factor costs, a reduction in inventory costs, or a rise in the price of the firm’s product.
ΔTURN: The firm’s current year asset turnover ratio (total sales scaled by beginning of the year total assets) less the prior year’s asset turnover ratio. An improvement in asset turnover signifies greater productivity from the asset base. Such an improvement can arise from more efficient operations (fewer assets generating the same levels of sales) or an increase in sales (which could also signify improved market conditions for the firm’s products).
Peers - Restaurants, Dining, and Eating Places (5812)
BH / Biglari Holdings Inc.
CMG / Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
DIN / DineEquity, Inc.
DRI / Darden Restaurants, Inc.
EAT / Brinker International, Inc.
5h - Asif
Background DelMar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical stage drug development company with a focus on the treatment of cancer. The company's mission is to benefit patients and create shareholder value by developing and commercializing anti-cancer therapies for patients whose tumors exhibit features that make them resistant to, or unlikely to respond to, currently available therapies, particularly for orphan cancer indications where patients have failed, or are unlikely to respond to, currently available therapy. DelMar Pharmaceuticals is developing VAL-083, a novel, DNA-targeting agent, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (“GBM”) and potentially other solid tumors, including ovarian cancer. VAL-083 is a first-in-class, DNA-targeting chemotherapeutic that demonstrated activity against a range of tumor types in prior Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies sponsored by the US National Cancer Institute (“NCI”). The company's recent research has highlighted the opportunit...
2018-09-18 - Asif
Overview Rigel Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering, developing and providing novel small molecule drugs that significantly improve the lives of patients with immune and hematologic disorders, cancer and rare diseases. The company's pioneering research focuses on signaling pathways that are critical to disease mechanisms. The company's first FDA-approved product is TAVALISSE™ (fostamatinib disodium hexahydrate), an oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to a previous treatment. The company's current clinical programs include Phase 2 studies of fostamatinib in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and IgA nephropathy, and a Phase 1 study for its IRAK program. In addition, Rigel Pharmaceuticals has product candidates in development with partners BerGenBio AS, Daiichi Sankyo, and Aclaris Therapeutics. Since inception, Rigel Pharmaceuticals h...
2018-09-18 - Asif
Overview The company design, develop and sell exoskeleton technology to augment human strength, endurance and mobility. The company's exoskeleton technology serves multiple markets and can be used both by able-bodied users as well as by persons with physical disabilities. Ekso Bionics has sold, rented or leased devices that (a) enable individuals with neurological conditions affecting gait (stroke and spinal cord injury) to rehabilitate and to walk again and (b) allow industrial workers to perform heavy duty work for extended periods. Today, its medical exoskeleton, Ekso GT, is used as a rehabilitation tool to allow physicians and therapists to rehabilitate patients who have suffered a stroke or spinal cord injury. With its unique features designed specifically for hospitals and its proprietary SmartAssist software, Ekso GT allows for the early mobilization of patients, with high step count and high dosage treatments. The intent is to allow the patient’s central nervous syst...
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Marijuana stocks are hot in today’s market, but pot stocks are not the only way for you to profit from the habits of other people. Alcohol has been legal in America for 85 years, and the industry’s consolidation has delivered some solid investment opportunities. These are companies with solid growth prospect that you can invest in with confidence. (10-0)
Worldwide consumption of coffee, tea, and other hot drinks is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.4 percent through 2021, according to BMI Research. Emerging markets are expected to comprise the bulk of the gains, with China alone growing at 20 percent a year. Even developed markets such as the U.S. are expected to see a rise in demand for coffee as the millennial generation picks up a caffeine habit. (9-0)
(Sept 14): Eight fast-food chains, including Burger King, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Denny’s, will no longer enforce “no-poaching” pacts that require their franchisees not to hire away each other’s employees, under the terms of settlements filed in court by Washington state’s attorney general. (4-0)
Dunkin Brands (NASDAQ:DNKN) has surprised a lot of people since its IPO back in 2012. At the time, many observers felt that Dunkin was a washed up or tired brand. People weren’t buying the growth strategy that Dunkin was selling. Interest in the IPO was modest, and Dunkin stock didn’t do much initially. (13-0)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) is feeling the pinch from trade conflicts and rising costs, but is still willing to consider an acquisition to fuel growth, its chief executive officer said on Friday. (11-0)
A roaring Casino stock, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, topped sector net gains leaders per analyst target-price and dividend estimates calculated 9/5/18. (4-0)
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This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com (4-0)
The parent company of Tim Hortons seized ownership of four locations from a restaurant owner heading an unsanctioned franchisee group after he allegedly leaked sensitive corporate news to the media. (4-0)
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as of ET

domain: finance


Dentist office. 38th Bomb Group.
Guarding the perimeter around the base. The gun is an Australian designed and built Owen gun. (Thanks Ray!)
Why is this dog being sworn in?
A great picture of a very early style tiger noseart on the nose of an 823rd B-25.
Engine maintenance being done on a 71st. Squadron B-25.


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This page contains Cheats for Operation Flashpoint: Elite organized by sections for Xbox. This game has "Action Shooter First-Person" as genre, made by Bohemia Interactive, released on Nov 8, 2005. If you can't find a hint or secret in our list, then please check this page periodically for the latest updates.
- Developer: Bohemia Interactive
- Publisher: Codemasters
- Genre: Action Shooter First-Person
- Release: Nov 8, 2005
- ESRB: Teen
Enter one of the following case-sensitive profile names: "Dentist Guba", "QA Tester", or "XaX 1985". Then, hold [L] + [White] during game play to display the cheat menu. Keeping [L] + [White] held, press [Up] or [Down] to highlight a cheat option, then press [Right] to enable it. Note: Each profile name unlocks a diffe..From: yella7864
When you make and design your own level you will have the ability to add East Side bots. Do so, and when it says to place the object put it in the middle of a tree. When you go to this tree while previewing it, notice that the man is in the shape of a Kangaroo and has a baby Kangaroo for a gun or grenade...From: xcbffgjsfjjs
Set the system date to December 25th. Christmas trees will appear in some levels...From: vampedstrings
If you know cheats, secrets, hints, glitches or other level guides for this game that can help others leveling up, then please Submit your Cheats and share your insights and experience with other gamers.


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Our Price: $177.99
This costume includes horse head, horse body front with attached blanket, and horse body back with attached tail.
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Hippie Man Plus Adult Costume
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Toy Story Green Army Man Deluxe Adult Costume

domain: entertainment


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a usually young man who does noisy and violent things as part of a group or gang; hoodlum
"When Billy Windsor had mentioned the gangs, he had formed a mental picture of low-browed hooligans, keeping carefully to their own quarter of the town." P.G. Wodehouse, Psmith, Journalist, 1915
"A Dutch court sentenced the hooligan who attacked [the] goalkeeper during a cup match ... to a six-month prison term Thursday ..." Associated Press, December 29, 2011
About the Word:
This word may be eponymous: Patrick Hooligan was an Irish-born ruffian who attained notoriety (and who died in prison) in London shortly before the turn of the 20th century. It's still associated with Britain, where "football hooliganism" is sometimes referred to as the "English disease."

domain: history


KITTERY, Maine — For early on-set dementia patients, the isolation from loved ones physically and emotionally can be crippling as feelings of confusion, fear and anxiety set in.
To help combat these feelings, third-graders at Horace Mitchell Primary School have been partnering with the Maine Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association for four art lessons with early on-set dementia patients in a pilot program called, “Heart to Art,” at Kittery Estates senior living facility.
“This initiative is actually part of a larger effort in which we are partnering with community organizations to take their own approaches in working with and welcoming local citizens living with dementia," said Laurie Trenholm, executive director of the Maine chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. "We are grateful to both Kittery Estates and the Horace Mitchell School in partnering with us for this project. It is our hope that Heart to Art taps into what is possible – what persons living with dementia can do – as a way to help build self-esteem and maintain a vital sense of identity while enjoying their time working with the students."
The Mitchell students chose art projects they have done in the past with their art teacher Amy Nucci to teach their senior partners. This past Wednesday the students and senior participants created renditions of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” The students divided into small groups to work on a painting with one of the six senior participants, three of whom are participants in the chapter’s Early Stage Social Engagement Program.
Mark Pechenik, the chapter’s manager of community engagement and outreach, said this social interaction can help ease the feelings of anxiety and lonliness.
“What seniors and students have in common is there’s less filtering and more freedom of expression,” Pechenik said. “This program has really exceeded our expectations. It is part of our effort to enable those who are living with mental challenges and dementia to be connected to the community.”
Patients like Bob O’Keefe of North Waterboro, who comes to community engagement events with his wife, Jean, he said he gets a kick out of learning from the students.
“It’s really fun to see the kids,” he said. “They’re young and we’re old. This keeps me engaged and it certainly beats staying at home and not doing anything.”
Nucci said her students jumped at the opportunity to work with the seniors and teach them some of their favorite art lessons.
“The students really enjoy the relationships they're making and they’re very attached to their partners already,” she said. “They’re getting so much more out of it than I originally anticipated they would. This instills so much self-esteem and confidence to put them in the role of the teacher and choose what they want to teach their folks.”
Nucci’s students were all happy to share their creativity with their new friends.
“I like getting to teach the lessons,” said Lucy, a Mitchell student. “It’s so much fun to work with Bob.”
Although this session of Heart to Art is concluding after the session this coming Wednesday, Pechenik said the chapter will be working to start a more regular program with students at Mitchell.
“One of the things we always look for in our volunteers, the students included, is their ability to combine empathy and the gift of normalcy; relating to our people like they would a friend or a family member,” Pechenik said. “Patients get enough of the feeling that ‘I’m different or I’m less than,’ and these students have really mastered that empathy and it comes naturally for them.”


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New cancer drug reduces advanced melanoma in almost 50 per cent of patients
A new treatment proving more successful than chemotherapy in treating melanoma could also be used to treat other cancers.
Drug essentially replaces chemotherapy, is placed on pharmaceutical benefits scheme
Next challenge will be making it accessible for other cancer patients
40 per cent of patients will have a shrinkage of their tumour
Clinical trials have shown the drug Keytruda reduced or eliminated the disease in almost 50 per cent of patients with advanced melanoma.
The drug essentially replaces chemotherapy and has been placed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, which means if melanoma patients meet certain criteria, they will be treated for free.
But the next step will be making it accessible for other cancer patients.
Kathy Gardiner, who was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 melanoma, said she already had radiotherapy and several operations when she received compassionate access to the Keytruda trial.
More than two and half years later, she remains free of melanoma and no longer receives treatment.
"It's amazing to be one of the patients to have no evidence disease response," she said.
"It's also very heartbreaking to know there are other patients out there who haven't had that same response."
Ms Gardiner's doctor, Victoria Atkinson, a medical oncologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, said it was the first time a drug had significantly improved the survival rate of patients with advanced melanoma, which used to be a terminal prognosis.
"The average survival for patients with melanoma up until 2010 was nine months [all stages]."
"Published results have shown that 55 per cent of patients on Keynote-006, which was the pivotal trial, were alive at two years.
"So it was very encouraging to see response rates in the order of about 40 per cent — so that means 40 per cent of patients will have a shrinkage of their tumour."
Dr Atkinson said this meant there are patients who are currently free of melanoma and some who no longer need treatment, a "significant leap from chemotherapy".
"Chemotherapy for melanoma has never shown to let people live longer."
"We used to use it because we didn't have anything else, but it has a shrinkage rate of about 10 per cent and median survival, so how long patients live is nine months."
Unlike chemotherapy, which kills the good cells as well as the cancer, Keytruda stimulates the body's immune system to kill the cancer cells.
Progress in melanoma treatment now means doctors are daring to talk about a cure.
"As a medical oncologist I don't say the word cure very lightly because that's something certainly for a very long time that we have not been able to think about," Dr Atkinson said.
"But I think in the years to come, potentially immunotherapy is how we're going to be talking about that."
Hope to apply drug to other forms of cancer
Dr Atkinson said she hoped it could be applied to other cancers.
"If we look at the immune therapies for the other malignancies the response rates are less, but it's still better than some of the forms of chemotherapy that we use," she said.
"So it is certainly a change in that we're thinking about immunotherapy for a wide number of malignancies and there are clinical trials for a wide number of malignancies."
Professor Georgina Long, a medical oncologist at Melanoma Institute Australia who runs a range of clinical trials, said the drugs had an "excellent toxicity side-effect profile".
"Patients don't lose their hair, most of my patients are back to work full time, leading normal lives," she said.
"They'll often come in, and say 'people always ask me how I'm going, I've got bad melanoma, but I feel great, I'm living a normal life, I feel like I'm lying to the system.'
"And that just shows you the success of the drug."
Professor Long pointed out that the treatment was still new, with trials starting less than five years ago, so they did not yet have long-term data.
Source: ABC News

domain: medical


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In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the classic comedy sitcom ‘Friends,’ LEGO is releasing a Central Perk set, which is the coffee shop that served as the hangout spot for the main characters.
The set features 1,079 pieces and includes mini-figures of seven characters (Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey, Phoebe and Gunther), the seating area, and furniture pieces.
According to a press release from LEGO, “Builders can also recreate the stage where Phoebe Buffay performed her songs on guitar (and Ross Geller once played his keyboard), as well as including a brick-built coffee machine, cookie jar with two cookie elements, menu board element and other authentic items.”
The Central Perk set goes on sale today, September 1, for $59.99. The set is already showing as backordered on LEGO.com, but orders are still being accepted with delayed shipping dates.
Are you a LEGO collector? Do you plan to buy this iconic set? Let us know in the comments below!
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.


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By Kyle Emch / March 10th, 2013
Did you miss out on The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess tour last year? Well, you’re in luck, because new tour dates have been announced. This orchestral tribute to the Legend of Zelda series will start its next touring season next week. Here is the full list of tour dates for the rest of the year.
March 16, 2013 7:30 PM Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
May 23, 2013 6:30 PM London, UK Hammersmith Apollo
May 25, 2013 8:00 PM Paris, FR Le Palais des Congrès
May 28, 2013 8:00 PM Berlin, DE Tempodrom
June 06, 2013 8:00 PM Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
June 10, 2013 8:00 PM San Francisco, CA Davies Symphony Hall
June 12, 2013 8:30 PM Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre
June 14, 2013 8:00 PM Montréal, QC Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
June 29, 2013 8:00 PM Austin, TX Long Center
September 07, 2013 7:30 PM Toronto, ON Sony Performing Arts Centre
September 12, 2013 8:00 PM Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall
If you live near any of these areas, you can buy tickets here.
The Legend of ZeldaThe Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses