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[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Functionally heterogeneous populations of serotonergic neurons, located within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), play a role in stress-related behaviors and neuropsychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Abnormal development of these neurons may permanently alter their structure and connections, making the organism more susceptible to anxiety-related disorders. A factor that critically regulates the development of serotonergic neurons is fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8). In this study, we used acute restraint stress followed by behavioral testing to examine whether Fgf8 signaling during development is important for establishing functional stress- and anxiety-related DR neurocircuits in adulthood. Wild-type and heterozygous male mice globally hypomorphic for Fgf8 were exposed to acute restraint stress and then tested for anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus-maze. Further, we measured c-Fos immunostaining as a marker of serotonergic neuronal activation and tissue 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations as a marker of serotonin functional output. Results showed that Fgf8 hypomorphs exhibited 1) an exaggerated response of DR anxiety-promoting circuits and 2) a blunted response of a DR panic-inhibiting circuit to stress, effects that together were associated with increased baseline anxiety-like behavior. Overall, our results provide a neural substrate upon which Fgf8 deficiency could affect stress response and support the hypothesis that developmental disruptions of serotonergic neurons affect their postnatal functional integrity.
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) are organized in anatomically distinct subregions that form connections with specific brain structures to modulate diverse behaviors, including anxiety-like behavior. It is unclear if the functional heterogeneity of these neurons is coupled to their developmental heterogeneity, and if abnormal development of specific DR serotonergic subregions can permanently impact anxiety circuits and behavior. The goal of this study was to examine if deficiencies in different components of fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signaling could preferentially impact the development of specific populations of DR serotonergic neurons to alter anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. Wild-type and heterozygous male mice globally hypomorphic for Fgf8, Fgfr1, or both (Fgfr1/Fgf8) were tested in an anxiety-related behavioral battery. Both Fgf8- and Fgfr1/Fgf8-deficient mice display increased anxiety-like behavior as measured in the elevated plus-maze and the open-field tests. Immunohistochemical staining of a serotonergic marker, tryptophan hydroxylase (Tph), revealed reductions in specific populations of serotonergic neurons in the ventral, interfascicular, and ventrolateral/ventrolateral periaqueductal gray subregions of the DR in all Fgf-deficient mice, suggesting a neuroanatomical basis for increased anxiety-like behavior. Overall, this study suggests Fgf signaling selectively modulates the development of different serotonergic neuron subpopulations. Further, it suggests anxiety-like behavior may stem from developmental disruption of these neurons, and individuals with inactivating mutations in Fgf signaling genes may be predisposed to anxiety disorders.
Full-text · Article · Feb 2014 · Behavioural brain research
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: In order to further understand the genetic basis for variation in inherent (untrained) exercise capacity, we examined the brains of 32 male rats selectively bred for high or low running capacity (HCR and LCR, respectively). The aim was to characterize the activation patterns of brain regions potentially involved in differences in inherent running capacity between HCR and LCR. Using quantitative in situ hybridization techniques, we measured messenger ribonuclease (mRNA) levels of c-Fos, a marker of neuronal activation, in the brains of HCR and LCR rats after a single bout of acute treadmill running (7.5-15 minutes, 15° slope, 10 m/min) or after treadmill running to exhaustion (15-51 minutes, 15° slope, initial velocity 10 m/min). During verification of trait differences, HCR rats ran six times farther and three times longer prior to exhaustion than LCR rats. Running to exhaustion significantly increased c-Fos mRNA activation of several brain areas in HCR, but LCR failed to show significant elevations of c-Fos mRNA at exhaustion in the majority of areas examined compared to acutely run controls. Results from these studies suggest that there are differences in central c-Fos mRNA expression, and potential brain activation patterns, between HCR and LCR rats during treadmill running to exhaustion and these differences could be involved in the variation in inherent running capacity between lines.
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Background
Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors (FGFRs) are necessary for the proper development of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, which are key activators of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. Transgenic mice that have the targeted expression of a dominant negative FGFR (dnFGFR) in GnRH neurons (dnFGFR mice) have a 30% decrease of GnRH neurons. Additionally, only 30–40% of the pups born to the transgenic dams survive to weaning age. These data raised the possibility that FGFR defects in GnRH neurons could adversely affect maternal behavior via novel mechanisms.
We first determined if defective maternal behavior in dnFGFR mothers may contribute to poor pup survival by measuring pup retrieval and a battery of maternal behaviors in primiparous control (n = 10–12) and dnFGFR (n = 13–14) mothers. Other endocrine correlates of maternal behaviors, including plasma estradiol levels and hypothalamic pro-oxyphysin and GnRH transcript levels were also determined using enzyme-linked immunoassay and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively.
Maternal behaviors (% time crouching with pups, time off pups but not feeding, time feeding, and total number of nesting bouts) were not significantly different in dnFGFR mice. However, dnFGFR dams were more likely to leave their pups scattered and took significantly longer to retrieve each pup compared to control dams. Further, dnFGFR mothers had significantly lower GnRH transcripts and circulating E2, but normal pro-oxyphysin transcript levels.
Overall, this study suggests a complex scenario in which a GnRH system compromised by reduced FGF signaling leads to not only suboptimal reproductive physiology, but also suboptimal maternal behavior.
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is essential for the development of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) system. Mice harboring deficiencies in Fgf8 or Fgf receptor 1 (Fgfr1) suffer a significant loss of GnRH neurons, but their reproductive phenotypes have not been examined. This study examined if female mice hypomorphic for Fgf8, Fgfr1, or both (compound hypomorphs) exhibited altered parameters of pubertal onset, estrous cyclicity, and fertility. Further, we examined the number of kisspeptin (KP)-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the anteroventral periventricular/periventricular nuclei (AVPV/PeV) of these mice to assess if changes in the KP system, which stimulates the GnRH system, could contribute to the reproductive phenotypes. Single hypomorphs (Fgfr1(+/-) or Fgf8(+/-)) had normal timing for vaginal opening (VO) but delayed first estrus. However, after achieving the first estrus, they underwent normal expression of estrous cycles. In contrast, the compound hypomorphs underwent early VO and normal first estrus, but had disorganized estrous cycles that subsequently reduced their fertility. KP immunohistochemistry on Postnatal Day 15, 30, and 60 transgenic female mice revealed that female compound hypomorphs had significantly more KP-ir neurons in the AVPV/PeV compared to their wild-type littermates, suggesting increased KP-ir neurons may drive early VO but could not maintain the cyclic changes in GnRH neuronal activity required for female fertility. Overall, these data suggest that Fgf signaling deficiencies differentially alter the parameters of female pubertal onset and cyclicity. Further, these deficiencies led to changes in the AVPV/PeV KP-ir neurons that may have contributed to the accelerated VO in the compound hypomorphs.
Full-text · Article · Jan 2012 · Biology of Reproduction
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling is pivotal to the formation of numerous central regions. Increasing evidence suggests FGF signaling also directs the development of the neuroendocrine hypothalamus, a collection of neuroendocrine neurons originating primarily within the nose and the ventricular zone of the diencephalon. This review outlines evidence for a role of FGF signaling in the prenatal and postnatal development of several hypothalamic neuroendocrine systems. The emphasis is placed on the nasally derived gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons, which depend on neurotrophic cues from FGF signaling throughout the neurons' lifetime. Although less is known about neuroendocrine neurons derived from the diencephalon, recent studies suggest they also exhibit variable levels of dependence on FGF signaling. Overall, FGF signaling provides a broad spectrum of cues that ranges from genesis, cell survival/death, migration, morphological changes, to hormone synthesis in the neuroendocrine hypothalamus. Abnormal FGF signaling will deleteriously impact multiple hypothalamic neuroendocrine systems, resulting in the disruption of diverse physiological functions.
Full-text · Article · Jan 2011 · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Oxytocin (OT) is a nonapeptide essential for maternal care. The development of the OT neuroendocrine system is a multi-step process dependent on the action of many transcription factors, but upstream signaling molecules regulating this process are still poorly understood. In this study, we examined if fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8), a signaling molecule critical for forebrain development, is essential for the proper formation of the OT system. Using immunohistochemistry, we showed a significant reduction in the number of neurons immunoreactive for the mature OT peptide in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) in the hypothalamus of homozygous (HOMO) FGF8 hypomorphic mice compared to wild-type mice. The number of neurons positive for oxyphysin prohormone in the SON but not the PVN was also significantly reduced in FGF8 HOMO hypomorphs. However, steady-state mRNA levels of the oxyphysin prohormone were not significantly different between FGF8 hypomorphs and WT mice. These data suggest that a global reduction in FGF8 signaling leads to an overall reduction of mature OT and oxyphysin prohormone levels that may have resulted from defects in multiple stages of the hormone-synthesis pathway. Since proper hormone synthesis is a hallmark of mature OT neurons, this study suggests that FGF8 signaling may contribute to the phenotypic maturation of a neuroendocrine system that originates within the diencephalon.
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Although selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can reduce anxiety after chronic treatment, acute SSRI administration is associated with an increase in anxiety consistent with an acute increase in 5-HT neurotransmission. Exercise is anxiolytic in humans, and wheel running prevents anxiety-like behavioral consequences of uncontrollable stress in rats, but the effects of exercise on acute fluoxetine-induced anxiety-like behaviors are unknown.
The current studies tested the hypothesis that acute administration of the SSRI fluoxetine would produce behaviors in rats resembling those produced by uncontrollable stress and that these behaviors would be blocked by prior wheel running.
Adult, male Fisher 344 rats administered moderate (10 mg/kg) or high (20 mg/kg) doses of fluoxetine demonstrated exaggerated shock-elicited freezing and an interference with shuttle box escape compared to rats given either saline or low-dose fluoxetine (2.5 mg/kg). Fluoxetine-induced behaviors were similar to, but smaller in magnitude than, those produced by uncontrollable stress and were blocked by pretreatment with the 5-HT(2C) receptor antagonist SB 242084 (1 mg/kg). Rats allowed access to running wheels for 6 weeks were protected against the anxiety-like behaviors produced by a single injection of fluoxetine (10 mg/kg).
Behavioral effects of acute fluoxetine administration resemble those produced by uncontrollable stress. Results are consistent with the idea that exercise can produce resistance against the anxiogenic effects of acute increases in 5-HT and suggest that acute behavioral effects of antidepressants can depend on history of physical activity.
No preview · Article · Sep 2008 · Psychopharmacology
[Show abstract][Hide abstract] ABSTRACT: Altered serotonergic (5-HT) neurotransmission is implicated in the antidepressant and anxiolytic properties of physical activity. In the current study, we investigated whether physical activity alters factors involved in the regulation of central 5-HT neural activity.
In situ hybridization was used to quantify levels of 5-HT transporter (5-HTT), 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(1B), and alpha(1b)-adrenergic receptor (alpha(1b) ADR) messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) in the dorsal (DRN) and median raphe (MR) nuclei of male Fischer rats after either sedentary housing or 3 days, 3 weeks, or 6 weeks of wheel running.
Wheel running produced a rapid and lasting reduction of 5-HT(1B) mRNA in the ventral DRN. Three weeks of wheel running decreased 5-HTT mRNA in the DRN and MR and increased alpha(1b) ADR mRNA in the DRN. After 6 weeks of wheel running, 5-HTT mRNA remained reduced, but alpha(1b) ADR mRNA returned to sedentary levels. Serotonin(1A) mRNA was increased in the MR and certain DRN subregions after 6 weeks only.
Data suggest that the central 5-HT system is sensitive to wheel running in a time-dependent manner. The observed changes in mRNA regulation in a subset of raphe nuclei might contribute to the stress resistance produced by wheel running and the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects of physical activity.

domain: literature


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Luhring Augustine is pleased to announce an exhibition of works by the Brazilian artist Willys de Castro (1926 – 1988), featuring a selection of early gouaches and concrete poems, as well as Objetos ativos (Active objects), the works for which he is best known.
A founding member of the Neoconcrete movement, de Castro worked alongside contemporaries such as Lygia Clark, Hélio Oiticica, and Lygia Pape in formulating an approach to geometric abstraction centered on the phenomenological experience of the viewer. For these artists, a complete reading of an artwork transcended its fixed visual properties, encouraging instead a means of perception meant for the entire body. The curator Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro has noted, “Few artists have explored the delicate relationship between form and perception in greater depth than Willys de Castro. His achievements, modest in scale, but great in significance, summarize and embody with exquisite exactitude one of the key questions of twentieth century art: how to create simple forms with complex consequences.”
De Castro’s Active objects consist of geometric compositions most commonly painted on canvas-covered strips of wood. His decision to hang these structures perpendicular to the wall had groundbreaking implications, most notably in blurring their status as paintings. By reorienting the frontal axis along the object’s narrowest edge, de Castro introduced a sculptural dimensionality to these works, which complicated their apprehension from any single vantage point. His experiments with figure-ground relationships as well as positive and negative space enacted dialogues of rhythm and color across adjacent and opposing surfaces. In order to fully grasp his system of mirroring and counterbalance, one must move back and forth before the object, bridging together mental images of its distinct facets. While some of the artists in de Castro’s circle created artworks that invited physical manipulation, he was able to highlight the individual subjectivity of each viewer by transferring a form of authorship without requiring alteration of the work itself.
De Castro’s desire to push the boundaries of painting can be traced back to his early gouaches and concrete poems of the 1950s. In these works, overlapping geometric forms appear to break up the two-dimensional plane of his compositions, while the use of language introduces an external verbal component that becomes inextricable from the visual. Each compositional element is carefully mapped out according to a mathematical logic, offering distinct and valuable insight into de Castro’s meticulous design aesthetic and essentialist point of view.
Born in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, de Castro is among the most influential figures within the legacy of Brazilian modernism. Recent surveys of his work were held at the Instituto de Arte Contemporânea, São Paulo in 2016; Royal Academy of London in 2014; and Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo in 2012. His work is featured in the permanent collections of institutions worldwide, including the Museu de Arte de São Paulo; Museu de Arte Moderna Rio de Janeiro; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Blanton Museum of Art, Austin; and Museum of Modern Art, New York.
This exhibition was first presented at Cecilia Brunson Projects, London (October 8 – December 9, 2016), and was accompanied by a catalogue with texts by the artist, Gabriel Pérez-Barreiro, and Rodrigo Naves. Galeria de Arte Almeida e Dale, São Paulo and Galeria Marília Razuk, São Paulo were important collaborators in organizing this show.

domain: artistic


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The Music Workshop: Rhythm without Rhythm is based on Gotfried Toussaint’s description of rhythmic elements that make up everyday sounds. Participants are introduced to contemporary soundscape compositions through use of improvisation and interactive engagement. In line with the theme, participants are gently pushed to go against their natural tendency to create ‘recognisable’ patterns.
This will be conducted by two of the musicians performing in the reception: Christopher Clarke, a multi-instrumentalist currently pursuing a Masters of Music at NUS; and Ng Zheng Jie, a Singapore-based musician specialising in percussive instruments.
Venue: SPRMRKT, 2 McCallum Street, Singapore
Fee: Free, but limited to the first 15 participants
When: 14 Dec 2017, 5pm - 7pm


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What Is Marriage?
Marriage is defined as the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship, traditionally a man and a woman, in which they become partners for life. Marriage statistics are important because they provide insight into trends and patterns in society. For example, marriage statistics can show changes in the average age at which people get married and the number of marriages that are religious ceremonies. Understanding trends in marriage can provide insight into changes in societal values and norms, as well as the impact of economic and demographic factors on family formation. These statistics can help inform decisions made by individuals, communities, and policymakers.
Globally, marriage rates have been declining in recent decades. In many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, marriage rates have been declining for decades and are currently at their lowest point in recorded history. However, this trend is not universal and varies significantly from country to country.
Marriage Statistics in the United StatesThe following table shows US-based Marriage Data and Statistics for 2020.
|Number of marriages in 2020||1,135,000|
|Marriage rate in 2020 (per 1,000 population)||6.1|
|Median age at first marriage for women in 2020||28.1|
|Median age at first marriage for men in 2020||30.2|
|Average length of first marriage that ends in divorce||8 years|
|Divorce rate in 2020 (per 1,000 population)||2.6|
|Percentage of adults who have never been married||32.90%|
|Percentage of adults who are currently married||47.00%|
|Percentage of adults who are divorced or separated||10.40%|
|Percentage of adults who are widowed||9.70%|
2022 Marriage Data and Statistics
- The total number of marriages in 2022 was 1,985,072 which equaled a marriage rate of 6.0 per 1,000 total population. This is a significant reduction from a total of 2,315,000 marriages and a marriage rate of 8.2 in 2000.
- The total number of divorces in 2022 was 689,308 equivalent to a divorce rate: 2.5 per 1,000 population. While in 2000 it was 944,000 divorces with a rate of 4.0.
- Marriage rates across states in the United States in 2022 showed that the top 5 states were Nevada-26.2, Hawaii-12.8, Montana-11.0, Utah-9.1 and Arkansas-8.2. Whereas the states with the least marriage rates were Louisiana-4.4, Massachusetts-4.6, Illinois 4.7, Minnesota 4.8 and Delaware-4.9.
- In 2021, the divorce rates showed that the 5 states with the highest rates were Nevada-26.2, Oklahoma-3.8, Wyoming-3.7, Alabama 3.6 and Arkansas-3.6. Whereas the states with the least divorce rates were Massachusetts-1.0, Illinois-1.3, Texas-1.4, Maryland-1.6 and Kansas 1.9.
Marriage Statistics in England and Wales
- Since 1972, the number of opposite-sex marriages has decreased by 46.5%, while marriage rates have fallen by more than three-quarters for men (76.1%) and by 70.7% for women.
- There were 234,795 marriages in 2018; a decrease of 3.3% compared with 2017 and the lowest since 2009. This decrease was related to a 11.4% fall in the number of religious marriages and a 1.0% fall in civil marriages.
- In 2021, 113,505 divorces were granted, a 9.6% increase compared with 2020 when there were 103,592 divorces. The increase in divorces granted in 2021 may partially reflect these delays as well as the impact of the pandemic on divorce applications.
Marriage Statistics in EuropeThe following table includes Marriage Data from Europe for the year 2019.
|Number of marriages in the European Union (EU-27) in 2019||2,129,400|
|Marriage rate in the EU-27 in 2019 (per 1,000 population)||4.3|
|Median age at first marriage for women in the EU-27 in 2019||30.9|
|Median age at first marriage for men in the EU-27 in 2019||33.5|
|Average length of first marriage that ends in divorce in the EU-27||12 years|
|Divorce rate in the EU-27 in 2019 (per 1,000 population)||1.8|
|Percentage of adults who have never been married in the EU-27||35.40%|
|Percentage of adults who are currently married in the EU-27||42.40%|
|Percentage of adults who are divorced or separated in the EU-27||10.00%|
|Percentage of adults who are widowed in the EU-27||12.20%|
- In 2020, among countries in Europe, Italy had one of the lowest crude marriage rates at 1.6 marriages per 1,000 persons while Hungary had one of the highest at 6.9 marriages per 1,000 persons.
- While marriage rates have been declining in many countries, there are some countries where marriage rates are increasing. For example, in 2018, West Bank and Gaza had the highest marriage rate in the world with 10 marriages per every 1,000 population, Fiji followed with 9.8, Egypt and Bahamas counted 9.6 and 9.5 ranking third and fourth respectively.
- In 2020, the crude marriage rates (CMR) varied significantly among OECD countries. Countries like Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain had low CMRs of fewer than 2 marriages per 1000 people. In contrast, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Turkey had almost triple the rate at around 6 per 1000. The OECD average was 3.7 marriages per 1000 people.
- Over the past few decades, marriage rates have declined in almost all OECD countries. In 1970, most countries had CMRs between 7 and 10 marriages per 1000 people. By 1995, this had fallen to around 5 to 7 marriages per 1000 people and has continued to decline in many countries.
- In 2020, crude divorce rates (CDRs) varied significantly among countries. Ireland and Mexico had low CDRs of 0.7 divorces per 1000 people while Denmark, Latvia, and Lithuania had high CDRs of 2.7 per 1000.
- Over the past few decades, as marriage rates have declined, divorce rates have increased. Compared to 1970, current CDRs in most OECD countries are generally higher. All but five OECD countries with available data (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, and the United States) have higher CDRs now than in 1970. Many countries (Belgium, Greece, Israel, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal) have seen their CDRs more than double over the period.
Opposite-Sex Marriages Statistics
- Marriage rates for opposite-sex couples have fallen to their lowest on record since 1862; in 2019, for men, there were 18.6 marriages per 1,000 unmarried men; for women, there were 17.2 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women..
- Marriage rates for opposite-sex couples in 2018 were the lowest on record in England and Wales, with 20.1 marriages per 1,000 unmarried men and 18.6 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women.
- In 2018, there were 6,925 marriages between same-sex couples in England and Wales, with 57.2% between female couples.
- The share of Americans who favor same-sex marriage grew steadily for most of the last decade, but public support has leveled off in the last few years. About six-in-ten Americans (61%) supported same-sex marriage in 2019.
- Worldwide, most of the countries that allow gay marriage are in Western Europe. Still, a number of Western European nations, including Italy and Switzerland, do not allow same-sex unions. And so far, no countries in Central and Eastern Europe have legalized gay marriage.
- In terms of same-sex marriages, they represented an average of 2.3% of all marriages across 17 OECD countries with available data in 2020. This varied from a low of 1.2% in Iceland to a high of 3.7% in Australia.
- Along with New Zealand and Australia, Taiwan is one of only three nations in the Asia-Pacific region that has legalized same-sex unions.
- In Africa, only South Africa allows gays and lesbians to wed, which became legal in 2006.
- In the Americas, five countries besides Ecuador and the U.S. – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Uruguay – have legalized gay marriage. In addition, some jurisdictions in Mexico allow same-sex couples to wed.
Statistics For Religious Ceremony Marriages
- Religious marriages in England and Wales have become less popular over time. They accounted for 84.7% of all marriages in 1900 but by 1980, this had reduced to 50.4%. Since 1992, civil marriages have increasingly outnumbered religious marriages every year.
- Around one fifth (21.1%) of opposite-sex marriages in England and Wales in 2018 were religious ceremonies, the lowest on record. In contrast, religious ceremonies accounted for only 0.9% of same-sex marriages; however, not all religious organisations conduct marriages of same-sex couples.
Statistics For Civil Partnership Marriages
- In 2018, there were 803 same-sex civil partnerships converted into a marriage in England and Wales, 25.1% fewer than in 2017. Male couples are more likely to convert their civil partnership into a marriage (57.3% of all conversions in 2018 were between male couples).
Marriage Statistics Based on Age
- The increase in the age at which people are getting married is stronger in richer countries, particularly in North America and Europe. In Sweden, for example, the average age of marriage for women went up from 28 in 1990 to 34 years in 2017.
- In England and Wales, the average age at marriage for opposite-sex couples in 2018 was 38.1 years for men and 35.8 years for women; for same-sex couples the average ages at marriage were 40.4 years and 36.9 years respectively.
- Ireland has the world’s oldest brides with a median age of 32.4 years
- However, there are some countries where the average age at marriage is low and has remained unchanged for several years. In Niger, where child marriage is common, the average age at marriage for women has remained constant at 17 years since the early 1990s.
- As marriage rates have declined, the average age of those getting married has increased. In the early 1990s, the mean age of women at first marriage was between 22 and 27 and for men between 24 and 30. By 2020, these averages had increased to between 27 and 33 for women and between 29 and 35 for men across almost all OECD countries.
- There are still notable differences in the ages of individuals at first marriage across OECD countries. The mean age is high in Mediterranean and Nordic countries like Spain and Sweden where it is almost 35 for women and above 36 for men. In contrast, in Israel and Turkey the average age at first marriage is about 25 for women and less than or equal to 28 for men.
- Muslims have the widest spousal age gap (6.6 years between men and their wives or partners), followed by Hindus (5.6 years), Christians (3.8), Buddhists (2.9), the religiously unaffiliated (2.3) and Jews (2.1).
- Large age gaps are especially common in sub-Saharan Africa, including in Gambia (14.5 years between men and their wives or partners), Guinea (13.5) and Mali (12.9). There are much narrower gaps in European countries such as the Czech Republic (2.0), Slovakia (2.1) and Estonia (2.2) – though the United States and China (both 2.2) also are notable examples of small gaps.
- Within individual countries, the size of the spousal age gap can vary by religion. For example, Christian men in Nigeria are 9.2 years older than their female partners, on average, while Muslim men are 13.0 years older.
Marriage Statistics by Race
- In 2020, the marriage rate for white people was 59%, while the marriage rate for black people was 36%. The marriage rate for Hispanic people was 29%, and the marriage rate for Asian people was 27%.
- Women in same-sex marriages are more likely to be non-Hispanic White than women in opposite-sex marriages (69% vs. 63%), and they are less likely to be Asian or Hispanic.

domain: sociology


The Russian government admits that administrative barriers in the sphere of small business and entrepreneurship have not been removed; the number of such barriers has even increased of late.
Herman Gref, Russia's economic development and trade minister, said this Thursday, after a government's session convened to adjust the medium-term programme of the country's socio-economic development for the 2002-2004 period.
At the session, Herman Gref presented the results of a survey which was conducted by the World Bank recently and covered about 2,000 small businesses. "The results are not at all positive for us: as regards all kinds of inspections, there was no decrease, and in some cases, even an increase in the number of inspectors, inspections and violations of legislation in this sphere," Gref said. The minister pointed out in this connection that the government clearly realised the need for radical measures which would help to "restore the status-quo and put an end to the bureaucratic sway." Herman Gref said that, as a result of adjusting the medium-term socio-economic forecast in keeping with the president's Address to the Federal Assembly, the government proposed amendments to 16 items of the development programme. In particular, amendments are to be made in sections related to the removal of administrative barriers, the administrative reform and the acceleration of social reforms, including the introduction of medical insurance and the improvement of state property management.
The Russian military have already achieved significant success in the demilitarization of the Armed Forces of Ukraine


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At the present time, it is suggested that androgen replacement should take the form of natural testosterone. Some of the effects of testosterone are mediated after conversion to estrogen or dihydrotestosterone by the enzymes aromatase and 5a-reductase enzymes respectively. Other effects occur independently of the traditional action of testosterone via the classical androgen receptor- for example, its action as a vasodilator via a cell membrane action as described previously. It is therefore important that the androgen used to treat hypogonadism is amenable to the action of these metabolizing enzymes and can also mediate the non-androgen receptor actions of testosterone. Use of natural testosterone ensures this and reduces the chance of non-testosterone mediated adverse effects. There are now a number of testosterone preparations which can meet these recommendations and the main factor in deciding between them is patient choice.
While it would be nice to buy a testosterone pill from the local supplement store and have your testosterone levels go up, such a magic pill does not exist. As you can see from the above rundown, while a few supplements may be somewhat effective if your T levels are already low, none will significantly raise your testosterone above a baseline level. Thus, the basics of keeping your T levels high remain pretty simple:
Regardless of the method of testosterone treatment chosen, patients will require regular monitoring during the first year of treatment in order to monitor clinical response to testosterone, testosterone levels and adverse effects, including prostate cancer (see Table 2). It is recommended that patients should be reviewed at least every three months during this time. Once treatment has been established, less frequent review is appropriate but the care of the patient should be the responsibility of an appropriately trained specialist with sufficient experience of managing patients treated with testosterone.
Every vitamin, mineral, and ingredient that affects the human body can be taken in enough quantities that they are harmful, or toxic, even the ones that — at lower levels — are beneficial or necessary. Unfortunately, testosterone boosters contain a lot of ingredients that are not well understood. This means in addition to not being able to confirm whether certain ingredients increase testosterone, the scientific and medical communities also don’t know at what levels many ingredients become toxic. On the up side, you might need to eat several pounds of a particular leafy plant before it becomes harmful. On the down side, it could be significantly less that pushes you over your body’s limit. We simply don’t know how little or how much the human body can tolerate. We recommend keeping your doctor in the loop when you add any supplement with unproven ingredients into your diet — they’ll be able to help you find and track any undesired side-effects that these ingredients might cause.
I am a 51 yr old male who has been working out steady for about 6 yrs. Off and on I would gain muscle and lose fat, but lately I have been gaining fat especially in the ab section and I think it may be due to Low-T. I have been researching natural booster options and so far I like yours the best. In your opinion, do you believe that Tongat ali, DAA and the a strong supplement will be enough? What’s your take on fenugreek? Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response.
In contrast to steroids, testosterone boosters have a fully different mechanism of action. They are the products which contain the natural ingredients only. These ingredients act by stimulating the man’s body to synthesize own testosterone. So, testosterone levels grow naturally without negative health effects associated with the intake of steroids.
As “the ultimate guide” I want this article to be the last resource you need when it comes to boosting your testosterone. I have spent years researching this stuff, and experimenting on myself. And in case I am incomplete, I have linked out at the bottom of this page to all the best resources for increasing testosterone around the web. I truly believe there is no better resource out there than what you’re reading right now.
Boron, a mineral, keeps the cell walls of plants strong. Eating dried fruits and nuts gives you abundant amounts of boron. You can also take boron supplements. It's important to keep your daily boron intake at less than 20 mg, however, according to a current factsheet available from the U.S. National Library of Medicine. High doses of boron can cause serious side effects such as skin inflammation and peeling, irritability, tremors or depression.
This doesn’t mean Super Test is perfect — we take a closer look at some of its ingredients below — but it beats out the competition. Every other supplement we looked at either didn’t have all four ingredients, overdosed us on vitamins or minerals (a good way to develop kidney and liver problems), contained ingredients that would harm us, or some combination thereof.
Overall there is evidence that testosterone treatment increases lean body mass and reduces obesity, particularly visceral obesity, in a variety of populations including aging men. With regard to muscle changes, some studies demonstrate improvements in maximal strength but the results are inconsistent and it has not been demonstrated that these changes lead to clinically important improvements in mobility, endurance or quality of life. Studies are needed to clarify this. Changes in abdominal obesity are particularly important as visceral fat is now recognised as predisposing the metabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Bhatia et al (2006) studied 70 male patients with type2 diabetes mellitus (age range 24–78 years). Thirty-seven subjects were found to have hypogonadism based on a calculated free testosterone level of less than 6.5 μg/dl. The hypogonadal group had a statistically significant lower hematocrit. Anemia was observed in 23% of the patients (16 out of 70). In 14 of 15 anemic patients calculated free testosterone was low.
Vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic in the US, and is profoundly affecting men’s health. The cholesterol-derived steroid hormone vitamin D is crucial for men’s health. It plays a role in the development of the sperm cell nucleus, and helps maintain semen quality and sperm count. Vitamin D can also increase your testosterone level, helping improve your libido. Have your vitamin D levels tested using a 25(OH)D or a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. The optimal level of vitamin D is around 50 to 70 ng/ml for adults. There are three effective sources of vitamin D:
Men who watch a sexually explicit movie have an average increase of 35% in testosterone, peaking at 60–90 minutes after the end of the film, but no increase is seen in men who watch sexually neutral films. Men who watch sexually explicit films also report increased motivation, competitiveness, and decreased exhaustion. A link has also been found between relaxation following sexual arousal and testosterone levels.
Grape seed extract is another ingredient with not enough research to suggest a dosage. Grape seed extract can interact with drugs like “blood thinners, NSAID painkillers (like aspirin, Advil, and Aleve), certain heart medicines, cancer treatments, and others.” If this sounds like you (or if you ever pop an Advil to clear off a headache), you’ll need to speak with a doctor to make sure this supplement is safe to take.
A: According to the package insert, there are several longer-term side effects that have occurred with testosterone therapy. Testosterone can stimulate the growth of cancerous tissue. Prostate cancer or enlargement of the prostate can develop during prolonged therapy with testosterone, and these conditions are more likely to occur in elderly men. In patients receiving testosterone therapy, tests for prostate cancer should be performed as is current practice. Androgen therapy, such as testosterone, can cause a loss of blood sugar control in patients with diabetes. Close monitoring of blood glucose is recommended. Male patients can experience feminization during prolonged therapy with testosterone. The side effects of feminization include breast soreness and enlargement. These side effects are generally reversible when treatment is stopped. Hair loss resembling male pattern baldness has also occurred. Sexual side effects including decreased ejaculatory volume and low sperm counts have occurred in patients receiving long-term therapy or excessive doses. For more information, please consult with your health care provider and visit //www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/testosterone. Michelle McDermott, PharmD
“The Andro 400 has been a plus to my daily requirements of energy, stamina and weight loss. I have seen a noticeable reduction in my waistline from a 40" waist to a 37" waist. I am 6'6" and weighed 252, I now weigh 238 and feel much better. Without too much information, my sex drive and performance has been positively enhanced with greater sensitivity and stamina during those intimate times with my wife. Greater sensation, pleasure and results are evident.”
Testosterone levels generally peak during adolescence and early adulthood. As you get older, your testosterone level gradually declines — typically about 1 percent a year after age 30 or 40. It is important to determine in older men if a low testosterone level is simply due to the decline of normal aging or if it is due to a disease (hypogonadism).

domain: medical


I've currently got an oldish furnace (early '90s Lennox), with an A/C system. The blower motor burnt up on me last week, and I just had it replaced. It turns out that the reason for the motor going, was that my AC condenser drip pan has a crack in it, and water was dripping down into the blower housing, rather than draining properly.
The drip pan is plastic, and is molded to the condenser. So the only way to replace the pan, is to replace the condenser. Unfortunately, the AC is an R22 system, and after calling near and wide, with the R22 phaseout there are no replacement condensers anywhere. So to fix a cracked pan, I'd have to replace the entire A/C system.
This got me to thinking- I can access the crack in the pan easily. Since it is simply a pan to divert water, would it be reasonable to simply patch/waterproof the crack? If so, what would I patch it with? Would a quality epoxy work? A fiberglass patch? Any ideas on how I might be able to fix this, without dropping thousands of dollars?


In case you are planning to put in gates in your home or business, one among the most effective selections you are able to make will be to choose for rolling gates. Rolling gates can offer you with a variety of benefits including longevity, security in opposition to thieves and simplicity of use. Aside from possessing several beneficial features, these gates can also be really quick to put in and necessitates minor maintenance to maintain up their functionality. They might establish for being your best san diego iron gates option for gates owing to your massive degree of defense and security they are able of furnishing.
Having said that, regardless of the good standard of toughness, these gates have, they could even now need a certain amount of upkeep and restoring once in a while. And because your gate offers security to the assets, it truly is really necessary to carry them again for their performance on a right away foundation. As laypersons, it’d not be achievable for you personally to get ample knowledge and talent expected with the fixing rolling gates. That’s why it’s normally recommended to hire skilled corporations for crisis rolling gate restore as a way to avail quite possibly the most effective and qualified expert services.
Even though there are actually a variety of expert services out there in the market for rolling gate restore, it is actually crucial to decide on essentially the most dependable and effective one. Let’s focus on several of the factors you have to take into account whilst making your preference:
It’s essential to create a extensive analysis with the marketplace to grasp the standing in the services prior to hiring them. You may question your folks and acquaintances for information and facts over the companies offered through the corporation otherwise you also can check out on the internet to discover the feedbacks and critiques of previous buyers who had worked with them.
In advance of choosing, you will need to check with extensive questions on the expert services offered via the firm. It can be crucial that you obvious all your problems and queries if you want to stop long run regrets.
They must be accessible to offer solutions during any time with the working day and night. They need to be willing to just take your connect with 24/7 and response all your queries linked to gate repair. Responsible products and services will have to reach you on an instantaneous foundation and resolve your gate challenges at the earliest opportunity.
The business you hire for emergency rolling gate mend have to have adequate encounter and know-how to provide economical providers for all types and components of rolling gates like handbook and automated gates, gate motors, protection grills, gate lubrications, removing and disposal of the old gates and a lot of a lot more.
The services you seek the services of need to be well outfitted with acceptable instruments and machineries needed to repair your gate with comprehensive performance.
It’s exceptionally essential which the support you employ the service of should be accredited and insured. This is important to make certain that in the event your gate or almost every other aspect of your respective dwelling will get further more damaged in the restoring job, the repairing business normally takes your entire responsibility of it without the need of bothering you.


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I just re-submitted my final project for LIBR 240 – Information Technology Tools and Applications. Now that I have nothing to do except watch Lost (I started watching it the day after I posted about FlashlightWorthy’s list of books in the show), I thought I’d share some of the books that have helped me become proficient in HTML/XHTML and CSS this summer (especially since you can use them to teach yourself).
In a nutshell:
HTML/XHTML allow you to write content. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) allow you to make your content look organized and pretty.
This book is a little outdated, as HTML5 is currently under development and more people are using CSS3. Since HTML5 and CSS3 won’t validate, and many people still have older browsers that are incompatible, Castro’s book is still relevant and useful. She manages to explain things step-by-step without insulting the reader.
Her explanation of forms and scripts is helpful, but brief. Don’t expect to find all the answers if you’re trying to get your pages with forms to validate (trust me).
HTML, XHTML & CSS
Visual Quickstart Guide
Author: Elizabeth Castro
Another useful book for learning CSS is David Sawyer McFarland’s book CSS: The Missing Manual. Naturally, this book is much more in-depth than Castro’s on the topic of CSS. Even though it is not in color, the tutorials at the end of each chapter are helpful and comprehensive. One thing I didn’t like was how verbose McFarland is. That can be helpful for many people, but I prefer to learn by playing around with code rather than reading a long explanation of the code.
McFarland touches upon CSS3 in the final section, so I’d say this is a great book for introducing yourself to CSS.
CSS: The Missing Manual
Rev. 2nd ed.
Author: David Sawyer McFarland
Author: Jim Keogh

domain: library


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Head deep in to the rainforest as this Golden Jungle mobile slot provides you with a wild adventure of free spins and wild reels.
A popular land-based casino game from IGT, the Golden Jungle slot online and on mobile now allows you play on this exotic machine in the comfort of your own home.
Full of golden treasures from mirrors, to broaches, rings, statues, and treasure boxes, this game’s graphics are a delight to look at, keeping you immersed in the realms of the jungle atmosphere.
However, it’s the special slot features and free spins that truly bring this mobile slot game to life.
Wild reels and wild tigers roam these reels
Across these 5×4 reels and 50 paylines, you’ll find the wild tiger prowling. This symbols comes two symbols high and will substitute for all the other symbols except the special scatter and icon statue.
Mix this in with the fact that many of the symbols can often appear stacked, and it certainly feels like decent base game wins are around the corner.
However, it’s not just the tiger wild that will get you excited. For each icon statue you find on a particular reel, will fill the meter above that reel. Get four and that entire reel will remain wild for 4 spins, in what IGT like to call the “Wild Stays 4 Plays” feature.
It’s like a pumped up version of the wild reels in Untamed Giant Panda by Microgaming.
This is where the big main game wins will come from; get 2, 3 or 4 wild reels at the same time and you’re set for a big pay day. You will need a little luck though, but thanks to those two high wild tigers some decent returns are possible.
Up to 75 free spins with wild reels
And that’s just the start of the excitement, trigger the free spins and you’ll get a choice of 3 free spins amounts with different reels completely wild for the entire free games.
This is where the volatility, and your desire to go full steam ahead and risk it all, will comes in to play.
With the potential for 3 reels completely wild, and a decent set of spins, you’ll be on the edge of your seat as you watch closely how the Golden Jungle slot reels spin you into a wild frenzy.Visit LeoVegas & claim up to 120 FREE spins on this game now!

domain: game


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Comrade Emmanule Ogundiran
Workers in Nigeria have been advised not to opt for suicide as a way out of the life-threatening situation in the country. This advice was given by the chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC),Comrade Emmanuel Ogundiran.
''An average Nigerian is undergoing the worst period of life. The economy, the political environment and the social space are getting worse by the day.Nigerians can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed. The galloping inflation has rendered workers' salaries useless. Our religious worship centers which are supposed to be placers of succour have now become points for extortion. Adherents are growing poorer at a rapid rate, while the facilitators of the centers are moving from cars to private jets. All these added together have dampened the morale of workers in Nigeria, but I must be quick in saying that suicide is not an option. Suicide should not be an option,'' Comrade Ogundiran stated.
He also advised workers to develop an alternative saying, '' whatever your class, think of plan B. After your primary job, what can you do that would bring additional food to your table?
''Comrade Ogundiran warned workers to control their temper, while stressing ''stay away from anger. Stay away from people who cannot motivate themselves out of their frustration. No matter how small a fight is, avoid it. Preserve your life and you are sure of seeing the next day. Finally, no matter the situation, no matter what you are facing, if you know that when there is life there is hope, suicide should not be an option.''


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Welcome to St Luke’s Radiology.
Located in Headington Oxford, our radiologists provide the most personalised diagnostic imaging care available. Since its inception, St Luke’s Radiology has aimed to deliver the highest quality diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology care with warmth and compassion.
We remain the exceptional choice for high quality diagnostic radiology, advanced imaging, women’s imaging and radiation oncology in Oxfordshire. Since the radiologists often interpret imaging studies while the patient is in the office, the referring physician can be contacted with PAX results and additional studies can be added if necessary. With services such as these, we prove our commitment to the highest standard of quality and personalized patient care.


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125 Shouts - 1,187,649 Scrobbles
Claude VonStroke is a tech-house/electro-house producer based in San Francisco, California. "Claude VonStroke" is better known to locals as Barclay Crenshaw, the owner of San Francisco's avant-house label, dirtybird. The Dirtybird label consists of Crenshaw (VonStroke) fellow producer Justin Martin, and a wide assortment of top remixers from around the globe such as John Tejada, Sammy D, Jesse Rose, and FRANKIE. In 2005, Dirtybird released a series of daring and creative singles that were played by everyone from Richie Hawtin to Damian Lazarus and received top marks from all the DJ magazines.
User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.
Top SongsTotal plays on Last.fm over the last 6 months
- CaliFuture - Original Mix - (7:22) - 3,682 plays
- Who's Afraid Of Detroit? - (6:02) - 3,270 plays
- EYE I EYE - (6:34) - 1,412 plays
- Can't Wait - (8:05) - 1,515 plays
- Urban Animal - (5:12) - 1,004 plays
- The Whistler - (2:57) - 852 plays
- Dood - (7:00) - 921 plays
- Big Ten - (6:20) - 889 plays
- Vocal Chords - (6:56) - 767 plays
- Deep Throat - (6:12) - 656 plays

domain: entertainment


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Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Thursday the escalation as more Israeli strikes were reported in south Lebanon.
"At a time where we are insisting on calm and call all sides to not escalate, we find the Israeli enemy extending its aggression," read a statement from Mikati's office.Full Story
Israeli warplanes carried out Thursday several airstrikes on Wadi Slouqi in south Lebanon as the civilian death toll from Wednesday's airstrikes rose to 10.
Israel's air force also struck the border towns of Labbouneh, Majdal Selm, Maroun al-Rass, Blida and Houla. The Israeli military said Thursday's strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and launch posts.Full Story
At least 10 people, mostly civilians, were killed on Wednesday in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon, while the Israeli army said it lost a soldier in cross-border rocket fire.
While the rocket attack was not immediately claimed, the exchanges of fire -- and the worst single-day civilian death toll in Lebanon since cross-border hostilities began in October -- raised fears of a broader conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.Full Story
The slow-simmering cross-border conflict between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israeli forces escalated Wednesday, reviving fears that the daily clashes could expand into an all-out war.
A rocket fired from Lebanon struck the northern Israeli town of Safed, killing a 20-year-old female soldier and wounding at least eight people.Full Story
The civilian death toll from two Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon has risen to 10, Lebanese state media reported Thursday, making the previous day the deadliest one in more than four months of cross-border exchanges.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for the strikes, which hit in the city of Nabatiyeh and a village in southern Lebanon, just hours after projectiles from Lebanon killed an Israeli soldier.Full Story
Thousands of people gathered in the Lebanese capital Wednesday to commemorate the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri and urge his son Saad to make a political comeback.
Waving the pale-blue flags of Saad Hariri's political party the al-Mustaqbal Movement, the crowd clapped and cheered as he paid his respects at his father's tomb in central Beirut.Full Story
Rockets from Lebanon targeted the Israeli army's northern headquarters in Safad on Wednesday morning, killing a female soldier and wounding seven others, Israeli reports said.
Another Israeli soldier was found dead later in the day, raising the death toll to two, reports said.Full Story
Cyprus has said it is in discussions with Lebanon over the return of 116 Syrian migrants rescued off its coast after Beirut refused to accept them back.
The migrants were rescued in international waters 30 nautical miles off Cyprus at the weekend after departing Lebanon by boat, Cypriot officials said.Full Story
Israeli municipal elections in areas near the Lebanese border and the Gaza Strip are expected to be postponed from February 27 to November 19, after a parliamentary committee recommended it Tuesday.
"The internal affairs committee of the Knesset (parliament) has decided to support the interior minister's proposal to postpone the elections to November 19, 2024 in the nine areas evacuated by the government decision," it said in a statement.Full Story
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that “intimidation” and offers of “political gains” will not convince Hezbollah to halt its attacks on Israel if the war on Gaza does not stop.Full Story

domain: politics


Prime Minister Hun Sen continued to fight off Facebook rumors that he was unwell and seeking treatment abroad over the weekend, making his case using video selfies and photographs of a casual Sunday drive.
The social media tit-for-tat came as a government spokesman confirmed that the Council of Ministers had not met in several weeks in spite of a constitutional article requiring weekly meetings.
“If the prime minister lost his position like they said, surely this country would be plunged into chaos,” Mr. Hun Sen said in a video posted to his Facebook page on Saturday.
Last week, an overseas government critic who calls himself Cham Chany claimed on his Facebook page that the prime minister had gone to Singapore for medical treatment but not appointed any acting leader in his absence, citing an anonymous source.
The prime minister rebutted the claims last Monday with a photo album of his family eating and shopping, asking whether he needed to tell the world “that I was here or there.”
CPP spokesman Sok Eysan claimed last week that Mr. Hun Sen had never left the country and would have appointed a surrogate if he had.
But social media users in the ensuing days seemed to identify several of the locations visited by the prime minister in his photos, including the VIP room of luxury watch outlet Patek Philippe inside Singapore’s ION Orchard mall.
Other users highlighted what they claimed was a money belt peaking out beneath the prime minister’s suit, suggesting Mr. Hun Sen had paid for his medical treatment in cash, while still more claimed he had been rushed to Hong Kong or France for further treatment for cancer or a stroke.
Mr. Hun Sen sought to silence the “rumor mongers” with a video selfie uploaded to his Facebook page on Saturday showing him in the seat of a vehicle moving through a city he said was Phnom Penh, though the video is not clear enough to see beyond the car.
“This very bad rumor should be eliminated via my video clip that shows I am living here…traveling like normal, in traffic jams like any other,” he said.
On Sunday, government-aligned Fresh News posted a photo album of the prime minister driving along Hun Sen Boulevard, posing alongside cars and even taking the wheel of an old Toyota sedan from a bewildered-looking family apparently in the area for a driving lesson.
Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said he had not seen Mr. Hun Sen in person since the CPP celebrated its 66th anniversary on July 3.
The Cabinet, which is chaired by Mr. Hun Sen, had not met since before that day, the spokesman said, although he said he could not remember the exact date of the last meeting.
Mr. Siphan initially attributed the lack of meetings to commune election busyness but called reporters back to clarify that only one meeting had been rescheduled for that reason. Subsequent meetings had not been delayed, but rather simply not scheduled, presumably, he said, because the body lacked any agenda items.
Article 104 of the Constitution says that the Council of Ministers “shall meet every week in a plenary session or in a working session” chaired by the prime minister, who may appoint a deputy prime minister to lead working sessions.
Mr. Siphan could not be reached for further comment on the constitutional article.
Mr. Eysan, the CPP spokesman, said the prime minister would prove his vitality today when he speaks before tens of thousands of people at Olympic Stadium to celebrate the listing of pre-Angkorian temples at Sambor Prei Kuk as Cambodia’s third World Heritage site.
“He is fine,” Mr. Eysan said, reiterating his earlier claim that Mr. Hun Sen never left the country.
Bong Chansambath, a writer for politics forum Politikoffee and an international relations student at Pannasastra University, said the rumors of ill-health were partially promoted by anonymous Facebook accounts whose information could not be trusted.
But there were legitimate reasons to question what the prime minister was up to on his apparent trip to Singapore, according to Mr. Chansambath.
“Since every of the prime minister’s official overseas trips has been orchestrated with massive media coverage and long lines of his Cabinet members who arrive and wait to [wave] goodbye to him, an absence of these raises questions about [the] nature of the trip,” he wrote in an email.


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The CSU Board of Trustees approved its 2014-15 budget ask on Nov. 6, which requests that the Governor and Legislature provide an additional $237.6 million in state funding for the upcoming fiscal year. The expenditure plan focuses on funding to meet increasing enrollment demand, augmentations for student success and completion initiatives and a modest compensation increase.
The budget plan would bring the CSU’s annual support budget to approximately $4.6 billion. If fully funded, the 2014-15 expenditure plan also assumes no tuition fee increase, marking the third consecutive year that tuition fee rates would remain at the same level.
Specific expenditure increases include:
*5% Enrollment Demand – $79.2 million
*Augmentations for student success and completion – $50.0 million
*Financing maintenance and infrastructure needs – $15.0 million
*Mandatory costs (health benefits, new space) – $13.7 million
*Compensation increase (3 percent “pool”) – $91.6 million
*Center for California Studies—cost increases – 0.2 million
More information about the proposed CSU 2014-15 support budget can be found here.
Click below for a visual representation graphing the state support budget for the California State University:
*CSU 2007-08 Through 2016-17 General Fund
Chart illustrates 10 Years of CSU General Fund (GF) appropriation with the Governor’s 2014-15 to 2016-17 multi-year plan.
*CSU 2001-02 Through 2016-17 State Appropriations with Actual Resident Student Enrollment to Date
Graph illustrates the trend between CSU resident student enrollment and state General Fund (GF) appropriations since 2001-02 with the Governor’s 2014-15 to 2016-17 multi-year plan.
The following statement can be attributed to Chancellor Timothy P. White, California State University
“This budget officially begins the state’s reinvestment in higher education and the California State University. This wise choice by the Governor and legislature will further aid California’s economic recovery. While this is an important step in the right direction, additional efforts are still needed to help meet the unprecedented demand to attend a California State University campus. We continue to work with our elected officials and all stakeholders on further restoration of access and increases in student success. We look forward to continued engagement on appropriate and meaningful ways to measure and be accountable for this critical work.”

domain: finance


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About the TV Show
romantic comedy summer holiday love quadrangle
Slow Boat Home
First Air Date: May 13, 2013
|First Aired on||:||2013|
|Created By||:||Leung Choi Yuen|
|Seasons/Episodes||:||25 episodes in 1 Seasons|
Cheung Po-seng is a man with grandiose aims but puny talents, putting the seafood restaurant run by his father out of business. As Po-seng feels down-hearted, his close associate Kate Cheng, a female TV producer, remains steadfast with loyalty to him, fighting with him side-by-side all along. When a career woman Heidi Kwok returns to town to help her mother run the holiday home business, she attempts to woo the naive Po-seng to make his business go away. However, Heidi's first love, Ching Lai-wing, catches wind of her plan and refuses to see her succeed.


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- NET Web Desk
The Meghalaya government intends to construct 75 new climate-resilient health centres across outlying locations.
Majority of these health centres are susceptible to climate variability, severely impacting the well-being of patients, auxiliary nurses, and midwives who run and maintain the facilities.
The state government has entrusted Sauramandala Foundation for capacity building and designs, while Selco Foundation will serve as its technical partner.
“We are attempting to incorporate sustainable designs in these buildings along fields of renewable energy and water conservation,” – an official of the Sauramandala Foundation told PTI.
The designs will be built at a cost of Rs 50 lakhs and include structures, resistant to harsh cold; strong winds; earthquakes and landslides.
These health centres will ensure the utilization of absolute lowest amount of energy for lighting and ventilation, which will be supplemented with solar energy and energy-saving gadgets.
“This partnership between the Government of Meghalaya, Sauramandala Foundation (on-ground partner), and SELCO Foundation (technical knowledge partner) seeks to create a scalable model for the facilities to be, resilient and strongly equipped to meet the needs of the poorest communities,” – informed an official of the Sauramandala Foundation.

domain: news


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In addition to our urgent care services, we also offer pet wellness exams which includes preventative services that help to maintain your pet’s health for years to come. Our pets age far faster than we do, meaning that diseases and conditions can develop faster, too. At Pet Check Urgent Care, our goal is to give you as many good years with your pet as possible.
Call-ahead for a wellness exam at our Sewell or Deptford locations - any day, from 9am to 9pm!
NEW Wellness/Vaccine ClinicsWe will be hosting periodic Wellness/Vaccine Clinics, by appointment! Dates and times are to be determined but feel free to call us for more details.
Schedule your pet's appointment now!
What’s Included with a Yearly Wellness ExamAnnual or semiannual exams are essential for staying on top of your pet’s ever-changing health care needs. During a wellness exam, we perform a thorough evaluation of your pet’s total health. Some of the services we offer include:
- Nose-to-tail physical exam
- Weight check and body condition score
- Nutritional evaluation
- Behavioral evaluation
- Time to answer any questions you have about your pet’s health
- Fecal exam
- Urinalysis, if necessary
- Vaccinations, if due
- Parasite prevention
- Age-appropriate blood work to detect underlying diseases
Call-ahead for a wellness exam- any day, from 9am to 9pm!
Life-Stage CarePet wellness exams change as pets age. A puppy or kitten’s health needs are vastly different from a senior cat or dog. Things that change with age include:
- Diet and nutritional needs. No single diet will work for your pet’s entire life! Their nutritional and caloric needs will change as they age, and it’s essential to modify their diet with these changes. Obesity is a serious issue for pets, but it can be avoided with the best diet for each life-stage.
- Vaccinations. While your pet may be an outdoor adventurer in their youth and adulthood, that could change with age. Some lifestyle vaccines such as leptospirosis and Lyme disease are only necessary for pets who are exposed to those dangers. If your pet is no longer outdoors, they may no longer need these and other lifestyle vaccines.
- Age-related conditions. Senior pets often develop age-related conditions such as arthritis, senility, and other issues that will need to be managed appropriately to maintain their quality of life.

domain: pet


Do you have a photo that could go here? Submit it for this profile by emailing us!
|Vermont State Senate Franklin District|
|Party||Peace and Prosperity|
Moss ran in the 2012 election for Vermont State Senate Franklin District. He is ran for the seat in the United States Senate. He faced John MacGovern (R), Cris Ericson (United States Marijuana Party), Laurel LaFramboise (VoteKISS), Pete Diamondstone (Liberty Union), and incumbent Bernie Sanders (I) in the general election on November 6, 2012.  Sanders won.
- See also: Vermont State Senate elections, 2010
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term "Peter + Moss + Vermont + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.


RECENT: Find out about composers from unusual places, including Gerard Schurmann, Giya Kancheli, Nazib Zhiganov and Nodar Gabunia, about singing in cars, and meet Jim Hutton from the RLPO and some of our regular contributors in this eighty-minute February 2021 video.
The record label Dutton Vocalion was established in 1993, initially as Dutton Laboratories, by British recording and re-mastering engineer Michael Dutton. It specialises in modern digital recordings and in CD reissues of music recorded between the 1920s and 1970s.
From 1999, Dutton Epoch has concentrated on previously unrecorded music by twentieth century British classical composers, including Edgar Bainton, Granville Bantock, Arnold Bax, Rutland Boughton, York Bowen, Arthur Butterworth and William Hurlstone, sometimes also straying into other territory such as recordings by British artists.
Further information: duttonvocalion.co.uk
CD Spotlight. Lightness and Joyousness - Geoff Pearce strongly recommends Josephine Knight's recordings of works for cello and orchestra by Robert Schumann and Alfredo Piatti. 'This is a beautifully presented disc, the orchestra and soloist work very well together, are in very fine fettle and the recordings could easily be put up there with the very best.'
CD Spotlight. Unjustly Neglected - Orchestral tone poems by Boughton and Bainton impress Robert Anderson. '... performed with conviction and sensitivity ...'
CD Spotlight. Consistently Solid - Kurt Masur and others conduct Mendelssohn, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... too often short on graciousness, charm or buoyancy.'
CD Spotlight. Striking Individuality - Choral music by Cecilia McDowall, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... clarity and conviction.'
Profile. An ideal lifestyle - Remembering Sir John and others. Bill Newman visits Lady Evelyn Barbirolli


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Florida TaxWatch releases its 2021 Economic Preview Report
Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released its 2021 Economic Preview: An Uncertain Yet Hopeful Year of Growth. Floridians have plenty of reason to be cautiously optimistic as the state’s economic picture in 2021 appears mixed and uncertain. Although strong job creation will certainly aid Florida’s labor market recovery, personal income will not grow as rapidly for many families.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said, “As we close out a tumultuous year for Florida, defined by COVID-19 and its resulting disruptions to everyday life, we consider what may lie ahead. Overall, Florida’s economy in 2021 will be uncertain, influenced largely by pandemic changes, but there is reason to believe next year will be a hopeful year of growth for a state on the road to economic recovery. With several promising vaccines on the horizon and gradually improving labor market conditions, Florida looks poised to undergo the slow but steady process of economic rebuilding over the coming year.”
In 2021, the sectors with the projected fastest job growth will be Leisure and Hospitality (11.9 percent), Education and Health Services (8.1 percent), and Financial Activities (8.1 percent). Although third on the list, Financial Activities will be the fastest-growing economic sector in Florida over the 2020-2023 period thanks in part to the sector’s high telework feasibility, making it easier for employees to work from home. It should be noted, however, that the bulk of the job growth in Leisure and Hospitality will be due to companies reclaiming many of the jobs lost during the pandemic’s earlier months.
Despite solid job growth prospects, there are some indications that these benefits will not readily translate into the consumer market. The predicted decrease can be explained partly due to falling stimulus and unemployment payments for many families, which originally offset some of the recession’s impacts in 2020.
Finally, after posting an impressive showing in the latter half of 2020, Florida’s housing market is predicted to remain a robust seller’s market in 2021 as declining inventory and strong demand drives home prices to new highs.
You can read the full report here.


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Our fundraisers are programs specifically designed to raise money for use at W.O. Mitchell ES. Money raised pays for trips, supplies, and special events at the school that otherwise would not be part of the normal curriculum.
Lunch Programs: Featuring Domino’s Pizza, Pita Pit, Mazzola, and Lunch Lady.
E-Waste and Clothing Donation Day: Bring out your outdated electronics or gently used clothing for donation, to help raise funds for WOM. Held on a Saturday in the fall.
FundScrip: Shopping for gift cards? Buy them online and the school will receive a percentage.
Mabel’s Labels: Stop items from being lost, and donate a percentage to the school at the same time.
Bridlewood Home Hardware: Shop at our local Home Hardware, mention W.O. Mitchell when paying, and a percentage of your purchase goes to the school.


On Thursday, October 5 through Friday, October 6, 2023, starting at 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, traffic lanes on Main Street between MacArthur Boulevard and Dyer Road will be reduced to one lane in each direction. The lane reductions are due to road paving.
Please use alternate routes or plan for possible delays since the lane reductions on Main Street will impact traffic flow. Access to residences and businesses will be maintained at all times. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for understanding.


Birnin Kebb - The Kebbi Government said on Thursday that it spent N175 million on the purchase of drugs and treatment of malnutrition amongst children in the last one year.
The Director, Primary Health Care Services in the state Ministry of Health, Alhaji Muhammad Argungu, said this in Birnin Kebbi in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Argungu told NAN that the programme, which also involved the purchase of nutritional materials for the affected children, was carried out in collaboration with UNICEF.
“The programme is presently conducted in 65 centres in 10 local government areas while 10,000 malnourished children have already benefited from it,” he said.
Argungu said children living in border towns with Niger and Benin republics also benefited from the programme.
He said the state government released N100 million every year since 2010 as its counterpart funding for the programme.
“The programme was introduced in 2010 in Kebbi to help in combating malnutrition amongst children, particularly in areas bordering Niger and Benin republics,” he said.


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New York City Divorce and Family Law Firm
If you are contemplating a divorce, Wingate, Kearney & Cullen, LLP will safeguard your interests and fight to preserve the well-being of your children. We have over thirty years experience in the field of family law and are well-versed in the issues of divorce, such as the division of marital property, spousal maintenance, child custody, and child support. Our firm has the experience and knowledge to address your questions and to advocate for your rights.
A divorce can either be resolved on an uncontested basis where both spouses are able to agree on all aspects of their divorce, thus avoiding the need for litigation in court, or as a contested divorce where spouses are unable to resolve issues in their relationship. The Firm has extensive experience in analyzing the various assets acquired by parties both before and during marriage, which enables us to see to it that there is an appropriate division of property to the satisfaction of our clients.
A married couple may wish to consider a legal separation as opposed to a divorce. With a legal separation, the parties would sign a separation agreement which would indicate that they agree to live separate and apart from each other, and which would also incorporate the terms under which they handle custody, visitation, child support, and the division of property.
With a separation agreement the parties do remain married to each other. However, if the terms of the agreement have been substantially complied with for a period of more than one year after signature by the spouses, that agreement can be converted into a divorce settlement agreement.
The Firm has expertise to assist and guide you as to which proceeding would be in your best interests so that you can make an informed decision as to how to resolve your marital differences.
When issues arise concerning custody or visitation of children, the court will render a decision based on what it believes to be in the child’s best interest. Wingate, Kearney & Cullen, LLP will assist you in developing a strategy so that a court can reach a decision as to your child’s best interests. The Firm has successfully litigated custody/visitation cases in both Family Court and Supreme Court throughout New York and we are strong advocates for our clients both in and out of court.
As a parent, New York law says that you are responsible for the financial support of your child until the child turns 21. Child support may include cash payments based upon the income of the parents and the needs of the child; health insurance coverage for the child, as well as expenses not covered by health insurance; child care payments; and extracurricular activities.
Wingate, Kearney & Cullen, LLP has successfully represented clients in adoption proceedings throughout New York City and the surrounding counties. We have handled both complex adoptions as well as adoptions where all the necessary consents for the adoption are in place. We have successfully represented foster parents, step parents, same sex partners, and single parents in adoption proceedings.
To schedule an initial consultation, at no charge, regarding your family law or divorce matter, call (646) 620-6416.

domain: law


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Comprehensive Real-Time News Feed for Jackson, MS.
Results 1 - 3 of 3 for "u:broadway.com" in Jackson, MS
Ed Harris is moving into a seedy hotel room in Mississippi! Well, his character is, in the New Group production of Beth Henley's dark drama The Jacksonian , which begins performances October 25 at off-Broadway's Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row. Comment?
If you haven't snagged your tickets to see Ed Harris and Bill Pullman in the New York City premiere of The Jacksonian , now is your chance! The New Group production has added an extra week of performances: Originally scheduled to play through December 15, the new drama by Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley is slated to continue through December 22 ... (more) Comment?
Rehearsals are officially underway for the New Group production of The Jacksonian , the new drama by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley, and we've got an exclusive sneak peek of the cast during on very first day of rehearsal. Comment?
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Namco Bandai are getting into the Holiday spirit a bit early this year as they have announced a special Christmas-themed mission for God Eater 2.
A referral code for the mission will be provided to those who purchase God Eater 2 digitally on either the PSP or PlayStation Vita before December the 1st. The festive mission will also come with exclusive in-game drops that will allow users to craft their very own Santa suit.
For those who have already purchased God Eater 2 Namco Bandai will not be providing codes, instead however players with codes will be encouraged to get into the holiday spirit themselves and invite their unfortunate friends. Moreover once players access the mission they will also have access to the exclusive-drops themselves.
God Eater 2 is available now in Japan for PSP and PlayStation Vita.


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Our World Deal Weeks may have come to an end but KLM regularly holds other promotions.
Stay up to date with all our special offers by subscribing to the KLM
and following KLM on
Many European destinations from €99!
Discover the best city trip destinations ›
Discover the world with KLM.
Check out our long-distance holidays ›

domain: travel


The Online Real Estate Listings Software is a software that integrates the internet and the real estate business. The most important point to be highlighted in the business is the options the client or customer has to choose from. The point is that the client should be presented with a whole long list of options to choose from.
This is what the sofrware provides. It showcases a list of real estate available for rent and sale. The software could prove to be useful to you in all cases whether you are making a new website for the purpose of real estate or merely managing it as an independent realtor. You might represent an agency, or you could be a service provider for realtors seriously into the business.
This is the best way to create a list of options available both to the client as well as the customer. This would add to your business profits at the end of the day.


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We at Daily Appreciations would like to invite you to join us in uplifting the local and global communities by expressing appreciations for what gives us life on a daily basis.
To post, just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Daily Appreciations.
By natural law, the law of attraction, whatever we appreciate with feeling comes closer to us in greater quantity and quality. Daily appreciations are a great way to empower others while empowering ourselves. They make people happy about doing things for us. It's a perfect win/win opportunity.
Have you noticed how much more enjoyable it is to do things for people when you are being appreciated? It's like someone's put gas in your car.
Have you noticed that you feel happier when you shift your focus to what it is you appreciate about someone instead of what irritates or upsets you?
Have you noticed that every downside has an upside? There's always learning and growth in unpleasant experiences, for example. There's a development of resonance with others and a birthing of new abilities that may have previously seemed impossible.
Have you noticed that solutions are more readily available to you when you're in a spirit of appreciation; that things fall into focus; that problems disappear; that people become more cooperative, for the most part?
Would you like to see what it's like to interact regularly with those who look for the best in you? If you've had that experience, do you notice how your positive qualities seem to grow exponentially, and that your world now looks somehow different; brighter, kinder, and that others' positive qualities seem to come out of hiding and into view in a way that makes being appreciated seem infectious, in a way?
Have you wondered what it would be like to build organizations with people who are quite practiced at appreciating; in fact, are committed to it? Do you think that might make it easier for you to accomplish your goals and to be of more effective service to the planet and its inhabitants?
These are some of the things we've noticed, and we like it. In fact, we believe appreciating what brings us life can bring peace and well-being to the planet if enough of us join in the fun. And we believe enough people will.
So we offer this space to you with a knowing smile welling up from deep inside, fully aware of the great good that happens spontaneously when people join in to appreciate almost anything.
We believe the planet is undergoing a massive transformation for the better and that we are in the flow of it and that you can be too just by shifting your focus to what's going well.
Special acknowledgments to Dwan (Diane) Tai for originating the Daily Appreciations thread at www.omidyar.net and www.dailyappreciations.net from which this is inspired, to Elizabeth Garcia-Gray for contributing the name, Daily Appreciations for use, and for all the appreciators at those threads mentioned for providing the momentum for this project.
With appreciation for your readership, meadowlea

domain: psychology


Google Chrome is not just a web browser anymore.
Google plans to release an operating system that boots for 7 seconds compared to the normal 45 seconds boot time that the (claimed) fastest computer can do. It’s a system that is focused on just the internet, meaning you don’t save anything in your computer and you don’t have to worry about any hassles a normal computer has because of the operating system. Watch the video and see what the future of google holds for us.
Features ? What’s good about the Google Chrome OS? Here it is.
One word: IMBA! I love it! If i’m going to buy a net book, I’ll be sure to install Google Chrome OS in it!


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The Liverpool supervisor Expenses Shankly once stated: ‘Some persons think soccer is a subject of existence and death … I could assure them it really is a lot more serious than that.’ No one could ever say that about rugby.
Football (never soccer) is simply the best game in the world. It offers a unifying language, it inspires passion from Bamako to Buenos Aires and Bombay to Bucharest. Even Japan fell in love with David Beckham during the 2002 World Cup and everyone loves the Germans after last year’s tournament. As for the Rugby World Cup–who really truly cares? When England won, the crowds in Trafalgar Square seemed like a big deal, and of course it will be the same should we miraculously win on Saturday, but that was a tea party compared to what would happen if we’d brought home football’s equivalent. Useful tips, article for your house
Then there are the aesthetics. Football is not known as the beautiful game for nothing. Think Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Ronaldinho or Henry. International superstars and masters of their art. Jonny Wilkinson and Brian O’Driscoll are heroes only in their own backyards. Football is quicker and simpler; it’s a true spectacle with skills that even someone new to the sport can appreciate. You don’t get that with the rugby. It’s all a baffling series of stops and starts and fat men grunting in the mud. But despite the fact that the players will be fat, and even though of course you could utilize the rugger bruisers working for you in a deal with, football can be a manlier video game by significantly. Yes, I understand, some footballers collapse as though shot after a deal with, feign injury and also have girlish haircuts, but believe Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, John Terry. They’re true men: heros not really gorillas. They deal with like soldiers for his or her side. So provide me Upton Recreation area, Goodison Recreation area or Fratton Recreation area over smug, corporate Twickenham any working day. Then there will be the rugby guidelines. Who knows them? Also rugby can’t also agree on an individual version of the overall game, so they’ve develop two: union and little league. Daft.
Footballers include better insults, better tracks and better-looking young ladies. In rugby disappointments will be forgotten over a pint; in football perceived injustices linger longer. It matters more.

domain: sports


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Parenting is the ultimate test of one’s leadership skills – Leadership lessons from my Parents
I have learnt my earliest and the best leadership lessons from my Parents. My Father is the face of the family and the “Chairman”, and my Mother the “CEO” and behind the scene worker. However they functioned as Equal Stakeholders. Together they formed a formidable TEAM and created a “Family” which is now over 60 years and running.
The first and the most important lesson of leadership which I learnt is TRUST. They trusted each other and all around them. This enabled them to take our mistakes and blunders in their stride, because they never doubted our intensions. When somebody trusts you, it becomes your responsibility. That’s how we became responsible.
While they trusted and gave us freedom, they knew what was going on and had a grip on what was happening. They had a system of Feedback and Review.
They are eternal OPTIMISTS. They never talked ill of anyone, complained or blamed. For them there is a second time to rectify even if something went wrong. They were always in the Circle of Influence trying to do something about the situation and moving forward, rather than staying put and lamenting. They are willing to forget and forgive.
Their decisions were always unanimous for us. Even if they had differences, we could never see it. We could not complain one to the other. Their answers to our questions regarding their decisions were the same.
They always had and have a genuine INTENTION TO HELP, not just their family members but all those around them. They were “there” for all important events and occasions – happy planned events or unplanned crises or misfortunes. They never missed a marriage or a funeral.
They are “HARD WORKERS”. They had great work ethics and were disciplined. Whenever required they put in long working hours. They epitomise commitment.
They are LIBERAL. They are open for new ideas, careers and just wanted their members to be happy in whatever they do. They would throw doors open for whoever was in need. Our house was always streaming with people. They were people centric.
They took RESPONSIBILITY for whatever they did. They are always willing to take more than their share of blame when things went wrong, and give more than their share of credit when things went right.
They enjoyed what they were doing for the family and others and were happy doing it.
They are emotional, but are emotionally strong. They have shown Character. They have overcome financial difficulties, taken on the burden of a large family and gotten over personal tragedies.
As I write this piece and reflect, the numerous occasions and examples, where they demonstrated leadership qualities are in front of me. I have been fortunate to have parents, who taught me a lot about effective leadership, both through their words and deeds.
My parents are now over 80 years young and continue to inspire us with lifelong leadership lessons. Being a parent myself, I realise that Parenting is the ultimate test of one’s leadership skills.
I dedicate this, my first blog, to my parents – NRS, as my Father is affectionately known and Sundari, my Mother.
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. Feel free to share this blog, if you think this blog would be of interest and /or use to your social and professional circle.
You are most welcome to visit us www.u2kconsulting.com. Please send us your views on our website and comments on the blog by using the box below to reply.


Sustainable Fashion: Green Means
We take a look at sustainable fashion and how brands are embracing the concept.
In the age of the conscious consumer, doing good is as central to style as silhouette, which is why fashion is getting friendly with the environment, climbing up the moral high ground, and relentlessly pursuing philanthropy.
“Sustainability” has become a pervasive catch-all to describe fashion’s efforts at being green, but more often than not brands have a tough time seeing the buzzword as something other than a constraint. Among the fast-fashion cohorts, H&M has emerged as a serious tastemaker for renewable fashion, cleaning up its act with a slew of initiatives under its Conscious banner. Its latest eco-endeavour takes the form of World Recycle Week in 2016, where it undertook to collect 1000 tonnes of unwanted or worn out garments from customers worldwide; the recycling angle is a smart move on the retailer’s part given the perishable nature of their product, closing the loop on fashion by using recovered textile fibres for new clothes. The campaign is also fronted by a cast of influencers and inspirants, more effectively communicating the message to millennial consumers than any brain-numbing report ever could.
In fact, creativity serves fashion well when going green — it’s at the heart of the luxury promise after all. Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s “Barrique. The third life of wood” concept in collaboration with design lab San Patrignano, for example, combines enviro-ethics and aesthetics in a permanent collection of wood furniture wrought from reclaimed barrels. Launched in 2012, the project has amassed nearly 50 works by renowned names from the design community, the latest of which is by architect Peter Marino, whose Adam & Eve cabinets play on the dualities of masculinity and femininity through the convex and concave lines of oak barrel staves. While Barrique falls under the umbrella of Zegna’s art initiatives rather than social responsibility, it demonstrates the potential of what creative framing can do for a cause.
This article was first published in Men’s Folio.


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S.1666 - Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Act108th Congress (2003-2004)
|Sponsor:||Sen. Cochran, Thad [R-MS] (Introduced 09/26/2003)|
|Committees:||Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions|
|Latest Action:||Senate - 09/26/2003 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions)|
This bill has the status Introduced
Here are the steps for Status of Legislation:
Summary: S.1666 — 108th Congress (2003-2004)All Information (Except Text)
Introduced in Senate (09/26/2003)
Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to award grants to support comprehensive State diabetes control and prevention programs.
Requires the Secretary to promote and coordinate diabetes research, including data collection and the development of best practices, early detection and prevention programs, and a national diabetes laboratory.
Gives priority to programs which reduce disparities in diabetes prevention and care for high-risk or underserved populations.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to award competitive grants to apply the best practices identified by the Secretary for diabetes prevention and control. Gives priority to programs to reduce disparities in prevention and control for high-risk or underserved populations.
Requires the Director to: (1) develop and update scientifically validated quality measures for assessing and improving clinical services related to diabetes; (2) establish a Diabetes Quality Improvement Program; and (3) incorporate diabetes in the annual quality and disparities reports.
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee, to: (1) coordinate a national diabetes education program; and (2) develop and update a strategic research plan for diabetes.
Requires the expansion of research programs concerning diabetes in underserved populations and minority groups and in children and youths.
Requires the development or enhancement of data collection on the prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children, including the support of long-term epidemiological studies in children.
Authorizes a report on diabetes by the Surgeon General.


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IDC: Challenges Still Loom Over Cloud Services
The survey, which queried 263 IT executives and their line-of-business colleagues, found that security, availability and performance remained the top three challenges for IT cloud services in 2009. Those factors represented the top three challenges in IDC's 2008 cloud services survey as well. The survey noted that cloud service providers must address and alleviate those concerns for cloud computing to reach more users.
"This survey result is a clear call for suppliers to offer service level agreements, and " more important " service level assurance," Frank Gens, IDC senior vice president and chief analyst, wrote in a blog post announcing the findings. Gens added that some of the worries around cloud computing will prompt traditional IT suppliers to dive head first into cloud services in 2010, focusing on enterprise-grade IT cloud services.
A notable shift IDC found, however, was that users' No. 4 concern is that a cloud model would actually cost them more than a non-cloud model. Cost concerns rose from No. 6 in 2008's to No. 4 in 2009. While cost is usually seen as a massive benefit of cloud computing, some IT brass fear it could wind up more costly over time.
"Smart IT executives ask: 'what if my end-users, enabled by the cloud model's self-service provisioning capabilities, use more than (or they) have budgeted for?'" Gens wrote.
Another potential hindrance of cloud adoption is the current lack of interoperability standards, which clocked in as the No. 5 challenge in the survey. According to IDC, cloud customers fear that choosing cloud services could lead to lock-in.
Despite the challenges, IDC's survey found that economic benefits were once again key drivers of cloud services adoption in 2009. Three of the top five benefits focused on the cost advantages of the cloud model with the ability to pay per use as the No. 1 benefit.
Other benefits cloud services were it's the ease and speed in which it can be deployed; the cloud model's ability to encourage standard systems; the ability to pay based on actual usage and the need for fewer in-house IT resources.
"Cloud services -- by definition -- are built on the premise of standard, shared systems, Gens wrote. "This survey finding suggests that IT executives increasingly see, and will promote, standardization as an additional -- and important -- justification for migrating to both public and private cloud offerings."


Oneida County Election Results Trickle In
Oneida County, NY (WIBX) - Election results for Oneida County have been updated on the county’s website, although the results are still considered to be unofficial.
As of now, the only complete results have come from the 116th Special election. In that case, Democrat Anthony Brindisi defeated Republican candidate Greg Johnson.
The county has not yet stated when the final tallies will be completed.