William Barr, the attorney general, came face to face this week with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, at the Capitol in Washington. Shaking her hand, Barr was said to have joked: “Madam Speaker, did you bring your handcuffs?”
The remark, at a ceremony honouring fallen law enforcement officers, was a riposte to Pelosi’s quip a week earlier that if all members of the Trump administration were arrested, the jail in the Capitol basement would be overcrowded. (There is in fact no such jail.)
But it was also indicative of how Barr, and his paymaster in the White House, are perceived to be laughing in the face of congressional oversight and the rule of law. Indeed, following the sporting maxim that attack is the best form of defence, Trump had adopted the language of a tinpot dictator, denouncing the Russia investigation as a failed “coup”, branding his pursuers as traitors and threatening to lock them up.
“My Campaign for President was conclusively spied on,” he tweeted at 7.11am on Friday. “Nothing like this has ever happened in American Politics. A really bad situation. TREASON means long jail sentences, and this was TREASON!”
The intention, critics argue, is to turn the tables and delegitimise the case laid out against him in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference, or at least crank up a giant fog machine that leaves the electorate weary and confused. But one side-effect could be a slide into an imperial presidency.
“Investigate the investigators!” has been the battle cry of Trump, Republicans and media allies ever since Barr produced a four-page summary of Mueller’s report that misleadingly implied Trump had been completely cleared of collusion and obstruction of justice. In fact the report documented numerous contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials and identified 11 instances in which Trump or his campaign attempted to illegally impede the investigation.
On 25 March, the day after Barr’s letter was released, the Fox News host Sean Hannity bristled with self-righteous indignation and thirsted for vengeance.
“This must be a day of reckoning for the media, for the deep state, for people who abuse power, and they did it so blatantly in this country,” he told viewers in a furious 25-minute monologue. “If we do not get this right, if we do not hold these people accountable, I promise you, with all the love I can muster for this country and our future for our kids and grandkids, we will lose the greatest country God has ever given man. We will lose it.”
That set the template for Trump, a regular viewer. Having spent two years trying to discredit Mueller’s work as a witch-hunt and hoax, he stepped up demands for an investigation into its origins and pushed the claim that the FBI spied on his 2016 campaign.
Sidney Blumenthal, a former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, said: “He’s attempting to create a counter-narrative based on conspiracy theories in which the FBI chiefly is cast as the villain of the deep state. It’s what is known as chaff. It’s to throw people off of the actual object itself and distract them from his well-documented crimes of obstruction of justice in the Mueller report.”
Trump is backed by Republicans, eager to grab ammunition that comes to hand. They have falsely claimed the investigation was triggered by a dossier from the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, which included reference to a so-called “pee tape” in Moscow, and cited anti-Trump text messages between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page to allege inherent bias.
But it is Barr who has emerged as the president’s most indispensable ally, his improbable Darth Vader. Testifying on Capitol Hill earlier this month, the attorney general used the incendiary word “spying” to describe FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign, a term later rejected by the FBI director, Christopher Wray.
Barr has asked John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, to examine whether the FBI erred in seeking a special federal court warrant to conduct surveillance on the former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. An investigation into the legality of the warrant is already under way, led by the justice department inspector general, Michael Horowitz, who is due to release his findings in coming weeks.
Barr is also working with Wray, the CIA director, Gina Haspel, and the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, to review intelligence-gathering techniques used to investigate the Trump campaign. In the meantime, ever loyal to Trump, Barr continues to defy Congress’s demands for the release of the unredacted Mueller report and underlying materials.
Democrats sense a crude ploy by Trump to deflect and distract, parry and prevaricate. Congressman Jared Huffman of California said: “It’s a smokescreen, obviously an attempt to change the subject like everything else he does. I almost don’t want to dignify it because it’s so preposterous that any time someone investigates Donald Trump or disagrees with Donald Trump they are being treasonous or they need to be locked up.
“This is a slippery slope to a banana republic if this is where we’re heading. And I think most Americans get that. You just don’t call for your political enemies to be investigated and jailed in the United States.”
Huffman called for an impeachment process and hearings.
“If [Richard] Nixon was the imperial presidency, this is the imperial presidency on steroids without any sideboards or adult supervision of any kind,” he said. “It’s a real crisis. I still believe we’re going to get through it because I think the institutions and the fabric of this country are still rooted in the rule of law and democracy and checks and balances, but we’re being tested like never before and I would be lying if I said I didn’t worry about it.”
‘Trumpification of the DoJ’
One of the rich ironies of Republican claims of bias in the FBI is that during the election the agency kept its Trump investigation secret but talked openly about its scrutiny of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. The then director, James Comey, held an extraordinary press conference in which he branded Clinton’s handling of emails as secretary of state as “extremely careless”. Eleven days before the election, Comey announced the FBI was reviewing more Clinton messages. Many Democrats have still not forgiven him.
Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, tweeted on Friday: “Barr says Trump’s campaign was ‘spied’ upon. Trump claims treason. Both are incendiary. Neither is true. Barr suggests a finger was put on the scale to affect the election. But the Trump probe was kept secret; the Clinton one wasn’t. It’s the Trumpification of the DoJ.”
Matthew Miller, former director of the office of public affairs for the justice department, said: “There are a few galling things. First, it would have been crazy for the FBI not to investigate [Trump’s] campaign given what Mueller found. Second, it would have been very easy for the FBI to stop Trump becoming president if that was their intention by leaking what they found. Third, the FBI publicly criticised his opponent: the FBI did have an impact but it was to hurt Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump!”
Miller, now a partner at Vianovo and justice and security analyst for MSNBC, added: “It’s a brazenly cynical strategy by the president and his allies. He hasn’t had a great explanation for what he did so what he’s done for two years is attack the investigation.
“The notion has existed since Watergate that there should be a separation between the White House and Department of Justice. It’s been erased. It’s just gone. It will probably come back when there’s a Democratic president, because they tend to be more sensitive to elite opinion, but the next Republican president will [not] see any reason to restore it.”
Just as the justice department is succumbing to Trump, so Congress is also struggling to maintain its status as a co-equal branch of government. The White House continues to stonewall House subpoenas for documents and hearings, not only regarding the Mueller report but Trump’s tax returns and other matters. The Democratic-led House judiciary committee has voted to hold Barr in contempt of Congress but the party is divided over whether to impeach his boss.
Max Bergmann, a former state department official, said: “We’re seeing an effort by the president to neutralise this as an issue for the 2020 election. He sees a gap because the Democrats have shown reticence in their willingness to prosecute the case against him. We have a situation where there is a vacuum and Trump sees an opportunity to attack the investigation, partly because Democrats aren’t using the results of it to attack him.
“The problem with not using the levers of congressional power is that it lends credence to the arguments Trump has been making. In the public’s mind, it might seem that because Trump is not being impeached, maybe he was exonerated. What is amazing about the Republican side is the ability to manufacture outrage over nothing; they eat, sleep and breathe scandal politics. Democrats are terrified of it and and run from it, even when it’s the biggest political scandal in American history. The inaction over the last four weeks has been unconscionable.”
‘We’ve crossed a Rubicon’
It was perhaps no coincidence that Trump hosted Viktor Orbán, strongman leader of Hungary, at the White House this week.
Bergmann, now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress thinktank in Washington, and director of the Moscow Project, charting Trump’s involvement in Russian attacks on US democracy, said: “We’ve crossed a Rubicon. For the past two years, Trump has not been able to use the justice department to seek revenge against his opponents and as a political tool.
“Now he and his team have learned, and Trump has appointed someone in Barr who is a Washington insider, knows the justice department and is able to operate as the president’s hatchet man. For the past two years, we’ve said the institutions have held. Now we’re at a critical pivot where Trump has learned how to use the institutions to his advantage.
“It’s a dark turn. With the decline of our institutions, the decline of our moral authority, Trump is trying to turn the the moniker of an ‘imperial presidency’ into an autocratic presidency along the lines of Viktor Orbán or Vladimir Putin.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of American democracy in 2020.”


Three Winter Songs – will be performed on tour in January by the Harvard Choruses
Beauty is before me – will be performed by Four Seasons Chorale 3/31/19.
Works for winter
Winter Ride SSA a cappella.
On a Winter’s Eve SATB & organ.
For SATB choir will be premiered by the Pacific Chorale on March 30.
Three Winter Songs
Was premiered by the Harvard/Radcliffe choirs on December 7.


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1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
2 egg whites
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I did 1 cup)
Mix together all ingredients. Spoon batter into lined muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 24 muffins. Enjoy!
*One of Cameron and Carsen's faves!

domain: food


text:
Get the facts about Alzheimer’s Disease, including the symptoms and stages.
- Alzheimer's Disease Facts about Alzheimer’s Disease, including the symptoms and stages.
- Epilepsy Facts about epilepsy, including different types, symptoms and causes.
- Parkinson’s Disease Get the facts about Parkinson’s disease, including symptoms.
- View All Care Guides Prepare for your next visit with our extensive library of Care Guides
About Dr. Donald A Smith
Dr. Donald A Smith, MD is a Doctor primarily located in Tampa, FL, with another office in Tampa, FL. He has 39 years of experience. His specialties include Neurological Surgery. Dr. Smith is affiliated with Tampa General Hospital. Dr. Smith has received 5 awards. He speaks English.
Dr. Donald A Smith has the following 1 specialty
- Neurological Surgery
A neurological surgeon is a physician who surgically treats disorders of the nervous system, which is comprised of the brain, spinal cord and nerves.
In addition to treating trauma of the head and spine, these doctors also treat disorders like epilepsy, aneurysms, hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, spinal disc herniation, and spinal disease.
Neurological surgeons can perform surgical procedures on the brain, such as stereotactic surgery, microsurgery, endoscopic surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, and endovascular image guided methods.
Dr. Donald A Smith has the following 19 expertise
- Brain Injuries
- Parkinson Disease
- Dystonic Disorders
- Brain Tumor
- Neurosurgical Procedures
- Brain Surgery
- Essential Tremor
- Complex Regional Pain Syndromes
- Back Pain
- Spinal Fractures
- Spinal Stenosis
- Movement Disorders
Dr. Donald A Smith has 1 board certified specialty
See the board certifications this doctor has received. Board certifications provide confidence that this doctor meets the nationally recognized standards for education, knowledge and experience
Dr. Donald A Smith is Board Certified in 1 specialty
See the board certifications this doctor has received. Board certifications provide confidence that this doctor meets the nationally recognized standards for education, knowledge and experience.
Showing 5 of 75
Great physician. His time is your time. Makes you feel like you are his only patient.
Dr. Donald Smith focuses on YOU the patient at all times. He possesses excellent assessment skills. You never feel rushed during your medical office visit. This is a surgeon who continually tries other medical treatments and never rushes into surgery. You may wait months for an appointment and months for surgery, but by then you will know that surgery is necessary at that time.
Dr. Donald Smith was absolutely excellent at his bedside manner diagnosis and timeliness to fit me in for surgery and he was highly recommended by many surgeons and other doctors . My orthopedic doctor felt comfortable with having Dr. Donald Smith do my surgery that is upcoming. He took his time like I was his only patient to go over everything with me show me exactly what he was looking at and the plan of care and then he had his assistant follow up with me in mediately for a surgery date . I will update the review once I am recovering from surgery which I'm sure will be great . I recommend getting more than one opinion as Dr. Donald Smith was right on target with the mayo clinic opinion and I have decided to have Donald Smith is my surgeon .
Patients' Choice Award (2010, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Patients' Choice recognition reflects the difference a particular physician has made in the lives of his/her patients. The honor is bestowed to physicians who have received near perfect scores, as voted by patients.
Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Compassionate Doctor certification is granted to physicians who treat their patients with the utmost kindness. The honor is granted based on a physician's overall and bedside manner scores.
On-Time Doctor Award (2018)
Vitals On-Time + Promptness Award recognizes doctors with consistent high ratings for timeliness of appointments. The honor is granted based on a physician's overall and promptness scores.
Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctors
Castle Connolly is America's trusted source for the identification of Top Doctors. Their physician-led research team reviews and screens the credentials of tens of thousands of physicians who are nominated by their peers annually, via a nationwide online process, before selecting those physicians who are regionally or nationally among the very best in their medical specialties. Castle Connolly believes strongly that Top Doctors Make a Difference™.
Top 10 Doctor - City (2014)
Top 10 Doctors are chosen by the millions of patients who visit Vitals each year to find a new doctor and share their experiences by providing ratings and reviews. In order to differentiate highly-regarded doctors from the rest for patients in search of quality care, Vitals awards Top 10 Doctor honors to those physicians within a certain specialty and geographic area who are consistently given top ratings by their patients.
Dr. Smith is affiliated (can practice and admit patients) with the following hospital(s).
39 Years Experience
University Of Vermont College Of Medicine
Graduated in 1979
Dr. Donald A Smith accepts the following insurance providers.
- Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS Open Access
- Aetna Signature Administrators PPO
Ambetter Superior Health Plan
- Ambetter Superior Health Plan
- AvMed Empower
- Avmed Choice
BCBS Blue Card
- BCBS Blue Card PPO
- Florida Blue BlueCare HMO
- Florida Blue BlueOptions
- Florida Blue BlueSelect
- CIGNA HMO
- CIGNA LocalPlus
- CIGNA Open Access Plus
- CIGNA PPO
Coventry Health Care
- Coventry FL Employer Group PPO
- Humana Choice POS
- Humana ChoiceCare Network PPO
- Humana HMO
- Humana HMO Premier
- Humana HMO Select
- Humana National POS
- Humana Preferred PPO
- Humana Tampa Bay CoreNet
- Humana Tampa Bay HUMx HMOx
- Multiplan PPO
- PHCS PPO
UHC of the River Valley
- Neighborhood Health Partnership Commercial
- UHC Choice Plus POS
- UHC Navigate HMO
- UHC Navigate POS
- UHC Options PPO
Locations & Directions
Take a minute to learn about Dr. Donald A Smith in this video.
Dr. Donald A Smith is similar to the following 3 Doctors near Tampa, FL.

domain: medical


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Less than two months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, David’s Bridal shrank its debt load by approximately $450 million, emerging without closing any of its 300 stores.
The wedding apparel and accessory retailer has expanded its assortment of new styles and is making them available in a wider range of sizes (from 0 to 30) in stores to accommodate more customers. Additionally, the retailer announced it would provide lower prices on its best-selling dresses.
When the restructuring was first announced, Scott Key, CEO of David’s Bridal, asserted in a video on the retailer’s site that the company’s restructuring “guarantees that customers won’t see any change in the service level they’ve come to expect.
In an update on the site, Key wrote, “Our refinancing is complete, and we kept each of the promises made to you last fall. Dresses were delivered on time, stores remained open, and as a company we remained focused on delivering service worthy of five stars.”
Key and the David’s Bridal team were insistent on maintaining consumer trust throughout the restructuring process. The company did not want to repeat the mistakes of bridal retailer Alfred Angelo, which closed up shop and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a move that left hundreds of brides without dresses even after paying for them.
After emerging from bankruptcy, David’s Bridal is now owned by its lenders, including Oaktree Capital Group.
- Reports: Barneys New York Exploring Possibilities Including Bankruptcy Or Sale
- David’s Bridal Appoints New CEO
- FTD Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Will Sell ProFlowers And Other Businesses
- Bankruptcy Judge Rejects Shopko Dissolution Plan
- Arcadia Group Will Close 11 U.S. Topshop Stores Amid Bankruptcy Filing

domain: economics


text:
Individuals that acquire things on the net like immediate outcomes and also are utilized to quickly spending for what they get, however in truth, the majority of organizations do not refine settlements online. On the various other hands, companies that refine on the internet settlements could increase their earnings a lot more given that online customers have the tendency to acquire even more products/services as a result of the convenience, benefit as well as defense supplied by protected online payment entrance.
As earlier pointed out, online customers are made use of to the fast procedure of spending for what they acquire, so the crucial incentive for shopping online is instant satisfaction. Maintaining this in mind, when your online clients run into unneeded hold-ups, they will most likely look elsewhere for a vendor that approves settlements online. With a protected online payment website, you could be certain to supply consumer contentment in a split second. Whenever consumers purchase from your on the internet shop, their repayment is quickly accredited, after that sent out to your service account. This allows you prevent one of the most usual monetary dangers – like costs connected with jumped checks.
When clients spend for their acquisitions with China Unionpay card, they have to have adequate funds to instantly pay completely. Those that pay online utilizing their bank card are provided the choice to spend for much more pricey things through installation. By doing this, approving repayments online could significantly increase your sales when several of the items you provide are expensive. Enabling charge card repayment online allows you connect to clients around the world. With simply a solitary agreement, your ecommerce shop could get settlements from online consumers – not just in your region, however additionally from abroad. Postal Payment is a kind of repayment that is readily available for firms of any kind of dimension. Commonly utilized locally for approving offline settlements from consumers throughout the nation; for instance getting by means of a brochure as well as supplying products straight to a consumer’s defined area. They are a preferred and also secure approach of handling deals as they could be tracked as well as could just be paid by the desired receiver.


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HEADLINE OF TOMORROW’S THE STAR GUTTER PRESS
“THE STAR” FIGHTING FOR THEIR “FORMER EDITOR”?
When President Uhuru suspended his Finance & Treasury CS Henry Rotich and Treasury PS Thugge, and over 20 Treasury and Government officials including NEMA Director General on 25th July 2019, the Star did not report crisis in the Country.
When Governor Sang suspended 16 top Officers including 3 CECs and 2 Chief Officers over graft probe on 8th May 2019, the Star did not report crisis in Nandi County.
When Governor Sang later sacked 3 CECs and 17 officers after investigations on 17th September 2019, the Star did not report a crisis in Nandi County.
When Governor Kimemia suspended 4 CECs at the midnight on 21st August, 2019, the Star did not report a crisis in Nyandarua County.
When Governor Wycliffe Oparanya sent 143 revenue staff on a 60-day compulsory leave over poor revenue collection, the Star did not report a crisis in Kakamega County.
When Governor Nyong’o dired Health CEC on 2nd May 2019, the Star did not report a crisis in Kisumu County.
But when Sonko suspends Former Star Editor Finance CECM Charles Kerich and CECM Health to pave way for investigations into deaths of 8 innocent pupils and injuries on scores others, the Star reports fake “crisis” in Nairobi County.
Why didn’t the Star accuse President, Oparanya, Kimemia, Sang, Nyong’o etc of “reign of chaos” after firing their CECs (let alone suspension) which is within their constitutional prerogative?
Charles Kerich & his cronies at the Star should know better, no amount of blackmails or character assassinations can ever deter me in doing what I believe is right and in best interests of Nairobi Residents.
Section 41(2) of County Government Act, 2022 says quorum of County Executive Committee is half it’s members. We have 8 CEC members plus the Ag. County Secretary, while the minimum is 6, so where is the “crisis”?

domain: news


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Las Vegas, NV -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/31/2013 -- Value Stock Pick is a leading Investment Newsletter. Our Research Team conducts research on different stocks, doing their due diligence to provide a detailed report, including both technical and fundamental analysis, on NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, OTCBB and Pink Sheet Stocks. Let’s have a brief look at: LSI Corp(NASDAQ:LSI), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(NYSE:AMD), Merck & Co., Inc.(NYSE:MRK), Crocs, Inc.(NASDAQ:CROX)
LSI Corp(NASDAQ:LSI) managed to keep its gain at 0.09% on below-normal volume of 4.85Mshares. The stock is at $ 11.03, floating in a range of $ 11.01 - 11.04. Its latest price has reached market capitalization of $ 6.01BM. Its 52-week range has been $ 5.99 - 11.04. LSI Corporation (LSI) designs, develops and markets high-performance storage and networking semiconductors. The Company offers a portfolio of capabilities, including custom and standard product integrated circuits that are used in hard disk drives (HDDs).
Is LSI a Solid Investment at These Levels? Just Go Here and Find Out
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(NYSE:AMD) is trading on a volume of 4.47M Shares, lower than its standard daily volume. Shares are at $3.85. Over the last twelve months, the stock has gained 60.42% and faced a worst price of $ 2.26. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is a global semiconductor company with facilities around the world. The Company offers x86 microprocessor.
Is AMD a Solid Investment at These Levels? Read This Report for Details
Merck & Co., Inc.(NYSE:MRK) settled up at $ 116.31 on below-normal volume of 2.25M shares during the recent trading session. The stock has its 12-month range $ 40.02 - 50.42. It is trading in a range of $ 49.53 - 50.00 today. Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck) is a global health care company that delivers health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products, which it markets directly and through its joint ventures. The Company consists of four operating segments, which are the Pharmaceutical, Animal Health.
Is MRK a Solid Investment at These Levels? Just Go Here and Find Out
In the recent trading session, Crocs, Inc.(NASDAQ:CROX) is on low volume, trading at a volume of versus its average daily volume ratio 2.79M/1.66M shares. At $15. 79, the stock has attained market capitalization of 1.40B. Crocs, Inc is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of footwear and accessories for men, women and children.
Will Investors Buy CROX After Reading This News? Just Go Here and Find Out
PLEASE NOTE WELL: The employees of ValueStockPick.com are not registered as Investment Advisors in any jurisdiction whatsoever. Never invest in any stock featured on our site, Press releases or emails unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. Investing in “penny stocks” is highly speculative.
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Contact Us: 888-4-SBWIRE (US) - 920-593-5640 (International)


Smithers Council will meet tonight to discuss a few matters
Council will decide whether to add up to three more members to the Advisory Planning Commission.
By increasing the member total and maintaining a quorum of 5, the Commission hopes to avoid future meeting cancellations and rescheduling.
Three names being considered for the positions are Carlee Morsund, Andy Howard, Laurelin Svisdahl.
Another topic is a potential amendment to the outdated Property Maintenance Bylaw.
The bylaw hasn’t been modernized since 1990 and Council will debate whether or not to update it to fit the more developed Town.
Inoperable “derelict vehicles” storage, wild “vegetation,” and decaying “rubbish” on residential properties will all be discussed.
Chamber doors open at 6:30 PM.


Alex Cuba at Levitt Pavilion
Central Standard Time
2321 Southern Oak Dr
Smooth, sultry sounds that sail across cultural borders
Alex Cuba is a Latin Grammy/Juno winner and a singer/songwriter who goes beyond tradition with his vast musical vision. His sugarcane-sweet...


HARRISONBURG,Va. (WHSV)-- According to AAA, nine out of ten people in Virginia will be hitting the roads this year to travel for the holiday weekend.
Interstate 81, which serves the nearby cities of: Roanoke, Blacksburg, Lexington, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Winchester, is one of those roads across the nation that will be heavily traveled over the next couple of days.
Historically, the worst congestion period to travel is from noon until about 7p.m. Friday.
Many drivers are preparing themselves for the trip by packing snacks,or, downloading last minute music to listen to on the way.
One family that stopped in the valley on their way to North Carolina said that traffic or no traffic, they will be at their granddaughter's first birthday.
"We don't get away that often so... if we have a long weekend and can do it... we will. It doesn't matter if the traffic... doesn't even enter our heads to think about that. We are from out in the country and used to traveling long distances to the malls, and it doesn't matter," said Diane Keeler, a holiday traveler.
If you want to check out the traffic cameras before you head out on the roads, click on the link below to see our traffic cameras covering the Shenandoah Valley.
© Copyright 2014 WHSV / Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


text:
- Keyword = sailors
Edition: Advance Reading Copy (trade paperback format. )
New York: Farrar,Straus,& Giroux, (1999). First edition - Set in 1912 at a Danish seaside hotel, this is a story of icebergs, ill-fated love, mutiny at sea and one imaginative boy. "Prince hovers on a seductive borderline between realism and fantasy, between a sun-kissed, sun-streaked, ocean-side summer world and a mythical universe where time and place melt together." Translated by Barbara Haveland from the Danish. 310 pp.
Condition: Fine in glossy illustrated wrappers.Book ID: 59616More details Price: $18.50
BALLADS, BLUES & SWAN SONGS
Edition: First printing.
New York: Atheneum, 1982. dj. Hardcover first edition - Author's first collection of short stories & fourth book - twelve spare and memorable stories of sailors, drifters and losers - some set in France were Wiser chose to live. Recommended. 182 pp. ISBN: 0-689111886.
Condition: Fine in very good dust jacket (2 short closed tears to upper edge of dj - dj now protected by an archival copy.)Book ID: 32873More details Price: $16.00

domain: artistic


Also this year the Nature Reserve promotes the Gens 2.0 Programme, together with local schools to raise pupils' awareness related to environmental education.
The activities will be agreed and carried out along with the teachers of the Institutes and we will organize at least one meeting in class and an exit in the Reserve.
For the 2019/2020 school year this Park Authority will be able to follow the activities of up to 15 primary school classes.
There are two proposed projects:
Click here to find all the Environmental Education Proposals (Italian text)


The report added that Pawbake achieved the feat in his village in Sangamner, Ahmednagar district on November 6, 2017
Where there is a will there is a way, this old saying was proved true by a 31-year-old teacher in Maharashtra when he made a Guinness World Record of becoming the fastest person to arrange the letters of the English alphabet on stencil board, reports Hindustan Times. According to the report, Vijay Pawbake, a resident of Vangaon in Dahanu made his way into the Guinness Book of World Records by clocking 28.45 seconds. He is the first Indian ever to achieve this feat. He did that by defeating the earlier record holder, Helen Strether of United Kingdom, who had achieved the feat in 30.05 seconds.
The report added that Pawbake achieved the feat in his village in Sangamner, Ahmednagar district on November 6, 2017. Speaking about his record, he told Hindustan Times, “I was inspired by my student, Karan Khanloda, who stood on his toes for 30 minutes. That made me think of what I could do.” Explaining about his record he said that he had to arrange the alphabets with multi-coloured magnets and fix them on a stencil board. After practicing for a while he decided to record the event during Diwali. “My wife Sarla and mother Shashikala were the witnesses, brothers Akshay and Shubham recorded the feat and their wives Lata and Archana were the timekeepers,” said Pawbake quoting Hindustan Times.
He added that he was overjoyed when achieved the feat in 28.45 seconds. The 31-year-old then sent the details of the event to Guinness authorities after which on December 21, he received acknowledgment of the record. Guinness Book of World Records has also posted the record on its official website.


text:
- Road Map
Lots of choices to escape the city and buy an affordable farm wth several options and raise your family chemical free.
If you want to be a farmer then you have acres to enjoy a range of farming activities.
House and Land with infrastructure $400,000
Land with underground water available $300,000
These are underway so STCA.
The house and land option perfect for some intensive farming activities with water availability. Perfect for anyone who wants to combine lifestyle with value adding.
Third Option is buy the ex-bakery in town and have a café or retail out let for the veggies and produce and lots of value adding.
So many options to bring your own passions to a community where wetlands are being established; it is one of the towns in The Remembrance Silo Art Trail; perfect combination with many trades in demand; develop paddock to plate with the ex bakery; or enjoy the more simple life.
Take your pick…..
This will be 320 acre lot with house, and 320 acre lot without house (but will be able to build STCA) of ACO Certified Organic Cereal Farm with certification over 20 years certified is suitable for existing or previous production (contact our office for financial information):
• Organic wheat/rye
• Hay (seasonal) –
• Organic Sheep/cattle
• Firewood Harvest
• Tourism – Farm Stays
• Eucalyptus Oil (1ha eucalyptus polybractea)
With potential for:
• Organic flour
• Free range chickens
• Green house veggies (using old chicken sheds)
• Rehab or boot camp facility
Property Features :
Modest weatherboard residence with 3 bedrooms, spacious patio and lawn tennis court. Kitchen & dining recently relined & painted.
25% revegetated (woodlots, saltbush, windbreaks) CADMIUM FREE fertilizers and NO chemical spray or fertilizer.
Excellent underground water, 30,000L header tanks, reticulated to paddocks via poly. 25,000L rainwater tanks.
Large raised 2 stand shearing shed and yards, 2 machinery sheds, smaller workshop/hobby shed with concrete floor.
3 x 60’ x 30’ chook sheds plus processing & packaging sheds were used to process up to 1000 chickens/week, all with concrete floors.
4 x 50 tonne silos, 2 x 5 tonne seed silos.
Storage shed with raised platform next to silos – was used to mix chicken feed.
Cell grazing (saltbush lambs), timber, organic crops (grain, veggies)
Irrigation possible on small scale from stock and domestic allocation. Possible larger scale subject to water license.
10km from MURRAYVILLE, Victoria, which has good services including P-12 Community College. Situated only 3 hours from Adelaide.
Plant and machinery purpose bought and maintained for this farm
Small flourmill towards developing organic flour business.
Shop (previously a bakery) in Murrayville perfect as complementary business to the farm – contact our office for all the details.
905 Ngallo Road
- Mixed Farming
- 4 bed
- 1 bath
- 4 Parking Spaces
- Land is 640 acre
- 4 Garage

domain: agronomy


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View to a Thrill: NASCAR Meets Drag Racing as ThorSport Racing Drivers Check Out Sunday at NHRA 4-Wide Nationals Presented by Lowes Foods
Rico Abreu has driven sprint cars, midgets, stock cars and trucks in the last three years, but no feeling topped the excitement the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie had when he stood trackside on zMAX Dragway's starting line and witnessed the high-octane, 40,000-horsepower NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods eliminations on Sunday.
Abreu and ThorSport Racing teammates Matt Crafton, Cameron Hayley and Ben Rhodes participated in a pre-race track walk, met with NHRA drivers including J.R. Todd and were visibly impressed by the one-of-a-kind spectacle that is four-wide racing at zMAX Dragway.
"My eyeballs are still out there on the track," Abreu said. "It's really cool. I would try it. It's a straight line, so it's a little bit different than what I'm used to, but I just know when I do try it not to turn left at the finish."
The NASCAR-meets-NHRA event served as a high-speed preview of the ThorSport Racing drivers' return to Charlotte Motor Speedway's iconic 1.5-mile superspeedway on May 20 for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, the series' only stop in North Carolina.
Crafton, who won the 2008 North Carolina Education Lottery 200, agreed with his teammates in wanting to try out drag racing on a free weekend. No one was more taken aback by the experience than Rhodes, a Louisville, Kentucky, native who had never attended a drag race prior to Sunday.
"I have enormous respect for what these people do," Rhodes said. "It's just crazy. It doesn't do it justice to watch it on TV. You really have to be here to experience it, and I didn't realize that until I was standing next to the starting line."
Tickets to any action-packed Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway or The Dirt Track at Charlotte event can be purchased by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or by shopping online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMAX Dragway by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.


Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has expressed hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will put an end to the “enormous abuse of power” aimed at former President Donald Trump after it agreed to review whether he is immune from prosecution in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) federal criminal case, which relates to his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
Mr. Cruz made the comments in an interview on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Feb. 28. “I have to say, I’m glad the Supreme Court is taking the case. I have to say what we’ve seen in the past year—about the targeting from the left, the targeting from Democrat prosecutors of Donald Trump—has been an enormous abuse of power,” the lawmaker said.
“We’ve never in our history had a president or former president indicted, and in the past year, Donald Trump has been indicted four different times by both the Biden Justice Department and by two Democrat D.A.s [district attorneys], and I think this is an abuse of power and persecution of President Trump. And I very much hope that the Supreme Court puts a stop to it,” he continued.
Asked how he believes the nation’s highest court will rule on the matter, Mr. Cruz said, “We’ll see how the arguments play out ... the arguments on both sides.” He added that he hopes the court steps in and “decides the elections should be decided by the voters at the ballot box and not by judges and prosecutors.”
Trump Welcomes Supreme Court ReviewWhile prosecutors have argued presidents enjoy no immunity from criminal prosecution, President Trump’s lawyers claim he has complete immunity under federal law, pointing to a 1982 Supreme Court case, Nixon v. Fitzgerald.
That case granted presidential immunity from civil lawsuits for acts within the “outer perimeter” of the president’s official responsibilities. President Trump’s lawyers argue that his actions in questioning the election results were part of his official duties and therefore he should be immune from criminal prosecution.
“Legal scholars are extremely thankful for the Supreme Court’s decision today to take up presidential immunity. Without presidential immunity, a president will not be able to properly function or make decisions in the best interest of the United States of America,” the former president wrote.
“Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office,” he continued. “This could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President. The other side would say, ‘If you don’t do something, just the way we want it, we are going to go after you when you leave office, or perhaps even sooner.’”


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Shop dozens of local and regional artists on the Tennessee Aquarium Plaza. You’ll find beautiful jewelry, hand-made crafts, artisan foods, woodworking, soaps/candles and many other local works. Each Market day features live music and a local food truck too!
Tennessee Aquarium Plaza
1 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402
Disclaimer: The accuracy of the information above depends on the information provided by organizers and third parties.


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By Lisa Karon Richardson
In 1897 the Duchess of Devonshire caused a stir of monsoon proportions among her many friends when she announced the intention of throwing a fancy dress ball in honor of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. For weeks in advance, the cream of the haute ton combed through London’s galleries and leafed through fables making lists of potential costumes and even sketching out their ideas. Eventually they found their way into the hands of modistes who spun lavish costumes from their airy daydreams.
Happily for us, the Duchess knew how to throw a party, and hired a photographer to memorialize the evening by taking pictures of her fabulously turned out guests.
|Mrs. Reginald Talbot as a Valkyrie
|Sir Charles and Lady Hartopp as Napoleon and Josephine
|Lady Margaret Villiers dressed as Monsieur’s wife, Madame, Duchess d’Orleans.
|The Ladies Churchill as Watteau shepherdesses.
|Lady Randolph Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill’s mother) as the Empress Theodora, wife of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian.
|Sir Edgar Vincent as a character from a painting by Franz Hals.
But I have to say that the Duchess wasn't the only one throwing fancy dress balls. In 1883, well before the Jubilee was a twinkle in the Duchess's eyes, Alva Vanderbilt threw an elaborate fancy dress affair that hosted the high and mighty of the US. Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt won the prize for uniqueness when she donned a yellow and shell-pink satin dress embroidered with tinsel, gilt and silver thread and came as Electric Light. The Vanderbilts' had their faults, but they most definitely weren't cheap. Mrs. Cornelius had her costume was designed by the great couturier, Worth.
|Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt as Electric Light, 1883
|Electric Light Costume
|A wine bottle costume worn by an unidentified lady. But how cute is that? I love the cap!
|A Turkish themed costume, designed by no less that Worth.
Do masquerades or fancy dress balls appeal to you? If you could go to a party dressed as anything in the world and the costume was guaranteed to look lovely on you, who, or what, would you go as?
Influenced by books like The Secret Garden and The Little Princess, Lisa Karon Richardson’s early books were heavy on boarding schools and creepy houses. Now that she’s (mostly) all grown-up she still loves a healthy dash of adventure and excitement in any story she creates, even her real-life story. She’s been a missionary to the Seychelles and Gabon and now that she and her husband are back in America, they are tackling a brand new adventure, starting a daughter-work church in a new city. Her newest novel, The Magistrate’s Folly just released February 5th!

domain: entertainment


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Friday, February 24, 2006
CD of the Day, 2/24/06: MezzRow-MezzRow
MezzRow is a South Jersey band that sounds more like Liverpool meets Nashville than Asbury Park, and their eponymous debut album is a treat. Coming up with some analogues for this band is a bit tough since they do an expert job of melding all their influences; "Brit pop meets Americana" as it says on their CD Baby page, and I hear a bit of everything from Steve Earle at one end of the spectrum to The Verve on the other end. Maybe I can best explain their sound in the context of Marah, who hails from the same general area: it's kind of like the songs from Float Away With The Friday Night Gods with the production values of Kids In Philly, minus the Springsteen worship.
The album starts off with a bang; the first three tracks "Blue & Red", "Pictures" and "Tear" are an impressive an introduction as any, and "Embassy Stairs" is where the Marah comparison really hits home. You can stream the first three, along with "Got Me All Wrong", at their myspace page. No mp3s I could find, so CD Baby is your best bet for the remaining samples and purchasing. These guys are only in their early 20s, and with a promising debut like this already on record, it'll be interesting to see where they go from here.
UPDATE: Somehow I missed the fact that Smash Palace's Stephen Butler produced this disc, as well having a hand in co-writing and playing on some of the tracks here. That'll teach me to pay attention to liner notes more often.
Posted by Steve at 12:01 AM


“Such an amazing set of hosts - love the show. But the podcast production team is horrible. Every second day there are some issues with the recording - poor sound level, only mono channel instead of stereo, no sound when other clips and interviews are mixed in, etc etc. does no one listen to check??
Cmon Laura Rutledge and crew - you deserve better.”
SNG- mikeandmikefan via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·


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Unique and Distinctive
Highlights from the Glucksman Library at the University of Limerick
The Index librorum prohibitorum and the banning of books
Yasha is a natural yellow-brown dye extracted from cones of the Japanese alder tree and used to dye fabric and paper.
Showcasing the best of the Bolton Library for National Heritage Week 2022

domain: library


The ordinary cemented tailings backfill (CTB) is a cement-based composite prepared from tailings, cementitious materials, and water. In this study, a series of laboratory tests, including uniaxial compression, digital image correlation measurement, and scanning electron microscope characteristics of fiber-reinforced CTB (FRCTB), was conducted to obtain the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), failure evolution, and microstructural characteristics of FRCTB specimens. The results show that adding fibers could increase the UCS values of the CTB by 6.90% to 32.76%. The UCS value of the FRCTB increased with the increase in the polypropylene (PP) fiber content. Moreover, the reinforcement effect of PP fiber on the CTB was better than that of glass fiber. The addition of fiber could increase the peak strain of the FRCTB by 0.39% to 1.45%. The peak strain of the FRCTB increased with the increase in glass fiber content. The failure pattern of the FRCTB was coupled with tensile and shear failure. The addition of fiber effectively inhibited the propagation of cracks, and the bridging effect of cracks by the fiber effectively improved the mechanical properties of the FRCTB. The findings in this study can provide a basis for the backfilling design and optimization of mine backfilling methods.


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Sarah Woodburn Private Viewing at Bankley Gallery (pictured)
For our first pick of free things to do in Manchester this week, we’ve got a private viewing of a new exhibition at Levenshulme’s Bankley Gallery. ‘Sum’ is a collection of new paintings – all produced over the past two years – from Bankley Open Call 2017 winner Sarah Woodburn. She works with unprimed canvases, using the roughness of the stretched fabric to her advantage and working round its imperfections to create colourful, abstract, fauvist pieces. The exhibition runs on Saturdays until 2 June, but by appointment only, so if you wanted to just ‘drop in’ this viewing is your only chance.
Fri 18 May, Bankley Gallery, Bankley Street, Manchester, M19 3PP. 7pm – 9pm, www.facebook.com
Biggie Day at PLY
Biggie Biggie Biggie can’t you see, sometimes your words just hypnotize me, and I just love your flashy ways, guess that’s why they broke, and you’re so paid. Even if you’re not ‘so paid’ this weekend, you can still enjoy PLY’s day-long celebration of iconic East Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G. – who would’ve turned 46 this weekend, had his life not been cut so short. The Northern Quarter pizza parlour will have DJs spinning classic 90s Hip-hop, and – as the coincides with world whisky day – a special menu of themed pizza and cocktails. The event coincides with World Whisky Day, so be on the lookout for promotions from event sponsor Wolfburn Whisky.
Sat 19 May, PLY, 26 Lever St, Manchester, M1 1DW. 12pm – 11pm, www.facebook.com
Exhibition Tour at Castlefield Gallery
Also this Saturday, you can catch a free tour of the latest exhibition at Castlefield Gallery, presented by visiting Erasmus placement intern Leslie Remonato. Let Leslie take you through ‘Oh, it is easy to be clever if one does not know all these questions’, an exhibition that opened only last week and is a collaboration between Manchester School of Art Professor Pavel Büchler and Prague-based curator Mariana Serranova, who’ve gathered works from new artists from their respective cities, including video artist Miroslava Večeřová whose produced a site-specific installation specially for Castlefield Gallery. If that’s not enough to convince you – refreshments are also provided on the tour day. The exhibition itself runs until Sunday 1 July.
Sat 19 May, Castlefield Gallery, 2 Hewitt Street, Manchester, M15 4GB. Tel: 0161 832 8034, 1pm – 2pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk
Chantal Joffe at The Lowry
Distinctive British artist Chantal Joffe’s newest exhibition opens this weekend at The Lowry, showcasing her rough, pop culture inspired portraits of ordinary life. You can find out more by looking at our full preview.
Sat 19 May – Sun 2 Sep, The Lowry Galleries, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ. Tel: 0843 208 6000, 10am – 5pm, www.thelowry.com
Published on: Thu 17 May 2018


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Piers Morgan: We're in a Medieval Period of Social Media
In a recent column in The Daily Mail, Piers Morgan sounded off on the Brian Williams scandal, writing, "Politicians, celebrities, sportsmen or news anchors – they’re all tossed onto the furnace of righteous, indignant fury at the slightest suggestion they may not be as perfect as we’d like them to be."
Morgan appeared on "Media Buzz today" to discuss his thoughts on the frenzied reaction to Williams' admission that he had lied about being in a helicopter that was forced down by RPG fire in Iraq in 2003.
"I think we're in a new Medieval phase where social media has empowered people to be as mean as they want to be, and I'm not sure how helpful that is to the democratic process, whether you're a politician or you're in the media, whatever it may be," Morgan said.
Morgan acknowledged that Williams certainly made a mistake, but he said that the way people acted, you would think Williams was a "mass serial killer."
"The gleeful vilification of him, the mockery, the general consensus that he has to be smashed to pieces, I found pretty unedifying," Morgan said, adding that if he had not been fired as a result of his own personal scandal, he believes he would have emerged as a better journalist and a better editor.
Morgan asserted that if Williams gets a second chance, he will be a better, more accurate anchor from this experience.
"It's the kind of personal abuse that gets wrapped around all this - driven by social media - that I think often takes away from the central arguments and also makes it very difficult to reach any fair, balanced judgment," Morgan said.
Watch more above.


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Professional Live and Session Drummer looking for that right project. The project must be serious, mostly original, and have a plan to write and record their original music as well as play live several dates per month. I am coming off many years backing various country/rock artists in Nashville and more. Drumming is all I do, which is why I am looking for a serious project. No smokey bar bands please.
I am also a busy session drummer and can lay drum tracks on your music at your studio or mine. I can provide examples upon request. Please contact me to discuss further.
do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers


“ADAFRUIT IO” makes IoT for everyone. Here we publish the data from a photo-resistor and a simulated GPS.
Things used in this project
How to face IoT, the best is trying and making by yourself with real hardware. In my case I began with MKR1000 – Arduino, the second challenge is to send the information to the web, in this case I find the platform from Adafruit.
With this context I decide to read a photo-resistor with the MKR1000 and publish the information with Adafruit IO. The idea is to learn by your self how to publish data with Adafruit IO, they have a lot a examples and here is also a way to learn.
The Adafruit IO has a GPS viewer and also a GPS and cellular hardware from FONA. Before buying such hardware it is a good idea to simulate the data interface. In this case I generate simulated coordinates but prepared according to the FONA 808 and sent in the right format to Adafruit, in order to have a feeling before to test with real hardware.
The serial monitor from the MKR1000 is showing information to control if all is running OK. Here are some screen shoots from the Adafruit GUI, the serial monitor information and the hardware.
Here is a link to the web, normally the hardware is running to test, if is not the case please write me down and I will assign you a time window to test and the the GUI interface.
Here how to set up the blocks in ADAFRUIT:
Here how the dashboard and feed look like in ADAFRUIT IoT:


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Green Finance Briefing: GOP vs ESG – The Empire strikes back
- Republicans continue to flex their muscles against ESG, targeting the world's largest asset management firms saying that they're using their stakes in public companies to cast proxy votes that favor a "liberal political agenda".
- Despite all these challenges, it doesn't look like ESG is going anywhere anytime soon.
Republicans continue to flex their muscles against ESG, targeting the world's largest asset management firms, arguing that they aren't actually passive investors because they're trying to shape companies' climate or social policies.
GOP representatives in the Banking Committee took aim at BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, saying that they're using their stakes in public companies to cast proxy votes that favor a "liberal political agenda".
Republicans are also eyeing a potential violation of antitrust laws, pointing to a "coordinated behavior" to advance ESG goals and punish other industries.
"Woke corporations are collectively adopting and imposing progressive policy goals that American consumers do not want or do not need," according to a letter from senior Republicans.
In an attempt to turn rhetoric into reality, the GOP shows no signs of stopping its anti-ESG movement, in what is shaping up to be a looming political combat in the Senate when Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next month.
ESG funds have attracted more than $1 trillion over the past few years, and 2021 was deemed the year of ESG investing. Reports were even showing that ESG-mandated assets were on track to represent half of all professionally managed assets globally by 2024.
The surge in ESG labels for assets in a market with little regulatory oversight and inconsistencies between labeling methodologies sparked valid skepticism around their actual links to sustainability.
While the general consensus is that ESG still has a long way to go, Republicans want it abolished altogether. Critics argue that ESG factors don't affect firm value, or that having positive externalities on society comes at a cost to investors. This is misguided cynicism, according to portfolio manager Levi Zurbrugg.
"Cynics suggest ESG investors don’t care about returns and fail to substantiate how ESG relates to financial performance or risk. This ignores the preponderance of work done by nongovernmental organizations, academics and practitioners, which links ESG issues to the fundamental inputs (cash flows, growth and discount rate) of valuation," he argued.
The political pushback paired with the lack of clarity around ESG has influenced banks and FIs to adopt a more cautious approach towards climate strategies, wanting to steer clear of any legal troubles.
Companies, investors and asset managers now find themselves in legal jeopardy from several directions, making it hard to come up with a coherent strategy or workable business plan, argues the FT.
On the left, federal regulators and Democratic state officials have been demanding more detailed disclosures, as unsubstantiated ESG targets could be interpreted as misleading statements towards investors, and open the door for potential litigation.
“Climate change is likely to become the ESG theme where the crackdown on greenwashing will be the hardest, given that it represents a theme where scientific knowledge is widely available and points to the need for bolder and faster action,” according to JP Morgan Chase analyst Jean-Xavier Hecker.
Hecker expects anti-greenwashing actions to go beyond disclosures to also include an assessment of the alignment between the fund’s stated investment philosophy and the final investment decisions.
But the right also wants to bring the fight to court, probing whether big banks that pledge to cut their carbon footprint are violating antitrust laws.
Here to stay
Despite all these challenges, it doesn't look like ESG is going anywhere anytime soon.
A survey of 550 Bloomberg Terminal users found that more than 60% expect ESG to be either standard or increasingly critical to running a business. The remaining 40% believe ESG is just a “fad.”
However, more than half of survey respondents said they were taking action on ESG because it’s crucial to boosting corporate profits versus actually having a positive impact on society and reducing carbon emissions. Around two thirds said they were acting on ESG at the behest of their clients and primarily to protect their companies’ reputations.
Just look at the charts
Global sales of sustainable bonds — including green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds — are down 30% this year, according to Bloomberg.
This would mark the first yearly decrease in ESG bond sales, as borrowers dial back from bond issuance globally. Despite the drop, the overall trend is expected to continue upwards in the next few years as companies capitalize on investor demand for ESG-linked investments to fund their sustainability efforts.
What we’re writing
The stroll to zero – finance has a long way to go
At COP27, there were no commitments to phase down or reduce fossil fuel use in the final overarching deal, and there was no breakthrough in the rules of finance either.
Is finance ready to move from pledges to implementation?
Lubomila Jordanova, founder and CEO of sustainability platform PlanA, joins us on the Green Finance podcast to discuss her experience at COP27 and decarbonization strategies for banks and FIs.
Debunking carbon credits and voluntary carbon markets, with BeZero Carbon CEO Tommy Ricketts
Carbon markets can facilitate a larger flow of funds towards climate solutions, but they need more standardization in order to ensure credits remain qualitative and don't allow for greenwashing.
What you need to know
TreeCard, a climate-conscious digital money app, raised $23 million from investors including Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures, EQT and World Fund.
Florida will replace BlackRock as the manager of $2bn in state Treasury funds, part of a spreading Republican backlash against sustainable investing.
London-based Bluebell, an activist fund with around $250 million in assets under management that holds a tiny stake in BlackRock, is concerned about "the gap between what BlackRock consistently says on ESG and what they actually do."
Vanguard is walking out of the world’s largest climate-finance alliance, marking the coalition’s biggest defection to date as US Republicans step up their threats against firms deemed hostile toward the fossil-fuel industry.
The GOP’s opposition to meaningful climate policy is increasingly at odds with corporate pragmatism.
In navigating anti-ESG media, it’s valuable to separate well-founded criticisms from misguided cynicisms.


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Kanye West's wife is proud of curvy bum
Kim Kardashian has been flaunting her hot figure on holiday in Mexico.
The reality star, 33, sunbathed topless in a yellow bikini yesterday while her pregnant friend sat beside her and shared a picture of their shapely figures on Instagram.
‘#OurLovelyLadyLumps,’ Kim wrote.
Kim is seen lying on her front with her curvy bum on display as she basks in the sunshine.
Kanye West‘s wife also posted a photo from the swimming pool where her derrière again takes centre stage.
‘☀🌀☀,’ Kim simply captioned the snap.
The mum-of-one seems to be feeling good about herself at the moment and has reportedly been following an unusual strawberry-based diet.
‘She’s giving it a go a few days of the week,’ a source tells The Sun.
‘She has strawberries for breakfast and lunch and strawberry smoothie snacks in between.
‘She joked it’s OK to have champagne and strawberries in the evening.’

domain: celebrity


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Founded in 2004, Mulino Flour Milling is located in Ukraine and has a production capacity of 100 t/day. By having a long years’ experience in flour milling sector Alapala poduces the highest quality flour for its esteemeted customers in Ukraine with the latest machinery and equipments.
Address : Elevatornaya Str. 4,70002 Vil’nians’k Zaporizka obl, Ukraine
Tel : +38 061 434 61 94 Fax: +38 061 434 61 99
Web : www.mulinogroup.com
Mail : email@example.com
Alapala Group is active in 4 sectors consisting of industry, food, foreign trade and construction with 7 companies.
Alapala Group is continuously expanding with its domestic and foreign investments and partnerships with its 50 years’ experience, state of the art technological infrastructure, its perfectionism and dynamic staff, its visionary management aiming to develop continuously.


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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MICROGREENS AND SPROUTS
Sprouts and microgreens are often mistaken as being the same thing, it’s a question
that we are often asked in the course of us selling our microgreens. Some of the
most significant differences between sprouts and microgreens are the following.
Sprouts are grown and germinate hydroponically in water alone, where
microgreens can be grown either in soil or hydroponically. Although, growing
microgreens in soil is said to give them a higher nutritional value and better flavor.
Sprouts also don’t need light or ventilation but they do need some humidity. These
conditions may allow harmful bacteria to grow though. Since 1996 according to
Foodsafety.gov, sprouts have been associated with at least 30 outbreaks of food
borne illness. In 2016 new standards were implemented for growing, harvesting
and packaging sprouts and produce for human consumption. So it’s important that
they be grown properly to ensure that they are free from harmful bacteria or other
pathogens before consumption. With these factors it’s possible that sprouts are
riskier to eat than microgreens.
Generally sprouts are at their prime shortly after they have germinated, within a
few days and usually under a week. They are eaten when they reach a maximum
length of one to three inches and in the plants first stage of life as they have not
developed their cotyledon leaves yet so you are entirely eating just the seed and
stem of the sprout. Sprouts also are primarily eaten for their crunchy texture while
having little taste to them.
Microgreens need both elements of light and ventilation to grow well. They are
eaten for their flavor, nutritional and vitamin content and because they contain
more fiber than sprouts. They can are more desirable because they have a variety
Most microgreens are generally eaten after growing from one to three weeks and
cut off just above the soil level so you aren’t eating the plants roots. Both their leaves
and stems can be eaten though. They are usually harvested shortly after developing
their first set of cotyledon leaves and may be grown up to seven inches in length.
Microgreens are a plant in its second stage of growth. So you can look at sprouts as
the infant plant and microgreens sort of as the youngsters.
Microgreens also have minerals, antioxidants, beta-carotene, enzymes and other
unique medicinal compounds. Researchers are very impressed with many other
benefits that microgreens offer versus sprouts. Microgreens can have up to forty
percent more nutritional value than their mature counterparts and be grown
quickly and easily. Microgreens require a smaller growing area whether they are
grown in soil or hydroponically. It is common for them to be grown vertically on
racks just about anywhere that you can control the temperature and humidity. They
require far less water than growing crops the traditional way.
Health food advocates and researchers recognize the many benefits of microgreens
and recommend that people incorporate them into their daily diets. They are easy to
toss into your salad or top your sandwich off with. You can sneak them into
everyday meals while raw or you can cook them as well. They make tasty smoothies
and are used as fantastic looking garnishes.
Mighty little microgreens shine as a super food for their many attributes and are a
great way to add additional vegetables into you or your family’s year round daily


Amy Barnes, 28, a skater from Reading who is also a member of British Ice Skating is running the London Marathon at the end of the month in her skates.
The London Marathon which takes place on Sunday 28 April 2019 is 26.2 miles and running it normally is hard enough but to do it in skates will be a remarkable achievement.
Amy is raising funds for “The Mental Health Foundation” and stated “The whole reason I am running in my skates is because I believe that mental health is not spoken about enough in sport and especially skating where we have seen a number of the top skaters from all over the world retire or seek help as the pressure to look and perform in a certain way has got too much.”
She added “I also believe that the internet has not helped with cyber bullying being a prime example of mental health increasing in athletes.”
If you would like to donate towards Amy’s fund raising her just giving page is www.justgiving.com/amy-barnes14 or why not if you live close enough go along and cheer Amy and all her fellow runners on.


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Marital Home Can Be Sold to Pay One Spouse’s IRS Debt
Married couples often believe that their marital property is free from seizure by the IRS for one spouse’s debt. This is not true. This article explains what can happen when the IRS comes calling for payment.
The general rule for marital homes is that a home owned by a married couple cannot be seized or sold to satisfy the debts of one spouse. As so often occurs in law, however, there are important exceptions.
IRS collection actions are one such exception. This is unsurprising, because at least one law professor has been heard to say, and I am paraphrasing, “the Constitution ends at the Internal Revenue Code.” A while back, Congress passed a statute enabling the IRS to seize the property of a married couple to satisfy the tax lien of just one spouse. That action spurred considerable litigation, with one case, United States v. Rodgers, 461 U.S. 677 (1983), interpreting that statute and stating certain requirements the IRS must meet before it can seize and sell marital property to satisfy one spouse’s tax liens.
Proper application of this statute was a contested matter in a case just decided by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals of federal cases filed in Michigan. United States v Davis, No. 15-1696. In this case, the plaintiff wife’s husband amassed $1 million tax debt for unpaid business payroll taxes. The wife did not own the business and was not responsible for the taxes or the ensuing tax lien. The IRS nonetheless sued both spouses to enforce its tax liens through the forced sale of a residence and vacation home owned jointly by both spouses as tenants by the entireties.
Mr. Davis conceded his tax liability. Ms. Davis, on the other hand, came up with several rather imaginative arguments, including that she would be undercompensated by the forced tax sale because she had a greater interest in the real estate due to her longer life expectancy. She argued that women generally live longer than men, that she was in good health and that her husband had heart problems and diabetes.
Ms. Davis’ argument fit of the primary four factors limiting a court’s ability to order the sale of a marital home in these circumstances, namely, that the court can exercise its discretion to deny the IRS its sale if the sale would leave the non-liable spouse undercompensated. Unfortunately for Ms. Davis, neither Michigan nor federal law supported this argument, and both the District Court and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered forced sale of the marital home.
It is important to note that Ms. Davis, like any other spouse in this situation, was entitled to her half of the sale proceeds free of the IRS lien, which proceeds unfortunately are usually reduced in a forced tax sale. She just didn’t prevail on her argument that she should receive more than one-half of the sale proceeds.
The important lesson to be learned is that married couples are vulnerable to IRS enforcement actions in the situation described above. Ms. Davis expended considerable resources making plausible arguments, she did not owe the taxes and she was not found to be at fault. She nonetheless suffered the sale of her marital home and vacation home.
Married homeowners should not be misled by the fallacy that their marital home cannot be sold for one spouse’s debts. Counsel at this office should be engaged to negotiate and resolve any contested tax liability before the IRS files its tax liens and enforcement lawsuits.
Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this Article is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties. If requested, Lambert Law would be pleased to perform the requisite work on your matter. Such an engagement may be the subject of a separate letter that would define the scope and limits of the desired legal services.
© Copyright 2016 Lambert Law

domain: law


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File storage made simple! Store all your files on the Safco Steel Archival Shelving, where they can be easily sorted, stored, and retrieved. Each of the four steel shelves is strong enough to hold up to 900 pounds of evenly distributed weight. Requires warp-free particle board shelves (sold separately) that are designed to hold eighty 12 x 15 x 10-inch height letter/legal storage boxes.
Safco products were specifically developed to meet the changing needs of the business world, offering real design without great expense. Each product is designed to fit the needs of individuals and the way they work, by enhancing comfort and meeting the modern needs of organization in the workplace. These products encourage work-area efficiency and ultimately, work-life efficiency: from schools and universities, to hospitals and clinics, from small offices and businesses to corporations and large institutions, airports, restaurants, and malls. Safco continues to offer new colors, new styles, and new solutions according to market trends and the ever-changing needs of business life.

domain: design


Chester Road • Daresbury
Warrington • WA4 4AJ
Mon - Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm
Sat 8.30am - 1.00pm
Its not all about selling you a new product, at Dutton's we pride ourselves on our after sales service too.
On site we have a fully equipped workshop with factory trained technicians on hand offering a quick & efficient turnaround for your garden machinery, be it a blade re sharpen , small repair or routine maintenance.
Dutton's are authorised service agents for Honda,Stihl ,Hayter and most leading garden machinery manufactures. There's no need to lift your heavy machinery in & out of your car,we have a van on the road offering an efficient collection & delivery service if required.
If its spare parts you require, Dutton's stock a comprehensive range on the shelf. Our on line parts look up system enables us to get most non stock parts for leading manufactures like Honda or Stihl next day.
We stock a vast range of Stihl chainsaw chains (many fit other manufacturers), nylon strimmer line ,blades , loppers , axes, secateurs, safety equipment, oils & lubricants , the list goes on & on why not pop over to the shop & take look yourself ?
DELIVERY AND COLLECTION SERVICE
CALL 01925 740217
Dutton's are authorised service agents for
and many more.


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This beautiful Willow necklace hangs gracefully from a 28" long chain that is hand wired with 14kt Gold filled wire with rich, apple green Chrysoprase Gemstones.
The meaning of Chrysoprase also includes a powerful healing power. It is recommended if you are looking for peace and a loving energy.
The handmade, Sterling Silver Willow Leaf Pendant is about 2" without the bail. It is accented in 22kt Genuine Gold with your choice of either a partial sun or a partial star which peeks from one side of the leaf. The Weeping Willow leaf has a shiny polished surface and has movement by way of the edges being formed organically.
This is a beautiful necklace to layer with shorter pieces either from our necklace collections or from your personal treasure trove.
Sterling Silver Willow Leaf Necklace - YOUR CHOICE of Sun or Star
Sterling Silver, Precious Metal Clay, Recycled Silver, 22kt Genuine Gold Accents, Chrysoprase Beaded Chain, 14kt Gold Filled Lobster Claw Clasp, Handmade Weeping Willow Leaf Charm, Your Choice of Sun or Star Accents


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Understanding the tax regime has always been a pain point for the public, and professional help is often required. Ever since the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill was rolled out by the Government of India, there has been a flood of queries and confusion among the minds of the tax-payers – as if the already prevalent taxes and the complexities involved were not enough!
What is a GSP and why is it important?
Here is a sigh of relief for the SMEs, CAs, and anyone else who would like to better manage their GST filings.
GST Suvidha Providers (GSPs) are appointed by the Government for developing simple applications for tax-payers to comply with the rules laid down by GSTN (Goods and Service Tax Network). Currently, there are 34 Government-authorized GSPs nationwide that are providing end-to-end GST filing solutions and helping tax-payers adjust to the dynamic taxation system in an easy and convenient manner. Few more GSPs are expected to be added by the Government soon. What is the need for GSPs? You would definitely ask!
A taxpayer should be able to interact with the GST system via various web and mobile-based applications for better compliance and connectivity. The entire process ranging from registration to Invoice details uploading, to filing GST returns, will be facilitated by a GST Suvidha Provider. So, it is upon the GSPs to come up with innovative methods for the tax payers to interact conveniently with the GST Network. In a nutshell, GSPs are the connecting links between the tax payers and the GSTN.
GST Suvidha Providers have a lot to offer to SMEs and the ever-changing norms make it necessary for them to keep innovating to help scale up their GST compliance capability. Let’s go through some of the significant functionalities of GSPs.
Functionalities of GST Suvidha Providers:
• Licensed gateway access to GSTN.
• Provide easy, secure, and end-to-end GST compliance.
• Provide a consolidated view of the clients of a CA/tax consultant.
• Provide error-free record maintenance along with errors highlighted in real-time basis.
• Make available Management Information System (MIS) at any point of time to the users.
• Provide action-oriented reports for every user.
• Enable return filing as and when required.
A thorough analysis of the salient features of the GST Suvidha Providers is necessary in order to choose the right one for your SME. At Vayana, for instance, we are very passionate about offering the best of the GST solutions to our clients. Vayana GSP is a scalable, redundant, and portable GSP that is built on standardised guidelines laid out by GSTN. It has ISO 27001:2013 certified security and the capability to handle sudden traffic surges to avoid any delay in transmissions while return filing. Also, 99.5% uptime is guaranteed and no user data is stored at any point throughout the process. Read this article to know the reasons why you should choose Vayana GSP Solution.


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By Matt Fortune
The new Irish bar will open after the summer and be at Hilton JBR hotel in Dubai
McGettigan's is to open new licensed venue on JBR.
Already doing a thriving business in JLT and at Dubai World Trade Centre, as well as a venue at Terminal 1 in Dubai International, the Irish-themed venue will set up a fourth home in the Hilton hotel, right on the beach.
McGettigan's, which also has venues in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah, also has plans to open pubs in Al Ain and Bahrain.
The Dubai outlets have won numerous Time Out awards for its atmosphere and the comedy and music guests it attracts.
Spin-off venue The Baggot in Jumeirah Lake Towers has welcomed some of the leading names of the stand-up circuit since opening last year, as well as famous faces like Harry Redknapp (for 'An Audience With') and singer-songwriter Paul Brady.
Specific details of the Hilton opening haven't been made available yet, but it's understood that the new bar will be on the site of Studio One, the street level sports bar at the hotel and is planned to be ready in time for the new season after the summer.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Jason Byrne will return to The Baggot in McGettigan's JLT on April 21 and 22. Tickets for the show, which fans will expect to be as good as last year's Time Out Dubai Nightlife Awards shortlisted set, will cost AED120.


I'm making some progress on the X1215 Imager. I can send commands to the drive to select heads, step to tracks, and to start reading.
Connecting the oscilloscope to the output of the read amplifier, I can see the data go by. The encoding is very primitive, which makes things easy. One bit-cell takes 400 nanoseconds. If there is a single flux-transition in a cell, it reads as a 0, if there are 2, it reads as a 1. So, on the picture above you can read "10100" from left to right.


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Honey Mustard and Rosemary are such distinictive flavors, and they work so well together in this dish! Make with just one bowl and frying pan for a super easy dinner and clean-up!
2 Cup potatoes, sliced
chicken breasts, sliced medium thickness (approx 4)
2 medium onions, diced
salt & pepper
2 - 3 sprigs rosemary
Ingredients for the Sauce:
2 Tbsp honey diojn mustard
3 Tbsp grainy mustard
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 Tbsp of olive oil
2 - 3 Tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a 9.5” Fry Pan, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat until softened and starting to brown.
Remove from heat and arrange your potato slices atop onions in an even layer. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Wisk all ingredients for sauce in a large bowl. Set aside.
Take your fry pan out of the oven and add the chicken atop of the potatoes, spreading out in an even layer. Pour the sauce on top, making sure everything is coated. Add your sprigs of rosemary over chicken and bake for 20 minutes.
After baking for 20 minutes, broil on low for another 20 minutes or until chicken is nicely browned.


It would seem Katy Perry is in a battle between two labours of love.
Perry has been forced to delay the release of her highly anticipated album, and it could clash with the birth of her first child.
The popstar — who is awaiting the arrival of her first child with fiance Orlando Bloom — was expected to release her latest album Smile on August 14, but has been forced to delay.
Perry released single Never Worn White and was expected to follow up the hit with a whole record, but has said that “unavoidable production delays” forced her to push it back by two weeks.
‘Smile’ is set to drop on August 28 now.
The 35-year-old took to Instagram to update her fans on the progress of the release, taking a pie to the face in the hopes it would make her fans feel better as she delivered the bad news.
“Welp. I hate to throw this bad news at you like a pie in the face...but if there’s anything 2020 taught me, it’s to not get too attached to plans and be malleable,” she wrote.
But, Perry isn’t leaving her fans totally high and dry.
The popstar also announced new ‘Smile Sundays’ to make up for the delayed album, which will see her chat to her fans about her upcoming record every Sunday until the album is released— or until her baby is born.
“Every Sunday, time TBA soon, I’m going to go on LIVE for 30 minutes or more and talk all things SMILE you’ll see new merch... I’ll play some snippets... maybe we’ll go live together... we’ll def have a good chat!
“Clowns-n-Cats - Thanks for being so flexible in this time... it’s a wild one, for sure, but I hope the patience will be worth the wait!”
The setback comes as more bad news for the singer, who has also been forced to postpone her wedding for a third time.
Orlando and Perry were due to tie the knot in 2019 but they were forced to push it back to this summer in Japan, before the coronavirus pandemic caused it to be postponed again.
“You can’t plan anymore in 2020 because those plans are always cancelled. We just want to deliver a healthy child. Everyone has to take life one week at a time right now,” Perry said.


Asylum seekers made migration zone
The Federal Government's immigration policies are at the centre of another political storm after it was revealed a Vietnamese vessel reached Australia's migration zone, before being towed back out to sea.
The 53 suspected asylum seekers on board are now being transported to Christmas Island.
The Federal Government confirmed late yesterday that the vessel had entered the migration zone off the Western Australian coast.
Labor's Immigration spokeswoman Nicola Roxon says the asylum seekers should have been detained there.
"To then transport them 1,800 kilometres away to Christmas Island to be processed really seems quite bizarre to me," she said.
"I think the whole thing is a monumental bungle by the minister."
Greg Barns from the refugee group A Just Australia says it is unacceptable.
"It's extraordinary that in a democratic country like Australia, that people can be forcibly removed from Australia's jurisdiction without any regard to their rights," he said.
A Government spokeswoman says now it has been confirmed the asylum seekers did travel further into Australian waters than first thought, they will be granted all legal access they are entitled to.
She says that can happen from Christmas Island.
A 46-year-old Australian man of Vietnamese descent will appear in court in Port Hedland today on people smuggling charges in relation to the incident.
He has been charged with bringing 27 men, 17 women and nine children to Australia illegally.
If convicted he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail.
Meanwhile, a Federal Parliamentary Committee will travel to Christmas Island today to inspect the detention facilities there.
Committee member and Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett says he wants to speak to some of the Vietnamese asylum seekers when they arrive on Saturday.
"To get their story, to hear their feelings, to see and find out from them perhaps what their reasons are for undertaking such a risking voyage and just how they're finding things," Senator Bartlett said.
"They could be there for a long period of time because the Government won't allow them to come to the mainland and the facilities need to be examined from that point of view, rather than a temporary holding facility which is mostly what it's been used for in the past."


First Strike FSC Pistol PepperBall Home Defense Kit
We have run out of stock for this item.
Sleep with peace of mind every night knowing you have the First Strike FSC Pistol PepperBall Home Defense Kit by your side! You no longer need to choose between decisive lethal force and uncertain non-lethal options, thanks to our proven technology. The PepperBall Live SD Rounds are very effective for direct impact and area saturation when there is no line of sight.
- First Strike FSC .68 Caliber Pistol w/ 2 Magazines
- PepperBall Live SD Projectiles - 10 Rounds
- 8 Gram CO2 Cartridges - 6 Cartridges
- 10 - Live SD PepperBall® Round Projectiles per pack
- For use in any 68 caliber paintball marker
- Secure, leak proof packaging
- Each projectile contains 2.0% PAVA
- Ultrasonically welded
- 100% water proof
- Operational temperature of -30°F–150°F
Designed to have a smaller, modular grip frame and shorter overall length, the First Strike FSC Pistol makes the perfect sidearm or can be modified to be a lightweight and aggressive CQC primary. The FSC can be powered by 8 gram or 12 gram Co2 cartridges(with use of T8.1/T9.1 Magazine) and HPA and accepts 8.1/9.1 barrels making this one of the most customizable platforms on the market.
Customize Personalize your FSC to your style of play – the FSC accepts many existing T8.1/T9.1 accessories so you can build your marker to help you dominate the field.
- Compact .68 Caliber Pistol
- Ambidextrous Safety
- 20% Smaller Grip than standard 8.1 Pistol
- Two 6 round magazines included
- Standard 8.1/9.1 magazine compatible
- Under Mount Rail
- Mil-Spec Textured Grip
- Micro-Honed Barrel


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Agency dating singapore
unlike dating sites, after exchanging the profiles with other members, we will personally continue to support our members from the start of dating until the engagement of marriage,” said Miwa.“All of our members are serious about marriage.
But there are many who are unable to meet people due to their professions such as medical doctors, lawyers, cabin crew, models or musicians,” she added.
Some members who are not a Singaporean would visit Singapore to attend an omiai,” said Miwa.
A Social Development Network (SDN) accredited dating practitioner and experienced dating coach, Michelle has organised more than 130 dating events since 2007.
She knows of at least three couples who got to know each other at her events and who are well on the way to matrimonial bliss.
Now, Complete Me specialises in 1-to-1 rotation speed dating events at romantic dining venues, as such events have proven to be more effective at bringing couples together.
Within a year of turning Complete Me into a full-time business, Michelle organised the Largest Gokon Gathering on 14 December 2013.
Back in 2007, Michelle Goh (founder of Complete Me) was single herself, and decided to create a Facebook group, Singapore Facebook Singles, for like-minded singles.

domain: sociology


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When combined with diet and exercise, Amaryl is used to treat type 2 diabetes. In addition, Insulin or other diabetes medicines are sometimes used in combination with Amaryl if needed. Before taking Amaryl, it is important to tell your doctor if you are suffering from certain conditions as kidney diseases or if you are allergic to sulfa drugs.
Drug Name: Amaryl
Generic name: Glimepiride


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In a world where technology often shapes our romantic endeavors, the Love Calculator emerges as a charming digital diviner, promising to decipher the mysteries of love and compatibility. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of the Love Calculator, uncovering its origins, how it operates, and what it can reveal about your love life.
The Love Calculator: A Digital Cupid
The Love Calculator is an online tool designed to estimate the compatibility between two individuals based on their names or sometimes birthdates. Although it lacks the scientific precision of a chemistry lab, it offers an engaging and whimsical way to ponder the age-old question: “Are we meant to be?”
How Does It Work?
Typically, the Love Calculator employs a straightforward algorithm. Users input their names or, in some versions, their birthdates. The program then processes this information to generate a compatibility percentage or a “love score.” The higher the percentage, the stronger the connection is often perceived to be, though the exact calculations remain hidden.
The Psychological Appeal
The love calculator taps into our intrinsic desire for assurance and connection. It provides a momentary escape into the realm of romance, sparking curiosity about the potential for love with a current partner or someone new. It’s akin to reading a horoscope or opening a fortune cookie—fun, entertaining, and an opportunity to dream.
Entertainment and Icebreaking
Primarily intended for amusement, the Love Calculator is a popular tool at parties, gatherings, or among friends. It serves as an engaging icebreaker, igniting laughter and initiating conversations about love and relationships. In an increasingly digital world, the Love Calculator adds a pinch of magic to our pursuit of connection.
A Note of Realism
While the Love Calculator may provide a delightful diversion and ignite curiosity, it’s vital to remember its limitations. Love is a profound, multifaceted emotion that transcends a mere percentage. Relationships are built on trust, communication, shared experiences, and genuine connection—none of which can be entirely encapsulated by a computer program.
In conclusion, the Love Calculator, with its whimsical charm, invites us to explore the complexities of love in a playful manner. While it may not hold the key to the secrets of the heart, it certainly adds a sprinkle of enchantment to our romantic journeys. So, the next time you find yourself contemplating the potential for love, give the Love Calculator a try—just remember to cherish the fun and keep your heart open to authentic connections and the profound beauty of love in all its forms.

domain: psychology


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March 30, 2011 § 8 Comments
The story goes like a joke: five monkeys and a banana. Or a parable: under the banana there was a ladder, and every time a monkey climbed the ladder to reach for the banana, he and the other monkeys in the group received a shock of cold water. Eventually no one reached for the banana at all.
In this famous experiment, monkeys conditioned not to pursue the banana were replaced one by one with unconditioned monkeys. Each time a new member of the group began to climb the ladder to get the forbidden fruit, the rest of the group dissuaded him by force, regardless of whether they themselves had experienced the cold water spray. The banana had become taboo.
Eventually the entire group was replaced with monkeys who had never experienced the water spray firsthand, yet the banana remained untouched. The conditioning had become self-perpetuating, independently functioning on its own momentum.
Studies in group theory indicate that we naturally bend our opinions at least marginally if not majorly to conform to group values and standards. Who among us hasn’t found themselves laughing in a moment of group solidarity without quite getting the joke?
In the Asch Conformity Experiment, test subjects were placed in groups consisting of fake participants and asked a variety of questions. Such as, “Compare the length of A to an everyday object,” “Which line is longer than the other?” and “Which lines are the same length?” etc.
When alone, the answers people gave were almost unanimously correct. In the groups of fake participants, however, when each person had to say their answer out loud, incorrect answers proffered confidently by fake group members caused test subjects to falter and give 30 % incorrect answers to these deceptively simple visual tests.
In Totem and Taboo: Freud speculates that modern institutions such as family, law, and religion still closely resemble the tribal cultures from which they sprang, specifically in totemic projection and conformity achieved through the exercise of taboo.
Derived from the term “ototeman” in the Ojibwe language, meaning “brother-sister kin,” Totemism indicates the veneration of sacred objects as symbols. A totem is any animal, plant, object, natural or supernatural, which provides deeply symbolic meaning for a person or social group. A great example of modern totemism can be found in sports fans.
For Alan Watts, the primary taboo in today’s culture is against knowing the true nature of the self, which he suggests is multi-dimensional and universally connected. “If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you’ll come to understand that you’re connected with everything.”
Watts elaborates, “Although our bodies are bounded with skin, and we can differentiate between outside and inside, they cannot exist except in a certain kind of natural environment. […]We do not ‘come into’ this world. We come out of it, like leaves from a tree.”
In 1954 Robert Bannister was the first man recorded to run a mile in under four minutes. Though never before achieved, after Bannister proved it possible, the four minute mile barrier was soon broken by others.
What are the grand, socially defining taboos that hold power today in your country? What taboos exist within your social culture? Do they make sense, or are the conditioned monkeys dissuading you from reaching for your banana?


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Osborne Clarke has advised VR Ventures in connection with the Series B financing round of the Berlin-based startup Penta with a total volume of over 18.5 million euros. Alongside VR Ventures, the Dutch bank ABN Amro and RTP Global as the new investors, other existing shareholders such as HV Holtzbrinck Ventures participated in the financing round.
VR Ventures is a venture capital fund that supports young and innovative companies in implementing their growth strategy, focusing on the financial and real estate industry. VR Ventures brings many years of experience and a strong network to the collaboration with the portfolio companies in order to jointly take advantage of digitalization opportunities.
The Berlin based startup Penta offers digital corporate accounts and claims to serve 17,000 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). The fresh capital is intended to improve customer service with a focus on technology, product, customer service, infrastructure and marketing.
The Osborne Clarke team led by Robin Eyben (M&A/VC) included Maximilian Vocke (M&A/VC), Dr. Hans-Christian Woger, Benjamin Schaum (both IP/IT/Data Protection), Dr. Daniel Walter and Rebecca Ungerechts (both Banking & Finance).


The Mountains Are Calling . . . II All Over Print Shirt
- Unisex sizing (women should choose one size smaller)
- 100% polyester with moisture-wicking qualities
- Produced by a sublimation process that may leave small portions of the fabric white
My photograph of an Alaskan mountain scene taken during the summer.
evergreen, wilderness, wanderlust, spruce...


LACA Summer Concert Series: Auntie Kim and Uneek Soul
August 16, 2023
391 S. William St.
Ludington, MI 49431
Auntie Kim and Uneek Soul is the ultimate soul experience. While the concerts are free to attend and open to the public, donations are appreciated.
Admission: Free Admission