text:
Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: Their iTunes Festival Performances Compared
iTunes Festival 2013 has come to a close... and people are still talking about the performances of both Katy Perry and Lady Gaga! The two pop heavyweights book-ended the month-long festival, so join Capital as we compare the two pop divas' performances!
1. 1. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: What A Show!
Each star put on quite the show then they hit up iTunes Festival in September, whether that was Gaga being suspended in the air in a giant cage or Katy taking on all-comers inside of a boxing ring. One things for sure... the pair delivered in terms of spectacle!
2. 2. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: New Music Baby!
The fans asked for it... and the stars delivered! Katy performed a string of new songs during her iTunes set, including newly released tracks 'Walking On Air' and 'Dark Horse' as well as the emotionally charged 'By The Grace Of God'. Although Gaga may have trumped her on this front... performing an ENTIRE set of new music from her album 'ARTPOP'!
3. 3. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: Acrobatics All Over!
Never ones to put on a simple show, both stars roped in some incredibly athletic performers to make sure the iTunes crowd got what they came for! 'Applause' singer Gaga had a troupe of dancers dressed up as pigs flying above the stage while Katy went down the more atmospheric route of dancers mysteriously suspended in mid-air.
4. 4. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: I Am My Hair!
To quote the Lady Gaga song... these stars ARE their hair! Always ones to swap out their styles as often as the weather changes, iTunes Festival was no different! While Katy harkened back to her school days with some brunette pigtails, Gaga went all out with a curly mop any mermaid would be proud of.
5. 5. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: Strike The Pose!
It's Fashion Week season so the pressure was ON for Gaga and Katy when they took to the stage! Wardrobe changes were almost as regular as song changes for these two pop divas, with each showing off several different looks over the course of the evening.
6. 6. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: This One's For The Fans!
One thing's for sure... both of these stars LIVE for their fans! Both the KatyCats and the Little Monsters were put center stage for the iTunes Festival with Katy and Gaga making sure they involved the crowd at every turn.
7. 7. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: Just Dance!
Both Katy and Gaga arrived on stage backed by an incredible group of dancers to help tell the story of their songs, and you couldn't fault them on their move-perfect routines!
8. 9. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: Greatest Hits!
While everyone loves hearing new music from their pop idols... it's the fan favourite songs that bring you out in the first place! While Gaga performed her recent hit 'Applause' everything else on her setlist was completely brand new, but Katy made sure to bring along all her biggest hits like 'Teenage Dream' and 'I Kissed A Girl'!
9. 8. Katy Perry Vs. Lady Gaga: Theatricality!
While Katy and Gaga have both faced criticism and praise over the course of their careers, one thing neither has ever been accused of is lacking a bit of stage presence! It was clear as soon as they jumped on stage they were having the greatest time and loving every minute!

domain: entertainment


text:
How to Cite
Die Schöne und die Biester: Die Herrin der Tiere im bronzezeitlichen und früheisenzeitlichen Griechenland
The M.A.-thesis at hand analyzes the earliest depictions of Potnia Theron from the Bronze and early Iron Ages in Greece and on Crete. The concept behind this motive is widespread in the whole Mediterranean region, in Central and Southern Europe, as well as in the Near East and Egypt throughout numerous epochs and cultural environments. The study focusses on a group of portrayals of Potnia Theron from the 2nd and early 1st millennium BC. They depict a divine female figure in connection to animals. For this reason the name “Mistress of the Animals” (Potnia Theron) has become common. It is one of the most important pictorial subjects of Aegean and early Greek cult iconography - and one of the most difficult ones to interpret as well. The core themes of the study are the systematic examination of the different schemes the Potnia Theron is portrayed in and further the analysis of the character of the goddess. Therefore, the study attempts to find clues about the provenance as well as indications for continuity in the depiction. Moreover, it also sets out to discover evidence for cultural contact to the Near East and the Aegean.

domain: library


text:
Cold Champagne Bottle by P1images - 10" x 7"
Luster Photo Paper
CRQ13 - Black Wood (CRQ13)
1/8" Clear Acrylic - Foam Core Mounting
Cold Champagne Bottle framed print by P1images. Bring your print to life with hundreds of different frame and mat combinations. Our framed prints are assembled, packaged, and shipped by our expert framing staff and delivered "ready to hang" with pre-attached hanging wire, mounting hooks, and nails.
A studio shot of a cold Champagne or sparkling wine bottle with a gold top and water droplets.The image is shot horizontally on a black background... more
3 - 4 business days
Framed Print Tags

domain: artistic


At the aquaponics lab at Commonwealth Charter Academy in Harrisburg, seventh grader Hazel Tilder spends the day saying nice things to plants. She’s trying to see if her positive attitude can help them grow.
“Even though they can’t talk back, it’s a nice experience,” Tilder said.
She’s participating in the “Happy Plants” experiment. Middle schoolers from across the state can participate both in-person and virtually. They’re trying to determine if kind words, happy pictures and pleasant music can create a better environment for a plant to thrive.
What’s more; they’re also keeping an eye on plants in the “grumpy room,” where they hurl insults like “your flowers do not even match your personality.”
“So there is a mental health aspect that we did layer into the club,” said Samantha Johnson, the director of the aquaponics program. “A lot of people might think aquaponics and hydroponics, that’s more agriculture…but there is also a human element involved in that.”
While the experiment is scientific in nature, with data to be collected and measured, it’s also a reminder for kids about measuring their emotions and the impact of their attitude on others.
“Even if you’re having a horrible day, you can come into the happy plant room and find something to be grateful for.”
It’s working on Tilder. She says being in the happy plant room changes her mood.
“If you spread kind words, it makes you feel better as well,” she said. “I feel happy right now.”
The students report that so far, they are seeing more growth with the plants in the positive environment, although they say it is still early in the experiment process.


text:
With Camomile safely tucked up in Puteri harbour for a couple of weeks we decided to visit Vietnam. All we knew of Vietnam was from American war films and we wanted to learn the other side of the story. Oh boy did we find a different side to the story. Our journey started on 29th October with an early taxi ride to Senai airport in Johor for our flight to Kuala Lumpur where we stayed in the brand new Tune hotel on the airport grounds. Our flight to Hanoi was an even earlier start the next morning at 6.15 but fortunately that put us in Hanoi early enough to enjoy a delicious lunch across the road from our hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi.
In the afternoon we embarked on a self guided walking tour starting at the Hoan Kiem lake, the epicentre of old Hanoi. Ngoe Son Temple sits on an island in the lake serenely gazing across the water. A scarlet bridge connects the island to the shore. Trees surround the lake but beyond them the relentless traffic of Hanoi droned on.
The tour took us into Hanoi’s historic heart that is the Old Quarter. It was bubbling with commerce and buzzing with motorbikes. The streets were narrow and congested and crossing the road was a nightmare but if you dared to take your eyes off the traffic when you looked up there was some elegant old architecture in among the chaos.
The original name for the area 36 streets because in the 13th century Hanoi’s 36 guilds established themselves there each taking a different street. They were each names Hang, meaning merchandise, followed by the word for the product they sold. There are over 50 streets now but many of them have continued to sell the same products. The first street we came to was Hang Dau which contained most of Hanoi’s shoe shops – how lucky was that!! Thought of my sister when I saw this shop.
The maze of streets was interesting but for us it was spoilt by the amount of motorbikes everywhere. Up to the early 1990s motorised transport was reported to be rare with most people using bicycles to get around but now everyone seems to have a motorbike and the city now struggles with soaring pollution levels. Motorbikes are used to transport everything and everyone. It was common to see Mum, Dad and 2 or 3 children all riding together, many without helmets. This man was transporting barrels of beer on his.
At the top of the town was the well-preserved Quan Chuong, the old east gate. It’s the only remaining gateway to the Old Quarter out of the original 36. We saw a photo of this from the 1950s and it hasn’t changed. On the other side of it was a busy motorway carrying all the traffic.
Continuing north we came to the Dong Xuan market, which is the oldest market in town. Built near the end of the 19th century by the French it was almost destroyed by a major fire in 1994. Although it was rebuilt in 1996 all that remains of the original structure is the restored 1889 façade.
These days it’s a bustling 3 story structure packed with a wide range of goods ranging from these sacks of dried fish (good job they haven’t invented ‘smelly’ websites yet) …..
…..to more shoes.
Heading south again we entered the Bach Ma temple said to be the oldest temple in the city with much of the current structure dating back to the 18th century. Emperor Ly Thai To built the original temple in the 11th century to honour a white horse that guided him to the site where he decided to construct his city walls that became Hanoi. There’s a beautiful statue of the legendary white horse inside.
On the way back to the hotel we walked down Hang Thiec (tin) where Bill found a shop selling tin boxes. Fortunately there was no way to get them back to the boat otherwise he would have bought some.
Having been built before electricity the whole area is covered with thick power lines (as are many of the streets in other Asian cities) this guy looks like he’s come to fix them. Don’t think I would want his job!
Our second day in Hanoi was to be a museum day. We set off down Hang Gai (silk) and then walked up the grand Dien Bien Phu towards the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum complex. Ho Chi Minh had shunned the trappings of power during his life and had specifically requested that he be cremated and his ashes scattered in Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam symbolising the national unity he had devoted his life to. Unfortunately after his death in 1969 his final testament was altered and the great leader was embalmed and installed at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleaum. Sadly for us Ho Chi Minh’s body had gone to Russia for it’s annual re-embalming and this photo was taken as close as we could get to the building. The grey structure, built of stone quarried from Marble mountain, was intended by the architects to represent a lotus flower; a bit of imagination needed there. We looked around the museum but it was a bit of an eclectic mix of memorabilia and photos from his youth without saying very much.
In the grounds of the Mausoleum are Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house, where he is said to have lived in favour of the presidential palace (but it was closed), and the One Pillar Pagoda, which was being renovated but at least they were letting people in to take a photo of it. So we came away a bit disappointed.
Our next stop was the Temple of Literature, the oldest and possibly the finest architectural complex in Hanoi. It dates back to 1070 and was founded in honour of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It consists of 5 courtyards each separated by walls and ornamental gateways. A central pathway through the middle divides it into two symmetrical halves. The guidebook says ‘it’s a spiritual retreat from the busy streets’. Again we were unlucky because the day we visited it was packed with students and their parents from the local university for their graduation ceremony. It was wonderful to see them all happy and pleased with themselves but their shouting and squeals of delight didn’t do much for the ambiance of Confucius.
This is Thien Quang Tinh or Well of Heavenly Clarity, which dominates the third courtyard. The buildings on either side house 82 stone stelae, the most prized relics of the temple. Managed to get a photo without too many students in it.
These beautiful young ladies are wearing ao dai, the traditional Vietnamese dress.
These two magnificent towers were added either side of the fifth courtyard during a recent renovation. To the west is a splendid bell tower and to the east is an impressive giant drum. They have been built in symmetry, as is the tradition.
We moved on to the Military History Museum but because it was Friday it was closed! We weren’t having much luck. We sat and had a coffee outside so we get get a view of the iconic hexagonal flag tower, which was rebuilt in 1803. the view from the top is reported to be one of the best in the city but not for us.
After lunch we walked to the Hoa Lo prison, which is now a museum and it was open – hooray. Built by the French in 1896 to hold around 450 prisoners but by the 1930s there were over 2000 detainees. It was also used to house downed US pilots during the war. Most of the original buildings have been demolished to make way for the Hanoi Central Tower buildings but enough of the old prison has been preserved to create the museum. There was a scary array of whips and other instruments of torture and the living conditions must have been horrendous. In contrast the section devoted to the American POW showed how well they were treated by the Vietnamese during their stay. Possibly propaganda but the photos showed unmarked well-fed Americans in contrast to the pictures of the ill-treated, under weight, Vietnamese at the hands of the French.
The Vietnamese Woman’s museum was a bit further down the road so we had a wander around that. It was very well laid out with lots of informative slides. There was a section of the wartime contribution by individual heroic woman that was fascinating. Despite Bill’s initial resistance it turned out to be an interesting visit.
On the walk back to the hotel I spotted this lady cycling down the street with a fairly big load!
Having had a mixed day we decided to visit the night market before going to see the famous water puppet show – big mistake. The market runs the length of Hang Duong and Hang Ngang; we were told the streets were shut until midnight. Firstly the streets were shut but the b*****y motorbikes were still weaving their way through the crowd so you had to constantly watch your backs, secondly there was no chance of looking at any of the goods because the stallholders pounced on you as soon as you stopped to look at anything. At the top end there were lots of street stalls selling food where we ordered noodle soup expecting a simple bowl of soup as we’ve had in the past. What we got was a stewpot sitting on a mini stove with an array of baskets containing veggies, various meats, fish and shellfish on a plate to add to the stock, and noodles. The lady kept coming back and adding more food despite our protests! It was lovely food but there was enough to feed half a dozen people and it cost the same as the three-course meal we had in the restaurant the night before. To top it all we missed the water puppets; I was not amused. We hadn’t fallen in love with Hanoi as many others had.
Having had enough of the continuous traffic we decided to spend our third day in Hanoi out of the city and booked a tour to the Perfumed Pagoda. The complex actually consists of around 30 Buddhist shines but we only managed to see two of them. The day started with a bus ride to My Duc, a township on the Suoi Yen river where everyone was loaded into metal rowboats for the hour’s journey up the river. Traditionally women row these boats.
The lady who rowed us was tiny but she managed to row our group of 6 for the next hour and a half through wonderful scenery passing little shines along the way.
The scenery was magical as a dozen boats or so glided through the limestone cliffs; this is what we imagined Vietnam would be like.
At the end of the river the tour continued on foot for about half an hour until we arrived at Thien Tru Pagoda also known as the Heavenly Kitchen Pagoda. The 18th century shine rises through three levels on the mountainside. An elegant triple-roofed bell pavilion stands in front of the temple.
The main altar inside looked stunning against the backdrop of green forest behind it.
A bit further on everyone got into gondolas that whisk you the last couple of kilometres up across the jungle to Huong Tich Chu otherwise known as the Perfumed Pagoda.
120 steps lead down into the deep cavern filled with incense smoke and gilded figurines of the Buddha and Quan Am, goddess of Mercy. It was an amazing place.
We opted to walk the 3kms back down to the river instead of taking the gondola. Sadly this was the view for the entire length of the walk. Most of the stalls were closed and covered up, such a shame the Vietnamese have spoilt an otherwise lovely walk.
Once down by the river we were rowed back to the village and bused back to the city where we boarded the night train to Lao Cai, gateway to the hilltribes of north Vietnam.

domain: history


text:
NORTH LAS VEGAS
In an arid field of Joshua trees and desert brush 30 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, an isolated farm is raising thousands of recently hatched shrimp in salt-water tanks filled from a nearby well.
The artificial ponds splayed across a temperature-controlled room are expected to grow half a million pounds of shrimp a year, enough to fuel Las Vegas' insatiable all-you-can-eat-shrimp habit for about a week, according to some estimates.
The notion of any type of farm in the Mojave Desert, especially one that grows white shrimp from the Pacific Ocean, comes across as improbable. That's the point, said the masterminds behind this unusual experiment in modern seafood production.
"One of the things that makes our technology so unique and so special is our ability to place these plants and facilities anyplace in the United States or the world for that matter," said Scott McManus, CEO of Blue Oasis Pure Shrimp. "We can put it in the desert. We can literally put it in Siberia."
Blue Oasis' began growing shrimp in its plant outside Las Vegas in April and hopes to have its first class of product out in the market by late August. The intended consumers are the high-end restaurants of the Las Vegas Strip, where buzz words like sustainability, organic and local have become a mantra. Customers will be able to purchase the whole shrimp - head, shell and all, alive or not - a rare offer in an industry where many chefs are accustomed to blocks of frozen, peeled shrimp delivered weekly from Texas.
Blue Oasis raises its shrimp for up to 120 days in carefully monitored tanks in an air-conditioned room kept at 80 degrees. The shrimp are fed a mix of algae and seafood proteins up to 12 times a day. McManus said it's the largest facility of its kind in the United States.
Blue Oasis is promoting itself as a clean, sustainable alternative to wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp that can threaten surrounding ecosystems.
"The overfishing, the damage that is done by trawling in the Gulf or other parts of the world, all those are issues with how we get our seafood," McManus said. "What we do here eliminates that whole process. Everything that we do obviously is closed in here within the system so we are not destroying the environment, we are not destroying mangroves. It truly makes it environmentally friendly."
The brand has caught the interest of some of Las Vegas' most acclaimed restaurateurs and chefs.
"Everything from a sustainability standpoint is super exciting," said Rick Moonen, a former contestant in Bravo TV's "Top Chef Masters" and the chef behind Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay hotel and casino. Moonen said he was also intrigued because the product will be sold with the shrimp heads still attached. Heads, he said, make "cool as hell presentations."
But Moonen said he won't commit to serving the shrimp in his restaurant until he inspects the final product. "I want to see this succeed but I can't vouch for what is going to be coming out in three or four weeks until I taste it," he said.

domain: geography


text:
Few Annual General Meetings in corporate India elicit as much anticipation as Reliance Industries Limited’s (RIL), whose telecom business has been a showstopper lately. Today, Reliance Jio Infocomm will reveal its cards vis-a-vis JioGigaFiber, a wired broadband service that has been in beta testing for over a year.
It’s no improbable high-wire act. Instead, the industry expects a replay of Jio’s wireless service launch of 2016—high data speeds at unbelievably low prices to kill some, if not all, competition. Except, according to some Jio field executives, the exuberance is more muted this time.
In the southern state of Kerala, for instance, Jio cut down its multiple-city GigaFiber rollout to just three big cities—Kochi, Calicut, Thiruvananthapuram.

domain: news


text:
Shameless star Emmy Rossum and director Sam Esmail have tied the knot!
After getting engaged in August 2015, the couple made it official in an intimate ceremony at Central Synagogue on East 55th Street in New York City on Sunday.
Guests included Robert Downey Jr., Shameless co-stars William H. Macy and Shanola Hampton, Mr. Robot stars Rami Malek, Christian Slater and Carly Chaikin, and Hilary Swank.
Around 7 p.m., the beaming newlyweds were the first to emerge from the synagogue, stepping out hand in hand and walking down steps decorated with white roses, as a small crowd of well-wishers gathered outside and cheered.
Rossum worked closely with Herrera and her team to create the look, which was partly inspired by the architectural shapes of the Guggenheim museum, the site of their reception.
“I went in, and Mrs. Herrera and I talked about silhouettes she’d done for bridal and silhouettes I’d worn before,” Rossum told Vogue. “I knew I’d be getting married at the temple, which is quite grand, and that the reception would be at the Guggenheim, so we knew that it needed to be a dress that could hold up to that. And it was Mrs. Herrera’s idea to make it quite modern and fresh, and kind of use the shape of the Guggenheim on the bodice.”
Natural makeup by makeup artist Jo Baker and a sweeping updo by hairstylist Ryan Trygstad — a suggestion from Ms. Herrera — completed her bridal look. She accessorized her beauty look by pinning in a Fred Leighton headpiece on top of her matching Carolina Herrera cathedral veil.
More from: People


- Animals: goats, sheep
- Animal Products: dairy, fiber, fur, leather, meat
- Animal Production: animal protection and health, herbal medicines, meat product quality/safety, parasite control
- Education and Training: demonstration, extension, technical assistance, workshop
The main objective of this proposal is to include a series of SARE training programs focusing on small ruminant parasite control, reproduction, and forage management. These programs will impact the sustainable sheep and goat production all over Mississippi, as in the recent past, S-SARE programs have helped to increase the transference of knowledge and technology from Mississippi State University to Extension agents and farmers. Information related to sustainable parasite control and forage management will be taken to Extension agents, so they will be able to reach more counties and to positively impact more sheep and goat farmers in most parts of MS. Training goals will be reached using in-service education, conferences, workshops, demonstrations, field days, tours, and publications. The different media sources of the stakeholders will also be used to help reach the different focal groups outlined in this plan. Training materials developed by MSSTATE will be incorporated into the training for extension staff and farmers. Attendance of MSSTATE Faculty and Staff at regional and national conferences will be encouraged as a means of further professional development in sustainable farming.
Project objectives from proposal:
a) Implement an innovative small ruminant extension program focusing on novel sustainable practices to improve the performance of Mississippi sheep and goat Farmers.
b) Sustainable parasite control will allow farmers to have control con the increasing problems of parasite resistance, less death of animals and will increase their revenues.
c) Sustainable grazing management will contribute to a better use of the land and increase productivity of herds.
d) Increased use of SARE resources in educational programs that result in a 10% increase of sustainable farming acres in Mississippi.
e) Increases in awareness of sustainable agriculture concepts that improve the quality of life in Mississippi communities.


Additive manufacturing in the metal cutting environment
The know-how from subtractive manufacturing as an ideal entry into additive manufacturing!
You manufacture with machine tools? So metal cutting on CNC-controlled machine tools is your core competence! With this know-how you have at the same time the ideal prerequisite for Additive Manufacturing. Additive manufacturing on the basis of SINUMERIK enables you to adapt to new challenges in the environment of your current component spectrum in the best possible way.
New perspectives through additive manufacturing in the machine tool environment
Additive manufacturing – more competitiveness for the CNC shopfloor of tomorrow!
- Produce semi-finished products quickly and efficiently.
- Manufacture your components with lower material costs and less energy consumption.
- Manufacture your existing component portfolio faster and more efficiently.
- Expand your portfolio with components that you cannot produce by metal cutting alone.
- Combine different materials in one component.
Think about new business :
- Manufacture tools quickly and efficiently (Rapid Tooling).
- Repair workpieces directly in the machine tool (Rapid Repair).
- Coat your components directly in the machine tool.
- ... and much more.
Take advantage of your expertise in metal cutting.
We provide you with the right solution!
3D-print in the metal cutting environment
The processing methods:
Multiaxial AM methods in the field of metal cutting with machine tools:
- With Direct Energy Deposition (DED), metal is deposited either as a powder or as a wire in a web-like manner with the introduction of energy. In this way, metal structures can be built from scratch or applied to existing components.
- Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing (SEAM) is used to build up any desired component structures from plastic granulate on a web-by-web basis, which are then shaped by milling.
- sophisticated machine concepts (machine kinematics) for constant orthogonal orientation of the AM unit on the component
- highly dynamic motion control with absolutely constant path speed
- high path accuracy
- frequent rework due to subtractive manufacturing
- frequently complex component geometries with free-form surfaces
These are challenges that you are already familiar with and have mastered through your use of machine tools.
We make these challenges manageable for you in additive manufacturing as well!
CNC for additive manufacturing
SINUMERIK – the first choice for additive manufacturing in the metal cutting environment
Highly dynamic motion control with absolutely constant path speed for maximum path accuracy. These are requirements that you already know very well from machining. This is exactly what SINUMERIK is the ideal solution for:
- Top Speed Plus - intelligent motion control for highest precision at highest speed for material application.
- Top Speed Plus und Top Surface - shortest processing time and mirror-smooth surfaces for subsequent subtractive processing
- Intelligent kinematic transformations for demanding machines, e.g. robot kinematics with rotary swivel tables
- Comprehensive technology packages for subtractive manufacturing technologies such as milling, turning or grinding for hybrid machine solutions
- and much more ...
The champion for subtractive manufacturing thus simultaneously offers all the trump cards for additive manufacturing. SINUMERIK, the first choice for the shop floor of tomorrow!
NX – the leading player in additive manufacturing in the machining environment
Behind many applications for additive manufacturing in the machining environment lie complex component surfaces and structures. For this purpose, Siemens PLM offers a uniquely comprehensive software system – from product development to manufacturing with additive manufacturing methods.
Different additive manufacturing processes with uniform operation in one system:
- LMD (Laser Metal Deposition)
- WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing)
- ME (Material Extrusion)
Post-processors optimally matched to SINUMERIK multiaxial AM machines:
- optimal synthesis of additive and subtractive technologies in one CAD/CAM system
- Linked processes from design to additively manufactured component without data conversion
- and much more ...
But only the machine room simulation integrated in NX with the digital twin of a SINUMERIK guarantees maximum transparency and process reliability. SINUMERIK and NX are thus the ideal pair for a continuous CAD/CAM-CNC process chain - for subtractive, additive manufacturing or the hybrid combination of both processes in one machine.


text:
The sea turtles have always been viewed as a symbol for self-preservation and wisdom.
They are considered a long life symbol in some cultures while in other cultures they were given the name ‘the navigator’ and are considered a sign of finding your own direction to the ‘dark waters’ of life.
Aside from the symbolism a person may be attracted to the sea turtle tattoos.
These reptiles are just as fascinating and may be morphed into a beautiful and extraordinary design.
There are many sea turtle tattoos present this creature in an uncomplicated manner.
Generally they are tiny and display an image of one of the seven living types in a realistic manner.
In this version type, they may be at times displayed as swimming in a water spurt or just floating on an ocean floor.
An appealing twist is to display the green sea turtle enveloped by all the rocks and coral in shades of blue to be able to make the deep dark waters to light up.
The sea turtle tattoos usually display complicated details on the shell.
Such designs may overall display the sea turtle or by the shell itself.
For instance one may form an oval on a big part of the body that has tiny tiles in shades of yellow, green or brown.
They may also present bolder colours, metallic shades or gems.
You may also form a mosaic design that displays other symbols like the sun or the stars or the flower’s open blossom.
To be able to continue with a theme that is nautical, you may also engrave the compass rose image on the sea turtle’s back.
Some of the people like sea turtle tattoo that present bigger number of images or an extraordinary portrayal.
The tribal and Hawaiian turtles are two fabulous examples of the former.
Such two styles are the same.
They are always done in black, present a turtle outline that is almost realistic and both have detailed patterns reduced into the monotone image.
Instead of showing some bare skin, you may add colour splashes into the portions that are cut out, or form an orchid array and tillandsia plants in the middle of its back.
The sea turtles spend most of their time under water and only go afloat for a fast burst of air.
Such image attracts many people as it symbolizes a specific amount of safety but also mystery.


text:
Now all has been heard, here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 NIV
Amazing how for everything that happens under the sun, there is a biblical reference for which we can frame our thoughts.
Comey’s Testimony — My perspective! (published on WordPress under — Let’s Hear The Conclusion!)
Yesterday, I watched James Comey’s testimony with millions of Americans and other countries — after reading his statement because I wanted to hear what the former FBI director had to say.
After reiterating what had already been released, we get insight into Comey’s thoughts and feelings at the time of each of the meetings he had with trump. Considering he was moved, out of “gut instinct” to document the meetings, his testimony “in my mind” proved that Comey was fired because he would not: pledge loyalty to trump or drop an investigation involving Michael Flynn.
Points of contention for some (not me): Why didn’t Comey confront trump about the inappropriateness of meeting with him and his requests and Loretta Lynch wanting Comey to call the Clinton email incident — a “matter” instead of an investigation.
My take — trump’s white house counsel should have briefed trump on what was appropriate or inappropriate. When Comey informed the AG the first time there was a problem, that would have been the AG’s responsibility to speak to trump.
My Take-Aways — Comey told the truth and though he confirmed that he told trump he “was not” the target of an investigation — “while he was the FBI Director” he made it clear that trump is under investigation now — because of what he is doing — false accusations — not anyone else. trump attempted to gain a loyalty pledge from Comey and was not successful and then he attempted to influence Comey into dropping the investigation against Flynn.
Who — if anyone — is lying about the situation? Comey is considered by most to be man of integrity and honor. On the other hand, trump is known to be a pathological liar. Therefore, I conclude that trump is the liar and Comey is the victim in this situation.
The asides — Understanding Republicans would attempt to deflect the focus from trump’s possible obstruction of justice, I was not surprised by the interjections of “but Hillary and her emails.” Not surprised at all by that proclamation and knew without doubt that there would talking points created for the parrots to parrot. There were.
Today, trump’s claim of “total and complete vindication” is both misinformed and ludicrous and further exacerbated by a bumbling, inept attorney who refused to acknowledge the simple fact of what was then to what is now. Kasowitz’s further claim (I’m sure at the behest of trump) that Comey was a liar and a leaker is further confirmation of his ineptness. Enabling a person when they are clearly in the wrong is not helpful to anyone and in fact, will probably result in a greater gap of trust between the public and the WH.
Speaking of the WH — Sarah Huckabee Sander’s proclamation that trump doesn’t lie was so preposterous that I felt sorry for her. Everyone knows trump lies because his lies are so easily fact-checked. He flip-flops on a matter from day to day, if not, hour to hour. It’s a matter of “PUBLIC RECORD.”
At any rate, trump claims he taped conversations with Comey that will prove Comey a liar. Okay, so let’s hear them. Unless they have hired actors to create the tapes, once again, trump wrote a check his behind can’t cash — there were no tapes or he would have produced them by now. It’s like the proof he had that Obama had wiretapped him — non-existent. And now the claim that Comey is a leaker — is also false — because there was no “privileged communication” or “classified” information “given” to anyone. More lies from the WH.
My conclusion — trump is unfit — temperamentally and intellectually (if we believe Ryan who says, “he’s new, he didn’t know”) to serve America in the position of the Oval Office. If he doesn’t know what the job entails, he shouldn’t be in the role. There are experts around him (hopefully) that should be advising him.
Yes, I get it some voters (not the majority) wanted someone other than a politician in the WH. They got what they wanted and it’s become a nightmare for Americans. Over 20 million Americans are about to lose their healthcare, consumer protection regulations have been rolled back so corporations can pollute the water and the air, a proposal has been put before Congress to privatize Air Traffic Control — endangering lives of those who fly, and now they’re gutting the Dodd-Frank Act — allowing Wall Street to once again, put Americans in financial jeopardy.
They also got a rigidly conservative Supreme Court Justice who sides with corporations and ignores the rights of individuals, an Attorney General whose known bigoted past is now prevailing in our “so-called justice” system and who has his own problems with Russian Connections. Tax reform has resulted in massive cuts for the rich, not much for the poor and working class.
So, all those who support trump — hope you’re happy — validating the premise that ignorance is bliss. While you continue to thrive in the alt reality framed by delusion, the rest of us — the True Patriots — will continue fighting for all Americans and their constitutional rights.
Watch for all the unfolding events that will change the landscape in America forever.

domain: politics


text:
Barbecued Pomegranate and Coriander Lamb Kebabs
The summer is good! Good for my garden and good for my soul. I like pottering outside in the garden, plant a few vegetables, herbs, fruits, shrubs and trees. If it doesn’t grow I pull it out and try something new. It gives me the sense of freedom and provokes my experimental side.
Along with the outside pottering comes alfresco dining. The barbecue gets a dusting and out comes the garden furniture. Unfortunately it requires some maintenance work as it looks rather grey after being stuck in a corner of the garage during the winter. Nevertheless it does the job and I quite like the patio as my main living space for the summer, it feels as if the house has suddenly grown and gained a extra room, a bonus!
I was brought up on meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner but then barbecuing food was my dad’s speciality. I have the tendency to try and barbecue as often as time and the weather allows me to. I find it relaxing and the lovely smokiness of the food cooked over hot coals taste different and delicious. Lamb is one of my favourite meats to barbecue as the fat caramelizes perfectly and the flavour penetrates the rest of the meat. These lamb kebabs taste even better if you let the lamb marinade overnight. The pomegranate molasses gives the meat a slight sweet coating which encourages the caramelization and adds to the extreme yummyness. I serve these skewers along with my North African Couscous salad and with a generous amount on fresh pomegranate seeds.
These barbecued pomegranate and coriander lamb kebabs taste just as good cold. Take the left over salad and kebabs along on a lazy picnic in the park. If you would like to impress your friends skewer two pieces of lamb per cocktail bamboo skewer and cook them as soon as they arrive for a barbecue party, they make stunning canapes along with a cold glass of Pimms.
- 500g shoulder of lamb
- 1tsp ground coriander
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1tbs honey
- 1tsp paprika
- 2tbs pomegranate molasses
- 1clove of garlic crushed
- zest of one lemon
- 1tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1tbs chopped parsley
- 1tbs chopped coriander
- seeds from one pomegranate
Remove the excess fat and sinew from the lamb shoulder. I like to leave a tiny bit of fat for added flavour. Cut the lamb shoulder in approximately 15g pieces, the weight gives you a good indication of the size required. I recommend that you cut small pieces and be generous with the amount that you thread onto the skewer. I found that the smaller pieces are less tough than the bigger pieces of meat.
Make a marinade by mixing the dry spices with the honey, garlic, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon zest and chopped herbs.
Mix the marinade with the lamb and leave in the fridge for 2 hours before cooking.
Soak 5 large bamboo skewers in cold water for 1 hour.
Skewer 5 pieces of lamb onto each skewer.
Barbecue the lamb skewers over moderate heat until caramelized and golden all over. Alternatively heat the grill and grill the lamb skewers for 12 - 14 minutes turning them regularly to ensure a even colouring.
Remove the seeds from the fresh pomegranate and set aside until needed.
Serve the skewers with my delicious North African couscous salad and sprinkle a generous amount of fresh pomegranate seeds.
Food Fanatics Tips
I prefer to leave the meat marinating overnight to develop flavour. Let the skewers rest for 5 minutes after cooking.

domain: food


One million "Recall Walker" signatures?
Is anyone surprised?
"True the Vote" in conjunction with the "Verify the Recall" volunteers recently completed it's data input and analysis of Walker Recall Petition signatures. (The link to actual data can be found at: http://www.truethevote.org/reports/walker-exec-summary.pdf)
Here's a brief breakdown of the numbers:
Total number of signatures submitted was approximately 800,000.
Number of pages (of recall petitions) submitted: 152,508
Number of pages processed: undetermined (based on what was provided by the GAB)
Number of records processed: 1,382,058
Blank lines (on petition pages): 557,469
Unique records: 819,233
Incomplete/undecipherable records: 36,127
Signed w/date out of range: 14,763
Out of state: 4,718
Duplicate signatures: 5,356
TOTAL INELIGIBLE SIGNATURES: 55,606
TOTAL SIGNATURES FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION*: 228,940
TOTAL ELIGIBLE SIGNATURES based on data available: 534,685
(*signatures that were partially marked through, illegible, possibly false, mismatched or otherwise compromised)
Governor Walker may ask the Government Accountability Board to accept the findings of the "True the Vote" analysis. Given the propensity for the GAB to go against any and all requests from the Republicans in favor of the unionistas and left, it is highly doubtful that the GAB will vote in favor of Walker. The Tea Party may also try to present their findings to the GAB, and again, any true consideration to review the hundreds of thousands of signature issues involving the recall petitions will probably be ignored.
However - what is really important here (besides the fact that the anti-Walker folks did not turn in anywhere near one million signatures to recall Walker) is that come election time, perhaps a wee bit over 500,000 people may vote for Kathleen Falk or whatever other Democrat ends up challenging Walker. It sure doesn't look like anywhere near one million-plus are rabid anti-Walker voters. Things are really looking up for Governor Walker and all the people in Wisconsin who elected him. This is a good day, folks, and I believe things will continue to get better. Thankfully, with Voter I.D. in place, Wisconsin people can rest assured that only Wisconsin residents will be voting - and their vote will count (one time only, too!).
And the good news continues on the national scene. U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) has announced she will not run again for the United States senate! Good riddance - Snowe has been nothing but a RINO and should have been booted long ago. She tends to vote with the Democrats anyhow, so her loss is no big deal. If a Democrat wins her seat, it's just an even exchange, nothing more. (Hopefully when her term is up, fellow RINO Susan Collins - from the same state as Snowe - will also not seek re-election.)
In addition, Obama's poll numbers continue to fall - even though he is trying his best to give Americans the false impression that the economy is really getting better. It is! Barry sez so! Obama has manipulated the unemployment/job numbers to support his false reality. Yet, most Americans are seeing through the spin - according to the recent Gallup reports! We are still at more than 9% unemployment. 13 million people are out of work. The jobs aren't there. The government is still prohibiting true job growth. The government is growing. Obama is waging the poor vs. rich war and it seems to be imploding on him. And no matter how Obama tries to lie and sugar-coat things, it isn't working. People got fooled once when they elected him. They won't get fooled again.
It appears that Wisconsin and the United States will be moving forward - in a positive direction come election time.


Alton Ellis was undoubtedly one of Jamaica’s finest singers, and he pioneered the rocksteady movement which preceded reggae music. Just as there are events and major concerts which commemorate the life of outstanding artistes like Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and Peter Tosh, Ellis’ family would love to see ‘The Godfather of Rocksteady’ receive such glory.
“Even though we tour around the world and sing his (Alton) songs, there’s no event like this to honour him.”— Christopher Ellis, one of Alton’s sons
Fresh off the stage at the recently held Dennis Brown Tribute Concert, Christopher Ellis, one of Alton’s sons and a singer in his own right, said an event of that nature is well under way.
“Me and my family are in talks now because there is nothing for dad like this. Even though we tour around the world and sing his songs, there’s no event like this to honour him,” he told BUZZ.
“It’s sad to say, but in a way, I feel like he’s almost forgotten, in a sense. He was earlier than Dennis Brown, he was a founder, so I feel like he has been left behind, but that’s up to us as a family to maintain that thing and keep something like this, but smaller though and make it grow so people can know who Alton Ellis is.”
The United Kingdom-based singer is cousin to comedians Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis and Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis, with whom he is orchestrating the event.
“We’re in talks now to make something happen. Hopefully, that’ll be by the end of the year.”
Alton Ellis formed part of the musically rich roster of Trench Town, Kingston, and started his career in the late 50s as one-half of the duo Alton & Eddy with singer Eddy Parkins.
They were among the first to experiment with Jamaican rhythm and blues, evident on the recording Muriel for producer Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd.
After Parkins migrated to The States, Ellis held a nine-to-five job while trying his luck with other groups like The Flames, with which he recorded rocksteady tracks Girl I’ve Got A Date and Cry Tough. But the dulcet vocalist was far from living the Hollywood dream and still found himself in his shack in Trench Town, forcing him to migrate to the United Kingdom for a better life. By the 90s, a revival of the ska and rocksteady wave in Jamaica provided more opportunities for Ellis.
The I’m Still in Love With You singer died from cancer in London in 2008.
As Christopher works to preserve his dad’s legacy, he is also focused on building his own, especially in Jamaica.
“I have some shows back in the UK next month, but I’m coming back to Jamaica straight after,” he said. “It’s important for me to get the approval of the Jamaican people, so I wanna do that and be here and make my music big over here.”
His songs include the Damian Marley-produced Still Go A Dance, Only Want You Naked and Better Than Love.


text:
April 22: …(Governor Brown) said a budget deal remains elusive and could take several more weeks to reach.
"We're not at the point of, 'OK, if you do this pension reform and A, B, C and D regulatory, you've got a deal,' " Brown told reporters after a panel discussion at an IBM research facility. "We're not at that level of specificity, and I think we have several weeks of conversations to get to a point where people feel, 'OK, that sounds like a good deal.' "
By the way, if you are thinking that in the event of a pension cap, UC will just put in a supplementary defined contribution plan to make up for the difference, you might think again. Here is an excerpt from an article on the governor's latest deal with the prison guards' union:
Brown noted other victories, including that the contract would end a state-funded, $42 million-a-year 401(k)-type plan that correctional officers received in addition to their pensions.
Full article at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/22/MN0H1J3TMU.DTL
Maybe some further encouragement to UCOP & the Regents is needed:


text:
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Fifa 12 - PS3 Review (Online Play)
Fifa 12 Online play is forever growing with more and more reasons to stop playing your everlasting career mode and enter one of the many different types of online mode including, Head to Head seasons, Pro Clubs or the ever more popular Ultimate Team. It is the latter that I would also like to emphasize as my choice of battle arena simply because you can create your own club slowly growing in stature by buying packs through the use of coins which you can win in tournaments.You can add more players, change your teams badge and strip (although guide lined down the existing clubs and badges). The best thing about Ultimate team therefore is the ability of change, whilst playing head to head seasons is great for a couple of rounds,it becomes very repetitive. You as the player choose pretty much the same select teams, facing pretty much the same select teams, whereas Ultimate team forces you to chop and change your team so that you can enter tournaments with a different requirement, allowing for a better depth in your game play than just turning up and kicking ass.
Another great factor about playing Ultimate team is the fact if you are a trophy whore (like me) it is a great place to earn trophies for Fifa 12. In fact, twelve trophies can ONLY be earned whilst playing UT. Whilst most are relatively simple as many of the trophies are in Fifa 12, Growing Club , "Big Cup" Squad , Pack King , Club Legend and Trophy Time all require a good deal of effort. So if you like Fifa 12 but haven't given UT a try i would suggest doing so if not only for the trophies but for the satisfaction of pulling your first in form player out of a pack and showing your next opponent just how to use him. To get to guide Follow this link Quick UT Trophy Guide!

domain: game


text:
Update: August 25th, 2016
Furthering his commitment to the common investor, Brad did a great breakdown of the recent film The Money Monster, for PR Newswire. Reifler talked about the similarities between the film, and real life investors. Noting how difficult and dangerous the markets can be for those that aren’t prepared for the possible pitfalls.
As any investor seeking to keep their losses at a minimum, learning how to avoid the common pitfalls may come at a price. Being aware of sound investing principles can make the difference between acquiring solid gains or suffering repetitive losses. Brad Reifler, Founder and CEO of Forefront Capital, is well acquainted with both sides of the investing market; the one percent of investors that have the government mandated capital to invest in public funds, commodity funds and hedge funds – and the other ninety-nine percent of the population without such wealth and are prohibited by the government from investing directly into those same funds.
In a recent Reuters’s published article, Brad Reifler shared his insights on investing for the majority of Americans; tips that can put the average person well on their way to becoming a successful investor. His advice can be summarized as follows:
- Refrain from investing all your money in the stock market and consider the safety of your money as a majority factor.
- Get to know your fund managers; it is important to trust whomever is investing your money.
- Know why you’re investing and what your objectives are. If a particular investment is successful, continue to add funds into it.
Brad Reifler knows first hand the experience of the 99 percenters when it comes to investing. At one time Reifler had invested in a 529 college savings plan for his two daughters, yet when it was time for them to attend university, the fund had less money than he’d originally invested, suffering a loss. When Brad’s father-in-law retired after owning an RV repair shop for thiry-five years, he gave Brad his life savings to invest. Mr. Reifler realized at that time how limited the options for middle class investors were because they were not accredited by the government.
Brad Reifler has since set out to make a change and now focuses his attention on the non-accredited investors who have been overlooked by the investment world as not being smart enough to participate. Yet change may be on the horizon. The SEC is realizing that over the past thirty years, people are much more knowledgeable about investing and the stock market has greater oversight to offset the idea that shareholders needed to be protected from risky investments. A task force has recommended to do away with the 32 year old rules that specify income and net worth requirements.
Forefront Capital works diligently to overcome investor fears that have resulted from the 2008 financial crisis by striving to be a “firm for the people”. Mr. Reifler believes that the idea of providing compound returns with better investment options, average investors could possible watch a small investment grow substantially. Check out Mr. Reifler’s website for more info.
A History in Finance
Reifler graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in Economics and Political Science, and then went on to found Reifler Trading Corporation in 1982. By catering to a niche in global derivatives, his company was eventually bought by Refco, one of the most prominent futures companies in the world. Still, Reifler would go on to start several new companies, such as Pali Capital and Forefront Capital. While acting as the CEO, the former company acted as a broker dealer that focused on equity markets, and managed to accrue over one billion dollars in commission income. The latter company, however, is the one Reifler focuses on today.
Though Reifler established his global presence in financial services well before the founding of Pali Capital in 1995, he eventually chose to move on to a different project. As such, after 13 years of service as Pali’s CEO, he created Forefront Capital to offer differentiated products to customers. With support from trusted investment advisers, bankers, and business leaders, the company managed to build and maintain various subsidiaries, such as Forefront Advisory and Forefront Partners. Both Reifler and his company alike continue to draw in business leaders, but the CEO himself made a push for a special initiative in 2014.
The Forefront Income Trust Initiative
Despite his expertise in the field, Reifler noted that those who didn’t belong to the top one percent in the United States were unwilling to try investing. Moreover, the people who did want to invest would have found prohibitive measures in place. That in turn would have ensured their continued struggles with debt and a lack of financial security. To counteract this, Reifer used his company to start the Forefront Income Trust initiative, which allows non-accredited members of the middle class to invest quarterly while minimizing the risks involved.
Even with his duties as a CEO, Reifler has made it his mission to educate people about investing. In addition to the initiatives he and his company espouse, Reifler has made various public appearances to speak at length about how to stow money for the future. He has long since noted that a lack of information and understanding have prevented the lower and middle classes from investing, with the 2008 financial crisis in particular causing a wealth of concerns. Whether the common citizen buys into the Forefront Income Trust or not, Reifler hopes that proper education can at least help push them in the right direction.
A Continuous Effort in the Field
Reifler’s career includes more than founding companies and acting as a CEO. True to his reputation, he has served on a wide array of advisory boards, such as the board of the European American Investment Bank. He has been credited as a director for several organizations, including Wins Finance Holdings Inc. as well as Sino Mercury Acquisition Corp. Having garnered acclaim, titles, and high status in the financial world, Reifler has long since been celebrated for his presence as well as his efforts. People helped by him and his companies run the gamut from world-class businessmen to middle class families, and it’s unlikely that he’ll stop anytime soon.


Learn the notes is the first step to playing the piano. Music notes are marked by letters like A, B, C and D. You can then begin learning how to play the piano keys once you have mastered their pitch and note names.
The quicker you can learn to play the piano the more time you spend practicing. Most people can practice for thirty minutes per day. A small amount of practice, such as ten minutes a days or twice a month, can make a big difference. A good parent or musician can help get you started.
There are three main keys to a piano: the white, middle and black. These keys can be arranged in sets of 2 or 3. It is best to start at the middle C, which is the white key near the center of the keyboard. You can then move your finger to the next white note, and so on. You can now play a piece such a Mary Had a Little Lamb with just three white notes. You will eventually be able play the entire scale using these three key combinations.
You can also search online for how-to videos. YouTube is a great resource for finding these videos. There are tons of beginner and intermediate tutorials posted daily by artists, companies, and individual musicians. These videos will help explain the theory behind your favorite compositions. Although piano is a challenging instrument, there are communities of people who love it. To get feedback from fellow pianists, you can post your video on YouTube or join an online forum for piano.
Once you’re comfortable with your piano, you can start to add new sounds. A piano pedal is an excellent way to improve the sound quality. A music stand can also be useful for stationery and sheet music. A metronome can help you improve your playing. The key to learning how to play piano is confidence. So, don’t let the fear of new things keep you from enjoying your new hobby.
You need to practice your hands when playing the piano. Before you start practicing, it is important that your hands are properly warmed up. Stretching your hands can help blood flow better and remove stiffness. You can also practice Hanon exercise to prepare for practice. This will make it easier to play the piano and improve technique. It is also important to have equal dexterity between your hands.
Playing the piano can be easier than playing any other instrument. It is easy for beginners to tune the piano, and they don’t need to have to be tuned every day. An electric piano doesn’t require regular tuning like an acoustic. The sound of the notes will be perfectly in tune, allowing you to play in any key and sound great. This makes piano playing for beginners much easier. A piano also offers a wide range notes.
Playing music by ear is an important part of learning how to play piano. This technique involves listening repeatedly to music and playing around with the keyboard. Once you have mastered the notes, you can then add the melody on the piano. Once you are comfortable playing by ear, it is possible to master complex chord progressions.


Packaging & Delivery
KC 5016 roller chain flexible coupling :
1. Applies to flexible drive shaft ,allowing a larger axial radial displacement and displacement.2.Has a simple structure,easy maintenance .3.Disassembly easy4.low noise5.Transmission efficiency loss,long useful working life.
6.The chain coupling, composed of two-strand roller chains and two sprockets, features simple and compact structure, and highflexibility , power transmission capability and durability. What’s more, the chain coupling allows simple
connection/disconnection, and the use of the housing enhances safety and durability.


Councilors debate how to fund beach redevelopment
BEMIDJI — Like most dilemmas facing city governments, money is the main obstacle standing in the way of redevelopment.
But the south shore project in Bemidji has a couple of twists.
City councilors say that a promise, whether implicit or explicit, was made to residents that a new beach would be created on the south shore of Lake Bemidji. That, and the fact that the swimming beach may not stay clean once it's cleared of debris and wood chips complicates the project.
"To me it's just a really sticky situation," Councilor Reed Olson said.
A public discussion over the future of the south shore beach has already begun. What city residents want to see at that beach, and if they are willing to pay for it, has yet to be seen.
Finding the money
The Bemidji City Council on Monday discussed how much it would cost to clean up and redevelop the beach area east of the DoubleTree Hotel. The water there is filled with wood chips and other debris left behind by railroads and other industries that have since left.
At a minimum, cleaning the swimming beach and building basic amenities such as a drop-off zone for drivers and walkways to the beach would cost about $2 million. Full redevelopment of the area as outlined in the parks master plan would cost significantly more.
Olson said it's likely that voters would be asked to approve a bonding referendum should the council choose to redevelop and clean the new south shore beach.
"There's no money anywhere else," Olson said.
Originally, developing the beach area was expected to be funded by revenues generated from land sales on the south shore, said city manager John Chattin. He added, however, that original estimates for cleaning up the beach were much lower than the $1.2 million quote the city received from Landmark Environmental LLC last month.
"I think the public didn't understand that the replacement of the beach was going to be additional cost," Councilor Nancy Erickson said.
City councilors agreed to sell the land for the DoubleTree to the Edgewater Group for $650,000 in 2009, with the condition that Nymore Beach remain public for five years. Next summer is the last one the beach will be public, said Rich Siegert, developer of the DoubleTree.
Councilor Ron Johnson, who was on the council at the time of the sale, said there have been plans to develop the beach area long before the land was sold to Edgewater. He said there was no definite timeline set for creating a new beach.
Mayor Rita Albrecht said a bonding referendum to clean and redevelop the beach would be a "last resort."
"Maybe we'll think outside of the box a bit and think of some alternatives to cleaning up a beach," Albrecht said. "I'm not sure if we have to swim in the lake. Maybe there's another alternative for that."
"There is an expectation that the city has made to the community and we need to fulfill that," Albrecht added. "However, we have to be prudent in our redevelopment plans so that it is cost-effective."
Even if the swimming area is cleaned up, there's no guarantee wood chips wouldn't float back into the beach. Councilor Roger Hellquist suggested that if they clean up the beach, the city should wait to develop the park until they know the water will stay clean.
Erickson said several people have approached her in recent days about the possibility of some kind of a pool instead of a swimming beach, which she said was an "interesting" proposal. She said that "might be a better investment for the city, so that we don't take the risk of those chips coming back into that swimming area."
"I'd kind of like to investigate that with the public and see whether that would suffice," Erickson said.
On Monday, city councilors directed staff to list scenarios for what could be accomplished at the beach area with different levels of funding. Currently, city staff is moving forward with the process of obtaining permits from various state and federal agencies, with the assumption that the beach cleanup work would begin in fall 2014, said city engineer and public works director Craig Gray.
Instead of moving forward with a bonding referendum Monday, Albrecht suggested holding public meetings to discuss the future of the beach area. Those proposed meetings have yet to be scheduled, she said.
"I think we need to have public meetings, public input," Erickson said. "The public needs to clearly understand that in order to meet that obligation, there will be a cost to them."


text:
In my experience, graphic memoirs are some of the most informative mediums of cultural text. The illustration, dialogue, framing and colors within a graphic memoir work in cohesive fashion to intensify patterns, emotions, and narrative themes. I find the artistry of how an author uses these creative tools entertaining and at times more helpful than a traditional novel to read from
In Vietnamerica, GB Tran’s use of color, shading, and spacing within his illustrations work successfully to exaggerate the frustrations GB feels after arriving in Vietnam with his family. On page 49, GB Tran depicts himself annoyed at his mother for coddling him over what to pack for their family trip to Vietnam. The neutral shading in this set of frames consists of neutral blues, blacks and whites. Pacing around his home in New York GB disregards his mother’s sentiments.
In the last frame of the page, GB paints himself engulfed in a chaotic blend of orange and black smoke. Suggesting an out of body experience, GB looks as if he is in an illusion where his head is floating into thin air, above his body. The frame transports the audience in an unfamiliar place which one could assume is Vietnam. Given the expression of his face, it is clear GB recognizes he should have listened to the wisdom of his mother.
On the following page, GB is depicted with spinning wheels for eyes, going mad. The unfamiliar streets of Vietnam are now roaring with trucks, food vendors, children, families, store fronts and exhaust. Within these frames, distinct hues of red and orange direct the gaze of the audience to the communist star depicted near the center of the illustration. Through the overt application of bright orange and reds hues covering communist symbolism, GB suggests the disruptive nature of these frames as resultative of the destructive aftermath of communism.
In these frames GB is stripped of his Western comforts and familiarity back in New York. He is framed in harsh juxtaposition against aspects of the Vietnamese culture he is one generation removed from.
All of his interactions within these frames are short,and dismissive. While trying to purchase Pho from a street vendor, his language capabilities are shattered. Nothing he says or does seems to resonate within this space which his family nostalgically roots themselves. GB depicts himself almost escaping the 2-dimensionality if the page to exaggerate the alienation he feels. There is simply no space for him. The singular illustration symbolic of the American culture he grew up around is the red and yellow McDonalds brand presented in the background of a smaller frame. Even this is drowned out behind an excess collection of dust and exhaust.
Tran, Gia-Bao. Vietnamerica. New York, Random House Inc, 2011.

domain: literature


text:
What You Should Know About Organic Food
Organic food, sometimes called natural or organic food, is food made using techniques meeting the requirements of organic agriculture. Organic farming methods vary internationally, but organic farming typically involves practices that restore ecological balance, cycle natural resources, and preserve biodiversity. Organic food includes all food produced in such a way that no synthetic products are used. For example, the soil where farmers grow crops does not contain any genetically modified plants, so the crops cannot be cross-bred. The crops can only be produced within the soil in which they are intended to live.
Organic food can also be grown in tanks containing chemicals. These tanks are usually filled with non-toxic substances such as fish, non-food waste, and plant nutrients. The methods used to keep the environment clean and safe from hazardous pesticides are not used on organic farms and produce is grown using traditional farming techniques.
Organic food is produced in several ways. For example, it can be grown in soil that is chemical free; inside hydroponic systems; or in aeroponics systems. The method of growing vegetables in raised beds has remained popular for many years. In this method of gardening, rows of vegetables are planted growing close together with good drainage. However, the row spacing can be adjusted according to the amount of sunlight needed for each plant to receive.
Organic foods are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, or growth hormones. Organic foods are tastier than those grown using conventional methods. The taste varies according to the variety, however, most foods grown in this manner are free of chemicals, fertiliser, and growth hormones. Organic foods do not contain any cholesterol, sodium, or cholesterol, so they are high in nutrients and low in fats, oils, salt, and sugar.
Growing your own organic food does take some effort, time, and dedication. Organic farmers must do a great deal of research before they can finally achieve the results that they want. They may start off using natural fertilizers to help speed up their growth and improve the soil, but eventually they may move on to pesticides and other unnatural means to help them get the results that they need. Fertilisers can cause health problems in children and pets, so they need to be carefully considered.
Most people are aware of the benefits of eating a diet that is low in fat, high in vegetables, fruits, and grains. Yet many people still aren’t sure if they can consume foods grown in this manner. Organic produce might be slightly more expensive than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, and it takes some effort to grow it. But the rewards make it well worth it.
Organic food isn’t always as healthy as non-organic foods. Because it is grown in a different way, it often contains a higher concentration of pesticides and chemicals. But many of these chemicals are considered safe to consume when they are used in the amounts that the crops are designed to tolerate. The point is to buy products that have been produced in accordance with organic growing techniques. If you choose organic foods, you can eat them without worrying about whether they are healthy or not.
The healthiness of an organic food product depends a lot on how it is grown and how it is processed. In conventional production, farmers use herbicides and pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment. They also use high levels of water to keep their gardens looking good. Organic production relies on soil management techniques that ensure healthy soils, which makes conventional farmers’ fertilizers and pesticides less harmful to the environment.

domain: agronomy


Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, faces a new hurdle in its frank and wildly ambitious pursuit To treat blindness and paralysis. The Food and Drug Administration has dropped the Neuralink app to move forward with human trials using its device, according to the FDA. Thursday report From Reuters, credited to seven current and former FDA employees.
For years, Musk has repeatedly claimed human trials of him Brain computer interface Just around the corner. In 2019, Musk said his company was Obtaining US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval by the end of 2020. in 2021, The billionaire tweeted that his company might progress to human trials later the same year. In April 2022, Musk reportedly said Neuralink was seeking its first human transplant before 2023, according to Reuters. More recently, in November 2022, the CEO promised that human testing was only “about six months” away in disappointing condition. Show & Talk event at Neuralink. Now, it looks like the company will miss its self-imposed deadline as well.
Despite this history of allegations, Neuralink only filed its first application for FDA permission to conduct a proposed human trial in early 2022, and the agency denied the company’s request, according to Reuters. Gizmodo has reached out to the Food and Drug Administration to verify this claim and others, but the agency has not confirmed the Reuters account.
“We generally cannot confirm or deny the possible existence of a pending product application. To obtain this information, we suggest contacting the company,” FDA spokesperson Carly Kempler wrote to Gizmodo in an email. In response to specific questions about the Reuters report and Neuralink’s goal of human trials, Kempler also said, “We don’t have anything else to share at this time.”
Gizmodo reached out to Neuralink for further comment, but did not immediately receive a response. As with Musk’s other companies, such as Twitter And TeslaNeuralink rarely responds to inquiries from journalists.
However, it’s fair to say that the FDA’s rejection would be just another in the accumulating list of regulatory hurdles that Neuralink seems about to overcome. Musk’s biotech company has already been under federal investigation at least two times before Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Transportation over alleged animal welfare violations And Possible mishandling of hazardous biological materialsrespectively.
Why is the FDA refusing to apply Neuralink to human trials?
The US Food and Drug Administration gives the green light to about two out of three experimental human applications for medical devices in the first round, and about 85% in the second round, according to Reuters. So why didn’t Neuralink get approval?
Based on the accounts of several FDA workers, Reuters noted that the agency denied Neuralink’s application primarily because of “major safety concerns.” Obviously, the big sticking points included the lithium-ion battery for biotechnology devices, multiple small parts and wires that could end up dislodging or moving the brain, and the unresolved question of how to safely perform implant removal.
Neuralink has it I faced legal and public obstacles From the group advocating animal rights and anti-animal experimentation not least because of claims that its devices and practices are unsafe and inhumane – even for people tested on monkeys. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine claims that hundreds of primates have endured needless (and horrific) suffering as a result of Neuralink’s experiments. In turn, Musk’s company has denied the PCRM allegations and defended its animal testing practices. “At Neuralink, we are fully committed to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible,” he wrote Statement 2022.
What does the FDA rejection mean for Neuralink?
If the rejection reports are accurate, that doesn’t mean Neuralink will never have its devices implanted in humans. It just means that the company will have to address the FDA’s concerns and try again.
However, despite Neuralink’s lofty aspirations to eradicate and create multiple human diseases Cyborg is able to survive the AI disasterThe company’s technology is not necessarily different or noticeable compared to competitors. Many companies and other organizations are researching brain-computer interface devices, which use electrodes to provide a communication channel between brain and computer signals.
At least one direct competitor, Synchron, has beaten Neuralink in human trials, and has received FDA approval to implant its device in a human. in 2021. company She said she had successfully implanted a BCI device in a person For the first time in July 2022. According to Previous Reuters report, Musk attempted to strike a deal between Neuralink and Synchron, after the latter’s historic achievement. Synchronicity didn’t seem interested.


Nadal tops Djokovic, Monte Carlo Masters
RAFAEL NADAL defeated Novak Djokovic, 6-3, 6-1, to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the eighth consecutive year and snap a string of seven straight defeats to his rival in title matches.
The Spaniard broke serve five times to highlight the one-sided affair. It was Nadal’s first title since the French Open last year and 47th of his career.
It was their first meeting since their epic marathon in the finals of the Australian Open won by Djokovic earlier this year.
Nadal improved his career record against Djokovic to 17-14 although it was his first victory against the Serb since an early round match during the 2010 ATP Finals in London. Noli Cruz


COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus City Council will spend upward of $400,000 for a number of in-chamber renovations, including a new desk for each of its future additional members and new cameras for streaming purposes.
The Council cleared the $407,437 within a consent agreement at its meeting Monday night, entering into a construction contract with R.W. Setterlin Building Co. The funds — according to the ordinance — are allocated toward “various construction services,” which include adding two new desks, switching out five new in-chamber cameras and two lights, and installing fiber lines.
Adding, rearranging desks
The dais where members sit for weekly meetings and other hearings won’t structurally change, but once the two new desks are added, it will be rearranged to account for an eventual larger seated body.
“This is part of our effort to follow what the voters asked us to do,” said Jose Rodriguez, the Council’s communications director. “They need a place to sit.”
By the end of 2023, the Council itself will look different — growing by two members, from seven to nine — as it also changes from an entirely at-large body to a hybrid body. That swell has been a longtime in the making, after voters ratified city charter amendment Issue 3 in 2018, requesting a larger body.
Under the new system about to be ushered in, candidates for council have to live in the districts they are seeking election to. All voters in the city of Columbus, however, will vote on the whole slate of candidates, rather than just in the election for their ward.
More information about the districts Columbus residents will fall within is available on the city government’s website.
CTV gets new cameras, other additions
Much of the rest of the cost will go toward updating cameras and other technology used by Columbus Government Television, which livestreams Council and other city government meetings and events.
When the pandemic hit about three years ago, Rodriguez said streaming became vital to Council’s day-to-day.
The chamber’s current cameras are more than a decade old, according to Nya Hairston, Council’s deputy communications director. “With an investment like this, you want it to last,” Hairston said.
The chamber will undergo the various renovations while Council is on its summer recess, according to the ordinance.


text:
Candice Berman Gallery, Bryanston
Keepers | 2017
With this body of work as with all my artistic practices I undergo a process of deconstructing my past, present and
future in the hope of learning about who I am and where I find myself in the moment.
The surface of anything is a mere manifestation of the viewers ideology in whatever form that takes. So I chose to represent the true self of the protagonist in an additional face of either blue, white or red. Colour plays a huge role in my work. I use it to create juxtaposition between dark subject matter and my whimsical sense of humour.
The big forms and small figures are not totally aware of one another. A spiritual battle is taking place in these paintings.
Although I am not a Christian I have read much of the bible. The subject of faith is brought up many times. Faith means belief. And perspective alters belief. So with most of my work I analyze the subject of perspectives. Whether or not these opposing figures choose to acknowledge each other doesn’t change the fact that they do exist and will play a role in the story that unfolds.


text:
When the sound of running water
the sound of running water
it is supposed to be enlightening.
Haikus are supposed to spring
spontaneously from my heart.
I am supposed to become humble
and manifest compassion for the world.
But I continue to suffer in blindness
that the sound of running water
is just the sound of running water.
I want it to thank me for listening.
I want to lie in it and float coolly
to a magic kingdom
where a prince will kiss my rosy lips.
But there are cockroaches in the kitchen,
Adam has an earache,
Noah says he’s “sad and blue.”
The hatred that hid in my heart
now flows freely through my veins,
blackening my blood,
frightening the children,
depressing my husband.
It says in the books,
“Become the sound of running water,”
but already there is nothing behind me and nothing ahead,
there is only today’s terrifying headline
announcing the catastrophe of what I am now.
Running water is no medicine.
Writing is no healing.
There is no healing.


text: Transvestite potter Grayson Perry pops up (again) in a show of works at Bethlem Gallery located in the grounds of the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, south east London. The gallery, which helps support mental health provision, is marking its twentieth anniversary with a group show called It's how well you bounce (until 28 October). Perry's work, Map of an Englishman (2004), is typically quirky, showing a map made using etching and photogravure techniques. The land mass, which represents the brain, depicts different psychological states, and is dotted with bodies of water named Narcolepsy and Delirium (there are even places named Happiness and Cliché). Perry says: "Art is the greatest asset to mental health I have; it has this amazing ability to go under the radar and it goes down little pathways which are un-trodden and yet it’s still a very legitimate way of thinking and feeling and getting on with your life." Other artists bouncing for Bethlem include Maureen Scott and John Mc.


text:
It’s not too often people get to follow their dreams and live so closely to their inspirations. This past April I was lucky enough to do both at the Trouvaille Workshop led by the ever so talented Rhiannon Bosse of Hey Gorgeous Events. The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, MI hosted 30 lovely ladies for a three-day workshop experience unlike any other.
Over the course of three short days I made new friends, gained valuable knowledge from industry professionals and was inspired by Rhi’s outstanding sense of design. So many smart, savvy, and talented professionals had the opportunity to speak and teach what they know best. Amongst many other things we learned about vendor relationships, putting an appropriate price on what we do and how to market our businesses for growth. My shiny gold notebook (one of many fabulous swag items) was filled from cover to cover by the end of the three days!
Alongside Rhi, Alicia from Bows and Arrows sparked my slow growing passion for floral design and kicked it into high gear! I have always had a sweet spot for florals. Mostly cooing over the beauty in arrangements and bouquets. But Trouvaille gave me the opportunity to get my hands on some stems to snip and style in my own way! We were taught floral conditioning and “finding your style” and then were let loose in what seemed to be a sea of beautiful blooms to create our very own centerpieces.
I must say I was pretty darn proud of myself.
A big, big, BIG, thank you goes out to Rhiannon for hosting such an incredible and inspirational three days. Because of you, Rhi, I can also warmly say ‘thank you’ to the girls I met along the way. There is so much truth in saying that you get most of your passion and ideas from those that you work alongside of.
And lastly, I couldn’t be more grateful to work with such an incredible lady who made my trip to Grand Rapids a reality in the first place. Thank you Stacie for pushing me to grow and for giving me opportunities I could only dream of having.
How about these photos? Brad and Sam, I appreciate you catching all of these incredible moments throughout our time at Trouvaille. I will certainly treasure all you have captured.
Photographs by Bradley James Photography


text:
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
(Philippians 2: 3-8 ESV)
In my last post I talked about counting others as more significant than ourselves. I focused on Philippians 2: 4, having us introspect and consider how our lives reflect Christ’s humility in serving the Father. On that point, I want to elaborate and have us consider the eternal perspective Christ has for his people, a perspective we should have for ourselves and by extension, our brothers and sisters.
Let us take a look at the following verses:
“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
(1 Corinthians 3: 10-15 ESV)
Paul tells us that wisdom must be applied to living, and the consequences of how we build on the lives Christ laid his life for are eternal. Foremost, these verses are directed to preachers and how they must build their ministry solely on the foundation of Christ. Yet this passage also applies to every Christian tasked with making their lives pleasing and acceptable to God. In the surrounding chapters, Paul preaches on the need for Christians to live by God’s wisdom: wisdom that is unlike the foolishness of men. We can choose to live wisely or poorly, and based on how we live God will reward us for our diligence. God values our worship and He chooses to reward us for our faithfulness in upholding His commands. But that’s the thing, it’s not about this life, but the life to come. Consider Ephesians 2:10 when Paul says “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God has given us all that we need to complete the good work in our lives.
But how does this apply to Philippians 2? We’re called to build our brothers and sisters up, and sometimes that stewardship means spurring them on towards their sanctification. What I need to make clear is that none of us, on the Day of Christ’s Judgment, will be held responsible for the outcome of another Christian’s walk. It’s clear that each of us will be judged by our own works, but part of our work is the encouragement, and sometimes the admonishment of another believer. We can never truly know what is inside the heart of another person, but with God’s wisdom and in prayer we can speak truth to a fellow believer who is in need of the refreshing Word.
Remember that Christ had it all before the foundation of time, but He chose to give up His equality with God and came down in the body of a man to save us from ourselves. He was tempted like all of us, knew the outcome of His earthly ministry, and during the final hours of His life He comforted His disciples when death loomed over Him, knowing they would inherit His ministry after He ascended to heaven. Let me close by reminding us to look at Christ as our example of having an eternal perspective for ourselves and others. Our lives are interconnected and each of us has a part to play in each others’ lives. God had that in mind when He had our lives intersect. There is a good work God has in store for all of us; let us help one another see that we all value what is eternal.


text:
London Photography & Lighting Workshop
London Photography & Lighting Workshops - 2014
Here is an action shot from yesterday's London photography workshop with me and model Katie. Here I was teaching how to make the most of the using ambient light around you to light your portraits.
The next location workshop in London is already fully booked for June but I am looking to add additional dates in July and/or August depending on interest. I have already had a few people asking so please get in touch if you might be interested.
I am also running 1-2-1 evening photography workshops from my Coventry studio each week.
Please see BLOG here for full details - wp.me/p3ioIk-w8


text:
Classic Car Insurance: defined by many companies as being 19 to 24 years old, restored, in good working condition, and greater than the average value of other autos of the same make and model year; some insurers consider a car of this description that is only greater than 10 years old to be “classic.” The Classic Car Club of America regards classic vehicles to be those manufactured between 1925 and 1948.
When it comes to supplemental coverage, Travelers is hard to beat. It consistently met our marks for what we considered “the essentials” and it offers unique coverage, too. That includes accident forgiveness, GAP insurance, and special coverage for drivers employed by ridesharing operations like Uber and Lyft (though this add-on is currently only available in Colorado and Illinois).
Full Agreed Value Guaranteed, No Deductible in Most States, Full Comprehensive and Collision, Liability With Limits Up To $1,000,000, Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist, State Required PIP As Medical Benefits, Inflation Guard Value Protection, Spare Parts Inventory Coverage up to $500, Trip Interruption up to $600, Towing and Labor up to $250, Automatic Coverage on Newly Acquired Vehicles, Uninterrupted Coverage During Repairs when your car Is in a shop, and More! In addition, just one low liability payment covers all your cars!
Keep in mind that these requirements are precisely that: the minimum allowable coverage. If you cause an accident with damages exceeding your policy, you’ll ultimately be responsible for paying whatever’s left, and those costs can add up quickly. If you live in a state with low minimum requirements, it’s a good idea to select additional coverage so that you’re not left footing the bill for auto repairs or costly hospital visits.
Example (Comprehensive): You park your car outside during a major hailstorm, and it's totaled. If you have comprehensive, we'll pay out for the full value of your car (minus your deductible amount). Example (Collision): You back out of your garage, hit your basketball hoop, and cause $2,000 worth of damage to your vehicle. If you have collision, we'll then pay for your repairs (minus your deductible amount).
2 Subject to deductible. See policy for restrictions. Not available in all states. Identity Protection Services are not available to auto customers in NC or NH nor with all policy forms. Identity Protection Services are available in NC homeowner policies with the optional “Identity Theft Expense and Resolution Plus” endorsement for an additional premium.
By contrast, classic auto insurance usually covers your collectible vehicle for an agreed (often called “guaranteed”) value that is mutually agreeable to you and the insurance company – an amount the automobile is worth based on respected collectible car valuation guides like the Old Cars Report Price Guide, an appraisal by a professional, research conducted by the underwriter, or some form of documentation. For instance, if you own a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air with an 8-cylinder engine and 162 horsepower, Hagerty, a leading insurer of collectible cars, would value that at about $61,000. If you have a collectible car insurance policy in place and that vehicle suffers a total loss, the insurer will compensate you the full $61,000.
At The Zebra, we know better than most just what a pain buying car insurance can be. We also know that students suffer from higher-than-average policy rates. Talk about a double-whammy. That’s why, this year, we’ve decided to continue The Zebra’s annual scholarship with the goal of helping to alleviate the financial pressures of college-bound students in the Tennessee area, while also getting an insider view of the Volunteer State.
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the offers that appear on this website are from companies which ValuePenguin receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The site does not review or include all companies or all available products. For more information please see our Advertiser Disclosure.
9 Auto/Home Multi-policy Discount: A discount will apply to the total policy premium for those insured with both home and private passenger automobile insurance with MetLife Auto & Home. The percentage amount of the discount may vary by state. The Auto/Home Multi-policy Discount is not available to auto policies where the insured's homeowners insurance is a renter's policy, and is not available on the homeowners policy, if the auto policy is written by Metropolitan General Insurance Company or at a nonstandard rate level. Receive 5% off your auto policy premium when you already purchased qualifying life insurance or annuity products written by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company or an affiliated company domiciled in the United States. Not available in all states.
Standard discounts include those for new cars, anti-theft devices, anti-lock brakes, and good grades. While Allstate doesn’t have the same volume of discounts as other providers, there are easy options for saving money, like signing up for Allstate’s ePolicy paperless billing system or Deductible Rewards coverage. This coverage reduces your deductible by $100 for every year of accident-free driving, up to five years or $500.
We identified the auto insurance companies with the cheapest rates, but, as with anything, you want to be sure you are getting high quality service from your insurance company. Reliable car insurance companies are critical in ensuring a smooth customer-insurer relationship. There are a few factors we deemed most important to evaluate a company on which affect policy holders' satisfaction, such as, the average shopping experience, customer service, ability to resolve complaints, and quote filing process.
It's hard to say. You might see rates change as you age, but they don't always go down, so much as they level out or increase at a lower rate. (Remember, the rules of inflation are in effect.) And that assumes you don't incur any red marks on your driving record. As for a change in marital status, you generally have to contact your insurer to get a rate decrease — and if your spouse has a less-than-stellar driving record, well, again, you mind wind up paying more.
Compare top insurance companies' financial strength and claims satisfaction ratings to better predict the level of service you'll receive. Claims satisfaction — measured by J.D. Power — is ranked on a scale of 2 to 5, with 5 being "among the best" and 2 being "the rest." Financial strength — calculated by A.M. Best and running from "Poor" to "Superior" — evaluates an insurer's financial strength and ability to meet its policy and contractual obligations.
When comparing car insurance quotes, it helps to compare apples to apples; in other words, you want to be sure that the quotes you get are for identical - or at least very similar - auto insurance policies. Once you have a better idea of the type of coverage you’re looking for in a policy, this will be easy. To better understand coverage types start here
Young drivers (those between the ages of 16 and 25) pay extraordinarily high auto insurance rates, with those aged 16-19 paying the most expensive premiums of all. Because of the risk presented by inexperienced drivers, teens pay more than three times the national average for car insurance. In Virginia, the average teen driver pays $3,747 — approximately $1,200 less than the national teen driver average, but more than three times as much as an older driver in Virginia.
We love classic cars as much as you do. If the love of your life is a 1957 Bel Air or a 1966 Pontiac GTO, we know your vintage beauty deserves special treatment. You’ve taken care of your car well and we will too. We specialize in covering antique and classic cars, modified collector cars, reproductions, replicas, restorations, and modern classic cars. Have peace of mind knowing your classic is well-protected and that you’re prepared for the unexpected with Safeco Classic Car Insurance. Contact your local independent agent to get a quote.
Farmers began as an insurance company providing coverage to rural farmers’ vehicles. Since then it has evolved to become the seventh largest insurance company in the country. It’s hard to find an insurance company that offers more products than Farmers. It offers basic auto insurance, pet insurance, and even investment products among a variety of other insurance products. Farmers employs nearly 21,000 people, which allow it to underwrite over 19 million policies across 50 states.
Sure, upgraded coverage means a higher monthly premium. But would you rather pay a bit extra each month, or wind up owing a lump sum of $30,000 out of pocket? The average American will file a collision insurance claim about every 18 years, according to insurance industry statistics. Hopefully, it’s nothing more than a fender bender, but if the worst should happen, you’ll appreciate being fully covered.
Also known as AARP, The Hartford was the recipient of the 2016 J.D. Power study for car insurance companies ability to handle claims. The Hartford scored 5/5 stars for nearly every step of the claims process; from notifying them, to the repair process, and the final settlement. Those who think a smooth claims process is the most important factor for car insurance, The Hartford should definitely be considered.
Also, we accept most cars and drivers. (Yes, that means you too!) We offer free auto insurance quotes for drivers that have had a history of driving violations or accidents (in most cases considered high-risk drivers), have let their insurance expire, or have less than perfect credit. We always offer the same flexible rate plans and outstanding customer service, regardless of your driving record.

domain: finance