text: Somewhere in the not-too-distant future, there is a place known to the outside world as Deveraux Academy - a boarding school for gifted teenagers. But to Ben, Cally, and the other first-years, it goes by a very different name: Spy High. Those who pass its rigorous training program will become the world's best hope in the fight against megalomaniacs and crazed technoterrorists. Those who fail will have their memories erased. Ordinarily, the students hand-picked by Senior Tutor Elmore Grant are flawless, but his latest creation, Bond Team, is falling short of expectations. When personality clashes between elected leader Benjamin T. Stanton Jr. and farmer's son Jake Daly threaten to torpedo the group's chances at completing the academy's rigorous virtual reality training program, Grant decides Bond Team needs a bonding experience. Suddenly, there's nothing virtual about the danger that Ben, Jake, and the rest of Bond find themselves facing. This time, failure won't simply result in expulsion from school and the purging of their memories. This time, failure will result in death.


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‘Under the Dome’ returns down; ‘MasterChef’ rises
FOX was number one Monday among adults 18-49 and CBS led with total viewers. On FOX, MasterChef garnered a 1.9, up two tenths from last week’s 1.7 adults 18-49 rating and a season high. On CBS, the season premiere of Under The Dome earned a 2.2 adults 18-49 rating, down sharply from the 3.3 adults 18-49 rating that the series premiere earned last year. On ABC, The Bachelorette matched last week’s 1.5 adults 18-49 rating. On The CW, Beauty And The Beast matched last week’s 0.3 adults 18-49 rating.
Filed Under Broadcast News

domain: entertainment


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Wes Anderson’s new film is called The Grand Budapest Hotel and like all his others, it is a quirky, visual treat that will leave you smiling.
The story orbits a fictional East European/Alpine resort hotel in 1932, told in flashback by a visiting English writer in Iron Curtain-era 1968, long gone are the edifice’s best days. There are many well-known accomplished actors playing exquisite roles, such as Harvey Keitel playing a lifelong convict, Ed Norton as chief Gestapo and Ralph Fiennes as the lead in role Gustave, the hotel’s charming concierge.
The plot is something of a caper, as Gustave inherits a valuable painting from a countess he has befriended over the years (played by Tilda Swinton above), with the surviving family more than a little bitter over their mother’s relationship with the concierge. Hijinks ensue as Gustave enlists his trusty lobby boy Zero to help snatch the painting and hide it from the family’s assassin played by Willem Dafoe.
The story is fantastic, and along with the music and intoxicating production design, this film delivers a great escape on a rainy Spring day.
The production designer is Adam Stockhausen, who puts together a great pastiche of old-World Europe and Cold War-era cues to create something very unique. There is a big clash between older building shell and some newer detail shots that clearly came from another real-life interior. Contrast the shot of the 1932 main desk above with the 1968 conceierge’s desk below.
The latter shot reminds me of 1960’s hotels in Italian and German spa towns. It seems incongruous to have both scenes coming from the same building, but the director naturally uses the modern renovations in the 1968 flashback scenes, heightening the “loss of grandeur” feeling of the hotel in it’s fading years. The 1932 shots are full of people, traditional dress and accompanied by sweeping music. The 1968 scenes are empty, somber and reflective.
The main interior scenes were shot at the Görlitzer Warenhaus, an Art Deco (Jugendstil) masterpiece department store in Berlin that somehow survived the war intact.
The visual feast is not just in color and escapist scenery, but by using interesting camera angles and framing conversations in creative, non-natural ways as to embrace the fairy tale feeling of adventure. Anderson uses this type of square-on shot in his film over and over, to create a unique look to the entire piece. Here Zero and his chocolatier paramour embrace amidst boxes of chocolates.
As I mentioned to a friend of mine recently, there seems to be a lot of interest in pre-WWII European life and stories in English-language film and TV. I feel a romanticism for this “between” era, with the still visible aristocratic history facing the loss-of-innocence early 20th-century, just before the old Europe gets swept away. Anderson really puts this feeling in perspective with his film, especially by using the Communist-era styling as a contrast to the glory days before the war. Iron Curtain architecture, product design and culture is something of a trend right now, as more and more people are starting to embrace it’s quirky, “efficient” style. More than anything, this film made me want to jump on my bicycle and tour Eastern Europe, before all these old buildings get torn down!
A scene from the film showing an elaborate bath from the “original” hotel building.
And finally, a scene showing the filmmaker during an interview, in the “modern” lobby from 1968. Truthfully, I love both of these styles so much. How I love these rich orange and brown 1960s interiors.
All of the above photos are from Fox Searchlight as part of their online promotion. Go see the film and escape to a charming world of 20th-Century fantasy.
For more design tidbits and news on my latest projects, please have a look at my Facebook page at MickRDesign


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Combination procedures may be on the rise
You've probably heard of the Mommy Makeover - a set of cosmetic operations meant to help moms re-gain their figures - and wondered to yourself how practical it is to get a breast augmentation, liposuction and a tummy tuck all at once. While it's not an ideal option for everyone, many plastic surgeon's have found that a package deal actually works for many women - increasingly so.
One California-based plastic surgeon explained that within the past few years, his office has seen an influx in the number of women requesting this type of multifaceted operation, which he attributed to the strengthening economy.
"After the recession hit, I saw a lot of patients interested in getting just one procedure done - for instance, addressing only the breasts when they also wanted a tummy tuck," the doctor said. "Now, patients are more willing to make a bigger upfront investment in a more extensive procedure like a Mommy Makeover. This actually saves patients money and recovery time in the long run."
By combining procedures and getting them out of the way at one time, he said patients could save money, time and mental anguish as unwanted physical side effects of giving birth are dealt with quickly. Undergoing only one operation to tackle common problem areas would mean fewer hospital visits and a shorter recovery period, as the surgeon noted that advancements within the medical field have contributed to streamlining a person's recuperation process. Additionally, he said that financing options have made this type of surgery more realistic for patients, and even predicted that more women will consider combinations as the year continues.
Other common couples
While this surgeon spoke to the rising popularity of the Mommy Makeover, there are many different procedure pairings that are becoming popular, not just among the female population. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of men undergoing cosmetic surgeries has increased exponentially over the past 15 years. In 2012, men had a total of nearly 1 million procedures, accounting for 10 percent of the total number of surgeries.
Some of the most popular combinations include a tummy tuck and liposuction, facial rejuvenation that may consist of more than one surgery on the face, and body contouring procedures - which could combine work performed on a person's arms, chest, hips or legs.

domain: news


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The Lebanese market remains highly cash oriented. Plastic cards have been gradually introduced since the mid 1990s and remain at around 7% of market penetration. Many merchants prefer being paid in cash or even by check. This way, small merchants, even if connected to the network, avoid declaring their real income, and save on taxes, and do not have to pay banking fees for each transaction.
It is important to note that each type of plastic card comes with its set of pros and cons. I will just give a brief overview of each type here.
1. Debit cards: directly linked to your account, a debit card will process transactions as long as you have money on said account. This means of payment is convenient when you are purchasing items and do not wish to carry cash on you. Mind you, cash can be counterfeit and some sellers refuse check payments because a check could bounce back at clearing. Most debit cards if not all have replaced the ATM (Automated Teller Machine) cards and allow the holder to perform various operations without having to enter a branch and regardless of banking hours.
2. Credit cards: connected to the bank providing with the card, the credit card provides its holder with a credit line with no interest to be paid on the amount spent, provided the monthly bills are paid within the monthly cycle. Generally, the cardholder chooses when applying for a card the minimum acceptable to be paid monthly in accordance with the institution's policy. Percentage varies between 5 and 20% of amount spent. To note, cycles vary between 30 to 45 days, so you need to pay attention to those dates! The credit line is revolving and some institutions permit exceeding the provided set limit for a fee.
More on how to keep debt under control here.
3. Charge cards: these cards are credit cards requiring that the holder pays the entire balance spent during the billing cycle at the end of the month. They don't usually have a preset limit. Late payments result in high debtor interests and can affect your credit score. Less flexible than credit cards, they are not very well known in Lebanon. Internationally, they provide with top-notch perks and cost more than regular credit cards (read more about the card differences here).
4. Prepaid cards: not linked to any account, these cards allow for the use of the amount of money loaded onto them. They are sometimes called "Internet cards" as many Lebanese remain averse to online purchasing or simply use this method to keep their spending online or otherwise under control.
5. Loyalty cards: usually looking like a plastic card but not connected to any bank account, a loyalty card can take the form of a sticker or a keychain fob with a code identifying the customer. These cards are provided by most of the large retail stores. Collecting points grants the holder perks and benefits depending on promotions or programs as advertised by the issuing entity.
To note, there are many other types of plastic cards. They fall under one or more of the aforementioned categories.
Link to cartoon credit versus debit cards.

domain: finance


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June 6, 2018, 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM @ Southside Lions Senior Center
Educational Seminar on Elder Fraud Prevention. Keynote Speaker: District Attorney Nico LaHood. Other Speakers from Sheriff's Office, San Antonio Police Department, and the Social Security Administration.


You are never too old to learn a new skill and this is very obvious with the Rowena Jackson Ukulele group. The townhouse residents, six players and one singer, now regularly perform around the village. Group founder, Anne Baron, learnt to play the ukulele as a teenager and has now encouraged five others to take it up. They have a great repertoire of songs and enjoy getting the audience to join in as they sing and play. The first song learnt was The Little Brown Jug which brings back memories to anyone who has tried to play the ukulele.


text: Many homeowners are facing the threat of foreclosure and losing their homes. A new industry, mortgage modification, is taking advantage of these homeowners. These companies promise to work with the banks to get the homeowners a better deal so they can keep their houses. The homeowners must pay an up-front fee of “several thousand dollars”. After the company has the money, they don't fulfill their duty and leave the homeowners without the little money they had left.


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My mother had died, and my grieving father had lost his job. I was 5 years old, and my sister, Neva, was 6. Things didn’t look promising for two little girls who were soon to be orphans in Los Angeles during the Great Depression.
Food was scarce, and my father sent me each day to the Angelus Temple Commissary, where Aimee Semple McPherson and hundreds of volunteers fed thousands of people. They always seemed to have enough food, clothing and blankets so that everyone in need went home with something. My daily request at the Commissary was for a loaf of bread and a can of peas.
One night, as services were about to begin at Angelus Temple, I mingled with the 5,000 people flocking to their seats and quietly slipped into the highest balcony. I wanted to hear Sister McPherson preach but feared that the ushers might make me leave because I was too young to be there without an adult.
After Sister McPherson preached, she told everyone who wanted to accept Jesus Christ as Savior to make our way to the altar and confess our sins. She promised God would forgive us and that He would live inside us forever. That’s all I needed to hear.
I pressed my way through the crowds of people, dodging the legs of adults on every side, down three flights of stairs, until finally I was on the main floor. I still remember the shuffle of feet as hundreds, maybe thousands, of people crowded the altar, seeking God’s forgiveness and the same hope that I needed.
Imagine my concern when there was no place to kneel. The altar and the aisles were full, nearly to the backdoors. I left the crowds behind, climbed onto the platform and knelt beside a large chair that at the moment was quite empty. I was desperate for a place to pray and began to pour out my heart to God.
In retrospect, I realize that many people would have considered it inappropriate to kneel there—after all, I was praying beside the chair where Sister McPherson sat each time she waited to preach! But I was 5, and I needed God.
A Prophetic Word
I was lifted from the floor as Sister McPherson took me in her arms. Her voice was kind, and the honesty in her eyes calmed my trembling heart. She began to speak directly to me. She told me that God had important plans for my life and that I would grow up to become a pastor’s wife and to serve in ministry as long as I lived.
Somehow, I knew Sister’s prophetic word was right and that God had a unique calling on my life, although I had no idea what miracles He would perform to make that calling come to pass.
“Sister McPherson took me in her arms. She told me that God had important plans for my life and that I would grow up to become a pastor’s wife and to serve in ministry as long as I lived.”
I had become friends with Mrs. Whilhite during my daily visits to the Commissary, where she volunteered. My father could not find work, and the dire circumstances took a toll on him. On Christmas Eve that year, he left Neva and me on the Whilhites’ front porch, and left town.
Mr. and Mrs. Whilhite found a place for us to sleep, and they stayed up all night making us Christmas presents so we would have something to open on Christmas morning. They made sure we grew up loving Jesus and serving people in Angelus Temple.
The Prophecy Fulfilled
When I was old enough, I began taking classes at L.I.F.E. Bible College (today called Life Pacific College), where I graduated with honors. While a student there, I met my future husband and ministry partner, Allan Hamilton. After we married, Allan and I began our ministry in Prospect Valley, Colo., a tiny country town with six buildings.
Dorothy Hamilton, left, with her husband, Allan, and their daughter.
Everybody in Prospect Valley lived one mile apart, and when we arrived, we didn’t know anyone. I was born in San Francisco and grew up in Los Angeles, and at first did not want to spend one minute in this little town. But God changed my heart and provided for us as we shared His love with the people. It was quite a time of faith-building for Allan and me.
God blessed us with our first daughter, Janice, in Colorado in 1943. The next year, He called us to the big city: Kansas City that is, followed by ministry assignments in Missouri and then Nebraska, where our second daughter, Kathryn, was born in 1952.
Soon after this, Allan and I loaded our belongings into a two-wheeled trailer and took to the road. At the time, our daughters were about the same age as I had been when Sister McPherson prophesied over my life. We evangelized throughout the Midwest and planted new Foursquare churches in the communities where we preached.
In 1957, we boarded the S.S. Harrison in San Francisco, a freighter bound for Manila. It was a 33-day trip, and when we stepped on dry land in the Philippines, we were grateful for God’s safety during our journey. We were amazed at the sunken ships and submarines that still dotted the harbor so many years after the end of WWII.
We served as Foursquare missionaries in the Philippines for four years; during that time, the number of Foursquare churches in the nation grew from 30 to well over 300.
Some years later, we assumed the pastorate of the Portland, Ore., Foursquare church and saw God do some tremendous things through the ministry. People’s lives were transformed, new facilities took shape to help reach the city, and international evangelists such as Kathryn Kuhlman, Nicky Cruz, Mario Murillo and others found a home from which to minister to thousands through the Portland Foursquare Church.
God has seen fit to use that ragged little girl who didn’t know at whose chair she was praying. Sister McPherson’s prophetic word was fulfilled in my life, and God deserves all the glory. God’s grace was also evident in my family, as I saw my father on several occasions before he passed away—God brought healing to our relationship, as He so faithfully does.
This article on the life of Dorothy Fern McKeever Hamilton (1922–1986) is adapted from an article by Gregg Bronsema and family notes.

domain: literature


Last week was relatively quiet in Ethereum land; the World Bank sold $33.8 million in another round of its private Ethereum blockchain bonds (not public chain activity but interesting nonetheless) and Mark Carney (Bank of England Governor) discussed the major advantages of a world reserve currency at an annual gathering of central bankers in Wyoming – drawing many parallels to that proposed by Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency.
Ethereum was announced at the North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami, in January, 2014. During the same time as the conference, a group of people rented a house in Miami: Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson, and Anthony Di Iorio, a Torontonian who financed the project. Di Iorio invited friend Joseph Lubin, who invited reporter Morgen Peck, to bear witness. Six months later the founders met again in a house in Zug, Switzerland, where Buterin told the founders that the project would proceed as a non-profit. Hoskinson left the project at that time.
In just a month, in just one trade, I have made about 30 pips per ETH token and this was not an accident. I knew with almost 90% certainty that this was going to happen and it did happen. Huge earnings for a person who had the trading psychology of making 20 - 30 pips per day at high leverage. The best thing about this being the confidence that harmonic...
^ "Crib Sheet: Neptune's Brood – Charlie's Diary". www.antipope.org. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017. I wrote Neptune's Brood in 2011. Bitcoin was obscure back then, and I figured had just enough name recognition to be a useful term for an interstellar currency: it'd clue people in that it was a networked digital currency.
• Ethereum’s chart is displaying a textbook case of Gann’s cycles of an inner year. • These cycles can help determine trend direction months ahead of time. The Cycles of the Inner Year Some of the most important lessons that Gann taught were related to time. Gann said that time was the factor that dictated the direction of a trend. Gann focused heavily on time...
“In 2 years from now, I believe cryptocurrencies will be gaining legitimacy as a protocol for business transactions, micropayments, and overtaking Western Union as the preferred remittance tool. Regarding business transactions – you’ll see two paths: There will be financial businesses which use it for it’s no fee, nearly-instant ability to move any amount of money around, and there will be those that utilize it for its blockchain technology. Blockchain technology provides the largest benefit with trustless auditing, single source of truth, smart contracts, and color coins.”
There are also purely technical elements to consider. For example, technological advancement in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin result in high up-front costs to miners in the form of specialized hardware and software. Cryptocurrency transactions are normally irreversible after a number of blocks confirm the transaction. Additionally, cryptocurrency private keys can be permanently lost from local storage due to malware, data loss or the destruction of the physical media. This prevents the cryptocurrency from being spent, resulting in its effective removal from the markets.
Many people believe that cryptocurrencies are the hottest investment opportunity currently available. Indeed, there are many stories of people becoming millionaires through their Bitcoin investments. Bitcoin is the most recognizable digital currency to date, and just last year one BTC was valued at $800. In November 2017, the price of one Bitcoin exceeded $7,000.
Blockchain analysts estimate that Nakamoto had mined about one million bitcoins before disappearing in 2010, when he handed the network alert key and control of the code repository over to Gavin Andresen. Andresen later became lead developer at the Bitcoin Foundation. Andresen then sought to decentralize control. This left opportunity for controversy to develop over the future development path of bitcoin, in contrast to the perceived authority of Nakamoto's contributions.


Every October we see a sudden onslaught of pink. Pink ribbons, pink logos on some…
When COVID-19 reared its ugly head, our local utilities reacted with the needs of their customers in mind. Interruptions and fees for nonpayment were suspended right away in March, and all offered some type of payment plan to assist customers. The electric utilities provided some rate relief and donated to funds to assist their customers with payments.
They are now beginning to resume regular payments and resulting disconnections, but they are vocal about continuing to help their customers, both residential and commercial, with payment plans and assistance funds. All three electric utilities – Kissimmee Utility Authority, OUC – The Reliable One, and Duke Energy – as well as Toho Water Authority encourage their customers to contact them if they need to discuss options for payment. Read below about the assistance available through Osceola’s electric utilities and find contact information to reach out for additional details. Also, look out for our panel discussion with representatives from the utilities on our Facebook page on Wednesday, August 26 at 9:30 am.
OUC – The Reliable One
When the pandemic first hit, OUC‘s Board of Commissioners approved a $12.1 million customer relief package. Since April, OUC has helped nearly 24,000 customers through payment arrangements and direct financial assistance – yet nearly $1.5 million still remains available for those in need, and there are still payment options and funds available to help customers. More than $1 million of remaining utility assistance funds is available for OUC’s small business customers. Find more information or apply for small business assistance on OUC’s website.
Kissimmee Utility Authority
At the start of the pandemic, and throughout, KUA has worked to keep their customers informed and provide financial assistance where possible. KUA created their “Our Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19)” webpage, where customers can find updates such as lobby reopening information, service interruption updates, payment plans, and more. The KUA board donated $50,000 to the KUA Good Neighbor Fund to provide additional payment assistance and doubled their match for other donations. To provide further financial relief, from May 1 to August, KUA utilized up to $8 million to offset fuel expenses for its residential and commercial customers.
KUA will work with any commercial customers who reach out. Since the beginning of the pandemic KUA has made almost 1,000 payment arrangements with commercial customers for a total of $842,000.
Duke Energy is resuming their standard billing and payment practices this month, though disconnections for nonpayment and late payment fees will remain suspended until September 1. In addition, credit and debit card fees and walk-in payment fees will be waived through the end of October. Duke remains committed to helping residential and commercial customers that are experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic.
Business customers still facing financial challenges are asked to request an extended payment arrangement via Duke Energy’s business assistance webpage. Businesses with more complex issues can call a customer care representative Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm at 877-372-8477.
Toho Water Authority
Toho Water Authority is also aware that the pandemic has impacted many of their customers. Toho resumed regular billing and collections procedures the week of August 3, 2020, and they have financial assistance programs for both residents and businesses that may have fallen behind on payments. Toho offers payment assistance such as payment extensions, customized plans for residents and businesses, and their TAP (Toho Assistance Program) program to ease financial hardship for customers. Commercial customers that have fallen behind on bill payment due to COVID should contact Toho’s customer service line at 407-944-5000.


PARKING. IT’S A TOPIC WE LOVE TO DEBATE, discuss, dissect and study. The question for me is: Why is parking is such a hot button topic?
Depending on who you talk to, the reasons for the parking debate are many. Some would attribute it to abundant affluence which results in a community of privileged drivers where it’s perceived as a birth right to drive. Others would tell you it’s due to lack of accessible and appropriate transport options. Still others would tell you its geography.
I don’t know that there is ever “one answer” to these social challenges. I can tell that as a former employer of over 50 staff in a business that operated 24 hours a day and seven days a week, driving was a necessity.
If I had a non-driver I couldn’t staff them after 10:00 without lining up a ride, due to a lack of bus service from the Shore to uptown.
I can tell you, having ridden a school bus on the vast openness of the prairies growing up, that typical Canadian winter cold is not pleasant to stand and wait for buses in.
I can tell you that we (me included) live farther away from commerce centres and so need to get to shopping and services in a quick and efficient manner.
Which gets us to the real question: Why don’t we design better cities, that are decentralized, allow for easier access to transit, and have shopping hubs within walking distance to most homes?
The reality is that urban sprawl has been, and continues to be, the single greatest challenge to efficient movement of people and our driving problem (notice I didn’t say parking).
Here on the Shore, we are working on options to challenge our driving problem by opening up to our members and community in our upcoming planning session, the discussion of our parking/driving and transportation options.
We believe that while central hubs such as a Performing Arts Center are great for community celebrations and large scale events; smaller more intimate event venues can connect our communities, get us out of cars, minimize traffic congestion and create greater connectivity.
I offer this thought to challenge you to think in different terms, to think creatively about the common challenges we all experience in our cities, and communities within those cities. I challenge you to come up with solutions, and then share them with us. If we live in a world of complacency, we shrink from opportunity. When we think critically about our future, new horizons emerge.
I hope I will see you at one of our community planning sessions. Your voice and ideas are critical to creating the well balanced community that someday may solve our driving problem, and other challenges.
Jeremy Heighton is executive director of the North Shore Business Improvement Association. He has lectured on leadership and business around the world.


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Let’s go to the second half of the show: A beautiful New Year’s Day I hope everybody was enjoying the New year’s eve but in New York there was this rare event opening the year. Please, have a look.Live painting on music It looks like paint, but it’s actually materials such as chocolate and sauce She is using synthesizers and iPad and improvises music too. Patissier Ted Steinebach And Vivienne Aerts are married. They are now in New York perfecting their craft. Mrs. Vivienne moved to New York from the Netherlands seven years ago. She is currently doing live jazz performances and such. Vivienne was influencing Ted with her live improvisation And thus, Ted began to think more about making desserts more freely. 2 years ago, they started to challenge expressing music and art into a different direction doing live performances, in a different direction, in a new way On their days off, you can find them in the city very often. To get inspired, they like to go see art in art galleries.
The performances of the two got a reputation little by little. Not only with their private parties, But also with shows in foreign countries. This is the first performance of the year, Now themed: Love and passion. Which is a beautiful choice according to the New year. Some Meringue of Raspberry, A colorful finish. And then the completion with Koppert Cress and flowers. The show is about twenty minutes. After the show, The guest get to eat the dessert. Never the same performance, never the same taste. But, every time The artwork gets wiped out by the guests. I just felt like watching food, but with very nice elements. very different though, because of the listening to music. That’s true! It’s like drinking delicious sake, while watching live painting, and listening to jazz. Like after going out for dinner and going for dessert, but being surprised that it was a concert. It’s a concert, it’s art and unexpectedly a dessert made in front of you! It’s good! Yes, and eating the sweets that were made in front of you, but you have to be there to enjoy it, that’s expectional! I think there will be a lot of requests to perform here. Well, after this it seems that they will be performing in museums in Europe, Which seems to be set for this year. I think I can go on about foods that are also beautiful. Vivienne and Ted are professionals, but you can do this at home By raising the volume of your jazz music, and getting inspired while arranging your bento box Be careful not to become too avant garde, because you might getYou’d be in trouble. Have great weekend and see you next week! Wow, I thought that was fun!
-Yes! Have good weekend!

domain: artistic


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What: Join us to learn about Adaptive Track and Field events. Learn the basics of wheelchair track or seated throwing events.
Agenda will include:
Information about training with Team ASPO and competing in track meets.
Who: Male and female, ages 5+ with a primary physical disability. This event is not restricted to wheelchair users, and is appropriate for individuals who are ambulatory and have orthopedic
Equipment: Track chairs, gloves, throwing chairs and implements are provided. Please bring a bike helmet to participate.
Registration: Online here: https://goo.gl/WaeNPj
For More information: Dilshani.Madawala@Adaptivesportsohio.org

domain: sports


BYD has applied for patent on the design of the new Tang SUV, and the images promptly leaked from China’s famously leaky patent bureau. The new BYD Tang will debut as a semi-concept late this year, with a launch of the production version in April 2018.
The brand new BYD SongMPV will hit the Chinese car market in Q3. Production has started, one gray car was seen near a BYD factory. It is likely the best looking new BYD after the Dynasty, both were drawn by BYD’s new chief designer Wolfgang Egger. The SongMPV debuted last month in Shanghai.
This is the new BYDSongMPV, it debuted today on the Shanghai Auto Show in China, looking just as good as the Dynasty concept we saw earlier on. Both were designed by new chief designer Wolfgang Egger of Seat and Alfa Romeo fame. The new MPV is called the SongMPV, not Song something MPV or Song MPV, but SongMPV. It was formerly known as the BYD M5.
BYD’s are going to look good, and that is great. Until now they were impressive cars from a tech perspective, like the Tang super SUV, but design always disappointed. Last year BYD hired Wolfgang Egger as their new head of design, and the first car he draw is this new BYD Dynasty concept.
This is the brand new BYD M5, a seven-seat MPV that will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show in April and launch on the Chinese car market in Q3. It is probably the best looking BYD ever, the lights are a work of art, the grille is impressive, and the bumper looks racy.
This is the very first photo of the successor of the BYD Tang SUV. The vehicle was seen in a design studio and is likely just a model. But is looks good, with sharp shapes all along and a very distinctive grille. The new Tang isn’t expected before late 2018 but we might see a first concept near the end of this year.
Spy Shots showing the interior of the upcoming BYD M5, a new MPV that will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show in April and launch on the Chinese car market in Q3. Center piece is a giant vertical touch screen in Tesla-style. The dials however are analogue with a tiny screen in between.
New Spy Shots of the upcoming BYD M5, an ultra racy plug-in hybrid MPV that will debut on the Shanghai Auto Show in April and launch on the Chinese car market in Q3. The M5 comes with beautifully crafted headlights and a shiny grille with a big BYD badge in the middle.
BYD has updated the Tang hybrid super SUV and they have given it a new name: Tang 100. Biggest new is a larger capacity battery which extends the pure-electric range from 80 kilometers on the old car to 100 kilometers on the new car; hence the name.
Spy Shots showing the upcoming BYD M5 MPV testing in China. The M5, not to be confused with a German sporty sedan with the same name, will debut in April on the Shanghai Auto Show and launch on the Chinese car market soon thereafter.


text:
2Chemical Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119899 Moscow, Russia; fax: (495) 939-0997
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received April 2, 2009; Revision received April 14, 2009
Homogeneous β-xylosidases with molecular mass values 120 and 80 kDa (as shown by SDS-PAGE), belonging to the third family of glycosyl hydrolases, were isolated by anion-exchange, hydrophobic, and gel-penetrating chromatography from enzyme preparations based on the fungi Aspergillus japonicus and Trichoderma reesei, respectively. The enzymes exhibit maximal activity in acidic media (pH 3.5-4.0), and temperature activity optimum was 70°C for the β-xylosidase of A. japonicus and 60°C for the β-xylosidase of T. reesei. Kinetic parameters of p-nitrophenyl β-xylopyranoside and xylooligosaccharide hydrolysis by the purified enzymes were determined, which showed that β-xylosidase of A. japonicus was more specific towards low molecular weight substrates, while β-xylosidase of T. reesei preferred high molecular weight substrates. The competitive type of inhibition by reaction product (xylose) was found for both enzymes. The interaction of the enzymes of different specificity upon hydrolysis of glucurono- and arabinoxylans was found. The β-xylosidases exhibit synergism with endoxylanase upon hydrolysis of glucuronoxylan as well as with α-L-arabinofuranosidase and endoxylanase upon hydrolysis of arabinoxylan. Addition of β-xylosidases increased efficiency of hydrolysis of plant raw materials with high hemicellulose content (maize cobs) by the enzymic preparation Celloviridine G20x depleted of its own β-xylosidase.
KEY WORDS: xylanases, β-xylosidase, xylooligosaccharides, xylans, hydrolysis

domain: chemistry


Plain square and rectangular weaves are usually referred to by the amount of wires (or openings) in every single path per linear inch. This really is known as the mesh count. The mesh count is determined by starting at the centre of one wire and counting the number of openings along the Shaker Screen grid towards the next wire centre, one linear inch away. One example is, an 8-mesh screen has eight openings in two directions at right angles to each other. When counting mesh, a magnifying glass scale designed particularly for this objective is helpful.
Use of a single quantity for describing screens implies a square mesh. By way of example ?°20 mesh± usually describes a screen having 20 openings per inch in either direction along the screen grid. Oblong mesh screens are frequently labelled with two numbers. A°60 x 20 mesh?, for instance is normally understood to possess 60 openings in a single path and 20 openings per inch within the perpendicular direction. Referring to a ?°60 x 20 mesh? screen as an ?°oblong 80 mesh is confusing and inaccurate.
The actual separation that a screen is capable of is largely determined by the size of the openings in the screen. The opening size is definitely the distance among wires measured along the screen grid and is expressed in either fractions of an inch or in microns, though it is most usually stated in microns. One particular inch equals 25,400 microns. Preserve in mind, specifying the mesh count does not specify the opening size. That is because each the amount of wires per inch and the size of the wires determines the opening size.
more shaker screen infor: Shaker Screen Arrangement


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For the second consecutive year, the University of the District of Columbia will host the National Capital Region Water Resources Symposium, “Water Resources and Water Infrastructures: Emerging Problems and Solutions,” bringing together water resources professionals from across the region. The one-day symposium will be held Friday, April 4, 2014, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, located at located at 4340 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20008. The full agenda is available here.
“We are pleased to host the second annual NCR water resources symposium, bringing together water researchers, managers, regulators and DC residents to share their perspectives towards sustainable water resources management,” said Dr. Tolessa Deksissa, Director of UDC’s Water Resources Research Institute and Professional Science Master’s Water Resource Management Program. “The National Capital Region is not only important to the Greater D.C. metropolitan area, but impacts the nation as a whole. Addressing its challenges and opportunities will positively affect us all.”
The National Capital Region (NCR) encompasses the District of Columbia, and parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. NCR is the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the U.S and provides water for six million people. The region has unique and challenging opportunities for sustainable management of water resources and water infrastructures, which will be addressed at the symposium.
Water Resources and Water Infrastructures: Emerging Problems and Solutions is hosted by the AWRA-National Capital Region Section and the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), part of the Center for Sustainable Development of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) of the University of the District of Columbia.


Hi. I have been using the free version of Yellow Pencil for a few months now and am a big fan. It enabled me to change the colour and width of the standard Wordpress audio player. It is more accessible than what dedicated audio player plugins generate and are key to a website selling SAPI 5 text-to-speech voices.
Unfortunately, Yellow Pencil has started causing many errors, reported by Jetpack.
Has anybody else experienced this?


Manchester United’s captain, Wayne Rooney, reportedly trained as the lone striker in the aftermath of United’s 3-1 loss against Watford, and rumours are stating that he could start there against Northampton before being dropped against Leicester City. Rooney, recently berated for his poor performances, could finally be dropped from the first team by Jose Mourinho, and it could be for good if all goes to plan.
Being completely honest, I don’t want to see Rooney play for United ever again. He’s become a complete excuse of a footballer, and any new football fans watching him now would be excused for thinking he’s not even one. Rooney is the type of player you’d expect to see playing for Hull City to make up the numbers- in fact, Sam Clucas, completely new to the Premier League, looks far better. I’m beginning to have doubts as to if he’d fit in the Northampton team.
He offers nothing tactically to United- both Watford goals were created from a huge gap that Rooney and Fellaini were unable to cover. Yes, Luke Shaw should’ve been the double-backup for them, and he is equally to blame in a team sport, but it wasn’t his tactical zone. Mourinho’s systems usually have a player behind the striker who is adept defensively as a box-to-box midfielder, like Oscar. It says enough that his system has shifted to accommodate Rooney, who has often played further forward than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, instead of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who positions himself similarly to the diminutive Brazilian.
Bizarre is one word to describe it, but it’s completely baffling at this point. Playing two in midfield against the 3-7 players in the middle of the pitch for Manchester City was a disgrace to any tactics ever deployed by this football club. Even if he was stuck in defensive midfield and told to swim when he was drowning, it still would’ve been better than trying to play pressing football with a double mismatch in midfield.
Against Feyenoord, the midfield was far better than it was in either of the other two games. Even with Paul Pogba off the boil and Morgan Schneiderlin’s first start, the former was able to make more of an impact and the latter was United’s best player. Yet, somehow, Rooney and Fellaini found their way back into the team and United got destroyed and completely torn apart by Valon Behrami and Etienne Capoue.
Rooney is representative of the lack of a tactical plan in Mourinho’s attack. The defence is being ripped apart because of the way attacking units expose the space between Antonio Valencia and Eric Bailly, but in attack, whatever Mourinho is trying to do is unclear, because every other player is completely neutralized by Rooney in the mixer. Pogba can’t move forward because he knows United will get shredded defensively, and he finds himself in awkward areas. The wingers just can’t do anything because they aren’t receiving the ball in promising areas. Eventually, United ends up knocking the ball to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and hoping, because there’s no other option.
Long rant short, Rooney shouldn’t be in the side ever again. It’s the most frustrating aspect of United and England (national team) fandom, though I only pledge allegiance to the former. Watching Rooney against Watford, he didn’t even look like a player who used to be good, and that says a lot- mentally, technically and physically, he looked poor, which, barring the latter, isn’t supposed to happen.


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REGINA HALL TO HOST THE BET AWARDS: Baller Alert has announced that Regina Hall will be hosting the 2019 BET Awards next month. The show will air live on Sunday, June 23rd at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
LEE DANIELS IS FIGHTING TO GET ‘STAR’ ON ANOTHER NETWORK: Lee Daniels is fighting for his show, Star, after Fox announced that the drama will be canceled. Daniels took to Instagram earlier this week to share his plans for the series following its cancellation. He wrote, “Fighting guys! Will know this week…or top of next. I’m NOT letting them STOP the CULTURE…SORRY!” According to Deadline, the show has been shopped to a number of networks, including BET and OWN, in hopes of finding the drama a new home. The site also reports that there may be a “potential new suitor,” but additional details are unclear at the moment.


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Your donation will support the student journalists of Francis Howell Central High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs. FHCToday.com and our subsequent publications are dedicated to the students by the students. We hope you consider donating to allow us to continue our mission of a connected and well-informed student body.
Importance of Protection
Why you should use protection, and the safety it provides
February 16, 2017
“Why would you use a condom? Condoms are for wusses.” “It feels so much better without a condom.” These common statements made by students our age put young people at risk of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. Students engage in sexual intercourse, and few but not enough know or care enough to have safe, protected sex.
Girls are having pregnancy scares and in some cases are getting pregnant in high school. Pregnancy is not only something girls have to go through, but guys have this life changing event as well. They, too, have to tell their parents that they got a girl pregnant, either because they didn’t have access to a condom, didn’t know how to use it, or didn’t care to. The absence of a condom could lead to not only pregnancy.
The chance of pregnancy alone should make someone want to use some form of protection, whether it be a condom, birth control or even plan B, an emergency contraception. Each of these has approximately about a 97% success rate in preventing pregnancy. When all of these are methods used together, the odds of getting pregnant decrease dramatically.
Why a person would take that risk of getting pregnant by having unprotected sex, does not make sense. This choice can lead to an unexpected pregnancy, having to find a good doctor, prepare for labor, and an extensive amount of other things. Above all, getting pregnant means she is going to have to learn to put that child before herself. While some girls are capable of taking the responsibility of taking care of a child while simultaneously being in high school, but a lot of us are nowhere near mature enough.
That says a lot, there are so many consequences to your actions. Just like not studying for a test and then getting a bad grade. It is the same concept, if you are going to have unprotected sex, you going to have to realize and understand what effects it will have on your life.
Not only is unprotected sex leading to pregnancy amongst teens, but also STD’s are present within school. More often than not people are suffering from an STD and are not aware of it. For instance, countless students see abnormalities to their body, or things that just aren’t right, or “aren’t normally here”, and jump to the conclusion that they have an STD, unprotected sex throughout the student body is so common that between their lack of knowledge of true warning signs of STD’s combined with their lack of protection, their immediate thought is they’ve gotten a sexually transmitted disease.
There are simple ways to protect yourself and your significant other. You can obviously use a condom, which prevents pregnancy, the spread of HPV or genital herpes, but you can also get a vaccination for hepatitis B, avoid sharing towels, wash before and after you have sexual intercourse, and talk to your doctor about any concerns you have.
There are many ways to prevent all of these things but not many people will do or take that extra step, and it is mostly because they are too scared to tell anybody. It is understandable, but when it comes to health, it is time to partake and talk to a parent, doctor, or even just a trusted adult.
Believe it or not, you can die from certain STD’s or if you end up pregnant, you could give your baby an STD, and not saying that it happens every time, but it is not impossible for that to happen. They spread quicker than you think, one our of four Americans has had an STD. That’s 25% of our population. Let’s not make it a bigger number.

domain: medical


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Your are viewing a read-only archive of the old DiS boards. Please hit the Community button above to engage with the DiS !
i've had two today. and i'm still hungry.
Cereal and orange juice from the canteen - nice.
Today I had allbran :)
i dont think they fill you up.
the is something about the last sentance that is unbelivably adorable O_O
There is something adorable about the fact she'll now be on the pot, regular as clockwork, twice a day.
I for one have got a semi.
The first one will hit you in a wave. You'll be running for your life. In other news: I met another buyer from Woolies the other day. Crazy scenes.
Branka? Or someone to do with toothbrushes...?! No wait, that would be me too..
I'll keep you informed.
you'd like that?!
eat it every other day though =D
I do at weekends though
I had a fry up for dinner on Tuesday. Best thing ever?
I had a scotch egg this morning :D
if you can't get a fryup, it has all the essential parts.
Well done :)
usually toast. cereal starts my day off too well..
IN THE GRILL.
Method Man rap voice?
Wanna hear it? You can be my Mary J Bilge if you want?
all I need to get by
If I'm at home: Yes
If I'm going to work: No
and yet no-one has made a pun relating to the typo in the thread title.
Well done everyone!
I DON'T ESTABLISH BREAKFAST
I think i'm entitled to though =) LOOK FURTHER UP BOY!
i eat it =D
marmite on toast and a cup of tea.
Cereal or porridge or fruit (time dependent) plus one proper coffee in the biggest mug I can find (only coffee of the day so it has to be huge)
as sleep is much more favourable.
it`s my favourite meal of the day. no matter how late for work/whatever i am, i will be even later for the sake of breakfast.
today i had breakfast at a place called mr. donut! they have free refills of coffee.
i'm having cookie crisp cereal now (yes it's still breakfast for me) yum.
on weekends: fry up & 'proper coffee'
is all i need to start my day!
that and some coffee
right here on my desk :D
i like how it turns the milk into chocolate milk too....mmmmm
I'm never hungry until about three hours after waking up though, so it's more brunch than breakfast.
I hate the word brunch.
Not sure what though.
I wanted a bagel for breakfast today, but it had gone mouldy.
I had to make do with peanut butter toast instead!
Luckily I much prefer that to bagels.
I had peanut butter on toast for breakfast as well. And a cup of coffee so strong I actually went back in time to the 1940s.
i get up before 6am every morning. food is the only thing that keeps me going in the day.
if I don't eat within half an hour of waking up, I get irate. If I don't eat within an hour of waking up, I get faint. If I left it two hours, I'd probably die, but I've never tested that.
I can't eat anything within two hours of waking up without feeling ill.
this. i can't stomach any food so soon after waking up. i think my digestive system's still asleep.
by the time I've walked to work I'm starving so I have one of the following:
1) Bacon and egg cob
2) Bacon and hash-brown cob
3) Sausage cob
you cob-faced cob-knocker!
Calm yer sen lad.
and if I av, s'only cos me cob were ot and me gob is bont!!
If you were a basketballer you'd be Cobby Tryant
Good work soldier.
i want sausage and eggs now!
something like that.
i know i did! bye!
we had this argument before.
cobs just WRONG
like your face!

domain: food


The Everglades: 21st March 2015
‘When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it’s difficult to remember you came to drain the swamp’ (Cajun proverb)
When we finished the airboat ride, there are a few things to see around the Gator Park centre. They keep a few ‘gators around, presumably to cover the extremely unlikely event that you won’t see any from the airboat. They also have baby alligators to show … the general consensus was that they were ‘cute’, and it’s hard to imagine that they’d grow up into a gnarly mean killing machine.
And, there was a demonstration of alligator wrestling, as practised by the local Native American tribes, who hunted the beasts for food. Anyone who’s ever seen the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ series on TV will be familiar with the technique; you just drop on it and hold its jaws shut.
I can’t say I felt too happy seeing this procedure. I seem to remember the late Steve Irwin, on one of his programmes, saying it does stress the animal, and they only did it at Australia Zoo when it was essential for relocating or medicating, never ‘for show’.


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It's a fact: Being a woman costs more
Have you ever thought about the price of being a woman?While optional products like makeup or jewelry may seem pricey, there are some unavoidably aspects of womanhood that cost morePosted — Updated
While optional products like makeup or jewelry may seem pricey, there are some unavoidably aspects of womanhood that cost more.
You may have heard of the “pink tax,” but the cost of being a woman extends past consumer spending.
From lost opportunity cost, to the price of motherhood on a career, research shows that in many aspects of life, it’s more expensive to be female.
When it comes to financial literacy, being better educated could mean retiring early or exponentially increasing your net worth.
So, whether it’s not knowing how to invest or not being strategic about paying off debt, being uneducated could cost thousands to millions over the course of a lifetime.
With the study’s conclusion of men on average scoring 9 percentage points higher on the financial literacy test, the literacy gap could mean women are paying the cost of missed opportunities.
The wage gap
From restaurant workers to financial planners, men tend to earn more money than women on average in nearly every profession. In general, the higher the salary, the larger the discrepancy between males and females.
“The pay gap has narrowed over the last 50 years,” said Lynda Laughlin, the Census Bureau’s chief of industry and occupation statistics in a report, “however, the gender pay gap continues across the board in almost all occupations. In 2016, median earnings for women was $40,675, compared with $50,741 for men.”
Over time, that 20 percent will add up to a cost of thousands to millions of dollars over the course of a woman’s life depending on her career.
Impact of parenthood on mothers vs. fathers
If you’re a woman, your first bundle of joy could be your worst career move. But if you’re a man, a new baby could be as good for your career as a promotion, according to Michelle J. Budig, a sociology professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst who studies the parenthood pay gap.
The study found that on average fatherhood increases men’s earnings by 6 percent, and men with high salaries experience the benefit the most.
“Fatherhood is a valued characteristic of employers, signaling perhaps greater work commitment, stability, and deservingness,” Budig said.
The study, which does admit to many nuances and limitations, found the opposite effect on a woman’s wages.
“That is the opposite of how parenthood by women is interpreted by employers. The conventional story is they work less and they’re more distractible when on the job,” she said.
The motherhood penalty is also unevenly distributed among different income groups. Women with lower wages on average are most negatively affected at work by parenthood.
Lifetime healthcare costs
When it comes to overall lifetime healthcare costs, women cost more than men, according to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, an annual survey of almost 40,000 people conducted by the federal government in 2014.
Mark Holmes, a Health Policy and Management professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, said men and women differ on cost at different stages of life.
But over the course of a lifetime, overall health care costs are higher for women than men.
“Between the ages of 0 to 16, they are pretty much on track with not much of a gender difference at all,” Holmes said. “Once women enter the childbearing years, they tend to cost more. Part of that is actual labor and delivery, and part of that is associated expenses like prenatal care and annual (gynecology) exams.”
The gap continues through the late 40’s when men become more expensive, something he attributes to higher risk of cardiac events, knee replacements and risk of certain cancers.
But overall a woman on average will cost more over the course of her lifetime.
“The degree to which women cost and pay during those childbearing years outweighs the extra (amount) that men cost as they age,” he said.
Holmes said it’s important to remember that on average women do live longer than men, which accounts for some of the increased cost.
The study did not measure how much individuals pay out of pocket and focused on overall cost of care for each person.
The ‘Pink Tax’
From haircuts to razors blades to children’s clothing, it often costs more to be female in the consumer space.
The ‘pink tax’ is a term coined for the extra money women pay to purchase the comparable products that men also use.
The 2015 study looked at 800 different products, from toys to clothing to personal-care products. It found price differences start with at a young age. A red scooter, which could be marketed to a girl or a boy, cost $25 less than an identical one in pink.
5 On Your Side found discrepancies in body wash, shampoo and even socks.
Ryan McDevitt, an assistant professor of Economics at Duke University Fuqua School of Business says manufacturers and stores get away with the "woman tax" because women are willing to pay it.
No federal laws ban so-called gender pricing, but gender price gouging for services, such as hair salons and dry cleaning, is illegal in California, New York and Miami-Dade County in Florida.
In addition to the female version of comparable products like deodorant costing more. There are also many basic hygiene products women buy that men never do, some of which are considered luxuries by the government. The majority of U.S. states tax tampons as luxury items, a product many women will spend thousands of dollars on over the course of her lifetime.
Claudia Kubowicz Malhotra, a clinical associate professor of marketing at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, said it's becoming more difficult to study consumer behavior by gender because it is now considered a continuum or spectrum instead of a binary variable.
Many products are no longer marketed specifically for women or men, but she said research has shown that items made for women, often just colored pink, on average cost more.
Malhotra said it’s important to consider women are no longer the primary shopper in most households, a change that could eventually affect product pricing and marketing strategies.
“There’s been quite a shift in that as well,” she said. “Men are shopping more than they ever have before.”
While there are many theories and proposed solutions about the “pink tax,” there is one way women can try to avoid it.
"Pick the products that are supposedly either for men or gender neutral as opposed to the ones that are 'pinkified' or orientated towards women our girls," said Katherine Foss, a professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
Copyright 2023 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

domain: sociology


Readers are invited to submit letters to The Guardian.
Letters may be e-mailed to firstname.lastname@example.org.
Letters of 300-400 words are preferred.
Letters to the Editor:
The commuters have spoken
NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has called on Premier Bob Carr to take away responsibility for setting public transport fares from the Transport Minister Michael Costa. The Minister wants to increase fares during peak travelling times. On some train services this is already the case. A return trip from Campbelltown to Town Hall in off-peak hours is $7.20, during peak hours it's $12.) Although we haven't been told what else is being planned for Sydney's public transport, we could take an educated guess. Jacking up or dumping concession fares, turning school train and bus tickets into user-pays and reducing services are but a few "options" available to Costa. Remember, Costa is one of Premier Carr's hatchet men, and that's why he's been picked for this dirty job. A sampling of letters to the Sydney Morning Herald by angry commuters shows that they are alert to the Government's intentions. * "Higher fares. It's just a trick to throttle rail volume and clog the rest of Sydney's transport." * "The fact that the resulting shift to private transport will cost the government and the community far more in fuel, road congestion, motor vehicle accidents and trauma, pollution and respiratory disease doesn't rate. Why? Because the community bears most of the costs, not the budget." * "Now I get it. It's all my fault that the trains crossing the harbour never run on time, and are always dangerously overcrowded. How dare I be so inconsiderate, working in Chatswood. I'm sure my boss won't mind if I turn up three hours late every day." * "Do the people who cook up these public transport 'solutions' live on planet Earth? Why do commuters choose to travel during peak times, crushing up against one another for an hour's journey in the morning and then again in the evening? It's not because of our love of humanity. We have to. Any fare increases that discriminate further during these times will surely lead to more people choosing to drive to work." * "Increase services, make them more convenient, timely and comfortable, and you will find usage will increase dramatically." * "Has the Government gone mad?" Ms Rhiannon put it this way: "Michael Costa is justifying fare hikes on the economic rationalist argument that this would diminish demand. This is a practical matter of whether people can afford to get to work, not some abstract economic model. "Fare hikes will have the most adverse impact on those living furthest from the city and who have the least employment options." Do Carr and Costa have a long term agenda — to get commuters so angry with the public transport service that they will opt for privatisation as has already happened in Melbourne and Adelaide? Marcus Browning
Sydney public transport user
Guardian readers will be interested to know that there is a big campaign currently taking place in South Korea by local communities and international environmental groups to stop a development that will have a devastating effect on the environment and wildlife. The development, by Hyundai Construction, is in the Saemanageum wetlands, on South Korea's west coast, and involves the construction of a 33 kilometre dyke which will enclose and destroy the wetlands, turning them over to industrial use and farming. This puts at risk hundreds of thousands of migratory shore birds, such as the Australian Great Knot, in their yearly exodus from Australia to Siberia. Saemanageum has 50 per cent of this endangered species, and is home to other threatened species, such as the Spoon-billed Sandpiper. South Korea and Australia are signatories to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and although the project is almost complete the area — which has now become the subject of a world-wide campaign — can still be rescued. Environmentalists are calling on the Australian Government to act by raising the issue with the South Korean government. People can express their concern by writing to — John Howard, Prime Minister, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT, 2003. Jo Dunleavy
Last week Federal ALP leader Simon Crean wanted to know what sort of a nation it is that denies young people access to higher education. Well, in NSW the Carr Labor Government's last budget introduced fee hikes for TAFE of up to 300 per cent. In fact, as the Greens education spokesperson Kerry Nettle noted, Labor Governments across the country are failing students for whom TAFE has been the only affordable option. This year my friend's son went to TAFE to get his school certificate, so as to make a go of getting a decent job and having some kind of future. It cost $260 up front, before the purchase of materials he needed to do the course. The Carr Government has also now imposed an up front fee of up to $350 for entry level courses that were previously free. It is a disgrace that education policies by both major parties are excluding the vast majority of people from having access to higher education. It is long overdue for the political forces that have the same goals around such important questions as education, health, employment, etc to set aside differences and join together to fight for their common aims. Bruce Gillman
Reading Bruce Gillman's letter in the The Guardian (9/7/03) I see that it is not just the West Australian that imposes Gerard Henderson's conservative views on readers every week. How many other state newspapers are printing his extreme biased and subjective views on their readers? Who is behind this Government propaganda machine? I have written letters weekly pointing out Henderson's selective misrepresentation, or omission of the facts to support his biased arguments. This is not good reporting. Must we be forced to accept it? I tend to not read Henderson anymore. It only means I will be forced to write another letter that will be rejected by the letters editor of the West Australian. Are the major newspapers supportive and biased towards the Government's views? They are the same newspapers that constantly criticise the ABC! Mary JenkinsBack to index page


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Lynn Shelton dies: ‘Humpday,’ ‘GLOW,’ ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ director was 54
Writer, director, producer, actor, and editor Lynn Shelton passed away on Friday, May 15 at the age of 54 in Los Angeles due to a previously unidentified blood disorder. Shelton was among the leading voices of American independent film, working on all sides of the camera in such films as “Humpday,” “Your Sister’s Sister,” “Outside In,” and “Sword of Trust.”
She was also a prolific television director on television series such as “Mad Men,” “GLOW,” and “Little Fires Everywhere.”
“I have some awful news. Lynn passed away last night. She collapsed yesterday morning after having been ill for a week,” her romantic and creative partner Marc Maron said in a statement. “There was a previously unknown, underlying condition. It was not COVID-19. The doctors could not save her. They tried. Hard."
She was born on August 27, 1965, in Oberlin, Ohio and she grew up in Seattle. After high school, Shelton attended Oberlin College in Ohio and then the University of Washington School of Drama. She then moved to New York and followed the Master’s of Fine Arts program in photography and related media at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
(c) Indie Wire

domain: celebrity


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Knife Painting, or Palette knife painting is a term used to describe the impasto technique of applying paint to canvas using a painting knife. Vincent van Gogh is amongst the famous names known to use this method of art. By applying thick daubs of oil paint on canvas, he was able to achieve the swirling, textural work he became famous for. Today, many contemporary artists continue to use painting knives in the same way to create expressive works that appear to come out from the canvas.
The palette knife is not just a tool for mixing paint on your palette. You can actually use the palette knife to create some pretty stunning effects in your paintings which are nearly impossible with a brush. Many artists abandon paint brushes altogether in favor of the semi-flexible blades to create paintings that are full of rich texture and sweeping blends of color. Learning to paint with a knife can be a tricky skill to master, but we at Penkraft have designed this online course for you to get started with this art form, develop an ongoing interest in it, and master it over time! In this structured 15-hours certified course, you shall first learn about the knives used for the purpose of painting, strokes with knives, different styles, and finishes. Throughout the course, we keep sharing tips and tricks to make this experience more exhilarating!
In this structured, module-based, 15-hours online course with Penkraft, you shall learn the basics about tools and material, usage of colors and then move on to creating this texture on different surfaces like- MDF, canvas. All through the course, we share tips and tricks that makes your experience even more exciting. We also share a set of dos and don'ts to keep you right on track!
All the tools and material needed for the course are provided by us as a single ready-to-use kit and the student has the option to choose to buy this online here. The read-to-use kit shall reach your registered address by courier approximately within a week after you have bought it online here. The course duration starts after you have submitted the OTP you have received at the time of subscribing. So, please ensure you put in the OTP only after you have received the kit! Here’s the list of contents of the kit:-
Course Days : 25 Days
Course Duration : 15 Hours
Course Price : ₹1499


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Sorry for the super SHORT post today I will have recipes and a longer one tomorrow…pinky promise!
Breakfast – Poached eggs and bacon with grilled tomato
Lunch – Lettuce Wraps filled with lean ham, onion, peppers & cucumber (only 71 calories!)
Dinner – OMG! Quinoa base pizza that tastes like a proper pizza base! Recipe tomorrow….
Linking up with peas and crayons – go check out the other bloggers WIAW food!


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Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay
To The Wife Of a Sick Friend
Shelter this candle from the wind.
Hold it steady. In its light
The cave wherein we wander lost
Glitters with frosty stalactite,
Blossoms with mineral rose and lotus,
Sparkles with crystal moon and star,
Till a man would rather be lost than found:
We have forgotten where we are.
Shelter this candle. Shrewdly blowing
Down the cave from a secret door
Enters our only foe, the wind.
Hold it steady. Lest we stand,
Each in a sudden, separate dark,
The hot wax spattered upon your hand,
The smoking wick in my nostrils strong,
The inner eyelid red and green
For a moment yet with moons and roses,—
Then the unmitigated dark.
Alone, alone in a terrible place,
In utter dark without a face,
With only the dripping of the water on the stone,
And the sound of your tears, and the taste of my own.


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Welcome to Librarium Online!
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My HE 500pt army for playing against Brettonian and Dark Elves:
Barded Elven Steed, PowerStone, Seer Honour
5 Silver Helms
5 Silver Helms
Champion, SBearer, War Banner
11 pts left... What to do with them?
Plan: Cast Flames of the Phoenix with the PowerStone... Hope for the best? Dont know, really... Well... It will probably be fun =) . Anyone got any ideas?
Well I wish you luck but, maybe a little more protection against cheap tough armies like dwarfs and greenskins since both will be able to outnumber this army with ease and still have artillery to take care of the cav so your best chance might be a few well cast hard hitting spells to even the game like the comet for example.
I think that mage is far too expensive in 500 points, i would just take a commander with lance, heavy armour, shield, Ithilmar barded steed and another unit of silverhelms (or bulk up the silverhelm units)
If a Lance formation 3x3 with a character in hit one of those units then it wont survive, Bretonnians rarely go with heavy magic so you are usually facing hero level fighting characters which on the charge are nasty especially with a magic lance.
Against Dark elves, a bit harder if he uses a RBT. Just obvious stuff really, hit him in the flanks hope he breaks. I assume that is what you do anyway though.
It still seems a bit too small though.
Gratnuk... Its Brets/DE only. As I allready stated in the thread starting post =) .
Yeah, the mage is abit expensive. But thats what a HE mage is. I just boosted him up to lvl2 since I had the pts to spare, and i still have 11 pts to spare.
The brets cant charge me, I think. They have slower horses (16" charge, I think) . Anyways, the mage is really only there to get off something like FotP at the enemy unit. If I manage that, then that unit will probably be gone, as the Bret player, at least, wont have any mages (I think, at least), and thus will have a hard time dispelling that. But then again, I might miscast and kill my own mage, costing me 200pts.
I dont know...
Brets could pin you in place with a flank charge from pegasus knights and then charge you with a lance (but 5 silverhelms would probably lose to 3 Pegasus knights anyway though)
Casting flames of the phoenix might do well or might go horribly wrong, seems a bit too much of a risk.
I still think a commander & more silverhelms would be more effective and reliable.
Any idea on whats in the other armies?
How in the name of the Lord would you think a Bret player includes Pegasus knights in a 500pt army?
Anyways, I played the games, but didnt use the HE force. I played only with my shiny new Skaven =) . The Bret player mostly used 2 regiments of knights with BSB in one and the General in the other. The Dark Elf used 5 DRiders, 5 CoK, 10 Spearmen, and 1 lvl2 Mage.
I think you should let your mage stay at home (in a 500 points army)
I also think you should take a unit of spearmens whit (3 ranks - defence)
Hi, slai go for the mage, its cool and what is a HE army with one? Oh and drop the warbanner just give both silverhelm units full comand.
how many points does that leave you with?
The poster formaly known as VampireSoul, formaly known as OrkSlugga now known as Orkslugga.
I think warbanner should stay, extra CR is important when using such small units.
I'm not really sure how many points a pegasus knight is, i assumed they were about 60, basically a knight of the realm, +1W, +1A and a flying horse.
He probably could have 3 Pegasus knights a lance and a hero in 500 points (Assuming they are not too many points more than 60)
But i don't know i'm just guessing.

domain: hobby


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After considering the results of a 2013 financial systems inquiry, the Australian government has released its response, highlighting a number of key agendas.
According to The Treasury, the financial sector is the largest within the Australian economy and directly affects productivity and growth across a wide range of industries.
The government’s aim is to encourage innovation among financial institutions to support competition. The key to successful policies will be the ability to facilitate entry of disruptive processes, such as better use of customer data, creative funding and new payment methods.
For small businesses, the changes to crowd funding may help secure equity, supported by the right asset management software. Developing a crowd-sourced equity funding market in Australia will be a key priority for the government. A new Innovation Collaboration Committee will allow forward thinkers the chance to participate in policy development, which should contribute to the government draft legislation set for the end of 2015.
The outline also covered resilience measures to protect the wider economy against financial collapse. This includes identifying potential weak points within the financial system, building a stronger regulatory framework and putting in place a requirement for banks to be accountable for their own economic standing. As these institutions provide 90 per cent all credit to firms and consumers alike, these actions will be vital to protecting capital flows and mitigating risk of collapse.
Australian Chamber of Commerce CEO Kate Carnell welcomed the proposed changes, which the organisation described as “long awaited”.
“[Legislation] will give greater scope to widen its focus to crowd sourced debt funding, which done correctly would also be very positive for small business growth and start-ups,” she stated.
Using effective business accounting software will help firms adapt to these measures and put them in a favourable position moving forward.


Former furniture design student's legacy lives on through new scholarship
Last year, when School for American Craftsprofessor Andy Buck would get to the furniture design studio for his 8 a.m. class, he could almost always count on one particular student waiting patiently near the entrance.
Michael Leach didn’t have swipe access into the room, but that didn’t lessen his willingness to show up early.
“I’d show up and he was out there at 7:40, waiting to get in because he was so energized to come work,” Buck said of Leach, then just a freshman.
High enthusiasm is just one of the many qualities Buck thinks Leach shares with a former furniture design student who showed great passion, promise and amicability, Ben Zukoff.
Zukoff “loved RIT,” Buck said. The professor witnessed Zukoff’s love for woodworking when he was a young student in the program as freshman and sophomore.
But in January 2013, Zukoff, of Summit, N.J., passed away from cancer, causing devastation among his family and loved ones, including those in the furniture design program. He was 20. Zukoff left an indelible mark on the department — one that will now long be cemented with the creation of the Ben Zukoff Memorial Tool Scholarship.
Leach, a second-year furniture design student from Pennellville, N.Y., was recently announced as the first-ever recipient of the $600 scholarship, which was started by Zukoff’s parents, Mimi and Paul.
“With picking Mike, he’s a modest guy, he’s in here all the time,” Buck said. “We just thought he was a really good candidate, and he has some of the qualities that Ben had. Ben was modest and sort of mellow and friendly. Just a good citizen in the studio. (Mike) seemed like a good fit for it.”
Going forward, the scholarship will be given annually to a sophomore studying furniture design. The award money is intended to be used for the purchase of woodworking tools, given their ever-increasing prices.
“These tools can be very expensive,” Buck said. “Chisels can run $500. … Students can spend, easily, $1,500 or more on just the basic tools — handsaw, chisels, hand plane.”
As convenient as the monetary award will be for Leach and all of the recipients after him, for Buck, the value of the Ben Zukoff Memorial Tool Scholarship goes well beyond the money that it provides. Who and what the fund represents is the most significant aspect, according to Buck.
“He’s thought about, and I think it’s great,” Buck said. “… Having this constant thing that we can always remember Ben by, that’s pretty important.
“It was really, for me, pretty devastating. I’ve never had a student die, especially someone who I felt had so much potential.”
The scholarship fund looks to be robust, with substantial seed money, thanks to a selfless act by Ben’s parents and Ben’s discipline and long-term vision as a youngster.
Since he was 5 years old, Ben (pictured) saved the money — from birthdays to his bar mitzvah to high school graduation — with an eye on his future. He knew he would need a pickup truck once he fulfilled his lifelong goal of being a furniture-maker, for his supplies.
His diligence finally paid off when he bought a slightly used Toyota Tacoma a month before getting his license.
After his passing, the Zukoff family sold Ben’s beloved truck to use the money for a practical cause — which is fitting considering Ben worked so hard to purchase it for practicality in the first place. The scholarship is funded by profits from the sale.
It was a generous gesture that will help keep Ben remembered in the College of Art and Design at RIT.
“His parents dealt with the grief in this pretty amazing way,” Buck said. “They wanted to help the school.”
They helped others, too.
Ben had also gradually accumulated enough materials over the years for a complete woodshop in the family home’s basement. Following his death, the family gave the tools from it to the place he first learned woodworking: Buck’s Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in Connecticut.
Ben’s genuine joy for the industry was evident to Buck.
“He loved getting good tools, and I showed him how to tune them up,” Buck said. “He was really getting into it and he was really getting good.”
But just as Ben was exhibiting such promise, tragedy struck.
Today, some of Ben’s tools are stored in a toolbox in a corner of Buck’s office as Ben’s parents also donated a few of them to the program.
During certain demonstrations, Buck will use Ben’s tools. It’s just another way — in addition, now, to the scholarship fund — for Buck and others to remember a special person.
Donations can be made to the fund by going to www.rit.edu/makeagift. Select the “other” option and write in Ben Zukoff Tool Fund (E02097X).


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Conventional cel animation and pen drawings were done by Norman McLaren directly on 35mm film stock.
Mary Ellen Bute's most successful animation, this film was screened at Radio City Music Hall for months.
Spook Sport Production Information
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so i’m back with some new fabrics. the first two are from annette tatum, she has a great new line called “boho” – it’s fresh and whimsical, and i chose two fabrics with warm reds and oranges:
star cherry, chevron orange
next up is a fabric chosen by my almost 7 year old for her birthday dress. we searched for just the right thing and it was love at first sight for her. it’s designed by monica solorio-snow who says of the line – “happy mochi yum yum was inspired by the colorful and happy displays of sweet mochi confections I would see in the japanese grocery stores when we lived in honolulu, hawaii.” here it is in medium roses yellow:
and finally i have some fun, kid-friendly fabrics to share. you may have seen some of these in other colorways on the site. i love them for blankets and bibs and i also think they’d be great on towels for your kitchen or child’s bathroom.
bicycles bloom grey, feeling groovy bloom, whales in pink:
whales in blue, owls in multi:
that’s it for this edition of fabric friday. i plan to get a fabrics page up soon so you will be able to see all of them in one spot. until then, happy shopping and email me if you would like to place an order in any of these fabrics, aohandmade<at>gmail<dot>com. have a great weekend!

domain: design


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Lake Nojiri is an ancient glacial lake. Verdant forestry and distant mountains form the fringe of the beautiful, primeval waterfront, where once was discovered the massive tusk of an extinct species of wooly mammoth. The Lakeside House by Sugawaradaisuke architects provides the perfect anchorage to relax, and take in the prehistoric majesty of Nojiri with modern comforts.
Designed with the coalescence of human being and nature in mind, the house is built of five distinct layers, each with a different outlook, thermal condition, and spatiality. Large window panes welcome the light through the trees, as well as permitting a view of the distant lake, which, depending on what time of year you opt to visit, could either be half frozen, or reflecting the dazzling plumes of fireworks, set off for the Lake Nojiri hanabi festival, held every July. Sugawaradaisuke made use of “Horizontal Building Elements” to suggest a diversity of activities, and to reflect the different seasonal changes that tether man and nature together.

domain: geography


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An ideal snack for little dips! But what’s more: so simple and easy to make. Just fill up your dehydrator with thinly sliced ripe fruits of the season and dry them all the way. Store them in dry containers, take them on your trips, in your car, have a box in your office drawer.
INGREDIENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
- Just fruit, any fruit you like!
- Slice up mango’s, Sharon fruit, kiwi’s, banana’s, oranges, apples,…
- Place them on a dehydrator mesh sheet
- Dry overnight until all the juice has evaporated
- Enjoy chewing
- This is an ideal way to process fruits that are overripe
- Easy to take with you, even in a small purse or bag
- Use fruits when they are in the season for cheap treats
- Make enough: they go fast


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Thursday 26 September 2013
CRTC Isses 2013 Edition of Its Communications Monitoring Report
The CRTC released the 2013 edition of its annual Communications Monitoring Report today.
The full report can be read or downloaded from this site. A standalone executive summary can be found at this page.
A number of infographics summaries are also available:
Posted by Hermes at 15:42


President Trump on Friday named Mick Mulvaney, currently the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the White House chief of staff in an acting capacity.
Mulvaney replaces John F. Kelly, a retired four-star Marine Corps general who Trump ousted as chief of staff last week. The appointment caps Trump’s extraordinary week-long public search for his third chief of staff in two years.
“I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration.”
Trump added, “I look forward to working with him in this new capacity as we continue to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! John will be staying until the end of the year. He is a GREAT PATRIOT and I want to personally thank him for his service!”
Mulvaney, a former Republican congressman from South Carolina, is one of the more ideologically conservative members of Trump’s Cabinet. He was elected to the House in 2010 as a member of the tea party movement and was known for his professed support of fiscal conservatism.
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: The Washington Post, by Philip Rucker


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Get The Facts On Buying A Business
Many entrepreneurs get their start in the business world by Buying a Business that may already offer assets, clientele, or market presence. Experts of Jurado & Farshchian business attorney can advise you on this critical decision and guide you through the process.
Option One When Buying a Business: Asset PurchaseYou can think of this as the *a la carte* options, because it allows you to pick and choose what parts of the business you want, rather than negotiating an *all or nothing* deal. This is a good option if you have an existing business that only needs certain assets*such as equipment or additional physical location*rather than an entire intact business altogether.
There are several other advantages to this approach. First, because you pick and choose the assets you want, you have an opportunity to see exactly what you are buying before finalizing the transaction. Buying the entirety of the business means you may end up saddled with assets or even liabilities you had not anticipated. This leads to the second advantage: you can buy only the assets you can afford to carry, thereby exposing you to a less risk. This is especially important for entrepreneurs who are just getting started.
There are two caveats to an asset purchase: one is that you must have an existing entity to hold the acquired assets, or else you must form one for this purpose. The other is that purchasing the assets of a business essentially breaks it apart, ending a business that might have offered more had it remained in intact. Hence why you may rather consider the second available option when buying a business.
Option Two When Buying a Business: Stock PurchaseUnlike an asset purchase, a stock purchase acquires the entirety of the business, transferring legal ownership to you as-is. It is sometimes insisted upon by sellers who do not want to layoff existing staff, though it may also be advantageous for buyers who want to own and operate an established and proven business, rather than dismantle what may already be working well.
The catch, however, is that this is an all or nothing arrangement: unless you decide on an asset purchase, you must buy the whole business and all the assets therein*good and bad. There is virtually no telling what weaknesses or problems may be lumped in with the business until you take ownership of it. A stock purchase is thus as risky as it is potentially rewarding.


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Become a Helpline Volunteer
Parents and families are under more stress than ever before with COVID-19, Shelter in Place, social inequities and racial injustices. Our Parenting Stress Helpline is even more essential and trained volunteers are the key to making sure our Helpline is there for parents when they need someone. Volunteers are invited to join the work of the Family Support Program Team. The Family Support Program includes the Parenting Stress Helpline, the Foster Parent Advice Line, Positive Parenting Classes and workshops, and Fatherhood Classes.
The Parenting Stress Helpline is the gateway to the services offered by Family Paths as well as to resources in the community. Those living in the San Francisco Bay Area interested in volunteering should consider becoming a Volunteer Parent Support Counselor. Parent Support Counselors benefit the community by providing phone counseling, case management, crisis support, and resources and referrals to all parents, including foster/adoptive parents, relative caregivers, and other service providers.
Before becoming a volunteer on the Helpline, a pre-service training is mandatory. The Fall Pre-service training is currently full. Our next pre-service training will be in Spring 2022, dates TBD.
Volunteers benefit from joining an agency that is committed to social justice as well as being part of a team of like minded people who are committed to supporting families in our community with respect, integrity, compassion and hope. We especially welcome those who speak other languages in addition to English and people from the diverse communities that Family Paths is a part of.
This rewarding volunteer opportunity is great for:
- students in the mental health/social work field or other health related fields
- mothers, fathers, and caregivers who wish to support fellow parents
- retirees who wish to share their life experience and skills
- folks living in the San Francisco Bay Area
- anyone who wishes to make a difference in the lives of parents and families
Volunteers receive training in advance through our 32-hour Volunteer Pre-Service as well as ongoing training and support thereafter during every helpline shift. Training topics include: Active Listening, Impact of Trauma on the Brain, information on Mental Health issues, Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse, Child Abuse and Mandated Reporting, Resource Parenting and Cultural Humility.
Time Commitment and Duties:
- Volunteer on one 4-hour shift per week in the office for one year
- Attend trainings offered by Family Support usually scheduled on an evening or a Saturday and/or attend clinical trainings offered by the agency usually scheduled on weekdays
- Answer phones, make case management call backs, complete referrals to agency services, link callers to resources in the community, support fellow volunteers and staff
- Assist in updating our Community Resource Database
- In addition to volunteering on the helpline you may be able to:
- Volunteer to help in one of our parenting classes
- Volunteer to help at an outreach or other event
- Volunteer to help prepare materials for classes and outreaches
If you are interested in learning more about this essential position, please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org to sign up for one of our next Virtual Volunteer Info Sessions. Dates TBD.
Additionally, please complete the volunteer application below.
NOTE: If you, your children or an immediate family member have received any services at Family Paths, please WAIT 2 years after services have ended to apply to become a volunteer. After this time has passed, we would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your interest and readiness to volunteer.
Click HERE to view information about Family Paths’ Parenting Stress Helpline volunteers.


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Olof Aspelin's "Keep Bees" (Olof Aspelin )
Olof Aspelin was the subject of a page 1 story in the Hartford Courant in 2007, about his graffiti work in his hometown of Stafford, which resulted in criminal convictions and jail time. Aspelin admits that his true love is still graffiti, and in recent years he has decorated some exterior walls on private property, with the owner's permission.
"I like some of the work that's here, but it's a drag to make art that no one looks at," Aspelin says, showing off some lively and colorful images on some out-of-the-way walls near his studio, on Main Street in Stafford.
So in recent years, he has sworn off illegal acts of art and is making his name in the legitimate arts community. And his art is getting looked at, by a lot of people.
In April, he won Best in Show at the West Hartford Art League's annual juried competition, CT+6. A one-man show is coming to that organization's galleries. He also has a one-man show coming up in the fall at Arts of Tolland. He had artwork featured in International Artists Magazine in 2009 and is represented by Celebrations Gallery in Pomfret.
"I even have someone who wants to take my stuff to New York to see if anyone there is interested," Aspelin says.
But as for going to New York himself? He shrugs. "I feel uncomfortable around a lot of people," he says. "If I wasn't, I'd still live in San Francisco."
Aspelin, 33, a graduate of Stafford High and Academy of Art University in San Francisco, creates his artwork in a basement studio underneath his mother's coffee shop, the Middle Ground, and often does not come out until late in the day.
On the walls in his studio are several works including one of his "Keep Bees" series, of a beekeeper using a smoker, a tool that calms bees. One of those works, a mixed-media painting using oils, acrylics and spray paint, won Best in Show in West Hartford.
"I wanted to make a picture of the beekeeper, who is a friend of mine, and also bring awareness to bees. If they die off, we will, too," Aspelin says. "But I want to have a sense of mystery, too. I don't show his face. He looks like a spaceman. Like a stranger.
"Nobody really knows beekeepers except people who know beekeepers," he says.
Aspelin, who cites painter Alex Kanevsky (known for his blurred motion art) as his main influence. Aspelin also paints exaggerated, cartoon-like faces, some of them scary-looking, and he plans to design the Halloween event at the new, nearby Vernon Community Arts Center. Also hanging on his studio walls is "Palmer Yard," one of his new series focusing on train yards.
Despite the few number of works on his studio walls, he is not intimidated by his two upcoming one-man shows. "I can work fast when I'm under pressure," he says. "I created 'Palmer Yard' in just 14 hours."
Roxanne Stachelek, director of West Hartford Art League, says that this year's CT+6, judged by Susan Cross, a curator at Mass MoCA, has been somewhat controversial, because 600 works were entered and only 75 made the cut.
"I wasn't going to tell [Cross], 'you have to like 100 of these' or anything like that," Stachelek says. "She decides what she decides. She likes what she likes."
Stachelek says she has received many emails complaining about the small number: One she shared called the show "a travesty and an affront to the WH Art League especially to the hundreds of artists whose works were ignored." Her standard response to them has been, come and see the show.
"I have received overwhelming positive responses from everyone once they step in the galleries, and this is from people who had three or four pieces of work rejected," Stachelek says. "Most of the negative responses I received seem to be responding to the number chosen rather than the work chosen."
Aspelin has a second piece of work, "Samantha," in the show. Second place winner is Chip Rutan's "Splash." Third place is William Simpson's "The Blue Door."
CT+6 will be at West Hartford Art League, 37 Buena Vista Road, until Sunday, June 3. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Aspelin's one-man show is yet to be scheduled. Details: http://www.westhartfordart.org. Aspelin's show in Tolland is scheduled for September. Details: http://www.artsoftolland.org. For details on Celebrations Gallery in Pomfret, visit http://www.celebrationsshoppes.com/artists.html.
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