text:
Drew Schaeffer enters his second season as head coach of the Mitchell College women's volleyball program in 2019-20.
Schaeffer, who was hired in March 2018, made his collegiate head coaching debut with the Mariners last season. Under his guidance, Mitchell won a pair of conference games and qualified for the New England Collegiate Conference Championship as the eighth seed.
Schaeffer served as an assistant coach at Southern Connecticut State University for two seasons before joining the Mariners. Southern Connecticut State made tremendous strides in Schaeffer’s two years with the program. The Owls capped a historic 2017 season by advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its first-ever appearance, finishing with an overall record of 24-11. While at SCSU he coached the NE-10 player of the year and multiple all-conference selections, including an AVCA All-American honorable mention.
Prior to joining the SCSU staff, Schaeffer spent six years as a coach at both the scholastic and club levels. He was the head volleyball coach at Oak Hall School in 2014 where he led the team to its first playoff appearance since 2010 and finished the season second in its district.
Prior to Oak Hall, he served as head varsity volleyball coach at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla., and helped lead the Wolf Pack to back-to-back district titles in Class 8A and District I. Schaeffer also help set a school record of 21 wins in 2012.
A native of Ocala, Schaeffer possesses a bachelor’s degree in zoology/pre-veterinarian medicine from the University of Florida and a teaching certification in high school biology and chemistry.


text:
An online petition accusing a Stroudsburg Area School District board member of making inappropriate comments in a voicemail is making waves across the county.
The Change.org petition, "Resignation of Dr. Judith Magann, Stroudsburg School Board Director, due to racist remarks," which appeared on the page about a week ago, seeks to force Magann to resign her post, or for the school board to remove her due to accusations of unseemly statements made in a voicemail to a parent.
Jennifer Olson, founder and board president for the private Summit School of the Poconos and the parent who received the call from Magann, shared a copy of the voicemail with Pocono Record.
A transcript of the voicemail is featured on the petition.
Throughout the transcript, it is suggested that Magann derided the district on several points, including the lack of quality of education, and the prioritization of "diversity equity" at SASD.
“It's Judy Magann. Um, I think you have an illusion about Stroudsburg that doesn't exist [unintelligible] is at an all time low, our superintendent hires the cheapest teachers. He cuts programs. It's all about diversity equity, which white privilege is not, uh, something that there's, you know, doing anything but screaming in your faces and the programs are not available for academically challenging kids," the transcript reads.
The transcript continues with Magann suggesting the parent look into enrolling their student at other schools, including Moravian and Blair.
As of Friday afternoon, 179 individuals have signed the petition.
The Pocono Record has not been able to locate the originator of the petition, an individual allegedly named Brian Joe, for comment. It is important to note that anyone can start a petition on the Change.org website, and that these petitions are not enforceable.
The voicemail that prompted the petition
Olson said that she received the voicemail from Magann following a series of interactions between the two on social media in late September.
Olson said that she did not listen to the voicemail for several weeks, and proceeded to share it with the SASD board on Nov. 15, "because I felt that it was something they needed to know about."
"It's concerning that a fiduciary on a board would leave a voicemail like that for someone about the institution that they're supposed to be representing," Olson said. "Judy MaGann is an acquaintance, she's not a friend. It's not like we were close friends, and she was leaving a very personal message."
However, Olson also noted that she did not start the petition against Magann, and was unaware of it until she saw it over the weekend.
Notably, the petition predominantly focuses upon the perceived "racist remarks" above all, though it does make note of the overall state of SASD.
Several individuals have made comments on the petition suggesting that Magann's behavior was damaging to the district, including those like Linda Greenwood, who stated "It is a disgrace that someone who is responsible for the education of our children, is not supportive of an equitable education for all of our children."
Magann is serving her 15th year on the Stroudsburg School Board after being re-elected for the fourth time in the recent November elections. It is not a compensated position.
Magann responded that she became aware of the petition on Sunday, January 9, and noted "It is a position that results in decisions that affect taxpayers, students and staff as well as parents," and "There is no decision that appeases all of these groups. "
"I have lived in Stroudsburg my entire life and have belonged to a family that greatly values public education," said Magann.
Magann questioned the implications that petition signers have placed on her message, adding that online campaigns such as these are not a reliable source of information, and that the platform is not a legitimate way of addressing an issue with an elected official such as herself.
"We are talking about a Facebook petition run and controlled by an individual person. Facebook allows for people to hide in anonymity, saying anything they like using real or fictional names," Magann said. "The names assigned to any petition whether it is for or against me or Alex Reincke is not valid in that the same 10 people can sign multiple times."
In March of 2021, a similar petition on Change.org garnered near 500 signatures calling for the removal of Reincke, a Stroudsburg School Board member, and accused him of publishing social media posts that were "extremely divisive and prejudiced political views." He was later re-elected back on the board in November of 2021.
"If we run government or elections by Facebook petitions, God help us," Magann said. "Social media is a sensational media and if used incorrectly is damaging. It may be the most troublesome issue facing our political future. Misuse and abuse is affecting the health and well being of each and every community."
Christa Caceres, president of Monroe County Chapter NAACP #2275, signed the petition herself, stating that while she was not "aware of everything that was in (Magann's) mind and heart," the message itself did warrant action.
"Seeing that Miss Magann is a former president and longtime school board member of the Stroudsburg district, it is highly concerning that she would hold this position given her responsibility to center the well being of every child in her district. And her words, even the ones that aren't connected to race, are concerning. You should always want to support your teaching staff, you should always want to support everyone that's involved in educating our children. And her disparaging comments across the board were highly concerning," Caceres said.
Caceres also highlighted the dismantling and restructuring of the district's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee — which Caceres characterized as lacking in "a full commitment to centering every child" — and another petition regarding racism and inequality within SASD as indicators that these matters must be a major focal point of the board.
"This is not Moravian. This is not Blair. This is a melting pot of ideas, cultures, viewpoints from all over. And that's what America is supposed to be about. And if you don't want to represent that, then go serve on the board of Moravian or Blair," Caceres said.
SASD board member Merlyn Clarke defended Magann, suggesting Olson shared the voicemail over personal or professional issues, resulting in the "bogus petition."
"First of all, what they are quoting, is a private message left on a person's phone, so what business does anybody have even doing anything with that? Now, the person that Judy called is a prominent person in this community, who obviously shared her phone message with people who are bearing a grudge, and are out to get Judy for whatever reason. So that's the setting. And people need to realize that a private conversation has been used to smear a dedicated public servant, longtime resident and professional person. Who would do that, I don't know," Clarke said.
Clarke added that this instance fell in line with "a perfect case of cancel culture, or people who are out to snare and otherwise forced people to resign from that positions by smearing (them)," and "there's an epidemic of this kind of thing going on, promoted by the equity movement."
— Maria Francis is a reporter at the Pocono Record covering education, business and local news in Monroe County. Reach her at email@example.com.
— Brian Myszkowski covers the COVID-19 pandemic in northeast Pennsylvania and is Senior Reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach him by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Change.org petition seeks removal of Stroudsburg board member

domain: sociology


text:
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domain: design


text:
Colorado is one of the few states that have allowed casinos to reopen, but not arcades, and operators and players certainly aren’t happy about it, which is why there’s currently a petition circulating to get the games turned back on.
While casinos in the state were reopened in mid-June, arcades remain off limits – as are video games and other coin-op equipment in bars and other locations. Clint Nieman started the petition directed at Gov. Jared Polis to “Save Colorado’s Arcades!”
Nieman’s plea says, “Arcades have been heavily impacted by Covid-19 and many will be forced to close permanently if they aren’t allowed to open and let customers play their games again.”
One supporter noted in a comment: “Massive casinos with hundreds of games and lousy sanitation have been open for months, but smaller locally-owned arcade bars with a handful of cabinets and plenty of sanitation equipment ready to go have been closed for nearly seven months? Allow these places to reopen before they vanish from Colorado.”


text:
In a significant development for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $2.9 billion bailout package for the country. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the governor of Sri Lanka’s central bank, announced the news on Sunday, stating that the package will put an end to the country’s dollar crisis.
The funds from the IMF will ensure that Sri Lanka has adequate foreign reserves to sustain vital industries and imports. This injection of capital will strengthen investor sentiment and open up new avenues for foreign investments in the country. Weerasinghe noted that the package will also include fiscal support for the Sri Lankan government, which is a novel feature of IMF funding.
Sri Lanka’s negotiations with the IMF began in 2022 after the country faced a severe economic crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic had dealt a severe blow to the country’s already fragile economy, leading to a foreign exchange crisis and a sharp decline in foreign currency reserves. The IMF package is expected to provide much-needed relief to the struggling economy and pave the way for a sustained period of economic recovery.
In conclusion, the approval of the IMF’s $2.9 billion bailout package marks a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. The injection of capital will alleviate the country’s foreign currency crisis and help stabilize the economy, paving the way for renewed investor confidence and future growth.

domain: politics


JERUSALEM: Scores of Jewish settlers forced their way into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a Palestinian official said.
“Some 95 settlers backed by Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa compound through Al-Mugharbeh gate since early morning,” Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for Jerusalem’s Jordan-run Religious Endowments Authority, said in a statement.
According to Dibs, Jewish extremist groups have called on supporters to converge on Al-Aqsa compound this week to mark the Jewish Sukkot holiday.
Sukkot is a week-long holiday, which started Sunday evening and will continue until the following Sunday.
According to PNN Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said, Friday, that the state of Israel is considering allowing Jews to pray inside Al-Aqsa Mosque. Iin an official statement, Erdan said: “I am sure this will happen soon, God willing.”
He emphasized that “the situation in Jerusalem is heading towards regaining sovereignty and control over the place. We will reach our goal when more Jews express their desire to visit the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa, ed). Then there will be an increasing pressure following an increasing demand. I hope this happens soon. When we reach this stage, we will work and push for changing the historical status quo in Jerusalem in light of respecting the international interests for Israel.”
Meanwhile, Jerusalem’s Islamic leaders warned, yesterday, that Erdan’s remarks could have grave consequences for the already frail relations between different religious groups and ethnicities in Jerusalem. The Islamic Awqaf Council, the Higher Islamic Commission, the Palestinian Iftaa Department and the Jerusalem Awqaf Department even go so far as to say that Israel might be inciting a religious war.
More specifically, they commented: “These irresponsible statements could drag the region and the whole world into an inevitable religious conflict that we do not want. Any prejudice to the beliefs and sanctities will inevitably violate the rights of peoples and nations, which will bring only destruction and devastation.”
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world’s third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the “Temple Mount,” claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem — in which the Al-Aqsa is located — during the 1967 Middle East War. It formally annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as its capital — a move never recognized by the international community.
[Photo: Jewish settlers, under Israeli police protection, enter the atrium of Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in East Jerusalem’s Old City on September 30, 2019. Photographer: Faiz Abu Rmeleh/AA]


text:
STORE COMMUNITY ABOUT SUPPORT
Greenlight is being retired. For more information on how to submit games to steam, refer to this blog post.
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Getting Steam-y (but still totally SFW)
July 11, 2014 - K1lo
Pardon the terrible pun in the title.. I was up until 2am getting everything together for today, however as the title may have hinted at already.. there are two bits of big news...
Isomer is now available on Steam!!
.. and there's also a new build (0.8.8.1) available today in both Steam and non-Steam flavors. For more information check out the changelog on the forum.

domain: game


text:
When you hear the name Rockefeller, it is often associated with words like ‘philanthropy’ and ‘charity’ and ‘Christianity.’ But in doing research for my upcoming novel set in the early 1910’s, there is every indication that those words were nothing but artistic license to cover over greed and avarice by a man and a company that brooked no disquiet in their ranks, and took swift and immediate action against anyone who dared to question the deplorable conditions under which their miners were forced to perform.
Junior, as he was called, was the principle stockholder of Colorado Fuel and Iron. When workmen complained about long hours and poor living conditions, their company-provided homes were destroyed. When they complained because they were being paid in script, and their wages were only good at the company controlled stores in the company controlled towns, the National Guard was brought in to ‘control’ the dissenters. And when tents were provided by union organizers to help workers fight to have shorter days and standard wages, the tent villages were burned to teach them a lesson in not getting ‘above’ themselves.
The Ludlow Massacre of 1914 became a turning point in Junior’s life, but before the resulting events of that fateful debacle were over, almost 200 men, women, and children would be dead. It was a terrible blight on the Rockefeller image, and he ended up hiring a Public Relations firm to help restore the family’s good name.
It has been a vivid journey for me to weave such rich history into the upcoming storyline of Willow Stratton and Charles Fleming. I’m excited to be working on Willow’s Secret to have it ready for publication by January 2015. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy the other stories in the Thunder on the Mountain series, including my latest release about Willow’s parents, Edward and Jordan Stratton, in Jordan’s Gift.

domain: history


Alkyd coatings provide excellent corrosion protection and weathering resistance in mild industrial atmospheres and can also withstand limited exposure to vapors, splash and spillage of many chemicals. Alkyd coatings maintain good adhesion, toughness and flexibility on steel at temperatures as high as 225⁰F, but will discolor at elevated temperatures. Good atmospheric corrosion protection coupled with low per gallon cost and ease of application make alkyd paints ideal for use on machinery, structural steel and tank exteriors. Alkyds are not suitable for use in severe marine atmospheric exposures or for use as tank linings.
Product Description: Alkyd are single component synthetic ester based resin coatings that are primarily utilized as a general purpose coating utilized in mild chemical atmospheres. Alkyds have good durability and good adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces. They have fair chemical resistance, but should not be exposed to strong solvents, acids, or alkalies.
Primary uses: Exterior structural finishes, transportation, construction equipment, pipes, vessels and tanks where superior performance and weather protection is required.
Industrial: protective coating for most steel, casting and aluminum surfaces supporting finish rating of ISO12944 – 5.
Available in both Conventional and High Solids (AIM Compliant)
Benefits: Single component, rust inhibitors, easy application, Low VOC (high solids), Good color retention. Can be activated with isocyanate hardener to give it faster dry and improved overall properties.
Drawbacks: Not for use in aggressive chemical or salt atmospheres, slower drying.


SAN ANGELO COLTS: Nichols' walk-off blast earns split with McAllen The nine innings between the first pitch and the end of the game of the San Angelo Colts’ series finale against McAllen played out strangely similar to the rest of the series. It was the beginning and the end of the contest that made the game unique and quite a bit out of the ordinary.
June 14, 2013 - The San Angelo Standard-Times
SAN ANGELO COLTS: Rally falls short The San Angelo Colts nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback Tuesday night, but McAllen’s Joseph Hicks instead willed his team to victory with a spectacular individual performance. His teammate Cody Bishop also hit for the cycle.
June 12, 2013 - The San Angelo Standard-Times
Hillary Rodham Clinton in USA Today I first came here nearly 36 years ago,Clinton said. "I went door to door in the border communities, including McAllen, to register voters."
Greg Abbott in KFDM-TV News These defendants are charged with arranging to meet and sexually assault a minor child,Attorney General Abbott said. "Friday's joint operation by the Texas Attorney General's Office and the McAllen Police Department led to the arrest of...


text:
BARCLAYS is expected to unveil a bid of around #24 a share for Dutch rival ABN Amro as rival suitors prepare to enter the fray.
The banking giant is reportedly planning to table an offer of at least 35 euros (#23.76) a share for ABN Amro after the deadline for an exclusive merger between Barclays and the Dutch group passed at the end of last week.
But speculation was also mounting over the Royal Bank of Scotland-led rival bidding consortium's plans to muscle in on the deal, with rumours suggesting that RBS was planning to take more of a lead role in a bid to simplify the deal and increase its chances of being approved by regulators.
A Sunday Times report yesterday said Royal Bank of Scotland was ditching plans for a consortium bid in favour of mounting a solo approach, with bidding partners, Spain's Santander and Belgium- based Fortis, taking more of a back seat.
The report follows recent comments which the Dutch central bank was thought to have made, suggesting an offer from a large consortium would be risky and too complicated to be approved by regulators.
The speculation emerges as RBS prepares to meet the ABN Amro board today.
But RBS spokesperson Carolyn McAdam denied the group was abandoning consortium plans, and confirmed that "all three banks will be attending the meeting" today.
RBS has admitted that issues have been raised by the Dutch central bank and regulators that will need to be addressed, if its hopes of snatching ABN Amro from under Barclays' nose is to succeed.
The Sunday Times report suggests that RBS is planing to take charge of negotiations with regulators, with Santander and Fortis acting more as financial backers.
Ms McAdam said, "There are all sorts of ways to skin a cat and that may be one of them, but we are not saying anything else at this stage."
Analysts predict that the RBS-led consortium could afford to pay more than 40 euros (#27.05) a share for the Amsterdam bank, because the increased geographical overlap of the rival team would offer more scope for cost savings.
Barclays, however, has a significant head start on the RBS consortium.
If the merger between Barclays and ABN is concluded, it would see the enlarged Barclays become the UK's second biggest bank - overtaking Royal Bank of Scotland - and the fifth biggest banking group in the world behind Citigroup, Bank of America, HSBC and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

domain: finance


The Checks highly anticipated debut album 'Hunting Whales' ,released 2007. Since forming at the age of fifteen The Checks have had a meteoric rise, their bluesy, age-defying garage rock racket winning them fans as illustrious as REM's Michael Stipe, and bagging them a 2005 New Zealand Music Award after just one 7" single! While in London the Checks were described as "Full of dirty slinky rhythm and blues rock" by Rolling Stone and one of "The two best bands in Britain" by Noel Gallagher (the other being Kasabian).
Tracks: 1. Mercedes Children 2. Take Me There 3. What You Heard 4. Tired From Sleeping 5. Where Has She Gone 6. Terribly Easy 7. Honest Man 8. See Me Peter 9. Don't Wait 10. Hunting Whales 11. Memory Walking


Devrace FIBPlus for InterBase, Firebird and Yaffil
Native Delphi/BCB direct access components to InterBase, Firebird
Windows AllPlatform :
USD $199Price :
1.87 MBFile Size :
6/12/2003Date Added :
Devrace FIBPlus is a fast, flexible and high-performance component library for Borland? Delphi? 3-7, Borland? C++ Builder 3-6 and Borland? Kylix? 3 intended for work with Borland? InterBase? and Firebird using direct Interbase API. FIBPlus combines simplicity of architecture with development convenience that enables to create powerful and effective applications. FIBPlus allows use of all Interbase features and benefits: array-fields, blob-fields, generators and full control of transactions, support of all standard and third-party visual data-aware components, special features for optimization of InterBase network traffic and a set of special design-time experts. For more information on FIBPlus, visit http://www.fibplus.net/
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text:
Penelope Cruz dazzles in a glittering one-shouldered gown with a thigh-high split as she joins husband Javier Bardem at the Madrid premiere of Loving Pablo
They fell in love on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona ten years ago.
And Penelope Cruz, 43, and her husband Javier Bardem, 49, were back on the red carpet to promote their new joint venture, Loving Pablo, in Madrid on Tuesday.
The striking actress looked incredible in a glittering black gown with an asymmetric neckline as she strutted along the red carpet at the film's Spanish premiere.
Gorgeous: Penelope Cruz stunned on the red carpet at the Loving Pablo premiere in Madrid on Tuesday
Penelope's gorgeous gown highlighted her incredible figure and showed off a hint of cleavage.
The brunette beauty's dress boasted a split mullet hemline, displaying her toned legs in the dazzling gown.
She completed her attire with a pair of drop crystal earrings and a simple pair of black stilettos.
Cool and casual: Javier looked suave, adding a casual touch to his suit with a pair of trainers
Leggy: The striking actress looked incredible in a glittering black gown with an asymmetric neckline as she strutted along the red carpet at the film's Spanish premiere
Happy couple: Javier and Penelope walked the red carpet arm-in-arm
New film: Loving Pablo tells the controversial true romance of married drug lord Pablo Escobar (Javier) and journalist Virginia Vallejo (Penelope)
Javier and Penelope walked the red carpet arm-in-arm, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.
Penelope previously spoke out about working with her husband in the film, admitting they had to 'protect one another' from their unpredictable characters off-screen in a candid interview with Porter Edit.
She said: 'The characters were very difficult, and they had lots of dark, uncomfortable scenes where this woman is having emotional and psychological terror inflicted on her by her partner.
'I never like to bring my characters home with me, but it was especially important in this case for us to protect one another.'
Glamorous: Hiba Abouk looked lovely in a semi-sheer jumpsuit on the red carpet
Volatile: Penelope previously spoke out about working with her husband in the film, admitting they had to 'protect one another' from their unpredictable characters
Glamorous: Penelope wore her hair in tousled curls and accessorised with beautiful earrings
All together: The cast posed for a group shot ahead of the screening
Loving Pablo tells the controversial true romance of married drug lord Pablo Escobar (Javier) and journalist Virginia Vallejo (Penelope).
As for their own romance story, the couple fell madly in love with each other when they starred in the Woody Allen-directed Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008.
Penelope scooped an Academy Award for playing Javier's emotionally unstable love interest in the movie.
The married lovers tied the knot during the summer of 2010 in a private ceremony at a friend's home in the Bahamas. They are the proud parents to daughter Luna, four, and son Leo, seven.
Pictures or it didn't happen: The gang posed for selfies before heading inside
Keeping the party going! The pair headed on to an after-party at the Loving Pablo premiere at Le Boutique Club
Posing up a storm: Javier posed with Julieth Restrepo as the bash got underway
Hand on hip: Penelope showed off her toned figure in the elegant attire
Most watched News videos
- John McDonnell defends Angela Rayner for calling top Tories 'scum'
- Keir Starmer distances himself from Rayner's attack on Tory 'scum'
- Thousands of anti-vaxxers bring streets of Newcastle to a standstill
- Angela Rayner 'choosing words carefully' following 'scum' comment
- Crete earthquake: CCTV camera shows store rattling and items flying
- Plane with 175 on board plunges before being hit by lightning
- Iain Duncan Smith: 'HGV driver shortage is nothing to do with Brexit'
- CCTV footage shows Crete rattled by 6.5 magnitude earthquake
- Macron is egged by protester shouting 'Vive la Revolution'
- Lorry narrowly misses crushing a car as driver looses control
- Jeremy Corbyn defends Angela Rayner for calling Tories 'scum'
- Shop CCTV captures moment Crete quake strikes as those inside flee

domain: celebrity


text: Prepare your defense, grab your cannon, add a cannonball, and make the other greedy players go kaboom ! Join this group of whacky, greedy, and crazy pets in the quest for loot, risk, and fortune! But be aware, they are nuts! Manage an island in a beautiful tropical coast, keep the other freaks out of your shore, and sail to attack them if you dare to take the risk, but, just try to not sink your ship, and leave it underwater ok?Of course, you will be able to use some dynamite, TNT! and sail to your opponent coast under the hot sun, curse them if you want, fight them, and take their loot!If you can't take their loot, just collect resources playing minigames, send and receive gifts from friends, join a guild, or play in the casino to test your luck!FEATURES- Multiplayer action-strategy game - Tons of minigames to play: Match 3 minigames to gather resources, casinos, pubs, and more!- A lot of wicked crazy but lovely animals to help you in battle, and to defend your coast- Story mode, with different islands to visit- Manage resources to find the best way to become the legendary pirate of the seven seas!- Just explode stuff in the air, make your opponents go kaboom ! and build the best armada in the world!- Join your friends, send them gifts, play in guilds, and get to the top of the leaderboards to win awesome prizes!Raise your flag, fill your boat with golden fortune, sail from coast to coast, visit tropical islands, use your cannon and loot the hell out of this nuts pet pirates! Just, don't freak out if you see some wicked characters ok? :smile: If you don't feel like fighting, that's ok! you can also enjoy the sun in the shipyard, and relax gathering resources for your tropical island!Ahoy captain! And welcome, to pet pirates!


text:
About Jays Construction
Jay's Construction is a full service construction company focusing on commercial construction in London and the GTA.
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domain: geography


text:
Starbucks details expansion plans for United States, China
Starbucks said Wednesday that it plans to open more than 3,000 stores in North and South America over the next five years, half of those in the United States.
Cliff Burrows, regional president of Seattle-based Starbucks’ (Nasdaq: SBUX) Americans and U.S. division, joined Chairman, President and CEO Howard Schultz at the company’s biennial conference, where he said that revenue in the U.S. market grew by 9 percent in the current fiscal year. Burrows also said the company will put products from the San Francisco bakery La Boulange, which the company recently acquired for $100 million, in more than 2,500 company-operated Starbucks stores in the United States, and will make its Evolution Fresh juices available in more than 5,000 company stores by the end of 2013.
Starbucks also expects to have 1,500 stores in 70 cities in Mainland China by 2015, according to John Culver, regional president of Starbucks China and Asia-Pacific. Culver said his region will have nearly 4,000 stores by the end of next year, including 1,000 in Japan and 500 in Korea.
“Starbucks business and brand have never been healthier, and as a company we have never been better positioned to execute against our global, multi-channel growth agenda,” Schultz said. “Starbucks will have more than 20,000 retail stores on six continents by 2014 and more than 200,000 points of global [consumer packaged goods] distribution by 2015.”
Starbucks also reiterated its intent to acquire Teavana, and said it pans to offer the Teavana tea beverages at Teavana’s mall and neighborhood stores and eventually at Starbucks stores.
Starbucks plans to open more than 3,000 new stores in North and South America over the next five years, with half of those in the United States.
The company also said that Starbucks cards are now used in about 25 percent of the company’s U.S. transactions and that the amount of money loaded onto Starbucks cards increased by more than 20 percent last year.
Starbucks has more than 75 locations in Hawaii, while Teavana has one store in Hawaii, at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu.

domain: food


Flat Iron Square and Old Union Yard Arches will be the new stops on Bankside's Low Line
The Low Line is an ambitious long term project to open up the pedestrian walk way that runs along the base of the rail viaduct in Bankside, between Borough Market and Southwark tube station. Over the last 150 years this has been eroded, as development has come with the creation walls, fences, buildings and other structures blocking access at different points along its length. The Low Line is of course a nod to Manhattan’s High Line.
The Low Line will, over time, stitch these disconnected spaces back into the urban fabric through a range of large and small projects which will transform the public realm along the viaduct.
This autumn, two new developments will form key sections of the Low Line in Bankside. These include Flat Iron Square (London's new music and food hub) and Network Rail's Old Union Yard Arches.
The Old Union Yard Arches will deliver a culturally diverse offer founded on arts and performance, exploiting the uniqueness of the arch space. The space is the new home to the legendary Union Theatre which was founded by artistic director Sasha Regan in 1997. Joining them will be Cervantes Theatre, the first Spanish and Latin American theatre in London brought to life by Jorge de Juan. Offering more diversity will be Flying Fantastic, who will be making use of the arch structure and becoming London's first dedicated aerial fitness centre, and The Africa Centre who have recently moved into Bankside. The scheme will also include two quality restaurants.
Flat Iron Square will become a new hub for music and food in London. Covering 40,000sq ft, it incorporates seven railway arches and surrounding open spaces, sited between Flat Iron Square, Union Street, O’Meara St and Southwark Street, London, SE1. Due to open in October 2016. Partners include:
Ben Lovett, member of Mumford & Sons and co-founder of live promotions and independent label Communion, brings a new live music venue, OMEARA which promises a wide array of programming, from indie club nights, to talks, comedy, burlesque, magic and much more besides
Patricia Trijbits, and her first permanent home for Where The Pancakes Are following a series of festivals and pop-ups.
Bar Douro’s Portuguese tapas and wine bar put together by the dynamic team of Max Graham with top chef, Tiago Santos of Porto fame.
The Bar at Flat Iron Square, a relaxed under-the-open-arches bar serving great drinks in a busy European market place environment.
Trapeze from the team behind the Cooking Collective will be serving all day Californian brunch from the front of Devonshire House facing onto Flat Iron Square.
A further seven fully equipped permanent kitchens will serve a full variety of delicious food – run by independent traders. Outside will be an additional three independent food vehicles.
Flat Iron Square will be open all day, for early breakfast to late drinks.


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Update: Kobe Bryant and family attend Los Angeles Galaxy game
Update: Added photos of the family at the event. Sitting next to them were Victoria Beckham (not pictured) and sons Brooklyn Joseph, 9, and Romeo James, 5 ½.
Originally posted April 4th at 11 a.m.: Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant, 29, watched the Los Angeles Galaxy play in a game in Carson, CA with his wife Vanessa and daughters Natalia Diamante, 5, and Gianna Maria-Onore, 23 months, on Thursday, April 3rd.
Photos by Ramey.
More photos below.

domain: news


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5361 NW 33 rd Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309
Do you want to join an organization that invests in you as a(an) Laboratory Assistant Outreach? At IRL - East FL Outreach, you come first. HCA Healthcare has committed up to $300 million in programs to support our incredible team members over the course of three years.
The IRL East Florida Division (EFD) Central Microbiology Laboratory supports 14 HCA facilities in the East Florida Division as well as multiple HCA hospitals in the FL panhandle, Georgia and South Carolina. In addition, the EFD Central Microbiology Lab supports a large network of outreach clients across south Florida, the US, and several international clients. Our Laboratory is open 24/7 and performs 1M tests annually. At our beautiful state of art laboratory facility we handle all specialized clinical microbiology testing using automatic equipment and molecular instrumentation in a high volume environment. Our clinical microbiologists are highly specialized laboratory professionals that perform different types of tests to help healthcare providers diagnose infectious diseases and perform antibiotic susceptibility testing to help direct clinicians on the best treatment options to prescribe to help cure the infection. Our laboratory facility provides our staff an opportunity to contribute and to be a part of the patient's healthcare team in a meaningful way.
At IRL - East FL Outreach, we want to ensure your needs are met. We offer eligible colleagues an attractive benefit package that includes medical, wellbeing, dental and vision benefits along with some unique benefits including:
Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Flexible Spending
Paid Time Off ( PTO ) and Personal Leave
401K (100% annual match - 3% to 9% of pay based on years of service)
Academic Assistance and Reimbursements for Tuition and Student Loans
Employee Discounts including Tickets, Retail, Mental Health Apps, Education Apps, Identity Theft Protection etc.
You contribute to our success. Every role has an impact on our patients' lives and you have the opportunity to make a difference. We are looking for a dedicated Laboratory Assistant Outreach like you to be a part of our team.
Job Summary and Qualifications
This is a full-time (day shift schedule) Laboratory Assistant position.
Perform specimen collection and testing; Process, sort, and prepare specimens for submission to referral laboratories for testing
Perform venipunctures and/or finger-sticks on pediatric, neonatal, adults and geriatric patients
Centrifuge and aliquot specimens appropriately and prepare specimens for courier pick-up
Complete chain-of-custody drug collections
Monitor and review referred testing; document specimen problems
Review Outstanding Specimen Report (OSR) and pending referral testing issues
What qualifications you will need:
A completed high school diploma or GED
A vocational/technical diploma
A phlebotomy certificate is beneficial
3+ years of previous experience in a clinical laboratory setting
Integrated Regional Labs is a full service provider for clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology services, providing hospitals, physicians, and clients with timely diagnostic information for patient care. Our infrastructure includes a fully automated esoteric core laboratory in Fort Lauderdale, a histology and microbiology operation in Largo, Florida, and a network of hospital based rapid-response laboratories present in four HCA Healthcare divisions within the state of Florida. Our core laboratories support more than 250 acute and rehab hospitals, physician practices, surgery centers and commercial accounts.
HCA Healthcare has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute for over a decade. In recent years, HCA Healthcare spent an estimated $3.7 billion in cost for the delivery of charitable care, uninsured discounts, and other uncompensated expenses.
"Good people beget good people." - Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr. HCA Healthcare Co-Founder
We are a family 270,000 dedicated professionals! Our Talent Acquisition team is reviewing applications for our Laboratory Assistant Outreach opening. Qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. Submit your resume today to join our community of caring!
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

domain: medical


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Tumbling Creek Farm is nestled in the Sierra Foothills just east of Nevada City at 2900 feet. We are a 38-acre homestead practicing the art of sustainability. Our environment
is peaceful and meditative. We harvest rain for our crops, capture rain in our swales, and use biodynamic and permaculture practices.
We grow organic produce and eggs, and pasture-raised livestock and we create quality crafts. We are both certified organic and use Biodynamic® principles in our farming practices.
Spring through fall we offer our fantastic Oyster, Shiitake and Lion’s Mane Mushrooms and other delicious produce at area farmers markets. Year-round you can find our oyster mushrooms at the SPD in Nevada City, Mother Truckers, Natural Selections, and the Briarpatch. Three Forks Bakery and Brewery also uses our mushrooms in their pizzas and sandwiches.
We share our forest farm with an abundance of wildlife – You are welcome to visit our farm for bird watching or a tranquil afternoon stroll. The birds are abundant. Come walk through the forest to still your soul and sit by the tumbling spring waterfalls.


The Outcry Sweeping Away Perpetrators and Authorities
In Greece it took dozens of femicides, such as the murder of Eleni Topaloudi, to mourn the victims of macho masculinity, like Vangelis Giakoumakis, as well as seeing Zak Costopoulos being brutally murdered. But despite the delay, the veil of silence is finally being shredded.
How Did You Manage To Win? Polish Feminist Questions Argentinian Women's Rights Activist
We made leaflets for the president saying "Alberto, you're late", in reference to a period coming late. The senators were saying that, now, we have the pandemic or the holidays to think about. But we wanted the law legalising abortion to be passed by the end of the year. Either we enter modernity, or we stay in the Middle Ages.
The Abortion Compromise Has Died, Long Live Secular Poland!
"Why should the state protect bishops from the anger of the faithful? If within just 30 years, the Church, with its hubris, hypocrisy and mercilessness, has created so many enemies? It is not a problem that should be solved by the secular state", argue Jarosław Makowski and Kazimierz Bem
Biden, Trump and Anti-Abortion Counterrevolution
The issue of abortion divides society not only in Poland. In America, 47 years after the legalisation of abortion, no other topic has provoked such heated debate in the election campaign. It will probably determine who becomes the president of the country on 3 November: pro-choice Joe Biden or pro-life Donald Trump
This Is a War that Is Turning Into a Revolution
"Get the fuck out!" – this is the main slogan of the protests. Short and concrete. There is no room for dialogue, compromise or agreement here. "Get the fuck out" means get the fuck out, not "let's talk". The protesters believe – and rightly so – that there is no one to talk to and nothing to discuss. The authorities have shown that all they can do is to harm
Women's revolution in Belarus: "I don't know if politics will change, but the role of women will change radically"
We talked to some of the women involved in the demonstrations against Lukashenko. Of all different ages and ideologies, some are organising for the first time through Telegram and others are veterans of the protests


Thu, 25 April 2013
Your two favorite podcasting prognosticators are back to dissect the Top 4 week of American Idol. The competition consisted of a round of contestants' choices, two duets, and a questionably-handled viewer-chosen theme of "One Hit Wonders." (I voted for that one)!
So, who did we like, and who do we think is going home? Also, what's with the extra week in the broadcast schedule? For our predictions, plus the usual goofy fun you've come to love, listen now!
Direct download: Episode_429-The_American_Idol_Update-The_Top_4.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:50am EST


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A unique feature of this beautiful and elegant villa is the general pleasure in both inside and out. you can lay idle in the garden, dive into the swimming pool, enjoy a drink under the patio or stroll down to the sea which is just a few mt distance
For those that wish to spend lots of time outdoors enjoying the Sicilian weather, this is the place for you. This property has everything you might need and more! To the front of the house, the immaculate lawn with a shady century-old carob tree and just opposite a garden lounge with sofas and armchairs and a second building that acts as an outdoor kitchen. There is a bathroom with shower in the garden as well. On the eastern side of the house is the garage with a roof-terrace that has wonderful views of the sea. You'll love the deck level eco-friendly swimming pool too (no chlorine)! Once inside, you'll be enfolded in coolness and calm. Near the entance, there's a dining room with a table for 8 which leads to the open plan living area with a super kitchen and fabulous window opening onto the garden. At the back of the house, on the ground floor is an airy family room, a bathroom, a spacious laundry and a store room. From the entrance, up the superb staircase to an open space where there's a computer corner, a small fitness room with massage chair and a double bed sofa all with an adjoining terrace overlooking the sea. Off here lie the bedrooms: two doubles-one with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, a twin and a family bathroom.
Interaction with guests
Antonella will be at your disposal during your holiday for any problems you will occurred.
Other things to note
All the rooms, have conditionated air system, kitchen too.
This host has 2 reviews for other properties.View other reviews
Amo la mia isola e lavoro nel settore turistico. Mi piace accogliere i turisti e consigliare loro le chicche da non perdere nella nostra Isola piena di luce, di mare e di storia da scoprire...

domain: travel


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For my directed study I am focusing on bilingual poetry, so I’ve been reading books in English and Spanish. Juan B. Nina’s Poemas de Ocasiones is completely in Spanish from front cover to back cover, but what I found the most interesting was how Nina morphed time in his poems.
Well, let’s start with the title Poemas de Ocasiones, which translated to English is Poems of occasions. The word “occasions” is important here because it gives a sense of time to all the poems. For example, the poems are for a specific occasion. They are for a specific moment in time, but we don’t necessarily know the specific moment in time because the occasions are not specified. Whew, what a redundant sentence!
On page 14, the poem “He visto el tiempo deternerse,” which in English means “I have seen time stop,” or literally “I have seen time stop itself.” Speaking truthfully, that is exactly what it feels like to read each of Nina’s poems in this collection. Each poem is in an unspecified specific moment in time that it feels like time stops for the moment. Also, contradictory as well, it feels like each poem is happening all over time. For example, there are poems that seem to be happening in the present, others in the past, and the last two in the future.
Nina ends his collection with “Voces debajo de la tierra,” which means “Voices under the earth.” From the title, one might think that the poem is about dead people, and it might be. Pero quiero concentrarme en the last line of the poem, que es
“Pedro Gutiérrez sin hablar agitó sus pasos por la calle principal y hasta el día de hoy, viente cuatro de junio de dos mil cuarenta y siete que cumplo tres años no lo hemos vuelto a ver” (Nina 57).
“…From today’s date, 6/24/2047, it has been 103 years since we have seen him.” Even in the very last sentence of his collection, Nina is playing with a morphed sense of time. Nina writes the sentence in a way that it seems as if we are in the past, the present, and the future all at the same time. Which, side note, is one of the many things that Hispanic/Latino writers have always been good at, just look at the first sentence of One Hundred Years of Solitude. But, like I was saying, the date is very specific, 6/24/2047, but because of the way the sentence is written we are also thinking about 103 years ago, 6/24/1944. This shows a morphed sense of time because we are put in two different dates, possibly two generations, at the same time like a vanilla and chocolate swirl.

domain: literature


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We found this little kit to make a pumpkin with the Mrs. Potato Head parts at Target the other day. The girls giggled nonstop putting her together to look like a princess for Halloween. Daniel used a sharp pointed grill tool to poke holes, and then we popped the pieces in. I have to say that this is a much less messy way to decorate a pumpkin. I've put her on our kitchen table because I'm afraid to put her outside. I don't want someone to steal her or break her. There are a lot of teenagers and kids of all ages that live in our area and walk past our house daily.
Speaking of Halloween, we still don't have a costume for Danya. We've tried convincing Daniel that we should all dress up like the Dukes of Hazzard ever since we saw a Bo Duke costume Daniel's size at the store the other day, but he doesn't seem real thrilled about the idea. Gloria said she'd be Boss Hogg and Danya said she'd be Daisy Duke. Nobody wanted to be Uncle Jesse, but I think that would be a great costume! Oh well, we'll keep looking for good ideas.

domain: hobby


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Ancient Readers and their Scriptures explores the various ways that ancient Jewish and Christian writers engaged with and interpreted the Hebrew Bible in antiquity, focusing on physical mechanics of rewriting and reuse, modes of allusion and quotation, texts and text forms, text collecting, and the development of interpretative traditions.
Contributions examine the use of the Hebrew Bible and its early versions in a variety of ancient corpora, including the Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, New Testament, and Rabbinic works, analysing the vast array of textual permutations that define ancient engagement with Jewish scripture. This volume argues that the processes of reading and cognition, influenced by the physical and intellectual contexts of interpretation, are central aspects of ancient biblical interpretation that are underappreciated in current scholarship.
The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Study of the Humanities explores the use of methods, theories, and approaches from the humanities in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The volume contains ten essays on topics ranging from New Philology and socio-linguistics to post-colonial thinking and theories of myth.
Hebrews and the Temple Philip Church argues that the silence of Hebrews concerning the temple does not mean that the author is not interested in the temple. He writes to encourage his readers to abandon their preoccupation with it and to follow Jesus to their eschatological goal. Following extensive discussions of attitudes to the temple in the literature of Second Temple Judaism, Church turns to Hebrews and argues that the temple is presented there as a symbolic foreshadowing of the eschatological dwelling of God with his people. Now that the eschatological moment has arrived with the exaltation of Christ to the right hand of God, preoccupation with the temple and its rituals must cease.
In Qumran studies, the attention of scholars has largely been focused on the Dead Sea Scrolls, while archaeology has concentrated above all on the settlement. This volume presents the proceedings of an international conference (Lugano 2014) dedicated entirely to the caves of Qumran. The papers deal with both archaeological and textual issues, comparing the caves in the vicinity of Qumran between themselves and their contents with the other finds in the Dead Sea region. The relationships between the caves and the settlement of Qumran are re-examined and their connections with the regional context are investigated. The original inventory of the materials excavated from the caves by Roland de Vaux is published for the first time in appendix to the volume.
The Text of the Hebrew Bible and its Editions some of the top world scholars and editors of the Hebrew Bible and its versions present essays on the aims, method, and problems of editing the biblical text(s), taking as a reference the Complutensian Polyglot, first modern edition of the Hebrew text and its versions and whose Fifth Centennial was celebrated in 2014. The main parts of the volume discuss models of editions from the Renaissance and its forerunners to the Digital Age, the challenges offered by the different textual traditions, particular editorial problems of the individual books of the Bible, and the role played by quotations. It thus sets a landmark in the future of biblical editions.
In 4QSamuelᵃ and the Text of Samuel, Jason Driesbach offers a thorough analysis of secondary readings in 4QSamuelᵃ (4Q51) along with those in other major witnesses to Samuel (MT, Gᴮ, Gᴸ), leading to a nuanced characterization of the scribal features and textual affiliation of 4QSamuelᵃ, with implications for understanding its place in text-critical studies and literary analyses of the books of Samuel.
4QSamuelᵃ has been regarded by some scholars as an untrustworthy witness to the text of Samuel and by other scholars as a crucial witness, sometimes containing lost readings. Further, some regard this scroll as a non-biblical work based on Samuel. Driesbach’s analysis offers an evaluation of these views based on a sound and thorough consideration of the scroll.
Dead Sea Scrolls Concordance, Volume 2, presents for the first time an index to the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text of the non-biblical, non-Qumran Judaean Desert documents in one publication. The contents of this volume are defined by E. Tov’s
Revised Lists (Brill, 2010). In the main the Concordance serves as an index for volumes II and III of the
Judean Desert Studies (JDS), volumes II, XXVII, XXVIII, and XXXVIII of the
Discoveries in the Judaean Desert (DJD), and volumes I, II, and VI of
Masada: The Yigael Yadin Excavations 1963-1965, Final Reports.
Thirty-three revised and updated essays on the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Qumran and the Septuagint, originally published between 2008 and 2014 are presented in this volume, the third volume of the author’s collected writings. All three areas have developed much in modern research, and the auhor, the past editor-in-chief of the international Dead Sea Scrolls publication project, is a major speaker in all of them. The scrolls are of central importance in the modern textual research and this aspect is well represented in this volume. Among the studies included in this volume are central studies on coincidence, consistency, the Torah, the nature of the MT and SP, the diffusion of manuscripts, and the LXX of Genesis.
The previous two volumes are:
The Greek and Hebrew Bible: Collected Essays on the Septuagint (VTS 72; Leiden: Brill, 1999).
Hebrew Bible, Greek Bible, and Qumran: Collected Essays (TSAJ 121; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008).

domain: library


JOSH TURNER, JUSTIN MOORE AND KIP MOORE
AND MANY MORE TO PERFORM AT LYNCHBURG MUSIC FEST IN SOUTH-CENTRAL TENNESSEE
3 days of music, whiskey, and camping – The perfect getaway!
Friday, Oct. 2 – Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020
Music Hollow in Lynchburg, Tenn.
Social distancing measures will be in place the entirety of the event
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
The perfect getaway for music and whiskey aficionados alike, Lynchburg Music Fest features dozens of legendary and up-and-coming country/bluegrass artists – a true songwriters destination. Justin Moore joins the lineup as the Saturday headliner alongside previously announced Friday headliner Josh Turner and Sunday headliner Kip Moore, and the full 2020 artist lineup will be revealed in early September. New this year, the Fest will feature a “Whiskey Row” and “Wine Circle,” offering concertgoers tastes from several distilleries and wineries in the surrounding areas; a song crafters tent; a “Best of Fest” award with whiskey, wine, and food categories; and many local vendors for patrons to enjoy. Tickets are on sale now, including Weekend General Admission, Single Day General Admission, and several VIP and camping options, available at lynchburgmusicfest.com. Social distancing and sanitization measures will be in place onsite, outlined below and on the festival website. For a full list of activities, visit www.lynchburgmusicfest.com.
Lynchburg Music Fest is an all ages rain or shine event. All artists are subject to change without notice.
Friday, Oct. 2 – Sunday, Oct. 4
Gates open at 4 p.m. on Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Music starts at 5 p.m. and ends by 11 p.m. on all three days. Load-in for camping starts at 12 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. Load-out completed by 12 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020.
Meet us in Music Hollow: 1615 Louse Creek Road, Mulberry, TN 37359 - For campers: Camp at one of three convenient campgrounds - RV and VIP campgrounds are within walking distance and there is a free shuttle service for general admission and car campers.
HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE:
Lynchburg Music Fest considers the health and safety of its patrons as its top priority. Onsite safety protocols in place include external temperature checks upon entry, complimentary face mask and personal hand sanitizer kits provided upon entry, increased hand sanitizer stations, overall reduced capacity, all benches spaced six feet apart, increased restroom capacity and sanitation, and more. For the full list of safety measures, visit


Help your fellow builder by leaving your feedback based on these three criteria:
- Originality: How original is this - never seen before?
- Building Techniques: How much skill do you think the creator of this MOC has, in terms of building technique?
- Details: Express how much you like the details of the build.
Your feedback is only shown to the creator as well as yourself. It is not available for other users to see. The creator won't see your user name.
Replica of the rocket propelled Bloodhound LSR.
This car will attempt to brake the Land Speed Record in SA, in Hakskeenpan.
The Bloodhound LSR will attempt to travel a speed of 1600 Km/h, Smashing the Land Speed Record and becoming the world's fastest rocket powered car.
I've got a major interest in the Bloodhound project and a WILD imagination in Lego! This project took me 5 solid days to build.
Futuristic but current. When Bloodhound brakes the Land speed Record, everyone would like to purchase a replica of the car.
The Bloodhound LSR will attempt to break the Record sometime next year.
My Bloodhound LSR consists out of +/- 400 pieces of lego.


Because sensor technology has become increasingly critical to military and other high-profile operations, it's essential to understand the specific impact weather will have on mission-critical sensor systems. AER's experts in Weather Impacts on Sensor Technology (WIST) develop tools that use advanced physical modeling of the environment to predict the consequences of weather on operations. These tools utilize both imaging and non-line-of-sight acoustic sensor systems. We make extensive use of multi-spectral satellite imagery and GIS/image processing for state-of-the-art description of near-surface conditions. WIST tools are used in both live combat operations as well as modeling and simulation activities.
Our WIST experts support large-scale modeling and simulation (M&S) activity by providing computationally fast weather-enabled sensor performance calculations connected to extensively indexed historical global weather archives. These tools eliminate much of the “handwork” required to provide weather to M&S users and allow realistic physical modeling calculations in high volume applications.
In developing both efficient field-deployable decision-aid applications and advanced weather-enabled sensor performance prediction tools, we span all elements of the source-to-sensor response vector, and encompass all levels of the modeling task chain.
To learn more about AER's WIST expertise, please contact us.


The Simmons School of Library and Information Science (Boston, USA) has announced that Dr. Sanda Erdelez will be joining the School as Director and Professor beginning in June of 2018. Dr. Erdelez is a world-renowned researcher in the area of information behavior and recipient of the 2015 “Outstanding Contribution to Information Behavior Research Award” from the Special Interest Group on Information Seeking and Use (SIGUSE) of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T).
Dr. Erdelez earned her PhD at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University while on a Fulbright scholarship. She served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and as an Associate and Full Professor at the University of Missouri School of Information Science and Learning Technologies (SISLT). While at the University of Missouri, Dr. Erdelez served as the Chair of the SISLT Library and Information Science Program and as the Associate Director for Education at the Missouri Informatics Institute.
Click here to visit the Simmons website.


If you have a parking lot that is in a commercial area, you may wish to turn it into a paid parking lot. If you want customers to pay for your parking lot, you should build up the parking lot to make it more attractive. In order to get customers to pay for parking in your lot and trust that their vehicle will be safe, you should make certain improvements. Her are four improvements to make to attract money and customers to your parking lot.
Repaint the parking lot lines
One of the things that everyone wants inside of a parking lot is clear signage and space. Repaint the lines on the parking lot spaces to make them wide enough for trucks and SUVs. Every customer should be able to get out of their spot with ease, and no one should have trouble slipping into a parking spot. Larger parking spaces with clearly defined lines make for easier and quicker parking.
Seal coat the parking lot
Seal coating the parking lot will be important. This will make the parking lot more attractive, plus smooth out the parking lot cement. The seal coating will make the parking lot pavement darker, which will make the lines stand out. For those who are just learning how to drive and for those who may have issues with being colorblind, the dark seal coating versus the bright lines can make parking safer. For more information on seal coating, contact a company like R Williams Paving LLC.
Make the parking covered
Even in your average, stand-alone parking lot, you can put up covered parking. No matter the environment, covered parking is a great way to protect a vehicle. The car can be protected from rain, sleet, snow, and heat. Be sure that the coverings that you place over the parking spots are high enough for vans and large trucks to fit in. This will allow you to attract a larger consumer base.
Gate the parking lot with bars
A gated parking lot goes a long way in ensuring that customers feel safe. Everyone wants to know that the parking structure that they paid for will be safe for them and their vehicle. Erect a gate that has slim bars that are close together. This will ensure that the gate is very difficult to climb or break into. The front of the gate should have lifting bars that allow authorized customers in and out. Whether the lift is run by a machine or run by a person, this will make sure that only those who have a ticket or entry key will be allowed to take a vehicle out of the lot.


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Legacy Fleet: The Story of BART's Old Cars
The Book on BART's Legacy Fleet
The most detailed book ever written on the Legacy Fleet is approaching the station! Estimated printing: September 2024.
Reserve a copy of the BART Legacy Fleet Book!
This book spares no expense in covering the important details of the legacy fleet, totaling about 669 pages of the most revolutionary postwar rapid transit cars ever built.
The book’s sections include the following:
Alongside a detailed appendix including the following:
Sample passages available here: A History of the BART Legacy Fleet
This the unofficial history of the legacy fleet – as seen and recorded through those that designed, built, operated, maintained, and rode them. You will be hard pressed to find any similarly detailed book on rapid transit cars, anywhere.


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Pocket has this week rolled out a new update to its Android application,which has brought with it a number of new features, together with tweaks and enhancements.
One of the major new features arriving in the latest Pocket for Android update, is the added ability to now use test-to-speech in Pocket’s new “Listen” feature.
Pocket’s new “Listen” feature, is part of the 4.2 update, and now allows you to simply open an article, press the “Listen,” button within the app, and Pocket will read the text out loud to you.
Unfortunately for iOS users Apple doesn’t currently provide a text-to-speech API, so there are no immediate plans for Pocket to roll out the new Listen feature to its iOS apps.
For more information on the other tweaks, enhancements and bug fixes in the latest Pocket 4.2 for Android jump over to the Pocket blog post. Pocket is now available now on Google Play, and coming soon in Amazon’s Appstore.
Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.


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Italy Euro 2016 Kit Released: See photos of Italy's EURO 2016 home and away jerseys
The National Football Team of Italy took to social media to release the official Euro 2016 kit. Designed and produced by Puma, the home kit was revealed last year in November and it made its debut in a friendly against Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. The new kit has already gained popularity among the Italian fans and with the UEFA Euro around the corner, there will be a tremendous increase in sales.
Puma has not messed around with the minimal ink blue that the Italians have been accustomed to and they have somehow found a way to make it classier in the simplest manner. The Italian crest finds its spot on the left side of the jersey with the Puma logo on the right. The number of the players have been placed on the chest, in-between the crest and the maker’s logo. The shirt features a standard crew neck and jacquard-printed pinstripes running in the front and the sleeves, combining with gold details.
The Euro kit resembles the classic Italian combination of blue shirt, white shorts, and blue socks. The Italian crest has also been placed on the right side of the shorts with the number on the left.
The away kit was introduced this year in February.The shirt has been made in white with the Italian badge in the middle. The green, white and red stripes run through the middle of the shirt which symbolize the Italian colors. The badge features 4 stars which represent the number of times the Italian team has won the World Cup.
The away kit also showcases a blue collar which was missing in the home kit. A touch of blue stripe has been added from the shoulder to the sleeve region. The jersey numbers have been omitted in the away shirt, sparing only the Puma logo on the right side.
Here are the Italy players flaunting their new jersey.
The official twitter account of the Italian National Football Team had revealed the Goalkeeper’s kit a couple of days back before a friendly againt Scotland, much to the delight of the fans.
The maker’s focused on bringing the artistic flair that the Italian country represents and they succeeded in doing just that. Italy is a part of the Group E of UEFA Euro 2016 and they will face Belgium in their first game on June 14.


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07/02/2019 Other Services
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About 90% of coal mining equipment used in China is produced domestically. Chains are widely used in mining. Among many applications, Parsons Chain China’s conveyor chains are heavily used in scraper conveyors for transporting coal.
In China, there are not many manufacturers producing G80 and G100 chains that can withstand the demanding usages in mining. Parsons Chain China, a branch company of China Coal Zhangjiakou Coal Mining Machinery Co., Ltd. (ZMM), which is under China National Coal Group, is China’s leading company manufacturing chains for the mining industry. The company has a rich tradition in chain manufacturing in China, and their manufacturing facilities and techniques are world class.
Long time history in manufacturing chains, acquired Parsons Chain from the UK in 2006
Parsons Chain China’s rich history can be traced back to 1958. At that time, the company operated as China Zhangjiakou Round Link Chain Factory, a branch company under ZMM, the latter was founded in 1926. In 1958, the company successfully started the production of 18mm mining chains, which are used on China’s first round link chain scraper conveyor, made by ZMM. This was a remarkable milestone for China’s mining equipment manufacturing history.
Since then, the company developed fast. Through research and development and improvements in production methods, the company gradually developed and became an advanced mining chain manufacturer.
In 1995, China Zhangjiakou Round Link Chain Factory started cooperation with Parson Chain Co., Ltd. from the UK and brought in the technology to produce 30mm and 34mm “Enhanced” mining chains. Since then, there was close cooperation between the two companies. In 2006, China National Coal Mining Equipment Co., Ltd. (CME) acquired Parson Chain Co., Ltd. The technology for producing chains with high specification and high tensile strength became available in China. Parsons Chain China was founded to mark this new era of chain manufacturing.
Parsons Chain Co., Ltd. from the UK had 100 years of history and was the pioneer in chain technology for the century. Parsons Chain China’s former factory has 50 years history experience manufacturing chains in China. These provide a strong platform for the newly formed Parsons Chain China to improve on the technology and manufacturing technique, and become a world class manufacturer for high specification mining chains.
Introducing high specification chains in China, products export to the worldwide markets
Parsons Chain China is positioned at producing high-end products. The company has 10 product lines in 500 plus catalogue products, ranging from 6mm to 52mm, grade 60, 80 to grade 100 in strength. Products can be classified as mining chain, chain sling, ship-use chain, fishing chain, lashing chain, furnace-and-kiln handling chain, ash handling chain and round link sling, steel rope sling, poly textile sling, lifting beam, lifting clamp and varieties of sling accessories,. The products are widely used in China’s 13 coal bases, and in the metallurgical, power supply, construction, port, ship, forest and national defense industries.
In 2007, Parsons Chain China’s high tensile strength mining chain was exported to Australia for the first time. This reflects the products have reached the highest world standards required for use in the worldwide mining industry. And China does not rely on importing mining chains anymore.
Parsons Chain China has a vast sales network in mainland China. One aim of the company is to provide the domestic market with high specification products that were previously imported. In the meantime, Parsons Chain China has built an extensive international sales network through sales agents. Many of Parsons Chain China’s overseas sales agents are inherited from Parsons Chain UK. Parsons Chain China’s products are exported to Asia, Europe, South America and Australia. Distributors are located in Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Korea, Chile, Australia, etc.
Advanced manufacturing facilities, emphasis on quality control
Parsons Chain China hired specialists originally from Parsons Chain UK to supervise on quality, manufacturing methods, sales and marketing. The company continues to renew its management structure and expand its production capacity.
Parsons Chain China is equipped with world class chain manufacturing machines. Equipment includes (1) advanced production line consists of integrating, forming, blasting, welding, calibrating and heat treatment equipment by MRP (Germany). (2) Intelligent property rights, technology and equipment for the production of mining chain from Parsons Chains UK. (3) material testing machine, fatigue testing, tensile, charpy testing machine and vacuum spectrum machine by Instron (UK), Leica, Oblf (Germany), and (4) state-of-the-art testing and inspecting instruments.
Parsons Chain China comprehensively uses CAD system and MRP system to conduct research, R&D and analyzing. In terms of equipment level, the company has reached international advanced level and ranked the first in the chain manufacturing industry of China.
The company also implements ISO9001 quality control system. This provides a solid basis for the company to improve on product development, project management, and supplier management.
These efforts have a positive effect on the brand image of Parsons Chain China. Early this year, “Parsons Chain China” is recognized as a “Famous Brand” by Heibei Provincial Government.
Sustainable development, ready for the future
Parsons Chain China has recently tested the newly developed 56mm mining chain. Since 2006, the company has developed more than 100 new specifications of mining chain. For lifting chain and accessories, the varieties added up to 3000. There are more than 100 new techniques used in the manufacturing processes. Some of these manufacturing methods are patented. These marked a modern era in China’s mining chain manufacturing.
The company obtained accreditations such as ISO 9001 quality administration system, China CCS, Safety Certificate of High-Strength Mining Round Link Chain. Parsons Chain China is assigned as a standard committee for drafting the national standards for Mining Chain, Lifting Chain and Lifting Chain for Cement Usage. All the products are covered by Products Liability of PICC.
In 2012, a new manufacturing base for ZMM was in use. The floor area reaches 68,000 sq m. A 8000KN horizontal tensile testing machine was put into use. The huge machine can test chains with diameter of 70mm. These tests provide valuable data for product development and quality assurance. The facilities can provide testing service for chains manufacturers in China or overseas.
Parsons Chain China commits to continue providing high quality products for domestic and foreign customers. Through sustainable development in technology, and efforts are made to expanding the company’s sales network, Parsons Chain China aims to further its growth on the worldwide stage.
This article is published on LRW Magazine vol17, 2014.


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The presidential election campaign in Kazakhstan continues, however, no one in the country has any doubts as who is to win on June 9, 2019. Therefore, we do not see a point in analyzing and assessing the candidates’ election programs, their slogans and support groups. Nonetheless, the current developments are interesting — albeit not from the point of view of today but in the sense of how they will affect the future.
In view of this, let us draw the reader’s attention to the opinion of publicist Sergey Duvanov who one of the most active «residents» of Kazakh sector of Facebook.
On May 21, 2019, he posted an article called «How have we come to this?». Here are some quotes that we consider the most crucial ones (text in bold by kz.expert).
«The unique feature of the current presidential elections lies in the presence of the protest candidate».
«Akorda would never consent to that had it not been for the protest-oriented part of the society’s unified desire to vote against the continuation of Nazarbayev’s political line personified by Tokayev. However, Akorda has been quick to realize that, with no love lost between Ablyazov and Kosanov, a unified protest front cannot exist in principle.
They have played on the antagonism that has been a part of the protest camp for a long time. It is the antagonism between the radical wing led by Ablyazov and the wing led today by Kosanov — the wing clearly willing to compromise, to cooperate with the authorities. Essentially, the confrontation between these two protest «wings» has become the main suspense of the upcoming elections. When the said antagonism between the leaders had divided the protest electorate into two parts that started to hamper each other’s way, it became clear that the ruling party’s candidate would have no problems at the elections».
«The growth of protest moods that everyone has been remarking upon recently shows that the public conscience has undergone serious changes in regard to the critical assessment of the authorities. The society has become noticeably proactive and, had the opposition been a bit smarter, it could have used this trend to their advantage. But alas! The political engineers had played it beautifully and managed to face off the threats that could have taken place in the event of the consolidation of all the dissidents».
«Nonetheless, the elections suspense continues albeit now it has nothing to do with the results of the elections. Now we have the fight between those supporting the boycott of the elections and those suggesting to vote for the protest candidate. The advocates of either side have got bogged down in debates, mutual reprimands and affronts. With that, it is unclear how many of those (from either side) are there. It is possible that only a handful is engaged in these debates. Whereas the major part of the society that is, traditionally, is not rooting for either the «reds» or the «whites», is absolutely clueless as to how to act. Shall they or shall they not vote at all? If they choose to boycott the elections, how can they do it exactly? If they choose to vote, then for whom?»
Note that Sergey Duvanov is one of the key figures in the history of the Kazakh opposition, its veteran who, for more than two decades, has been a member of most protest structures that, one way or another, existed in the country since the collapse of the USSR and the creation of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan. With that, he is not a politician but a publicist — he writes what he thinks and thinks what he writes.
We will start commenting on his post by analyzing Duvanov’s statement that «the unique feature of the current presidential elections lies in the presence of the protest candidate».
In our opinion, the uniqueness lies in something else — the absence of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s name on the list of the candidates. Everything else is minor. The very fact that Nazarbayev has handed the reign of power over to another person thus letting him take the lead (and it does not matter who this person is) is a shock for the Kazakh citizens used to Nazarbayev being the leader of the nation.
As to the «suspense» personified by the protest candidate, even if it is happening, it is happening for a rather narrow circle of people (say several thousands; tens of thousands at the most) interested in what is going on in the country. Nothing more.
Of course, the mere nomination of Amirzhan Kosanov as a candidate for the Presidency, the fact that his supporters had managed to collect more than a hundred thousand signatures in a matter of days and the Central Electoral Commission had accepted them — all of that is truly astounding. For the proactive citizens, it serves as a reason to, first, work out their position in re the so called protest candidate and, second, to express their position in re the events happening in the country.
To hope that the Kazakh opposition would unite and stand as one at the upcoming early presidential elections was futile from the very beginning. Hence Duvanov’s disappointment expressed in his Facebook posts — yet again, the dreams have not come true.
So, the question arises — can a new opposition emerge in the country and, if yes, them when? The answer to the first part of the question can be nothing but positive, but the second one presents a total puzzle.
It is puzzling if only because, today, the country has many opponents of Akorda and Nursultan Nazarbayev personally. They can be either open or hidden in their manifestation, nonetheless, they are true opponents of all kinds and varieties. However, they differ from the political opposition in that they do not have any aspirations to seize (obtain) the power. So, de-facto, the opposition today consists of Mukhtar Ablyazov only. All the other groups and persons either do not dare to or cannot formulate their own political program (line) and vocalize it. Given this, it is pointless to hope that they will unite even on such an important occasion as electing the new president who will not be Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Meanwhile, in our opinion, the shoot-outs among Akorda’s opponents that are happening today and will happen tomorrow are not simply useful but imperative at the present stage of the development of the internal political process in the country. The fact that not only Mukhtar Ablyazov with his DCK-2, the representatives of the Zhana Kazakhstan movement, the supporters of Akezhan Kazhegeldin and Bergey Ryskaliyev but also the young people who, to everyone’s surprise, participated in the May protests are now active on social media is a big plus for Kazakhstan. In fact, we are observing the start of the self-identification process of those who can become a part of a true opposition in the future.
In this sense, the merits of the DCK-2’s leader to his country and the Kazakh citizens lies in the fact that, by assuming a more radical position towards the authorities and Nursultan Nazarbayev, he represents one of the sides of the internal political spectrum. In doing so, it is creating, between himself and Akorda, an internal political space for all the other potentially protest groups enabling them them to operate inside the country.
As a consequence to their «Brownian movement» when all the participants without exception collide with each other thus striking informational «lightnings», something is now happening which the country has not seen for a long time — the rise of the active stance in the society. With that, one must realize that the other protest groups, the Islamist factions for example, are not expressing themselves openly on social media.
And, since the country is ruled by the authoritarian political system and the super-presidential vertical (no matter who is in charge of it) and, in theory, anyone whose opinion differs from that of the authorities can be called an opponent, it so happens that practically all the Kazakh citizens can become dissidents (just the way it happened in the USSR).
At the same time, we believe Sergey Duvanov is wrong in his opinion that, even though «the country has a lot of people dissatisfied with the authorities who do not support (perhaps not even know) those calling themselves «the opposition» and that these people «are not yet ripe enough to openly express their dissatisfaction and, therefore, are not ready to join protest organizations and participate in public protests», nonetheless, «all this protest mass of people is already prepared to vote against the continuation of the old reign» that «they are ripe enough to say no to the Nazarbayev line personified by Tokayev». We believe this is not so.
We also cannot agree with Segey Duvanov in regard to his placing all the responsibility for the current election campaign fiasco on the opposition. «I repeat, the protest leaders are to be blamed for today’s unfortunate situation first and foremost for they have not been unable to rise above their own ambitions and personal dislikes. Hence the protest part of the Kazakh society is now disoriented and exists in the state of feud». We do not agree with this because the opposition, as well as the authorities, cannot be that different from the Kazakh people — they are all different projections of the same social organism.
It is for this reason that our reply to the question posed by Sergey Duvanov to himself and others («What is to be done?») is this: the Kazakhs who want to change the country and live to see a better future should start by changing themselves and trying to change those around them. If only to ensure that, in the future, the number of civil activists will exponentially surpass the number of siloviki sent out to suppress them. And then the number of actions, movements, projects, ideas (not only of the protest nature) is certain to grow to such an extent that the authorities will have no choice but respond to them bearing in mind the position of the society. There is no other option we believe.


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NAPLES - Collier County doesn't have year-round marketing to lure tourists.
There isn't enough money set aside for it from the county's 4 percent tourist tax, charged on hotels and other vacation rentals. As a result, there's paid advertising only about five months out of the year to tout the destination.
But that could change under a plan championed by County Manager Leo Ochs.
The plan doesn't include a tax hike, which local hoteliers have fought for years. Instead, it would change the way the tax is divvied up, increasing the amount going toward promoting tourism and putting sand back on the beaches.
In addition to paying for tourism advertising and beach renourishment, the tourist tax — often called the "bed tax" — supports local museums and pays for beach park projects.
The plan supported by Ochs would cut the percentages of the tax going to beach park projects and county museums, freeing up more money for promotion and sand.
County commissioners will consider the plan later this month. It would change the tax split this way:
■ Cut the amount going to beach park projects from 16.5 percent to 4.3 percent.
■ Up the amount going to tourism promotion from 25 percent to 35.1 percent.
■ Up the amount going to beach renourishment from 33.5 percent to 37 percent.
■ Cut the amount going to county-owned museums from 11 percent to 9.6 percent.
"The whole thing is difficult because it's a balancing act. Balance doesn't mean 50/50. We need to be fair to everyone," said Mike Reagen, president and CEO of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce. "We need to keep our hospitality industry as strong as we can and obviously at the same time our beaches are terribly important."
In April 2011, a special subcommittee of the county's Tourist Development Council — an advisory board to county commissioners — began looking at ways to reallocate the tax to support a stronger, year-round marketing and promotion effort.
The subcommittee came up with 11 recommendations, which it then took to various "stakeholder groups" in the community for consideration. Those groups included the Naples, Marco Island and Everglades chambers of commerce, the Friends of the Collier County Museum and the Collier County Hotel & Lodging Association.
After reviewing the recommendations and input from outside groups, Ochs directed his staff to come up with ideas. The plan he's now pushing combines the subcommittee's recommendations with those of county staff. The Tourist Development Council (TDC) voted unanimously to support that combined plan at its Jan. 28 meeting.
"I think we've come up with a good blend of recommendations that gets us very close to where the TDC had suggested we get and certainly would help us a great deal in having a more robust, year-round marketing campaign," said Jack Wert, Collier County's tourism director.
The subcommittee's proposal would have increased the share going to tourism promotion to 45 percent, about 10 percent more than what Ochs is recommending.
County commissioners are slated to consider the reallocation plan Feb. 26.
If commissioners decide to make changes in how tourist taxes are divided, those changes wouldn't happen right away and any changes in the percentage users get would require a supermajority vote of four out of the five commissioners. That could be a big hurdle to overcome.
"That's a challenge," Wert said. "I'm hopeful."
Commissioner Tom Henning, who sits on the Tourist Development Council, said at the council's last meeting that he thought a plan recommended by the county manager would carry more weight with commissioners than one coming from the subcommittee.
It would be important, he said, to make sure commissioners understand the benefits of boosting advertising. Research done by the county's marketing consultant shows every dollar invested in advertising and promotion returns nearly $41 in direct visitor spending in Collier.
"It's plain and simple. I've seen it. It works and everybody has said over and over all ships rise when more money is put to promotion," Henning said.
The recommended plan would generate another $1.9 million for tourism marketing, increasing the marketing budget to nearly $4 million a year. It would add $500,000 for beach renourishment, growing the annual allocation to $3 million.
As part of the plan, staff has recommended a one-time withdrawal of $500,000 from an emergency advertising fund to support beach renourishment, pass maintenance projects and/or supplemental marketing. The account, used only when there's a disaster, has $1 million in it. If that amount dropped below $500,000, it would be boosted back up with money from the county's general fund under the county manager's proposal.
Under the plan, if there is a financial shortfall for county-owned museums or beach park projects, the county's general fund, which receives property tax dollars, would be used as a backstop. Museums would get $200,000 less a year, while beach projects would lose $1.75 million a year based on the proposal.
The special committee recommended county-owned museums be weaned off the tourist tax entirely over the next five years, but Ochs didn't support the idea.
The county's museums rely on tourist tax money to cover the operating budget. They're getting about $1.58 million annually from the tax, which generates more than $14 million a year.
Through the years, county museums have faced repeated threats of losing their share of the tourist tax. In 2009, county commissioners rejected another subcommittee's recommendation to cut off funding to museums by 2013 as a way to free up more money for marketing.
Most counties don't use the tourist tax to pay for museums, Wert said.
Collier County Museum Director Ron Jamro said he didn't know the details of the reallocation plan backed by Ochs, so he couldn't comment on specifics.
"I've seen this so many times and there have been so many reinventions of it," he said. "So I would prefer to sit and see what the final proposal truly is. It's just kind of a wait-and-see position."
In developing the latest reallocation plan, a few suggestions have been made about how county museums could raise more money on their own, including charging admission to nonresidents, applying for grants and hosting major fundraisers every year.
"These are major undertakings," Jamro said.
Since county museums have been getting tourist tax money, he said, they've expanded, growing in number from two to five. Jamro said he's not sure if that would have happened if the museums would have kept relying on the general taxpayer-supported county budget to support operations, or if their share of the tourist tax had been sliced.
"I'm concerned about the museums every day," he said. "I have been for a long time."
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I try to use what I already have as much as possible although sticking to my goal of 10 different fruits and vegetables each day does keep me popping into the market often for produce.
I mentioned yesterday, that my family has this crazy schedule this year. Often when I make a thoughtful dinner at night, my youngest daughter and I are the only ones who are home to eat it. I usually am sending leftovers the next day for either lunches or dinners for both of my kids and my husband. This is an example of one of those types of meals.
I have had a hard time getting my youngest daughter (11) to eat quinoa and kale.. Although she's noticing that her taste buds are changing, I try to approach a dinner where I know she'll like a good portion of it and then try what she's unsure about. I made a big batch of the salad for the family and I also made an organic whole wheat pasta with organic tomato sauce as a bit of a backup. I'll have enough leftovers for the next couple of days so everyone can grab something. I removed all the stems on the kale and sliced it super thin so it camouflaged with the romaine. It worked, so don't tell her. :) The main salad dressing is tahini based. I know that both of my daughters don' t like it. I offered them the option of squeezing lemon on their salads with hummus on the side.My youngest daughter did in fact each most of the salad too! It turns out she likes it if there is hummus.
1 cup cooked organic quinoa (Costco has the best price)
2 cups shredded organic romaine lettuce
1-2 cups organic, stems removed super thinly sliced kale.
Small orange bell pepper chopped
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes halved
3/4 cup organic chickpeas drained and rinsed.
1/2 container the bridge tofu
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup tahini (raw if you can get it)
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp water
1 pitted date
Salt & Pepper to taste
Arrange the chopped vegetables and chickpeas in a large salad bowl. Leave the cooked quinoa aside. Cut the tofu into 2 slices. Heat an iron skillet to medium/high heat. I use avocado oil to lightly coat the pan so it won't stick. Cook for 2 minutes each side and cut into cubes. Set aside. A healthier option is to steam the tofu. Cut it into squares before steaming 2 minutes. Once the tofu has cooled a little add it to the salad bowl.
Make the dressing. Add all ingredients into a high speed blender until smooth.
To serve add the salad mix and then desired amount of quinoa to an individual serving bowl. Add 1/4 of the dressing and mix. Alternatively use hummus and lemon and if you don't like tofu use a store bought falafel. Please note that in order to keep the salad from wilting, I keep the quinoa and the salad dressing separate when I store it an assemble separately the next day. Enjoy!


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Bank of Hawaii set to open in Kapolei Commons
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Bank of Hawaii will hold the grand opening of its Kapolei branch on Oct. 16. The 4,861-square-foot branch at the Kapolei Commons is the company’s 71st Hawaii branch and features a photovoltaic roof system to help with its energy needs, according to a prepared statement.
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