text:
We all know how tough it is to meet people. Getting set up on blind dates, online dating, people will try anything to find that special someone. Sometimes however, you meet people in the last place you expect, like the middle of an apocalyptic wasteland surrounded by murderous zealots trying to kill you. That was the case for a couple of crew members on the set of Mad Max:Fury Road.
The Telegraph tells the story of love found in the harsh Namibian desert. Dane Grant was the South African stuntman who was brought in during rehearsals for Fury Road to stand in for Max’s Tom Hardy. Dayna Porter was the native New Zealander stunt double for Charlize Theron, having worked with her before in Snow White and the Huntsman. (Yes, their names are Dane and Dayna, and this is already super cute.) They spent a lot of time together initially as the first meeting/fight scene between Max and Theron’s Furiosa took weeks of practice to get right. Apparently weeks of repeatedly throwing punches at each other brought about a unique bond and the two fell in love. They are now married with a 14 month old son.
The couple can thank the difficulty of shooting in the desert for giving them time to get to know each other. While filming was only expected to last a month it ended up running from May until December of 2012. While primary Hardy stunt double duties would go on to be handled by another New Zealander, Jacob Tomuri, Grant would stay on board to play some of the war boys in the film, so he got to hang around and get to know Dayna Porter, now Dayna Grant better.
Dane Grant views it as life imitating art as, like the characters they portrayed, they had to learn to trust each other in harsh desert environment. One can imagine that in a situation like filming Mad Max you’re going to make some strong relationships. Still, in a movie that had over 150 stunt people for some of the most extensive practical effects in recent memory, it’s a marvel that they were able to find each other. See the happy couple on set here:
So here’s to love blooming in the desert in the most romantic scene we can imagine: Two people beating the hell out of each other while cars explode all around them.
CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian. Armchair Imagineer. Epcot Stan. Future Club 33 Member.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.


text:
Crockett Elementary students tackled hunger.
The Travis Elementary Early Act Service Club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Greater San Marcos, raised $560 for the Hays County Food Bank’s Turkeys Tackling Hunger program.
The students, ranging in age between kindergarten and fifth grade raised the money through their change drive and “Face Painting Fridays” in less than two weeks time.
The $560 is equal to each class sponsoring one family for Thanksgiving.
The Early Act First Knight program will have an information and fund raising booth at the Sights and Sounds of Christmas. All funds raised will go directly to the program.
Meanwhile over at Crockett Elementary, the Early Act First Knight Leadership Council had a canned food drive in tandem with the school’s Turkeys Tackling Hunger program. Travis Elementary presented Hays County Food Bank’s Kate Shaw with a check for $626.26. The Early Act First Knight program collected 790 pounds of canned food for the Food Bank.
The Crockett Elementary Early Act First Knight program is sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Marcos.
A Crockett Elementary congratulatory turkey from Mrs. Torres class.Email | Print

domain: news


text:
Unfortunately, no results matched your search criteria.
You may wish to review your criteria. Alternatively, please check again soon as listings are being added regularly.
Looking for a more affordable warehouse solution in Meadow? CommercialVIEW has an unsurpassed range of warehouse and other commercial properties for lease or sale including small, mid-sized or large scale establishments. Whatever your core business needs are, we're sure to have a property that will meet your unique requirements.
Your business is unique, and we know that you need an equally unique property to allow you to create the most efficient warehousing solution for your business. With one of the most expansive collections of warehouse property listings to buy or lease across Meadow, CommercialVIEW is here to help.
So if you're in the market for a warehouse or other commercial property in Meadow, you can't go past CommercialVIEW. It's fast, free and effective so what are you waiting for?

domain: economics


text:
JOHN HARDY Surface Cuff
# 240-00610 In Stock
Artisan-crafted in Bali since 1975. Dramatic black sapphire, a powerful and protective stone, contrasts with rare spinel, a natural stone renowned for its clarity, imbue this bold Classic Chain cuff with infinite radiance. Sterling Silver and 18k Bonded Yellow Gold Treated Black Sapphire Lava Treated Black Sapphire Cuff measures 48.5mm wide
|Sub Type||Cuffs, Gemstone Bracelets|
Jewelry with soul, for all. John Hardy pieces are woven, cast, and carved by master artisans, using 100% reclaimed precious metals and raw, ethically sourced gemstones. Founded in Bali in 1975.

domain: design


Profession Overspray Removal Services
The Finest Name in Safe Overspray Removal. We specialize in removing all contaminants from any surface. Family Owned and Operated for 33 years! Fully insured. Satisfaction is guaranteed.
Robotic Blast Cleaning
Replace manual blasting with new Blastman robot models. Contact us to boost your production and save costs!
& Dust Collectors
Vacuum and dust collector hose, filters
and related accessories.
Our Abrasives Hold Up Under Pressure
N. T. Ruddock focuses on abrasive selection, equipment evaluation, equipment maintenance & reduction of abrasive consumption. Other services include Screen Analysis & Background Radiation Testing.
PosiTector Inspection Kits
PosiTector 6000 Coating Thickness Gage easily
converts to a surface profile gage, dew point meter or
ultrasonic wall thickness gage with a simple probe change
New resins from BASF will have metals loving water:
Excellent corrosion resistance, low VOC, high gloss, thin films basf.us/industrialcoatings
NO FLASH RUST -
Our HoldTight®102 salt remover & flash rust preventer prevents flash
rust by removing surface contaminants. It has no equal; only wannabees.
Contact us for your
(800) 319.8802 firstname.lastname@example.org
Global engineering-trusted solutions
For more than 70 years, Clemco has provided the highest quality blast equipment with a total commitment to comfort and safety.
Safety, Productivity, Quality. Robotic Blasting
Learn how this simple to use, field deployed, automatic robot is eliminating hazards in major confined, cluttered and complex surface preparation projects.


text:
Purchase this article with an account.
A.K. Samadi; The Effect of Membrane Permeable Ceramide on Lens Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Cell Death . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2006;47(13):2549.
Download citation file:
© ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)
Lens sphingolipid composition increases with age. In addition, the sphingolipid content of cataract lens is higher than noncataractogenic lens. Sphingomyelin is the substrate for ceramide production in many cell types. The goal of this report is to determine the effect of ceramide on lens epithelial cell viability and cell death.
Primary bovine lens epithelial cells (BLEC) and human lens epithelial cell line SRA01/04 grown in vitro were treated with C2–D–erythro–ceramide, C6–D–erythro–Ceramide and C2–D–erythro–dihydroceramide. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Cell death was identified by staining the cells with DAPI and DNA fragmentation test. Activation of caspase 3 enzyme was examined by PARP immunoblotting.
C2– and C6–Ceramide decreased cell viability of BLEC and SRA01/04. C2–ceramide reduced lens cell viability by 40–60%. In addition, ceramide increased cell death in a dose dependent manner. The exposure of lens epithelial cells to ceramide resulted in the detachment of the adherent cells. The adherent cells exhibited cell shrinkage, blebbing and chromatin condensation. C2–ceramide (50uM) treatment for 48 hours induced DNA fragmentation in lens epithelial cells. Cell death associated with ceramide treatment was caspase 3 dependent.
The abundance of membrane sphingolipids in aging lens and cataractous lens likely accounts for increased production of ceramide. Ceramide is shown to reduce cell viability and increase cell death in the cell epithelial cells.
This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

domain: biology


text:
This article contains major spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
We’ve known for a while now that Jesse Eisenberg originally auditioned to play another character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but now Entertainment Weekly has revealed that the actor was up for the role of Jimmy Olsen in the movie. While Eisenberg obviously didn’t end up playing him, the character did indeed make it into the final cut of the movie and he even shared a couple of scenes with Lois Lane.
However, he also died right in the beginning of the movie, as he was the photographer who was played by Michael Cassidy. Speaking with the magazine, director Zack Snyder explained the reasoning behind his decision to kill off the character:
“We just did it as this little aside because we had been tracking where we thought the movies were gonna go, and we don’t have room for Jimmy Olsen in our big pantheon of characters, but we can have fun with him, right?”
Snyder then went on to say that the character will have a bit more screentime in the Ultimate Edition of the movie, where he will actually reveal his identity to Lois early on during their meeting:
“He comes up to her and he goes, ‘Lois Lane, I’m Jimmy Olsen, photographer, obviously … You know, I’ve been assigned to you for this mission.’ But it turns out that Jimmy Olsen is a spook for the CIA.”
As for why Snyder wanted an actor like Eisenberg in the small role, it appears that the director wanted to add another shock factor in the movie by killing off a character who would be played by a famous actor:
“I thought, if it were Jesse Eisenberg and he got out and he goes, ‘I’m Jimmy Olsen,’ you’d be like, oh my God, we’re gonna have Jimmy Olsen in the whole movie, right?’ And then if he got shot, you’d just be like, ‘What!? You can’t do that.’”
Before Eisenberg landed the role of Luthor, many fans wanted to see Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston in the part, but was he ever even considered? Here’s what Snyder told EW about that:
“We talked about the usual suspects that you would imagine; any actor who has been bald, probably,. Bryan Cranston would have been great, right? And by the way, he’s an amazing actor. Can you imagine how different the movie would be?”
What do you guys think? Did you like Eisenberg as Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or would you have preferred to see someone like Cranston in the role? Sound-off your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source: Entertainment Weekly

domain: celebrity


After a magnificent weekend of action that saw goalscoring goalkeepers and shootout wins our Nottinghamshire clubs (still involved) have now learned of their plight for the next round of the FA Vase as the qualification stages are over, the draw has been made for the first round proper of the competition with a whopping £825 per team up for grabs for each winner.
After a stoppage time leveller from goalkeeper Joe Searson before the same man helped his side to a penalty shootout win against Ollerton Town, Radford FC have an away trip to Paget Rangers who are based in Sutton Coldfield.
Rainworth Miners Welfare who like Radford, drew 3-3 against East Midlands Counties League opposition (in Gedling MW) also won via spot kicks. The former runners-up of the competition back in 1982 will host Belper United in the next stage in what will be again familiar opponents with Belper based in the EMCL.
Finally Northern Counties East League high flyers AFC Mansfield who have had a terrific start to their season, will travel to Stone Old Alleynians, based in Staffordshire who play in the North West Counties Division One South.
All ties are scheduled to be played over the last weekend of October with the majority likely to go ahead on Saturday 31st.
*Main image @FA the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium.


text:
South devon dating online
The name Devon derives from the name of the Britons who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Britain at the time of the Roman conquest of Britain known as the Dumnonii, thought to mean "deep valley dwellers" from proto Celtic *dubnos 'deep'.In the Brittonic, Devon is known as Welsh: Dyfnaint, Breton: Devnent and Cornish: Dewnens, each meaning "deep valleys." (For an account of Celtic Dumnonia, see the separate article.) Among the most common Devon placenames is -combe which derives from Brittonic cwm meaning 'valley' usually prefixed by the name of the possessor.The inland terrain is rural and generally hilly, and has a lower population density than many other parts of England.Dartmoor is the largest open space in southern England, at 954 km its moorland extends across a large expanse of granite bedrock.The arrival of William of Orange to launch the Glorious Revolution of 1688 took place at Brixham.Devon has produced tin, copper and other metals from ancient times.
The comparatively mild climate, coastline and landscape make Devon a destination for recreation and leisure in England, with visitors particularly attracted to the Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks; its coasts, including the resort towns along the south coast known collectively as the English Riviera; the Jurassic Coast, and North Devon's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; and the countryside including the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.Danish raids also occurred sporadically along many coastal parts of Devon between around 800AD and just before the time of the Norman conquest, including the silver mint at Hlidaforda Lydford in 997 and Taintona (a settlement on the Teign estuary) in 1001.Devon was the home of a number of anticlerical movements in the Later Middle Ages.The Met Office, the UK's national and international weather service, moved to Exeter in 2003.Plymouth hosts the head office and first ever store of The Range, the only major national retail chain headquartered in Devon.

domain: history


text:
Digital Hub company Way2Pay has raised €500,000 in a funding round that will enable it to expand overseas.
The company has built an innovative fee collection system for schools and will commence its international expansion in the UK first.
The company’s technology allows for seamless payments between schools and parents.
Investors in the company include Enterprise Ireland, founder and executive chairman of Suretank Group Ltd Patrick Joy and John Aiken from Jenson Solutions.
Founded by Denise O’Grady, the Digital Hub based Way2Pay allows parents to easily pay for an activity or event using text message, email or a dashboard if they don’t have a smartphone. The company recently introduced the first-ever dedicated school payment app.
“We already have a strong customer base in both northern and southern Ireland but this investment will now help us rollout in the UK market,” O’Grady explained.
“The service was founded on highly-innovative technology and makes fee payments between schools and parents much easier and more efficient,” she added.
Since it was set up, Way2Pay, which now has a team of eight, has gone from strength to strength and is now available in a quarter of all Irish post-primary schools and seven ETB schools across Ireland. The company participated in the DCU Ryan Academy’s Propellor Programme and the NDRC’s Launchpad programme.

domain: finance


text:
Posted 19 September 2013 - 02:09 PM
Posted 19 September 2013 - 04:51 PM
Interesting enough the night of jan 4th, 1613 Jupiter actually occulted Neptune. it would have been interesting if Galileo observed that event.
He might have. Seems to me I read that he actually recorded Neptune several times in drawings of star fields. Or was that Uranus? Or some other guy?...
Well, someone did something sometime, and Neptune was involved; I know that much for sure.
Now it's time for my nap.
Posted 29 September 2013 - 04:22 PM
Posted 29 September 2013 - 09:59 PM
I just came in from a viewing session with Neptune with my CPC 1100. Conditions were very good but not ideal and I was able to do some fine collimation at 560x at the beginning of the session. GoTo found it right away and I was able to view at 280x with my 10mm Ethos. Disk shape with some color change and I swear I caught ghosts of Triton in averted glances at times. I can't confirm it, though Sky Safari did have it in a similar spot. This was the longest I've ever observed him and I enjoyed it very much.
Posted 05 October 2013 - 11:13 AM
(Though I did cheat a bit getting there...I used a goto mount ).
Uranus is my favorite of the two outer planets...beautiful greenish tint.
Posted 10 October 2013 - 09:27 PM
This morning I attempted to find Neptune I used the article in astronomy to help me along with my pocket sky atlas. I got the triangle of 42, 38 Aquarii & Iota Aquarii in my finder, than went to sigma Aquarii. Using astronomy's finder chart I looked between those two 7th magnitude stars at 33x and 67x in my 8" Dobsonian. I know it's small so I looked for a unfocused "star". Couldn't find it......help, tips
If you can find Deneb algiedi and nashire, they basically point to it. It is dead left of them in a cubby of medium stars, with Ancha inclosing it at the top. A cool trick to find planets is to use a 120-160x eyepiece and purposely put your telescope out of focus, because the planets are always brighter and bigger out of focus than a star.

domain: hobby


text:
Skip to content
Team / Driver Chart
2021 Team / Driver Chart
Cup Race Results
Cup Series Playoffs
Next Gen Car
XFINITY Series News
Team / Driver Chart
XFINITY race results
XFINITY Race Winners
Truck Series News
Truck Race Results
Truck Race Winners
Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Hall of Fame
All-Time Cup Wins
All-Time Cup Poles
All-Time Series Wins
Rookie of the Year
Winners & Stats
Wins & Stats
Female Driver Stats
Main Paint Schemes
Paint Scheme Chart
Oscar Mayer, Roush Fenway Unveil Newman Darlington Throwback
With the Darlington Throwback weekend coming up in a few weeks, Oscar Mayer and Roush Fenway Racing have announced that ...
Guaranteed Rate Extends Partnership with Newman and Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Guaranteed Rate has signed on as a major partner with Ryan Newman and the No. 6 Ford...
Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher penalized prior to Saturday’s race at Michigan
NASCAR has confiscated the spoilers of #6-Newman and #17-Buescher prior to the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway for violating rule 20.4.12.b...
Guaranteed Rate to sponsor Ryan Newman at New Hampshire
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Guaranteed Rate – one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States...
Acronis on board Ryan Newman’s Ford at Kentucky Speedway
Acronis makes its 2020 debut aboard Ryan Newman’s machine this weekend in Kentucky. Acronis was the primary for select races...
Oscar Mayer to celebrate Independence Day with Indy Scheme
Oscar Mayer – a three-year veteran partner of Roush Fenway, and iconic brand celebrated across America – will return to ...
Progressive Insurance returns to sponsor Ryan Newman for Saturday’s Pocono race
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Progressive Insurance – who joined the fold at RFR as the primary partner at Atlanta...
Koch Industries returns to sponsor Ryan Newman at Martinsville Speedway
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Koch (pronounced ‘Coke’) Industries – who served as the primary aboard Ryan Newman...
Progressive Insurance sponsoring Ryan Newman at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Progressive Insurance will serve as the primary partner on its No. 6 Ford Mustang...
Roman to sponsor Ryan Newman in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Roush Fenway Racing announced today that Roman — a leading men’s digital health clinic — will serve as the primary partner...
Ford Performance NASCAR: Ryan Newman Darlington Teleconference Transcript
Ryan Newman met with the media via teleconference Thursday and discussed his Daytona accident as well as this week's return...
Ryan Newman returning to the No. 6 when NASCAR resumes UPDATE: cleared by NASCAR; waiver granted
UPDATE 4-28-2020: NASCAR has granted Ryan Newman a waiver to compete for the 2020 NASCAR Cup championship...
Ryan Newman tweets thanks to fans
Ryan Newman, injured on the last lap of the Daytona 500, tweeted a thank you message Monday afternoon...
Ryan Newman discusses Daytona 500 accident on the Today Show…more
UPDATE: Ryan Newman also talked to Claire B. Lang Wednesday night on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. A portion of that interview...
Denny Hamlin says NASCAR updated drivers on Ryan Newman’s wreck
Denny Hamlin met with the media Friday morning at Phoenix Raceway. He said NASCAR has updated drivers on what they have found out so far about Ryan Newman's Daytona 500 wreck...
Ryan Newman visiting the track at Phoenix Raceway
Ryan Newman is in the garage area at Phoenix Raceway. He briefly talked to media members Friday morning...
Corey LaJoie posts photo with Ryan Newman in Phoenix
UPDATE: NBC Sports' Nate Ryan reports that Ryan Newman will be at the track this weekend but is not scheduled to do any interviews...
Ryan Blaney talks about Daytona wreck
Ryan Blaney met with the media Friday at Auto Club Speedway and discussed the wreck with Ryan Newman at the end of the Daytona 500...
Ryan Newman releases statement; says he has head injury, wants to race again
Steve Newmark, president, Roush Fenway Racing, held a Q&A session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this morning to read a...
Ross Chastain to sub for Ryan Newman
Roush Fenway Racing has announced that Ross Chastain will fill in for Ryan Newman starting this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) in the No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford. Newman was injured in a last-lap accident while leading Monday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International...
1 of 4


The follow-up to her breakthrough debut, No Burden.
Conor Oberst cameos in the charming visual.
12-stop trek set for next spring.
The politically-minded album will be supported with a five-week North American tour.
The six dates will feature both electric and acoustic sets.
31-date trek will also feature Denzel Curry and IDK.
The final entry in the band’s Sweet 17 Singles vinyl series, plus they’ve announced new tour dates.
Drake- and Bruno Mars-approved R&B singer coming to Chicago, Portland, New York, and Montreal.
Plus, the Boston outfit lines up a North American tour.
The setlist promises to span every Pedro the Lion record and will likely feature new material.
Dead and Company have postponed three upcoming concerts.
Lucius and Laraaji also appear on the singer-songwriter/producer’s third solo effort.


Mi tiyad fi hear bout Kartel now, cho!
MAVADO! Where yuh deh? Wha yuh a gwaaan wid?
Thanks to RAY KING, I now have a nice collection of the latest Mavado tunes. THANK GOD!! Cau' ah bare headache pon di adda side. No lie.
One thing I love about this mixtape is the sweet mix between his live performances and the studio version. It gives it a nice touch.
So make sure you check this one out, it's called the MAVADO STULLA MIXTAPE: Deluxe Edition.. Click here to download your copy!!


text: Golden, Colorado [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have shown that nanotechnology may greatly increase the amount of electricity produced by solar cells.In a paper published in a May issue of the American Chemical Society’s Nano Letters journal, an NREL team found that tiny “nanocrystals,” also known as “quantum dots,” produce as many as three electrons from one high energy photon of sunlight. When today’s photovoltaic (PV) solar cells absorb a photon of sunlight, the energy gets converted to at most one electron, and the rest is lost as heat. The research demonstrates the potential for solar PV cells that reduce wasteful heat and maximize the amount of the sun’s energy that is converted to electricity – a key step toward making solar energy more cost-competitive with conventional power sources. The NREL research team, led by Arthur Nozik, included Randy Ellingson, Matt Beard, Justin Johnson, Pingrong Yu, and Olga Micic, and worked in collaboration with theorists Alexander Efros and Andrew Shabaev of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C. The findings are further confirmation of pioneering work by Nozik, who in 2000 predicted that quantum dots could increase the efficiency of solar cells, through a process now termed “multiple exciton generation,” or “MEG”. Last year, Richard Schaller and Victor Klimov of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico were the first to demonstrate the electron multiplication phenomenon predicted by Nozik, using quantum dots made from lead selenide. “We have shown that solar cells based on quantum dots theoretically could convert more than 65 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity, approximately doubling the efficiency of solar cells,” Nozik said. The best cells today convert about 33 percent of the sun’s energy into electricity. The NREL and NRL researchers’ paper also describes a new theoretical foundation for the multiple exciton generation process that is based on certain unique aspects of quantum theory. The recent work demonstrates MEG in quantum dots of a second semiconductor material, lead sulfide. The NREL/NRL work not only shows higher overall efficiency for multiple exciton generation, it also establishes that the process occurs with lower photon energies, meaning it could make use of an even greater portion of the sun’s light spectrum. Beyond potential use for photovoltaic cells, similar quantum dot technology may someday be used in photoelectrochemical cells, which could become a clean and renewable way to produce hydrogen directly from water and sunlight.

domain: chemistry


Old Forge Barns
Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, the Old Forge Barns is a small two-bedroom residential annex fashioned from an existing stone stable and a new contemporary timber and large glass extension.
We were appointed by the clients to undertake a summertime daylight study and to propose suitable remedial measures to prevent overheating.
In order to assess the overheating issues, we modelled the building and context and ran simulations to analyse the impacts of light and heat on the space throughout a full year.
Having analysed the data, we were able to present a design solution that now mitigates summertime overheating caused by high angle sunlight whilst taking advantage of low angle winter time sun to offset heating demands in the colder months.


text:
Now living in the Des Moines, Iowa area, Erica Plaza grew up on the South Side of Chicago surrounded by lots of family. “I grew up with my cousins next door,” she shared. “We were all born one year apart. There were five or six of us around our same age group. I am very family oriented with traditional parents.” Erica explained that her family all came to Chicago from Zacatecas, Mexico with her paternal grandfather. He was able to get all the brothers and sisters there, her mother and her mother’s nine siblings. “That’s where we all came from,” Erica continued. “Some are still in Chicago, Wisconsin and Texas. We all still keep in touch. We all, at least once a year, get together. We are a very close family,” Erica added with a beautiful smile.
Erica explained she came to the Des Moines area, where she now lives with her husband Joel (Big Junior) and son Joel (Baby Junior), when one of her uncles moved to the area in 2008. Although hesitant at first, being 22 years-old and knowing her lifestyle would change, Erica said she felt there was a lot of opportunities for her and her family in the Des Moines area. And … she now “loves it.”
“My parents were not risk takers,” Erica explained. “They had stable jobs and are creatures of habit.” She continued to say, though, that when the company her mom worked for started “going downhill,” the family took a leap of faith and made the move together.
“It has been great. I love it here,” she said. “I can’t imagine what life would be like otherwise. There is a lot of violence now. A lot has changed in Chicago.”
Along with living in Iowa, Erica shared that her career plan wasn’t always to be in banking. “I was going into nursing,” she said but added that she felt she was too empathetic, and the job would have been too much for her … seeing people suffer. “I didn’t know what to get into,” she added. “My mom said, ‘Why don’t you try this?” and Erica applied for a job at the bank where her family got their mortgage from. “I’ve been in banking ever since,” she said.
Although a bit apprehensive in the beginning thinking it might be a “tough job” and that it was all new to her, Erica told herself, “Someone has to do it.”
“I fell in love with it,” she continued. “I fell in love with working with members and helping them achieve their financial goals.”
Erica loved her work and yet was always interested in working from home. “I am a mother of a 12-year-old,” Erica said with another big smile. “He makes me proud. I’m a proud baseball mom. He’s really passionate about the sport and will play the whole weekend. He loves it. He can’t get enough of it. I make sure I am able to provide that for him,” Erica continued. “He was always such a great baby. He made motherhood easy for me.”
When she was given the opportunity to work remotely from home at MCU, Erica said it “changed everything.” She shared that at the time she made the move to MCU almost a year ago, her husband was dealing with some health issues and it made it so much easier for her to support him during that time. “I can’t believe how happy I am working remotely,” she commented.
Erica said she feels that customer service has always came easy for her. “I was always empathetic. When I was young, I was that positive person. I always wanted to see something positive.”
When asked where she gets her empathetic nature, Erica didn’t hesitate and said it was from her mom. “My mom and I are very close. She is very sweet and compassionate,” Erica shared. When her brother was born, they’re 10 years apart, Erica’s mom told her, “I never want to see you fight with your brother. I always want to see you loving each other.”
Erica shows so much love for her family. Being a first generation bilingual in her family, Erica shared that she helped her parents understand English and complete documents when she was young. “I helped translate documents for my dad for citizenship in 1990. I recorded them into a Walkman, and he would listen to them. That’s how he got his citizenship,” she explained.
Erica shared that not everyone in her family is as concerned about keeping traditions alive, but she said, “My husband and I are both bilingual. We share traditional values. I want my son to be the same with his cousins and have those values and traditions.”
Erica serves as an outbound consumer loan officer for MCU. She shared that she remembers feeling “like a robot” going to work in the bank prior to MCU. “I started asking myself where I am needed the most and still be able to work with members and help them to achieve their financial goals. MCU’s core values speak to me … compassion and communication. I’m just really, really happy to be here.
“I know there are only three Spanish speaking consumer loan officers at MCU. I want to help the Hispanic market,” she added, “and assist them with all their needs and educate them on all of our products and services. Being bilingual, when I make a connection with a member, they are so appreciative. We are helping them achieve their goals.”
“I am where I have to be, career-wise,” Erica continued. “It is my calling to be here. Patience is my virtue. I do have a lot of patience. I always make members feel it’s okay for them to take their time and I am always thanked for my patience.”
“I’m so glad I’m here,” Erica commented. “I thank my recruiter for the opportunity to be here because times are different. He saw it in me that I would be a good fit for this role.” And, MCU, she said gives her the work/life balance she had been wanting. “I work twice as hard to not let him down and reach my goals. That’s how I feel I can show my appreciation to him,” she added. “I love everything we stand for and am excited for our future.”

domain: sociology


text:
Cocky chefs, cocaine bears, Korean orphans and whatever the fuck a Skinamarink is.
I have to be honest when I say that I wasn’t expecting much from Elizabeth Banks‘ Cocaine Bear, a movie I’ve seen so much marketing material for in the past five months that I’ve felt like my head was going to explode. Basically this is trying to be a bigger budget/gorier version of 70s/80s monsters schlock like Grizzly or Alligator, with the big difference being those movies were actually quite charming and funny in their low-budget attempts at big effects, which came off as so obviously fake you just had to guffaw. Cocaine Bear takes the majority of that fun and camp out of this whole set-up but our trade-off is an armada of talented stars. Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, Margo Martindale, Ice Cube’s kid, the Han Solo guy from Solo, Tormund Giantsbane, Senator Clay Davis, the ginger brother from Modern Family. The little girl from The Florida Project is also in it, as well as a brief appearance from Keri Russell’s husband from The Americans as dead cocaine guy. Everyone is good and enjoyable to watch in this movie and it’s clear they’re having a blast with all their little improvs and bear and cocaine jokes. However, I left the theater very unsatisfied. Cocaine Bear feels like chunks of it are missing, I’m glad Banks spared us a two hour movie, but in knocking it down to 95 minutes it feels like we’re missing a lot of essential connective tissue to investing in the main characters. We don’t really care if Keri Russell gets her kid back and we don’t really care if Han Solo reconciles with his Ray Liotta dad. Obviously we as America don’t flock to Cocaine Bear to revel in the human elements, but if you’re going to include so much footage of character stuff, we should at least care about them. Also, as much as I think it’s maybe fruitless to pick a part and analyze Cocaine Bear, I think the movie suffers greatly from never heightening. This is 95 minutes of the same beat over and over and over again. The bear doesn’t get any more fucked up than she already is with each additional kilo of cocaine she ingests, so the threat kinda just stays stagnant for the whole movie. The action sequences, which are well conceived and choreographed for the most part, peak in the middle with a fantastic chase sequence involving an ambulance and EMTs. Also, this movie is not a realistic representation of the effects of cocaine or cocaine use. There’s a scene where two young kids accidentally ingest, I’d say, three eight balls worth of pure, uncut cocaine, and I’m like, they’d be fucking dead. That scene in particular is troubling. It’s intended to play for laughs but seeing two 10-year-old kids attempt to do a mountain’s worth of cocaine just filled me with anxiety and fear for their personal well being. Cocaine Bear isn’t as bad as some critics and civilians are making it out to be, it’s rarely a chore, but it’s easy to see why Universal dropped it in February. It’s not that good and it plays the same joke over and over and over again, until you’re like “I get it, it’s a bear on cocaine!” Stay home and watch Grizzly or Alligator instead, both are on Shudder. Grade: C (In Theaters)
Return to Seoul
The best thing I watched this past week by a landslide was Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou‘s Return to Seoul, a fascinating, low-key character study done just right. It follows a South Korean-born but French-raised adopted 25-year-old, Freddie, who ends up in Seoul on a fluke. In an attempt to figure out her identity, she decides to track down her biological parents. We’ve seen this type of story many times before so of course the success of the movie all comes down to the little details, of which there are plenty. Return to Seoul is primarily dialogue-driven but kept me on the edge of my seat with its unpredictable twists and frequent time jumps. We follow Freddie for the better part of a decade as she and the audience attempt to discover who she actually is. First time actor Park Ji-Min is mesmerizing in the role, a wonderfully complex character that I’m still figuring out. Park is able to communicate so much with so little and the fact we never quite nail down the essence of who she is wonderful because she doesn’t even know. Veteran Korean actor Oh Kwang-rok who you may remember as the guy who jumps off the building at the beginning of Oldboy delivers an incredible performance as Freddie’s birth father, wracked with guilt and self-loathing over giving up his daughter for adoption. He’s an alcoholic trying to piece his life together but as many of you know, that rarely goes well. However, the ultimate power of Return to Seoul comes not from the uniformly excellent performances or the gorgeous and quite obviously Wong Kar-wai/Christopher Doyle inspired camera work, but its ambiguity. By refusing to give us the full picture, the film forces us to really think about issues surrounding identity and how feeling like you don’t really have one could effect not only our protagonist but ourselves. So many indie dramas attempt this but ultimately fail because they aren’t specific enough and fail to generate characters we can easily empathize with. Return to Seoul is very specific and we care very much about the character of Freddie, even though she can being truly awful at times, because hey, so can we. I wish I would have seen this in time to include in my Top 10 of 2022 article, it would have made the list probably closer to the top than the bottom. Of course it’s already out of Camelview as of the posting of this review, and will, I predict, play only one more weekend at Shea 14 before hanging around in a sort of movie limbo before becoming available on VOD. If this is your type of a movie, and you know if this is your type of movie, make the effort to see it this weekend. If not, go see Creed III. Grade: A- (In Theaters)
I love food, especially good food which is unquestionably better than bad food. Most of the time I can take or leave reality competition TV chefs though, especially the most pretentious and egotistical of the bunch. While shows like Top Chef seem to uncomfortably fawn all over them, Gordon Ramsay programs go too far in the other direction, verbally lashing into them like they’re Miramax production assistants or some shit. This show finds a nice happy place in between by eliminating judges and instead giving the role to the chefs themselves. Pressure Cooker is basically Top Chef meets Big Brother, where a group of a dozen or so talented chefs must cook for each other and ultimately vote one another off is a meal misses the mark. Of course like with all of these shows it’s never only about the food, so we get some interesting alliances and maybe unethical game play along the way. Netflix wisely keeps the episode order to 8 so it’s refreshingly free from the ridiculous padding most of these shows seem to possess. It also features some interesting personas including a pompous boy genius (obviously the most talented chef there) who dedicated his entire life to food and maybe has no friends because of it, an “old-school” chef (read – almost 50) who wears his emotions on his sleeve (read – violently lashes out at people), a devious spinster whose need to generate drama only serves to highlight her shortcomings in the kitchen and two chefs married to people outside of the competition who are so obviously fucking it’s laugh out loud funny. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, why not? Grade: B (Netflix)
Skinamarink is a tough film to review because writer/director Kyle Edward Ball seems to have succeeded on all the goals he set for himself and yet, I simply didn’t give a shit. 100 minutes of grainy avant-garde nightmare imagery with a loose narrative that seems to be about children left home alone in the house while the ghosts of their parents fuck with them and stuff? I dunno, I read the synopsis on Wikipedia and I didn’t think the movie successfully communicated anything I read under ‘plot’. This is certainly a mood piece and Ball demonstrates he is able to craft visually appealing and sometimes deeply unsettling imagery, but when it comes to pacing we’re definitely not on the same page. Skinamarink is boring, there I said it. Boring. I’ve seen town hall meetings on public access television better paced than this and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t instantly drawn to my phone during the slowest parts of this always slow movie. One of the drawbacks of being a critic or at least paying a yearly fee to host a website dedicated to your self-important diatribes on modern cinema is that you have to watch this type of shit. Stuff that you normally would skip over but ultimately you feel obligated to review because it’s seeped into the culture in a way that you really can’t ignore. Much like seeing Ant-Man 3 last week or Cocaine Bear last night, though I believe this possesses more artistic value than either of those movies. As art this is fairly good, as entertainment it’s cruel and inhumane. I’ll split the difference with a C+. (Shudder)
OLD MOVIE RECs
Something Wild (1986)
Jonathan Demme is primarily known for more serious pictures like The Silence of the Lambs or Philadelphia, but in the 80s the dude cut his teeth making quirky comedies like Melvin and Howard, Married to the Mob and this one, Something Wild, about a yuppie investment banker (Jeff Daniels) who decides to say ‘fuck it’ one day and go on an impromptu journey with a wild lady (a fantastic Melanie Griffith) completely abandoning his work obligations. This is a really fun and funny movie centered around two fantastically drawn characters that spirals out in truly unpredictable directions. It has the template of a rom-com from this era but the power of it lies in Demme’s execution and little choices, making it seem wholly original and a bit, dare I say…wild?
Strange Days (1995)
Strange Days is a wildly entertaining, incredibly ambitious, socially prescient sci-fi/action film that’s definitely twenty minutes too long, but makes up for it with fantastic ideas and stellar direction by future Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow. Taking place during the days before Y2K, or at least 1995’s imagined version of what that would be, the movie follows Ralph Fiennes as a former cop turned sleazy black market VR dealer – in this version of late 1999, people use blackmarket VR experience recordings as drugs. The imagined technology is laughably outdated when you’re watching this in 2023, but you get the idea. Fiennes eventually comes across a recording of a murder committed by the LAPD against a rap artist turned political activist (definitely a Tupac Shakur stand-in) which leads him down a path of discovery involving long-standing police brutality and cover-ups. Angela Bassett kicks ass as his friend and bodyguard while Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’Onofrio, Michael Wincott and William Finchtner all make appearances. Strange Days was unavailable for streaming for close to a decade, but now you can watch it on HBOMax. Catch it before it disappears for another 10 years.
A film I never would have heard about if not for my penchant for watching old Siskel & Ebert episodes while cooking myself dinner. Jeff Bridges and a never better Rosie Perez play survivors of a commercial airplane crash who are handling their post-traumatic stress in wildly different ways. Bridges has a complete mental break and believes he is actually immune to death as he demonstrates by blindly walking into traffic or hanging off the edge of a giant skyscraper much to the horror of his wife (Isabella Rossellini) who thinks her husband simply doesn’t give a shit about her or the family anymore. He doesn’t really, he only cares about himself. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Rosie Perez who can barely get out of bed and prays to die. Unlike Bridges, she lost her two-year-old son in the plane crash, an event she plays over and over in her head while her husband, played by a very young Benicio Del Toro, nags her about suing the airline. She also doesn’t have the financial stability to play ‘wandering philosopher’ like Bridges does. Needing to feel something, Bridges reaches out and forms an odd friendship with Perez, who wishes she could feel nothing. That dichotomy really fuels a lot of the movie which is one of the few movies I’ve seen, especially from that era, that subtilely explores the concept of ‘white privilege.’ Fearless isn’t perfect but it is genuinely unpredictable and harkens back to an era where studios would shill out $20 million for a no frills drama. Now you need an ant guy in the motherfucker.
ALSO IN THEATERS and STREAMING
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Magic Mike’s Last Dance – also VOD, I can’t keep up. Theaters are dead, folks. R.I.P.
Babylon – also on Paramount+
All Quiet on the Western Front
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
Only Murders in the Building Season 2

domain: entertainment


text:
Photo Courtesy of HBO
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds has spent the last few years passionately advocating for the rights and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ youth, and now his efforts have been commemorated in the HBO documentary Believer, which aired for the first time last night.
The film follow’s Reynolds’ journey as a person of strong Mormon faith who comes to recognize that a large portion of his fans are queer-identifying folks. The singer (who identifies as a cis heterosexual man) begins to wrestle with the orthodox tenets of his religion that expressly forbid homosexuality, and comes to realize that he has the power to affect positive change in the Mormon community.
Believer‘s central catalyst is Reynolds’ LoveLoud music festival, held last year for the first time in Orem, Utah. We’d explain more, but we don’t want to give away too much of this truly moving documentary’s story. Check it out now on HBO.
– If that trailer didn’t already turn you into a sobbing mess then get ready, because Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine gave a moving interview with Self where she talks about her history with disordered eating.
– Alright, that’s enough of the heavy stuff. Let’s move on to Beavis and Butthead introducing Portugal. The Man at a recent show.
– Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has been looking for beef with seemingly anyone and everyone lately.
– Indie legends Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and director Gus Van Zandt have teamed up with The Gossip’s Beth Ditto for a new film.


text:
Unfinished piano piece by Antonín Dvořák completed by AI programme
More than a hundred years after his death, fans of Antonín Dvořák have a chance to hear a new piece by one of the greatest Czech composers. An artificial intelligence programme called AIVA recently completed a fragment of his piano composition in E-minor. It was recorded by the acclaimed Czech pianist Ivo Kahánek.
The musical experiment was initiated by Richard Stiebitz and Filip Humpl from the Wunderman agency, who say their goal was to examine the creative possibilities of artificial intelligence. Filip Humpl outlines the initial idea for the project, entitled AIVA/Dvořák: Music from the Future.
“I have loved Dvořák’s music since a very early age. I knew he was very imaginative. He would walk through nature writing down musical motives that sprung to mind. So I thought: what if there are some unfinished fragments of his work out there?
“At first we thought we would collect the fragments and use them to create a new composition. As we searched for them, we came across a larger score that already had several musical motives, so we decided that was the piece we would like to complete using artificial intelligence.”
The unfinished fragment of Dvořák’s piano composition in E-minor ended up in the collections of the Czech Museum of Music in the early 1980s as part of Dvořák’s heritage. The unnamed composition is in fact only a very short fragment, consisting of two sheets of paper, explains one of the museum’s experts, Veronika Vejvodová:
“The composition is a sketch largely resembling the Mazurek earlier composed by Dvořák, which might be the reason why he chose not to finish it. The composition itself is not that inventive so I would say Dvořák was self-critical and decided not to complete it.”
Upon making their discovery, Filip Humpl and his colleague approached the Luxembourg based start-up company AIVA which uses artificial intelligence to compose music. The company focuses mostly on classical, soundtrack music used in films, video games, advertisement, and other types of visual media. Pierre Barreau, the company’s co-founder and CEO explains why they decided to accept the challenge:
“First of all, I love Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony. It is not particularly easy to AI-compose in that style. There are some more obvious styles for AI to compose in. For example Bach is usually a composer that AIs can emulate quite well. But composers like Dvořák are more difficult.
You said Dvořák’s music was more difficult to recreate than for example that of Bach. Why is that?
“Baroque music like Bach is very mathematical. There are a lot of patterns in his music that algorithms love when they do the learning process, because it is very easy to understand what is going on there. That’s why Bach’s music is very easy to work with and Bach himself actually defined his music as being mathematical.
“Dvořák’s music is a little more unpredictable. The complexity of the Ninth Symphony is also in the fact that there are lots of leitmotivs which appear in rather unexpected places and there are variations of those leitmotivs.
“So there are a lot of almost random elements, at least from the algorithm’s perspective, that you don’t necessarily have in Baroque or Bach’s music. That’s why it is a bit more complicated to understand for an AI system.”
The first step in completing the unfinished fragment of Antonín Dvořák’s symphony was teaching AIVA about the music and the particular style she was supposed to compose in, explains Mr Barreau. In this case, the team had AIVA read 30,000 scores of history’s greatest composers, including Dvořák, but also Bach, Beethoven, Mozart:
“The second part of the training focused exclusively on Dvořák, so that AIVA could learn what makes him different from other composers. And then there was the actual composition process.
Despite the abilities of the Artificial Intelligence programme, Philip Barreau stresses the importance of the human element in the whole process. The project AIVA/ Dvořák: Music from the Future involved both amateurs and professional musicians, but all of them had to have at least a fundamental understanding of how music works to be able to evaluate the results.
“I think that the human element is indispensable for multiple reasons. The first one is very technical and practical. The people who programme can improve the AI only if they understand what it composes. So there is a lot of work there that’s done by humans and a lot of that work is supervised by humans.
“The second reason is maybe less practical. I think that whenever you create a piece of music as a composer you want to give that piece of music some meaning and meaning comes with a vision. Artificial Intelligence at this stage doesn’t have any vision of how to create a piece of music that makes sense musically and can also convey a story.
“Even if artificial intelligence composes everything, every single note, there still needs to be a human at end of the process to actually select the score and give meaning to that score. Just like we gave meaning to the score that AIVA composed for this project.
“We told the story of continuing the unfinished symphony of Dvořák. And that itself is a story crafted by humans, independently from the artificial intelligence itself. So I think humans will also be relevant.”
AIVA is currently busy completing the second and third movements of Dvořák’s unfinished composition in E-minor, this time an orchestral version to be recorded by Prague Philharmonia.
For their part, the project’s initiators Filip Huml and Richard Stiebitz say they have succeeded in stirring up a public debate about the possibilities of employing artificial intelligence in music composing:
“We are not sure if we want to continue with this project in the future. We want to see a live performance of the whole composition by the orchestra. We want to see the reaction of the audiences and to see if the end result really carries Antonín Dvořák’s signature and whether it leads the listeners to a catharsis.”
The second movement of Antonín Dvořák’s unfinished composition will be presented at the Rock for People festival in Hradec Králové in June. Its complete orchestral version, performed by Prague Philharmonia, is due to premiere at Prague’s Rudolfinum concert hall in November.

domain: artistic


Anyone who's getting serious about dieting will want to take a look at this video
(PRWEB) August 07, 2012
5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat is taking a new approach to burning fat and users are reporting great results. Now, a leading health and natural living website is publishing an in depth and comprehensive review.
Caleb Lee is the man behind 5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat. The well-known fitness guru dove into research to learn what really helps people burn fat fasts and build a set of great looking six pack abs.
"Some of the things Caleb discovered are really surprising," Said AloeVera Editor Ben Danson. "A lot of people will learn secrets the big money dieting conglomerates don't want you to know."
5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat exposes several longstanding dieting myths that never have, and never will actually help people lose weight, yet they are passed off in the mainstream fitness world as solid truth.
For a short time, Caleb Lee has posted an exclusive video on his website that already has the web buzzing. In his video, Caleb takes on conventional wisdom, and explains why so many so-called "health foods" like whole grain and meal replacement bars actually do more harm than good.
"Anyone who's getting serious about dieting will want to take a look at this video," Danson said. "It is changing the way people look at fat burning. Caleb has never been afraid of controversy and he lays out a pretty solid case here."
Aside from the free video, Caleb is also offering an a great price on his program, which is aimed at helping people burn away ugly belly fat quickly and develop a toned six pack.
Those interested in learning more about 5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat or enrolling in the program can visit the official site here.
Buying from any other web site is not advised since you will not be guaranteed to get the most current and up to date version of the 5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat. Purchasing from the official website or Secured Order Form on ClickBank is the only way you can be certain to receive Caleb Lee's full 100% money back guarantee.
To get immediate access to the 5 Tips to Lose Stomach Fat program visit the official site here.


text:
Several recent acts of vandalism and theft at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek has the owners considering fencing off their entire 300-acre property.
Schnepf Farms, a popular family attraction, welcomes hundreds of families year round.
But apparently, also thieves. Just a couple days ago, someone ripped six peach trees out of the ground, two days after they had been planted.
'It's really frustrating when you're working so hard to get your new orchard planted, and get it going and to have someone come along and do that sort of thing," said Mark Schnepf, co-owner of Schnepf Farms.
That's not the only recent trouble at the farms.
"Someone thought it would be funny to throw smoke bombs in the middle of the group. And that's just not appropriate," Schnepf said.
They've also had to look out for people who sneak onto the property and trim their peach blossom branches to take home.
"It's not just a matter of pulling a few branches, or damaging some property. They're actually affecting the overall operation of the farm," Schnepf said.
A fence is now likely around their entire properties.
"That's a huge expense for us, but it's also not really something we want to do because it also puts that barrier between the public and what we're doing here," Schnepf said.
"I hope they won't do that," said Maria Lucernas, who visited the farm just last week.
Schnepf Farms recently posted to Facebook about their frustrations. More than 300 community members expressed their disgust at the recent disrespect to the farms and their support for the family.
"Schnepf Farms is actually one of the main kind of the places here --families, we want to actually go there," Lucernas said.
The Queen Creek farm has been open since the 1970s, and the family says they want to be able to continue to welcome in community members for years to come.


text:
Photographing All Of Yavapai County In Central Arizona And Beyond
Nice friendly looking horse, hope you gave her a carrot
Dusty certainly is not camera shy.
I want to reach out and stroke her nose. Bet she'd like an apple and carrot or two.
Ready for winter? Has she taken care of everyone on her Christmas list? Dusty is a good name for a horse of that color in a place like Arizona. It is a better name than when I took my kids horseback riding during a vacation at the Grand Tetons. Their horses were named Murray and Sydney.
She is a beautiful horse and she looks so friendly.
Her winter coat matches her surroundings.
I think Dusty likes you.
I've got a soft spot for horses, so this shot is a real winner for me. Love it!
She's a beauty, for sure.
She's a beauty.
Beautiful horse! And I love the pastel colours in this shot.
Post a Comment


There have been a lot of unique items that have come into the Pawn Stars shop, but this one has to take the cake. A Remington revolver, seemingly stashed in a tree for who knows how long, is brought in for inspection. After the gun expert takes a look at it and values it at $3,000 (the gun is from the mid to late 1800’s, and is quite historic on it’s own). The video below cuts off before the haggling begins, but the owner ultimately rejects Rick’s offer of $5,000. What do you think the story behind this one-of-a-kind piece is?


text:
October 22, 2021 — Emilio Cigars releases the LA MUSA 2nd Street Exclusive; hand crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua at Fabrica Oveja Negra.
This is the first shop exclusive for La Musa. The artwork and cigar blend for La Musa were created by James Brown. Mr. Brown, owner of BLTC and Fabrica Oveja Negra, stated, “I’m very excited for this project. Emilio has come a long way in the last couple of years and La Musa is one of my favorite releases. This new Lancero version is bold and intense. It’s true to the original blend but the Maduro wrapper adds additional richness, strength and spice. It’s very complex, has great balance and the 7×40 boxpress is just beautiful to look at. Clyde Percy at 2nd Street Cigars has been a huge supporter for the brand and will be launching this at an event October 29th.”
LA MUSA will be available at 2nd Street Cigar Co. in Edmond OK.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Lancero – 7×40 Box Press (16 count) MSRP $10.92
Cigar News: Emilio La Musa 2nd Street Exclusive Announced


text:
CRTC has recently released its "Guidelines to help businesses develop corporate compliance programs". The CRTC is quite tentative in their Guidelines. This we know. The Guidelines are not legal advice, they are guidance and they "may" help facilitate legal compliance. Each organization is different. It is general guidance, not prescriptive and it is not exhaustive. Reading all the caveats is exhausting. The Guidelines provide some good 'motherhood and apple pie' type advice dealing with compliance issues such as CASL. Although not geared for charities and non-profit much of the guidelines is equally helpful to charities and non-profits.
Here is my take on some of the points made in the 6 page document:
Due diligence defence: Having a good corporate compliance program may "help businesses establish a due diligence defence in the case of a violation of the Rules or CASL." "...a credible and effective documented program may enable a business to demonstrate that it took reasonable steps to avoid contravening the law. "
Senior management involvement - "In the case of large businesses, the business’s senior management should consider playing an active and visible role in fostering a culture of compliance within their organization." I am not sure why the CRTC states "In the case of small and medium-sized businesses, the business could identify a point person who is responsible and accountable for compliance with the Rules and/or CASL." In small and medium sized business or charity can the senior management not play an active and visible role?
Risk Assessment -which activities are most risky for non-compliance
Written corporate compliance policy - This is the point where lawyers get very excited. Some of the elements according to the CRTC may include:
- establish internal procedures for compliance with the Rules and/or CASL;
- address related training that covers the policy and internal procedures;
- establish auditing and monitoring mechanisms for the corporate compliance program;
- establish procedures for dealing with third parties (for example, partners and subcontractors) to ensure that they comply with the Rules and/or CASL;
- address record keeping, especially with respect to consent; and
- contain a mechanism that enables employees to provide feedback to the chief compliance officer or point person.
Record keeping - the CRTC outlines a number of ways that good books and records can be helpful including:
(i) identify potential non-compliance issues,
(ii) investigate and respond to consumer complaints,
(iii) respond to questions about the business’s practices and procedures,
(iv) monitor their corporate compliance program,
(v) identify the need for corrective actions and demonstrate that these actions were implemented, and
(vi) establish a due diligence defence in the event of complaints to the Commission against the business.
Training program - having a training program and refresher training can help employees (and volunteers in the case of a charity) to avoid problems.
Auditing and monitoring - this will be helpful in preventing and detecting problems and seeing if the compliance program is effective.
Complaint-handling system - you may receive complaints. How will they be handled?
Disciplinary or Corrective Action - some people will deliberately or inadvertently contravene the rules. What is your organization going to do about it.
Here is a link to the Guidelines to help businesses develop corporate compliance programs
Here is a PDF copy
Do you require legal advice with respect to Canadian or Ontario non-profits or charities?
Mark Blumberg is a partner at the law firm of Blumberg Segal LLP in Toronto and works almost exclusively in the areas of non-profit and charity law.

domain: law


text:
Popular for short and long stays alike
The Ardennes is a gorgeous region in which to unwind, with its beautiful, unspoiled, uncrowded countryside of high, forested, rolling hills and deep, lush valleys peppered with striking rock formations. Auf Kengert is a friendly, welcoming site set in rolling hills. In low season the site can arrange local discount cards for transport and entry to local attractions throughout the Grand Duchy, with the special Luxembourg Card, are a major bonus.
2014 Prices – Special Offer
7 nights for the price of 6 for the periods - 1 Mar - 5 Jul, 1 Sep - 8 Nov
14 nights for the price of 10 for the periods 1 Mar - 6 Apr, 14 May - 5 Jul, 1 Sep - 8 Nov
(based on pitch and person prices)
- Woodland setting, two miles from the small, attractive town of Larochette
- Germany ten miles, Luxembourg city 16 miles, Belgium 22 miles, Holland 87 miles, Calais 280 miles
- High season – popular with mainly younger families from across Europe
- Low season – quiet and very welcoming, a perfect base for visiting the beautiful Ardennes; Discount on Luxembourg Cards, for periods outside July and August, available for all reservations of 3 nights or more
- Owned and run by the Gedink family, English spoken
- 2014, 4.7-31.8 maximum unit length 8m
- BBQs permitted
- Dogs welcome
Dedicated accessible facilities
has the following facilities on or around the site.
Shaded and part-shaded pitches, some on a slight slope; all with electricity (10A)
Snacks and take-away
Adventure rucksacks for young children
Older-style well-kept wash blocks
Sites often charge for an additional vehicle, including a car towed by a motorhome. You should also expect to pay extra for pets and awnings.
We only charge you for extra equipment if the site charges us.
Solo campers may be entitled to reduced pitch fees on some sites.
Please proceed to book in order to find the latest prices, availability, or if you are looking to start your stay within less than 2 weeks please call us.
More information on pricing can be found here.

domain: travel


text:
A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Neon Demon is an unusual drama from acclaimed cult favorite director Nicolas Winding Refn, who's best known for Drive (2011). It's extremely mature, with shocking violence: dead bodies, lots of blood, murder, death, suicide, punching, painful wounds, threats, and the sounds of a possible rape. And that list doesn't even include the most startling image of all, involving an eyeball. Women are shown topless, and there's strong sexual material, including a woman having sex with a female corpse. Language is infrequent but includes a few uses of "f--k," "p---y," and "a--hole." Some characters smoke cigarettes, and there's some background drinking.
- Parents say
- Kids say
What's the story?
In THE NEON DEMON, in the modeling world of Los Angeles, small-town, fresh-faced Jesse (Elle Fanning) is a rising star. Surrounded by chiseled women who've undergone surgery to make their bodies and faces more "perfect," Jesse has a natural quality that draws photographers and fashion designers to her. A young shutterbug (Karl Glusman) tries to date her, and makeup artist Ruby (Jena Malone) tries to befriend her, but there are always strings attached. Two of Ruby's model friends (Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee) are wary of Jesse, mindful that they could begin losing jobs to her. Finally, when the manager (Keanu Reeves) of Jesse's hotel gets out of hand, Jesse calls on Ruby. But everything leads up to an incident of unexpected violence.
Is it any good?
This exquisite nonsense from director Nicolas Winding Refn, best known for the excellent Drive, has very little substance -- it's not exactly art -- but it does have plenty of style and tension. Drawing inspiration from David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Brian De Palma, and others, The Neon Demon is a variety of surfaces and reflections, characters looking and being looked at. It purports to explore the nature of beauty while itself trying to be beautiful. But it really doesn't dig much deeper than that.
The movie is filled with crazy, breathtaking moments -- such as a mountain lion suddenly appearing in Jesse's room, a blood-soaked photo session, a lights-out photo session, and a strobe-lit performance at a party. It all leads up to a shocking, giddily disgusting conclusion that doesn't exactly complete the thesis but is at least memorable. The cinematography is always dreamily vivid, and an electronic score by Cliff Martinez frequently sends the images floating off into ecstasy.
Talk to your kids about ...
How are sex and nudity treated in the movie? Is it meant to be titillating, or does it have a different effect? Why? How much sexual content in media is appropriate for kids?
What do you think the movie is trying to say about beauty? Is it something to strive for at any cost? Why or why not?
Does the movie have a positive representation of female body image or a negative one? Why?
What's the allure of the modeling industry? Does this movie make being a model more appealing or less appealing?
- In theaters: June 24, 2016
- On DVD or streaming: September 27, 2016
- Cast: Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves
- Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
- Studios: Broad Green Pictures, Amazon Studios
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 117 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: disturbing violent content, bloody images, graphic nudity, a scene of aberrant sexuality, and language
- Last updated: September 20, 2019
Our editors recommend
For kids who love offbeat movies
Top advice and articles
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
Streaming options powered by JustWatch


text:
RAP, Rhythm and Rhyme was the theme chosen by Dodford First School for its World Book Day celebrations, writes Caprice Harrison.
Both children and staff dressed up as street dance artists ready to sing, recite and read raps and even create some of their own.
Headteacher Lisa Parkes said there was a big focus of reading at the school.
“The children have been learning ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ by Will Smith – which has been great fun.”
Other activities included a family reading session where relatives young and old came in and read with their children and an Usborne Books pop-up shop.

domain: library


text:
The White Rose Forest is an expanding area of tree cover across North and West Yorkshire, which supports communities, builds a vibrant ecosystem, helps tackle climate change, and creates a healthier environment for us all.
We created an overarching brand identity to help WRF communicate their purpose across the region.
We developed WRFs rally call – Trees for Yorkshire.
The message is positive, it communicates WRFs objectives in planting trees, and their impact in transforming the region as a whole. WRF are ‘for Yorkshire’, and their role improves all of our lives.
An illustrated landscape depicts WRFs role in planting trees, improving our urban centres, providing opportunities for recreation and supporting active travel.
The brand logo features a tree monogram, which is formed from the x5 petals of the Yorkshire Rose.
Plant. Prosper. Provide. Protect. are WRFs brand objectives. They define WRFs ambitions and act as an inspiring direction for all team members to follow.
The brand comes to life through a mixture of organic tree textures, illustration and honest photography focused on WRF at work, planting trees across the region's different landscapes.
White Rose Forest work closely with many different organisations and communities. Brand illustrations show how WRF impact all of our lives, from active commutes, planting, recreation and local businesses.
The White Rose Forest is the largest community forest in the UK, spanning across West and North Yorkshire. We created an overarching map to help raise awareness of where WRF operate, and a range of publication templates to help WRF communicate across a range of subjects.
Stationery and merchandise extend the brand and continue the message of Trees for Yorkshire. A suite of collateral enables WRF to develop their communications in print and online.

domain: geography


It’s National Nurses Day—the start of National Nurses’ Week—a time to thank nurses for what they do every day. But more and more nurses are leaving the industry due to poor working conditions.
We all know just how critical a role nurses play in the health care system; we specifically saw that during the COVID-19 pandemic. But many nurses say they’re not happy and are thinking about leaving the job.
They’re the backbone of the health care industry, yet a new survey saysmany registered nurses (RNs) are thinking of quitting.
Nearly a third of nurses surveyed say they’re thinking about leaving the profession, citing stress.
"There’s a shortage. There’s a shortage everywhere with nurses," said Amanda Anderson, director of nursing at Saint Joseph Hospital.
The solution? They say it is higher pay, safer work environments, and fewer patients per nurse.
"We need nurses now more than ever. Our population is growing; we have folks that are retiring, registered nurses that are retiring," said Melissa Burdi, Vice President and Dean at Purdue Global School of Nursing.
New data from Scholaroo, a non-profit educational research company, analyzed the current working conditions and how many nurses there are in each state.
46% say they’re planning to change careers because of the negative effect the job has had on their health, including working long hours due to the lack of staff.
More psychiatric nurses are needed to fill mental health care gaps
Advocates in the health care industry say the estimated 37,000 psychiatric nurses in the U.S. is barely enough to address patients' needs.
It ranks the top 10 states with the highest "nursing shortage in the U.S.", putting Utah at number 1.
But when it comes to the nursing shortage, National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S., says there isn’t one.
"The hospital industry, their employers have engineered it," said Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United.
Rather, it’s a staffing crisis. She says hospitals have been adding more ancillary staff—other licensed or certified personnel that help nurses—to protect their bottom line.
"But that doesn't mean that if you have more of them, you can cut down on the number of registered nurses. It doesn't work that way," said Ross.
It’s been happening even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's a constant struggle to get them to not try to replace us with non-registered nurse personnel, but it isn't going to help the situation that we're in now when there are enough registered nurses in this country. But they're refusing to hire them because it affects their bottom line," said Ross.
Data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing shows there are close to a million nurses with active RN licenses who are not working as nurses in the U.S.
Ross says poor working conditions are driving nurses away, affecting the quality of care for patients.
"Our goal is not to just keep people from dying; it's to have them well, to leave better than when they came in," said Ross.
To push for better working conditions National Nurses United is lobbying in support of five bills on Capitol Hill during National Nurses’ Week, including one that addresses nurse staffing standards.
The bill, S. 1567, would establish minimum registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratio requirements in hospitals.
One of the bill’s sponsors says the bill would result in higher-quality care for patients. There’s also another bill,S. 4182, that addresses workplace violence prevention.


(June 2014 – Updated Sept 2014) Smartphones for 5 billion plus, next challenge
As Apple announces iPhone 6, iOS 8 and the Apple Watch (and Apple Pay, HealthKit links, HomeKit hub, and altogether looks to position Apple at the core of IoT), Google continues ‘going global’ with price points and open-source competitive advantage.
Android One – Google back in the OS drivers seat
Android One in India, price point approx. $100 USD
‘Rich smartphone experience’ on low-cost devices
Android One and the developing world
Google announces Android One, an all-in-one platform with an under $100 price. Google’s goal? To reach and connect globally, beyond ‘first world’ economies, delivering #nextgen smartphones to every region, community, individual — further developing a world wide web of mobile commerce, media/messaging — and all things on the Google platform.
For the new generation of low-cost, mobile ‘smart’ devices, Google will provide affordable “reference designs”, i.e., specifications and an engineered Android mobile platform for mfrs to utilize the Google software OS to design and deliver #nextgenGoogle mobile…
Announced at Google Dev I/O
Published on : Jun 27, 2014
#Google business strategy #itsamobileworld #mobilestandards #competitive moat


text:
It’s just been announced that ministers are considering a huge bailout package for leaseholders hit by what many are now calling the cladding scandal.
A step in the right direction? Undoubtedly. A means to an end? I’m less hopeful.
The truth is that we’ve heard it all before. Around this time last year the Government announced it would commit £1bn through a Building Safety Fund, but almost 12 months on and little progress has been made.
Given the scale of the task at hand, £1bn barely scratches the surface. Why it’s taken Whitehall almost 12 months to recognise this is anybody’s guess.
Indications are that the Building Safety Fund covers around 20-30% of project costs, costs which appear on the monthly bills of occupiers in the form of service costs and section 20 charges.
Disappointing? Yes. Surprising? No. Those who have profited need to step forward, and fast. Private indemnity lawyers are immersed in the fine print, developers continue to suck money from their SPVs, builders have built out and got out.
Politicans and pressure groups demonstrate a painful knowledge gap when it comes to the timescales and the nuances involved in a project of this scale. Add to that uncertain funding routes and a shortage of qualified contractors and you’ve got yourself a nasty cocktail of inaction.
The initial bids for funding have, through necessity (i.e meeting government deadlines), been rushed. Consequently, after a more appropriate level of investigation and the real scope of works identified, costs have ballooned often by a factor of four.
Agents get stuck in the middle as they juggle the interests of stakeholders whilst attempting to find a solution. Who do they turn to? They’re not exactly spoilt for choice.
Contractors, despite their contribution to this national catastrophe, shift the blame onto others and go missing after the slightest of scrutiny. Trade contractors don’t have the expertise or resource to do the job at scale. We’re proud to say that we’ve recently launched a cladding remediation arm which addresses those problems.
Believe it or not, parallels between the cladding crisis and the Covid pandemic are close. The industry is chronically short of expertise and resources, the demand is acute, but unlike Covid there is no seemingly bottomless pit of money.
Progess can be made, and it will be. We just need more sensible and realistic solutions. Clear legislative direction encompassed in the Building Safety Act, accelerated training and qualification of Fire Engineers and time for the industry to build competent supply chains are to my mind, crucial next steps.
Steve Underwood is COO of Colmore Tang which is helping building owners to replace cladding at scale and speed.


SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Wachovia Bank, which was acquired by Wells Fargo & Co. WFC, +0.06% in 2010, will pay $148 million to settle charges it rigged municipal bond reinvestment transactions over an eight-year period, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday. The SEC alleged Wachovia rigged at least 58 municipal bond reinvestment transactions in 25 states and Puerto Rico from 1997 to 2005.
Have breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.


- Kirsten Flipkens - quarter-final
Kirsten Flipkens' press conference after her 4‑6, 6‑3, 6‑4 victory against Petra Kvitova.
- Sloane Stephens - quarter-final
Sloane Stephens' press conference after her 6-4, 7-5 defeat to Marion Bartoli
- Petra Kvitova - quarter-final
Petra Kvitova speaks to the media following her quarter-final defeat to Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
- Marion Bartoli - quarter-final
Marion Bartoli speaks to the press following her quarter-final victory over Sloane Stephens 6-4, 7-5.
- Agnieszka Radwanska - quarter-final
Agnieszka Radwanska speaks to the media following her 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-2 victory over China's Li Na.
- Li Na - quarter-final
Li Na's press conference after her 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 defeat to Agnieszka Radwanska.
- Sabine Lisicki - quarter-final
Sabine Lisicki speaks to the media following her 6-3, 6-3 victory over Estonia's Kaia Kanepi.
- Kaia Kanepi - quarter-final
Kaia Kanepi speaks to the media following her quarter-final defeat to Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 6-3


text:
As a cyclospora outbreak sweeps across the US, kratom enthusiasts can rest assured they have a ‘parasitic insurance policy’ that non-kratom users do not have. It never ceases to surprise us here at KratomWholesale.US how the health applications for kratom seem to be ever growing, and the cyclospora outbreak is yet another example. It is no secret to kratom enthusiasts that kratom has a myriad of health benefits ranging from opiate withdrawal relief to immune system boosting antioxidants. One of the lesser known benefits of kratom is that it protects its user from and fights against stomach parasites.
For those of you that may not be familiar with cyclospora, it is a microscopic and very resilient parasite that makes people who consume it on food or in contaminated water sick for up to two months. Cyclospora symptoms are:
• Watery diarrhea (most common)
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Increased gas
Not all people are affected by cyclospora at the same rate of intensity and duration. The parasite often causes more severe illness in the young, the elderly, and those with immune deficiencies. Cyclospora infection can result in death if not treated. The current synthetic treatment is a well-known antibiotic called Bactrim.
Although the use of traditional antibiotics is customary within the US, there are those who prefer a more natural and holistic approach. Antibiotics not only attack the bad bacteria that may be ailing an individual, but they also attack the good bacteria that are essential to maintaining a healthy immune system. As a result, the use of antibiotics throws off the body’s natural balance and exposes the user to further bacterial or fungal complications..
KratomWholesale.US does not support or suggest the misuse of this product in any way. Product is for scientific and experimental purposes only. Not for human consumption. Please see our disclaimer for details.


Water Tank, 14 Gallons, 6658145
Water tank replacement for the water tank kit.
Keep dust, dirt, and debris under control while operating other attachmentsl with the loader water kit.
- High-Capacity Tanks: Mounted either on the uprights or in the cargo bed, the 14 gallon water tanks minimize time spent refilling and maximize time spent controlling dust.
- On/Off Switch: To control water pump operation, the on/off switch is conveniently located in the carrier cab for maximum operator comfort.
- Quick-Tach: Makes hooking up and disconnecting hose couplings quick, easy and secure.
- Spray Nozzles: Distribute water flow evenly across the width of the attachment.
Ideal with the angle broom, sweeper, planer, and vibratory roller attachments.
Parts can vary depending on your serial number. Check the Bobcat Online Parts Catalog to ensure the correct part for your equipment.
|Item Returns||This item can be returned|
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Lead and lead compounds, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov


text:
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Nearly two tons of trinkets, statues and jewelry crafted from the tusks of at least 100 slaughtered elephants are heading for a rock crusher in New York City's Central Park to demonstrate the state's commitment to smashing the illegal ivory trade.[...] state environmental officials, who are partnering with the Wildlife Conservation Society and Tiffany & Co. for Thursday's "Ivory Crush," say no price justifies slaughtering elephants for their tusks.Last year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service instituted a near-total ban on the domestic commercial ivory trade and barred sales across state lines.Since August 2014, New York law has prohibited the sale, purchase, trade or distribution of anything made from elephant or mammoth ivory or rhinoceros horn, except in limited situations with state approval.The World Wildlife Fund says the illegal wildlife trade not only threatens animal populations, but also endangers national security by funding terrorist cells.
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
APRIL 28, 2014
NYS DOS ID#
CORPORATION SERVICE COMPANY
80 STATE ST.
ALBANY, NEW YORK, 12207
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
2014 - BUFFALO CRAFT & TAP, LLC
Around the Web
- Nearly 2 tons of seized ivory to be crushed in Central Park
By MARY ESCH, Associated Press - Thursday Aug 3, 2017
- Buffalo Theory: 30 beers on tap, and Asian inspired American food
By Michael Bauer - Monday Oct 10, 2016
Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 1of/19 CaptionClose Image 1 of 19 Buffalo Theory has 30 beers on tap. Buffalo Theory has 30 beers on tap. Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 2 of 19 The food is well designed to go with the beer including meatballs made with buffalo meat and Asian spices. The food is well designed to go with the beer including meatballs made with buffalo meat and Asian spices. Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 3 of 19 The restaurants symbol. The restaurants symbol. Photo: John Storey/Special to The Chronicle Image 4 of 19 Fish, No Chips is fried local anchovies. Fish, No
- Inside a Secretive Group Where Women Are Branded
By BARRY MEIER - Wednesday Oct 18, 2017
A self-help organization in Albany called Nxivm has begun to unravel as members reveal disturbing practices and fears of blackmail.
- For Some Craft Brewers, Sales Are Tapping Out
Wednesday Aug 23, 2017
Some of the country’s biggest craft brewers are struggling with falling sales, hurt by a glut of competitors crowding retail shelves and moves by megabrewers to scoop up some of their rivals.
- Officer's death intensifies scrutiny of herbal supplement
By MARY ESCH, Associated Press - Saturday Sep 30, 2017
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Matt Dana was known around the Adirondack Mountain town where he grew up as a promising young police sergeant who worked hard to root out narcotics dealers. So it came as a shock to friends and co-workers when he died suddenly this summer and an autopsy attributed it to an overdose.It wasn't from drugs, but from kratom, an herbal supplement sold online and in convenience stores, gas stations and smoke shops."It was the talk of the town. People were upset it was reported as an overdose," said Paul Maroun, mayor of Tupper Lake in the central Adirondacks 110 miles northwest of Albany. "It's not an illegal drug.
- Why Chris Weidman’s latest UFC home game is a ‘must win’
By George Willis - Saturday Jul 22, 2017
Chris Weidman was thrilled to be included in the historic UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden last November. The Long Island native and former UFC middleweight champion was active in the push to get mixed martial arts legalized in New York, shaking hands in Albany, Rochester and Buffalo to build support. His dream of...


An exciting opportunity has arisen for full time Supervising Social Workers specialising in the General Fostering Team and Assessing Social Workers in the Family and Friends Team based in Woking or Redhill.
The successful candidate will be a part of a creative fostering service that works with theories of trauma, attachment and loss, social pedagogy and restorative practice to ensure the best outcomes for our children.
The primary focus of the supervising social worker role will be supervising foster carers, as well as completing assessments for temporary approval under Regulation 24, supervising general and Connected Persons foster carers, and carrying out general tasks within the wider fostering team.
We are also looking to recruit Assessing Social Worker's to undertake connected persons and special guardianship assessments.
Self-motivated and accustomed to working to deadlines, you will have good IT and communication skills, with experience of establishing and nurturing multi-agency relationships.
To be shortlisted to interview for this position, your application will clearly evidence:
- Experience of working with children and young people and a comprehensive knowledge of legislation relating to Looked After Children.
- An ability to be able to work directly with the wider public, foster carers and young people, and be able to produce clear, evidence based and analytical assessments.
- Flexibility to e able to work evenings and occasional weekends, as the role includes attending recruitment events and home visits outside office hours.
- You need to be a qualified social worker and registered with Social Work England..
This role is primarily based within the Fostering Team in Quadrant Court, Woking, or Consort House, Redhill, but you will need to be prepared to travel countywide and in some instances, country-wide, therefore access to your own transport is essential.
For more information, please see the full job description attached at the bottom of this page.Additional Information
For an informal discussion contact Clark Mcauley by e-mail at email@example.com or Carol Norrington-Beard by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org. We look forward to receiving your application.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 12th August 2020.
Interview date to be confirmed.
From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 28 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.
Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.
An enhanced DBS ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children’s and Adults’ Barred List checks will be required for this role.Company Information
Our values are what support our vision, shape the culture and are crucial in delivering our corporate strategy.


text:
Future House Poison Template For FL STUDiO WAV MiDi SYLENTH1 SERUM Presets
LINK ---> https://urloso.com/2tuXwL
How to Make Future House Music with Future House Poison Template
Future House is a popular genre of electronic dance music that combines elements of deep house, bass house, and electro house. It is characterized by catchy melodies, punchy drums, and heavy basslines. If you want to learn how to make Future House music, one of the best ways is to use a template that has everything you need to get started.
One such template is Future House Poison, a production template created by W. A. Production. This template is designed to show you the fundamentals of Future House tracks and give you as many resources as possible to make you a better producer. Future House Poison is available for FL Studio, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro X.
Future House Poison is a full construction kit that comes with a complete project file, all the stems of each instrument used in the track, all the presets for Serum and Sylenth1, and all the MIDI files for each stem. You can use this template to study how a Future House track is made, customize it with your own sounds and arrangements, or use it as a starting point for your own original track.
Some of the features of Future House Poison are:
A full FLP (Fruity Loops Project) that shows you exactly how the track was created, mixed, and mastered.
A total of 11 Serum and Sylenth1 presets that cover the main sounds of Future House, such as leads, plucks, pads, and basses.
A total of 9 MIDI files that allow you to change the melodies and chords of the track or use them with your own sounds.
A total of 11 stems that include the drums, percussion, synths, vocals, effects, and more.
A 100% royalty-free license that lets you use the template and its contents in your own projects.
If you are wondering what Future House sounds like, you can check out some of the most popular artists and tracks in this genre. Some of the names that have been dominating the Future House scene are Oliver Heldens[^2^], Don Diablo[^2^], Mike Williams[^1^], Madison Mars[^1^], Autograf[^1^], and many more. You can also listen to some of the playlists on Spotify that feature Future House music, such as Future House 2023 by Future House Music[^1^].
Future House music is not only fun to listen to, but also fun to make. With Future House Poison template, you can unleash your creativity and experiment with different sounds and styles. You can also learn from the pros and see how they craft their tracks from scratch. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, Future House Poison template will help you take your production skills to the next level.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Future House Poison template today and start making some amazing Future House music. You will be surprised by how easy and enjoyable it is to produce this genre. Future House Poison template is your ultimate guide to making Future House music like a pro. ec8f644aee


text:
The Puerto Rican writer Mayra Santos-Febres has published two novels, two collections of short stories, two collections of poems, and various articles of literary criticism. In her work she deals with themes of female sexuality, the erotic, gender fluidity, desire, and power. Representations of female sexuality in women's fiction is not new in Puerto Rican women's writing, nor in that of the wider Caribbean, but Santos-Febres's work marks a new modality of erotic openness. She often focuses on the powers of seduction, often in the context of a dystopic contemporary Puerto Rico, while the nostalgia that is part of so much Puerto Rican prose is absent in her writing. Puerto Rico's urbanized and industrialized metropolitan areas provide the setting for much of this work, and the denizens of these areas are the key players.
She has published several collections of poetry in Spanish. Her prose work in English translation includes Urban Oracles (1997), Sirena Selena (2000), and Any Wednesday I'm Yours (2005). The stories in Urban Oracles deal with the powers and transformations of the female body, though this theme is treated in a unique way by Santos-Febres, at least compared with most literature by black authors. In "Broken Strand," for example, the beauty of black womanhood is restored through a protagonist who visualizes herself becoming the pinnacle of beauty through the ministrations of a beautician. The story's tone is celebratory, representing nappy hair not as a problem, but as yet another element of black women's beauty. Similarly, in "Marina's Fragrance," a woman protagonist has a particular gift: when she thinks about an aroma, it becomes manifest in the world. Magical and dreamlike, the narrative places women in a position of power. Another story features a gardener who must prepare dead prostitutes for burial after a cataclysmic storm. Yet in performing this task, rubbing oils into the bodies of these women becomes a ritual of love and respect.
Sirena Selena, an iconoclastic first novel, features an underage transvestite who seeks success and money among the rich and powerful in the nighttime world of the Dominican Republic and San Juan. Much is made of transformations of the body as ways to attain the male gaze, the socially accepted dominance of the male through the act of looking at the female. This novel was, and remains, controversial because it questions gender categories in a way that had never been done before in Puerto Rico. The closest anyone had previously come to destabilizing these categories was Luis Rafael Sánchez, in some of the stories in En cuerpo de camisa (1966), but even there, the specifics of what, where, and how were not as openly portrayed as they are in Santos-Febres's novel. As in her shorter fiction, there is here a celebration of the erotic, of the body, and of sexual expression in all its forms.
Santos-Febres's second novel, Any Wednesday I'm Yours, features a would-be novelist who loses his job at a newspaper and takes a job working nights in a motel. Educated and sophisticated, he discovers ties between a narcotics kingpin and a corrupt labor lawyer who is supposedly engaged in contract negotiations for electrical workers. The power outages common in Puerto Rico turn out to be due to sabotage engineered by this lawyer and the druglord, who meet in the motel where the protagonist works. This is one of the novel's mysteries; another is the identity of a mysterious and sensual woman who makes love with the protagonist every Wednesday (hence the novel's title). Her purloined manuscript contains the necessary clue to solving the novel's crimes, which is the impetus for the protagonist to overcome his difficulties with writing.
The novel also features a secondary character whose identity is Haitian and Dominican. He is trying to make enough money working in the motel and delivering cocaine to Miami to be able to install electricity in his mother's home back in Haiti. There is also a rich episode featuring Santería rituals, complete with the names of African gods and Yoruba prayers, a ritual attended by representatives of all social classes, including professionals.
A promising and talented young writer with a bright future ahead, Santos-Febres represents the newest generation of self-consciously diasporic Puerto Rican authors who embrace rather than bemoan that identity.
See also Women Writers of the Caribbean
DeCosta-Willis, Miriam, ed. Daughters of the Diaspora: AfraHispanic Writers. Kingston, Jamaica: Ian Randle, 2003.
Villafane, Camille-Marie. "La reconceptualización del CUEPO en la narrativa de Mayra Montero y Mayra Santos-Febres." Ph.D. diss., Arizona State University, Tempe, 2001.
diana l. vÉlez (2005)