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With the growing number of contraceptive methods, one can be confused easily as to which is the best to use. Today, we will be discussing how an IUD prevents pregnancy for your assistance.
How does an IUD Prevent Pregnancy?
An IUD (Intrauterine Device) is a T-shaped plastic frame which is inserted by a physician into the uterus via the vagina. This small device is mainly made up of plastic and is the size of a quarter.
These IUDs are available in two types, the one covered with copper ions and the other that releases the hormone progestin.
The IUD prevents pregnancy by interrupting the sperm cells, ovum, and fertilization. The IUDs work by interrupting the fertilization process of the female ovum in the fallopian tube, which prevents pregnancy.
1. Brands Of IUDs
Five FDA-approved brands prepare IUDs and are available in the United States of America. These brands prepare both types of IUDs, copper and hormonal IUDs. They are:
2. Types Of IUDs
IUDs that are used as intrauterine devices come in two different varieties. These can be copper-covered, or progestin-releasing IUDs. Both IUDs have different mechanisms of action for preventing pregnancies.
a) Hormonal IUD
- Four out of the five brands, including, Mirena, Kyleena, Liletta, and Skyla are hormonal IUDs that release hormones to prevent a woman from conceiving. All the brands use progestin which is similar to progesterone hormone produced naturally in the body.
- Mirena and Liletta work for 8 years, while Kyleena is effective for 5. Skyla can prevent conception for about three years.
b) Copper IUD
Copper IUDs are copper wire coiled with copper ions that prevent pregnancy. Paragard IUD is covered with copper bits that can prevent pregnancy for 12 years.
3. How Does An Intrauterine Device Work?
A woman gets pregnant when the male gamete or sperm fertilizes the female gamete or egg in the fallopian tubes. The fertilized egg gets embedded into the uterine wall of the uterus, which results in pregnancies.
What if the sperm does not fuse with the ovum? It will not result in pregnancy. There are various methods to prevent the fusion of egg and sperm, and IUDs are one of them.
Here are the different approaches to do so:
- Copper IUD does not let the sperm reach the egg by changing the uterine environment or changing the motion of the sperm.
- By blocking the implantation of the fertilized egg in the endometrium of the uterus, a Copper IUD may also prevent pregnancy.
- Copper IUD work by changing the movement of the fallopian tube and uterus, which affects the movement of both the ovum and sperm and hence preventing pregnancy.
- A hormonal IUD works by thickening the cervical mucus, making it unfavourable for sperm movement.
- Also, a hormonal IUD work thinning of the uterine wall so that the fertilized eggs do not get implanted.
- Sometimes, a hormonal IUD can also stop the ovulating process.
4. How Well are IUDs Effective as Birth Control Methods?
Both types are effective in preventing pregnancy . As per statistical records, only less than 1 out of 100 couples using IUDs end up having accidental pregnancies. This indicates that less than 1% of IUDs fail.
Copper IUDs are effective for about 10 to 12 years from the date of insertion into the womb. A hormonal IUD, on the other hand, stops conception for 3 to 5 years. The IUDs are a good choice for a couple who does not want to plan a family shortly.
However, an IUD can be inserted and removed anytime by the doctor or the nurse.
5. Are IUDs Advisable for Emergency Contraception?
Among various benefits, IUDs offer emergency contraception. If you get an IUD inserted within five days of unprotected sex, there is more than a 99% chance that the pregnancy will not occur.
Therefore, along with preventing unwanted pregnancy, IUDs offer great use in case of unprotected sex. These are more effective than the morning-after pills.
6. Can All Women Use IUDs?
With a low failure and high success rate, IUDs are preferred. Although IUDs are the most recommended birth control methods that are good for all in some cases, IUD insertion must be avoided.
The health care provider might recommend the removal of the IUD in the following conditions:
- Pelvic infection
- Pain during sex
- Severe Migraine
- Possible exposure to STD
- Significant increase in Blood Pressure
7. Who Should Not Use IUDs?
Women having any of the following medical conditions or complications should avoid the use of IUDs:
- History of uterine or cervical cancer
- History of breast cancer
- Liver disease
- Having Fibroids or other unusual uterine growths
- Having unexplained vaginal bleeding
- History of Wilson’s disease
- History of ectopic pregnancy
- Suffering from Gonorrhea or Chlamydia
- Pelvic Inflammatory disease
- Active Sexually Transmitted infections
8. Side Effects Associated with IUDs
Along with several benefits, IUDs have various risks and side effects. Most of them are listed as follows:
- Mood Swings
- Breast Tenderness
- Pelvic pain
- Increased menstrual bleeding
- Irregular menstrual cycle
- Unexplained fever
- Headache and Nausea
These were the common side effects associated with both Copper and hormonal IUDs. However, cramps and increased menstrual discharge are the side effects associated with Copper IUDs.
However, too much copper in the intrauterine system might lead to deterioration of health. Hence, a woman must consult a healthcare provider before inserting an IUD.
9. Benefits of Using IUDs
Although IUD prevents pregnancies, there are several other benefits of using IUD. Some of them are:
- There’s no need to stop having sex to use contraception
- No partner participation in contraception
- Stays in position for up to five years
- Removable whenever needed
- No side effects, as they are associated with birth control pills that contain estrogen for contraception
- Hormonal IUDs make period lighter and also less painful
- It can be used during breastfeeding (but you need to wait for 7 to 8 months after the birth of the baby so that the uterine lining does not get injured during insertion)
Along with the birth control benefits, IUDs are also recommended for the following medical conditions:
- Heavy bleeding during mensuration
- Irregular bleeding
- Period pain and cramps
- Endometriosis (growth of uterine tissue on the outer lining of the uterus)
- Adenomyosis (unusual growth in the uterus lining)
Rare Problems Associated with the Use of IUDs
Most women opt for IUDs for long-term birth control options and the prevention of pregnancies.
All of us know the common side effects associated with the use of an Intrauterine device IUD but here are some rare complications that are not observed usually while using IUDs:
- Sometimes, an IUD comes out accidentally during heavy exercises, menstrual flow, or for no reason. Many women do not even realize that their IUD has been expelled.
- Hence, when a woman gets an IUD inserted, she needs to visit the doctor for a follow-up visit to check whether the IUD is in place.
2. Uterus Perforation
During the insertion of an IUD into the uterus, there is an extremely small risk that the device might perforate the uterine wall.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Sometimes during the insertion of IUDs, there is a low risk of getting a bacterial infection. Generally, the bacterial infection occurs within the first 20 days of inserting IUDs.
Cost of IUD
Depending on the type of IUD and health insurance, one can calculate the actual cost of an IUD. Most health insurance plans cover the IUD costs and planned parenthood.
Some clinics charge less for young adults and teenagers. Since an IUD provides you benefits for an extended period, the cost of the device would be according to that.
When to Insert an IUD?
Your healthcare provider will thoroughly evaluate your medical conditions and perform your pelvic exam before inserting IUDs.
An IUD can be inserted anytime:
- During the menstrual cycle, if the woman is not pregnant. She might need to take a pregnancy test to confirm the same.
- After the termination of the pregnancy.
- After the birth of the baby, however, it might lead to injury in the uterus during insertion.
The Procedure Of IUDs Insertion
Let us understand the procedure for the insertion of Intrauterine devices.
The following steps or procedure is followed for the successful insertion of IUDs into the womb of a woman:
- The healthcare provider will insert a speculum into the vagina. To avoid any infections, the vagina and cervix are cleaned with an antiseptic solution.
- Special instruments might be used to align the cervical canal and uterus, and to measure the depth of the uterus.
- Folding of horizontal arms of Copper IUD and placing it in the applicator tube.
- Now, the doctor will insert the tube into the cervix to place the device inside the uterus carefully.
- Many women feel cramping, dizziness, and a slower heart rate during insertion.
- Short strings from the IUD are clipped so they don’t stick out too far into the vagina.
After one month of the procedure, check whether the IUD strings protrude from the cervix but do not pull them. You may have follow-up visits to ensure the placement of the IUD and inflammatory reaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does an IUD stop you from getting pregnant?
By preventing sperm from fertilizing the egg, the copper-coated IUD prohibits conception. The implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus is also additionally hindered.
2. Where does sperm go with an IUD?
The way the IUD works is by making your uterus uninhabitable to sperm and fertilization. Your cervical mucus may thicken, your uterine lining may weaken, or you may stop ovulating according to the kind of IUD you have.
The IUD does not prevent sperm and semen from entering your uterus and vagina following ejaculation, though.
3. What is a major disadvantage of using an IUD?
They might be painful to implant and offer little protection against STIs (sexually transmitted diseases). If you don’t have insurance, the up-front expense can also be high.
Intrauterine Devices (IUDs) are placed in the uterus of a female for long-term birth control. These devices are available in several compositions used to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
If you want to take no chances with your health and future, then these are undoubtedly amazing options.
Read more health informative blogs on Canada Hustle:


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Mandarin & Ginger Extra Dark Chocolate - by Seed & Bean
Mandarin & Ginger Extra Dark Chocolate 85g Bar (72% Cocoa)
It’s citrus meets trendy ginger. With organically sourced, Italian Mandarin oils and a hint of Sri Lanka’s gorgeous ginger, it’s the perfect punchy treat.
Ingredients: Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract, Mandarin Oil, Ginger, Vanilla Extract.
|Per 100g||Per Bar|
|of which saturates (g)||27.0
|of which sugars (g)||28.0
Allergens: Produced in a factory that handles milk, gluten, nuts and tree nuts. We therefore want to let you all know that there may be traces in these bars.

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[London] Lunch around Tate Modern ?
By way of context, we'll be having a late dinner at Tayyabs (following a very touristy Jack the Ripper walk), so not south asian as well for lunch. Not a "smart" place either, as we'll be in touristing clothes.
I think Wrights Oyster and Porter House might suit.
It's at Borough market and only a 5-10 min walf from Tate Modern.
You'd be fine in touristy clothes and very different from Tayyabs.
I'd go for seafood rather than actual fish off the menu as when I went it excellent, the fish was merely good.
" Not a "smart" place either, as we'll be in touristing clothes"
Nearby : Turk
SE1 District Guide :
Street Eats & Cafes
Elliots Cafe in Borough Market is very good - they source their ingredients daily from the market. Great wine list too.
(and if you do go to RJS, which is also good, you needn't a cab, it's about a ten minute walk max from the Tate.)
The Jack the Ripper walk is great - there's a few decent East End boozers towards the end of it (if you do the one that ends up in Spitalfields).


March is Sobriety Awareness Month
"Believe in them and keep them going through time." -
Traditional value of the Unangan/Unangax̂
Thanks to Senate Bill 208 March is now Sobriety Awareness Month in Alaska.
Read more from the Alaska Legislator.
Sobriety Awareness Month serves an opportunity to celebrate healthy lifestyles, support those in recovery and those who choose not to use drugs or alcohol. Problematic substance use increases the risk for many health problems. People under the influence of drugs or alcohol are at higher risk for getting
HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis
. They may forget to use condoms because they're high on the drugs. Substance use and misuse also puts people at higher risk for injuries (for example, car crashes), violence, and overdose, to name a few. The U.S. and Alaska have seen dramatic increases in prescription opioid use as well as other opioid drug use. ANTHC wanted to do something about it. Read on to learn more!


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As carriers cut back their spending on capital expenditures this year, financial and industry analysts expect network infrastructure vendors, including mid-sized companies such as Alcatel-Lucent (NASDAQ:ALU) and Nokia Siemens Networks, to take a hit.
Although it like will become clearer later this month when carriers detail their spending plans for 2012, most analysts expect the overall network infrastructure market to grow by only around 3 to 4 percent this year as operators pull back. European carriers are likely to become skittish because of the possibility of a recession and even U.S. operators may scale back after moving at a frenetic pace the past few years.
"Wireless is very weak and will be for the first half," Earl Lum, chief of research firm EJL Wireless, told Reuters. Investment bank Nomura predicts operator spending on mobile networks could shrink 1 percent in 2012, down from growth of 7 percent in 2011, while Credit Suisse analysts predicted that wireless network investments will grow only 1 percent in 2012, down from 10 percent growth last year.
"Although we retain our view that capacity utilization on mobile networks continues to remain high, which will drive long-term revenue growth, any potential recovery is unlikely before 2013," Credit Suisse analysts wrote in a research note, according to Reuters.
Analysts think Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE could once again put pricing pressure on Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens, which could hurt margins. Industry leader Ericsson is the best positioned to weather the storm, but both Alcatel-Lucent and NSN are undergoing restructuring operations. NSN plans to cut 17,000 workers by 2013, for a total cost savings of around €1 billion, or $1.3 billion, as it seeks to focus on mobile broadband. Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen has ruled out the possibility of steep job cuts, but the company will embark on a $691 million program of additional cost cuts in 2012, affecting both sales spending and project costs.
Smaller vendors have said they are feeling the pressure. Earlier this week Juniper Networks cut its fourth-quarter forecast on weaker spending by service providers, especially those in the United States, and namely Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T). Juniper's warning came after a similar one from Acme Packet.
- see this Reuters article
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)
- see this Dow Jones Newswires article (sub. req.)
Alcatel-Lucent's Verwaayen dismisses talk of steep job cuts
Report: Pressure to replace Alcatel-Lucent's Verwaayen mounts
Alcatel-Lucent cuts full-year forecast amid economic uncertainty
Dell'Oro: Infrastructure market grew 15% in Q3, driven by LTE
NSN CEO: Parent companies will not contribute more cash to JV
Analysts: NSN's focus on mobile broadband smart move
NSN to shed 17,000 jobs

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September 1, 2013
A young rattlesnake coiled at the Phoenix Herpetological Society in Scottsdale. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Peter Haden)
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The 21-year-old forward opened his goalscoring account for the Magpies last week, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 comeback victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
He then built upon his tally with another winning strike, netting the only goal of the game on Saturday as the club defeated Liverpool to move five points clear of the relegation places. His dream week with the Toon was also capped back in his native Spain, where he was named Breakthrough Player of the 2013/14 Segunda Division and Best Attacking Midfielder of the 2013/14 Segunda Division for his exploits with Tenerife last season.
With his hometown club, Perez netted 16 goals in 34 games as Tenerife avoided relegation by four points in an incredibly close league, and it was form for the Spanish club that had Everton and Swansea also reportedly tracking the forward, whilst Porto were said to be keen on the youngster as well.
With the Under-21 international’s form cause for much praise at St James’ Park, head coach Alan Pardew believes that it is Perez’s optimism in front of goal that makes him such a good goalscorer.
Speaking to the Chronicle, Pardew said: “He is one of those players that just takes a chance.
“Some people don’t think like that.
“He has that optimism that something is going to fall for him.”
However, Pardew did suggest that Perez is still not the finished article, claiming that there are still two key areas in which the youngster must improve to become a truly talented player.
"His hold up play and general strength really isn’t there at the moment,” the 53-year-old coach added.
“He’s just got that little knack and it’s a lovely knack to have.”

domain: sports


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The Opus Group on Wednesday announced that construction has started on the roughly 200,000-square-foot spec industrial warehouse it has been planning in Shakopee.
Within the last 16 months, Ryan Cos. has managed to ink land sales and leasing and construction deals involving 65 acres of its Dean Lakes Business Park in Shakopee, leaving just 11 acres available for development.
Minnetonka-based Opus announced plans Wednesday to develop and build university apartment complexes in Milwaukee and Madison, Wis.
Shakopee’s industrial real estate boom continued Friday with a flurry of property deals.
Only days after Emerson Electric Co. said it will expand into the former ADC Telecommunications facility in Shakopee, Opus Development announced plans to build an industrial building on spec next door.
Shakopee officials could be setting up their city for more development now that Emerson Electric Co. has confirmed it will expand into the southwestern Twin Cities suburb.
Mortenson Development Inc. has proposed redeveloping a surface parking lot at 400 Marquette Ave. in downtown Minneapolis for a 30-story, 262-unit apartment tower.
After being forwarded a petition calling for an Environmental Assessment Worksheet on a proposed 140-unit student apartment project, the Zoning & Planning committee of the Minneapolis City Council will consider the issue.
Bloomington-based United Properties has waited out the recession and is ready to dust off plans for the InverPoint Business Park, an industrial development in Inver Grove Heights.
Developers are continuing to sharpen their pencils to sketch out plans for new apartments near the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.

domain: geography


GreyBeards talk universal CEPH storage solutions with Phil Straw (@SoftIronCEO), CEO of SoftIron. Phil’s been around IT and electronics technology for a long time and has gone from scuba diving electronics, to DARPA/DOD researcher, to networking, and is now doing storage. He’s also their former CTO and co-founder of the company. SoftIron make hardware storage appliances for CEPH, an open source, software defined storage system.
CEPH storage includes file (CEPHFS, POSIX), object (S3) and block (RBD, RADOS block device, Kernel/librbd) services and has been out since 2006. CEPH storage also offers redundancy, mirroring, encryption, thin provisioning, snapshots, and a host of other storage options. CEPH is available as an open source solution, downloadable at CEPH.io, but it’s also offered as a licensed option from RedHat, SUSE and others. For SoftIron, it’s bundled into their HyperDrive storage appliances. Listen to the podcast to learn more.
SoftIron uses the open source version of CEPH and incorporates this into their own, HyperDrive storage appliances, purpose built to support CEPH storage.
There are two challenges to using open source solutions:
- Support is generally non-existent. Yes, the open source community behind the (CEPH) project supplies bug fixes and can possibly answer some questions but this is not considered enterprise support where customers require 7x24x365 support for a product
- Useability is typically abysmal. Yes, open source systems can do anything that anyone could possibly want (if not, code it yourself), but trying to figure out how to use any of that often requires a PHD or two.
SoftIron has taken both of these on to offer a CEPH commercial product offering.
Take support, SoftIron offers enterprise level support that customers can contract for on their own, even if they don’t use SoftIron hardware. Phil said the would often get kudos for their expert support of CEPH and have often been requested to offer this as a standalone CEPH service. Needless to say their support of SoftIron appliances is also excellent.
As for ease of operations, SoftIron makes the HyperDrive Storage Manager appliance, which offers a standalone GUI, that takes the PHD out of managing CEPH. Anything one can do with the CEPH CLI can be done with SoftIron’s Storage Manager. It’s also a very popular offering with SoftIron customers. Similar to SoftIron’s CEPH support above, customers are requesting that their Storage Manager be offered as a standalone solution for CEPH users as well.
HyperDrive hardware appliances are storage media boxes that offer extremely low-power storage for CEPH. Their appliances range from high density (120TB/1U) to high performance NVMe SSDs (26TB/1U) to just about everything in between. On their website, I count 8 different storage appliance offerings with various spinning disk, hybrid (disk-SSD), SATA and NVMe SSDs (SSD only) systems.
SoftIron designs, develops and manufacturers all their own appliance hardware. Manufacturing is entirely in the US and design and development takes place in the US and Europe only. This provides a secure provenance for HyperDrive appliances that other storage companies can only dream about. Defense, intelligence and other security conscious organizations/industries are increasingly concerned about where electronic systems come from and want assurances that there are no security compromises inside them. SoftIron puts this concern to rest.
Yes they use CPUs, DRAMs and other standardized chips as well as storage media manufactured by others, but SoftIron has have gone out of their way to source all of these other parts and media from secure, trusted suppliers.
All other major storage companies use storage servers, shelves and media that come from anywhere, usually sourced from manufacturers anywhere in the world.
Moreover, such off the shelf hardware usually comes with added hardware that increases cost and complexity, such as graphics memory/interfaces, Cables, over configured power supplies, etc., but aren’t required for storage. Phil mentioned that each HyperDrive appliance has been reduced to just what’s required to support their CEPH storage appliance.
Each appliance has 6Tbps network that connects all the components, which means no cabling in the box. Also, each storage appliance has CPUs matched to its performance requirements, for low performance appliances – ARM cores, for high performance appliances – AMD EPYC CPUs. All HyperDrive appliances support wire speed IO, i.e, if a box is configured to support 1GbE or 100GbE, it transfers data at that speed, across all ports connected to it.
Because of their minimalist hardware design approach, HyperDrive appliances run much cooler and use less power than other storage appliances. They only consume 100W or 200W for high performance storage per appliance, where most other storage systems come in at around 1500W or more.
In fact, SoftIron HyperDrive boxes run so cold, that they don’t need fans for CPUs, they just redirect air flom from storage media over CPUs. And running colder, improves reliability of disk and SSD drives. Phil said they are seeing field results that are 2X better reliability than the drives normally see in the field.
They also offer a HyperDrive Storage Router that provides a NFS/SMB/iSCSI gateway to CEPH. With their Storage Router, customers using VMware, HyperV and other systems that depend on NFS/SMB/iSCSI for storage can just plug and play with SoftIron CEPH storage. With the Storage Router, the only storage interface HyperDrive appliances can’t support is FC.
Although we didn’t discuss this on the podcast, in addition to HyperDrive CEPH storage appliances, SoftIron also provides HyperCast, transcoding hardware designed for real time transcoding of one or more video streams and HyperSwitch networking hardware, which supplies a secure provenance, SONiC (Software for Open Networking in [the Azure] Cloud) SDN switch for 1GbE up to 100GbE networks.
Standing up PB of (CEPH) storage should always be this easy.
Phil Straw, Co-founder & CEO SoftIron
The technical visionary co-founder behind SoftIron, Phil Straw initially served as the company’s CTO before stepping into the role as CEO.
Previously Phil served as CEO of Heliox Technologies, co-founder and CTO of dotFX, VP of Engineering at Securify and worked in both technical and product roles at both Cisco and 3Com.
Phil holds a degree in Computer Science from UMIST.


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A Meander At PMCA
Surprisingly, walking has become a recent “thing” in LA. The city is becoming more accessible to foot pedestrians and it is slowly starting to make its way into art. Pasadena Museum of California Art is one of the first to champion it with a show called Meander by John O’Brien. The artist took a walk around a highway and made an art piece that is a reflection of how the city structures itself. It’s very fascinating and we were super lucky to have a little chat with him about the work.
Drawing Stories With Travis Millard
Artist Travis Millard–who we love–has recently released a little series of videos where he literally draws stories. It’s kind of like Mister Rogers meets Adult Swim and is a hysterical entry into the world of art making films. Any fan of Travis and things that are good should watch these.
John Tejada’s Elsewhere EP
John Tejada is the only Angeleno on Germany’s Kompakt label. They are celebrating their twentieth anniversary and are doing all sorts of celebratory things, which includes lots and lots of new releases. Among them is one from Tejada that is a two track release that all techno fans will want to listen to. They are “Somewhere” and “Elsewhere” and are birthday treats to the label.
It seems like Baths stormed the music world this week with his new album. It’s gotten major raves and represents an artist who is more serious and more daring with his work. It’s an interesting album and certainly has a lot of care put into it. You owe it a listen or two because everyone will be doing that.
Classixx’s Hanging Gardens
Classixx have finally released their “debut” LP after what feels like forfuckingever. The album is a bonafide dance sensation that will have you all toe tappy and happy that it’s Summer time. This is the sunny poolside album you will want to listen to a lot and you can thank the LA bros of Classixx for that.

domain: entertainment


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Updated 31 days ago
443a Moss Vale Road, Bowral NSW 2576 Australia
Zara integrates her knowledge of modern psychotherapy and mental health with the expansive ancient wisdom of yoga. From this platform Zara offers private counselling, yoga classes, yoga therapy and mentorship services in Moss Vale, Bowral and nationally. Her diversely extensive skills and experience as a facilitator are applied in a range of capacities within General Medical Centres, public and private hospitals and community-based agencies...
Zara offers years of practical clinical experience, insight and sensitivity in life, to her yoga teachings and work as a health professional.
Also known as: Zara

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Hong Kong is a very busy, modern city. But during my trip to Hong Kong with my parents, I discovered a hidden gem amidst the hustle and bustle of this city: the Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery. This is only my second time to visit Hong Kong, and I haven’t had the chance to find this serene place the first time I went here. The Internet is a very powerful tool when planning your travel itinerary. I only discovered the Nan Lian garden while doing some research on less popular but worthy places to visit. A true hidden gem, not a lot of tourists or even locals seem to know about it. But beyond its clandestine beauty, the Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery is not to be missed.
Nan Lian Garden
Cutting through Diamond Hill’s myriad of high-rise apartments is the tranquil Nan Lian Garden. This scenic garden is meticulously landscaped over an area of 3.5 hectares in which every hill, body of water, rock, plant and timber structure has been placed according to specific rules and methods. There are exhibitions of Chinese timber architecture, rocks and potted plants, while the hungry might want to try the vegetarian restaurant or tea house.
Chi Lin Nunnery
Established in 1934 and renovated in Tang dynasty style in 1990, the Chi Lin Nunnery is a large temple complex of elegant wooden architecture, soul-soothing lotus ponds and treasured Buddhist relics. The complex also includes a series of temple halls, some of which contain gold, clay and wooden statues representing divinities such as the Sakyamuni Buddha and bodhisattvas.
Source: Discover Hongkong
Going to the Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery is very easy even for first-time travelers. You just ride the MTR, get off the Diamond Hill station, then exit C2. From there, look for signs that will lead you to Nan Lian Garden. You will come across the Paragon Mall and cross the street. It’s a 5-minute walk, more or less. We didn’t encounter any problems locating the beautiful place. We went there first thing in the morning, and it’s the perfect time to explore the garden. It became too hot, though, by the time we got to the Chi Lin nunnery. So early morning or late afternoon would be the ideal time to visit.
From the MTR Diamond Hill station, enter the Nan Lian garden first (picture above) before going to the Chi Lin nunnery after you strolled the entire garden. I am surprised to how welcoming the garden is, especially after just going through the busy streets of Hong Kong. Right after we entered the wooden gate, I noticed that there are not a lot of visitors, which is to be expected since this is not very popular among the tourists yet. I love how tranquil and quiet it is once you’re inside the walls of the garden. It makes you forget that you’re actually right smack the middle of Hong Kong City! Unfortunately, we are not allowed to cross the bridge to the temple. My mom wants to get closer, but there’s a small fence blocking the way. We just took pictures in front of it. 🙂
There’s a big koi fish pond in the middle and a shelter where you can sit and rest beside it. I bet if you have kids, they will love watching the koi fish. We were walking around like we’re on a palace ground. The plant compositions and structure are gorgeous! The frenzy of Hong Kong suddenly disappears once you’re up close with nature in this garden. We enjoyed wandering around Nan Lian Garden and marveling at the beautiful nature that surrounds us against the city backdrop. There are areas where you can rest and have some quiet. I can’t believe entering this garden is free considering that it looks well maintained. If you just follow the pathways, straight ahead, you will see yourself finally ending up in the Chi Lin Nunnery.
I haven’t visited any religious places in Hong Kong. And if the Chi Lin nunnery is any indication of how they will be across this country, then I would love to visit them all! Visiting this nunnery feels really special. It adds that final charm to the Nan Lian Garden experience. The Chi Lin nunnery is an oasis of tranquility and spirituality. The whole place is just so solemn. Too bad the heat of the sun is already at its peak and my mom couldn’t handle it anymore, so she didn’t join us inside the Chi Lin courtyards. You will love the lotus ponds. Very soothing. It is just so peaceful and calm.
You can go around the nunnery and witness different Buddha exhibits. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures. I immediately forgot the heat and just took my time to absorb and feel the atmosphere of this magnificent place. The architecture of the monastery might remind you of those you find in Japan, but a quick read of its history will tell you that this is a common Tang Dynasty style. It would be lovely to go here before sunrise or sunset and have that meditative moment and just put your mind to rest. Oh, and a quick trivia, no nails were used to build this big, beautiful nunnery. Simply amazing. Even if you’re not Buddhist, I’m sure you will appreciate the history, the ambiance and the positive energy Chi Lin Nunnery exudes.
We still have a long day ahead exploring Hong Kong. Visiting the Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Nunnery is a good head start. It gave us that extra boost of positive vibes that we need to enjoy the rest of the day. For those looking for a place of inspiration and calm, I recommend you check out this place. I bet you even the nonbelievers will see something that will delight their soul.
Here are some more pictures I took while wandering around. If you have questions or stories about Nan Lian and Chi Lin, please feel free to comment and share. 🙂
Nan Lian Garden
60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Kowloon | +852 2354 1888
Chi Lin Nunnery
5 Chi Lin Drive, Diamond Hill, Kowloon | +852 2354 1888


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We make the case here that neurodivergent thinkers should be an important part of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies because every organization stands to benefit from the inclusion of different cognitive perspectives in creating the organization’s culture.
This argument can be made from several different angles. For example, it can be made from the standpoint of a single organization, competing with other organizations in a commercial or industrial pursuit. It can also be made from the standpoint of the larger society, which stands to benefit from more innovative and equitable organizations.
Wouldn’t we all prefer to live in a world that values individuals for the skills and talents each of us uniquely possesses? Wouldn’t we all prefer to live in a world where seeming misfit pieces of the puzzle find a suitable home in the tapestry of the larger machine that is a 21st century economy?
However, in making any of these arguments, there is a central point that ties them all together, which is where we must begin: The neurodiverse are undervalued in the labor marketplace despite the many talents they bring to the table.
What is Neurodiversity?
“Neurodiversity” is a strength-based perspective that refers to individuals with differences in brain function, neurology, and behavioral traits as existing within “the normal variation in the human population.” Neurodiversity involves people with varying diagnoses, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (“ADD” / “ADHD”), Dyslexia, Sensory Processing Disorder, or Dyspraxia, among others.
Where Neurodiversity fits within the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Paradigm
We know from previous research that improved DEI metrics, more broadly defined, have been shown to increase financial returns and productivity for organizations. Companies with more diverse management teams, for instance, demonstrate, on average, 19% higher revenues due to increased innovation and 9% higher EBIT margins, as reported in a recent Boston Consulting Group Research Report.
Neurodiversity and the benefits of diverse cognitive strategies have only very rarely even been highlighted as part of the traditional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) framework. We argue that Neurodiversity should be explicitly addressed and included as part of ongoing conversations about how to improve DEI initiatives at both the policy and organizational level.
Neurodiverse Groups Contribute Talents that Employers Need
The most direct proof that the neurodiverse — sometimes referred to as neurominorities — are undervalued in the labor marketplace is the fact that, while studies have emerged showing that many neurodiverse workers are as or more productive than their neurotypical counterparts, the neurodiverse are much more likely to be unemployed or underemployed.
In other words, they struggle to get and retain jobs despite evidence that they are just as good at them.
For our purposes here, to simplify the analysis, we will focus on one particular neurodiverse population that has been shown to disproportionately fall through the cracks in terms of both degree completion and employment rates – Autism spectrum disorders (often referred to as ASD).
The most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has broadened the diagnostic criteria to address all variants and subtypes under the ASD umbrella. ASD is a developmental disorder that affects skills in three domains to varying degrees – communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors – and is believed to be the fastest growing developmental disability, diagnosed more frequently than AIDS, cancer and diabetes combined. Recent CDC estimates suggest that 1 in 54 kids are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. One summary resource to learn more about ASD can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
While studies have shown some variation in employment statistics, it has been estimated that approximately 85% of autistic adults remain unemployed or underemployed and as many as 9 out of 10 college graduates on the Autism Spectrum also remain unemployed or underemployed. To put this in perspective, for the rest of the economy, as of the end of 2019, the unemployment rate was at about 3.5%.
At the same time, according to Manpower Group, out of the 40,000 employers surveyed, 45% of global employers reported that they are struggling to find the talent they need to succeed in their organizational objectives.
This might be incorrectly taken as evidence that people on the spectrum are strikingly worse at performing basic job-related tasks than their neurotypical peers. However, the available data clearly suggest otherwise.
While the talents of ASD jobseekers might be overlooked during verbal interview processes, recent Autism at Work pilot studies have shown that neurodiverse/neurodivergent employees are more productive than their neurotypical peers in the same job when given the opportunity. In fact, in a recent study by JPMorgan, individuals with ASD were found to be 48% faster and as high as 92% more productive when compared to their neurotypical peers employed in the same position.
People with ASD also possess unique cognitive strengths and have shown superior performance on visual-spatial tasks, including tests utilizing block design skills (Shah and Frith, 1993), as well as pattern detection abilities such as the embedded figures test (Jolliffe and Baron-Cohen, 1997). In a very recent segment on 60 minutes (October 4, 2020) , Anderson Cooper tried the block test compared to a person on the spectrum; Anderson fell extremely far behind: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/autism-employment-60-minutes-2020-10-04/.
People on the spectrum have also been found to me more consistent in rational decision making and less prone to errors of cognitive bias, including susceptibility to being influenced by marketing gimmicks (Farmer et al, 2017). Attention to detail and the ability to sustain focus for long stretches of time are additional powerful contributions to employers (see Burry et al. 2020 for a review).
Unique Kinds of Minds
Besides being undervalued in the labor marketplace on traditional measures, the neurodiverse also bring the value of diversity to the table. Diversity is productive because it introduces a greater range of experiences and ideas into the conversation.
We argue that this is just as true in the case of neurodiversity as it is for other types of diversity that are currently the focus of the DEI movement.
Neurodiversity represents diversity of cognition. People with ADHD or ASD think differently from each other and from their neurotypical peers, often noticing different details, making different assumptions, and reaching different conclusions.
This is inherently valuable.
An article published in Harvard Business Review suggested how “Innovation calls on firms to include people and ideas ‘from the edges.’” Another useful quote published in the same Harvard Business Review article comes from an executive at SAP:
“Having people who see things differently and who maybe don’t fit in seamlessly helps offset our tendency, as a big company, to all look in the same direction.” – Bessa, SAP’s Autism at Work program.
In a separate article published in Forbes titled, “Five Trends Driving Workplace Diversity,” Selena Rezvani observed:
“In addition to creating a workplace inclusive of race, gender, and sexual orientation (to name a few), many organizations are seeking value in something even simpler, diversity of thought. In some industries that are known for being insular—think law or high-tech companies—seeking out talent with different thinking and problem-solving backgrounds in critical. Deloitte research underscores that diverse thinkers help guard against groupthink . . .”
In each case, the same point lies at the heart of the issue: A team of people, no matter how smart or well-educated, that contains no diversity in cognitive, perceptual or analytical bearing, can be a risk to organizational success.
In other words, when everyone is highly correlated in terms of perceptual or analytical tendencies, the range of potential ideas that can be considered in making important decisions is narrow. That narrow range creates two major disadvantages: It prevents innovation and creates catastrophic vulnerability.
In the first case, new and better doors to progress are not always visible because everyone is simply unable to realize that there are other directions to look. In the second case, serious risks are often not noticed as they creep up from an unseen direction.
Uncorrelated cognitive tendencies present a value, not a liability, broadly speaking. And organizations able to access and implement this value will reap benefits over time through the presence of unique minds in the room predisposed to think differently and see fresh angles to seemingly obvious challenges – to mix up the ingredients in ways that simply don’t occur to “most people”.
We would suggest researchers work to establish the true costs, in both social supports for, and deviance related to, those defined here as “neurodiverse”, especially those who might otherwise be employable in terms of skills, but for a lack of supportive resources for both employers and neurodiverse job-seekers.
Corporate giants such as Microsoft, SAP, JP Morgan and Ford Motors have been highlighting the many gifts that ASD workers offer in recent years. It is time to expand on this foundation and take cognitive diversity seriously as an important asset to organizational culture within the broader DEI policy framework.

domain: psychology


text:
If you have any questions before booking, or wish to set up an alternate payment scenario (bank transfer, payment plan, etc) please contact us!
All bookings are NON-REFUNDABLE, but may be transferred before the start of term. You can defer to a later term or give your spot to a friend.
Be sure you understand all of our conditions of participation before signing up.
No experience necessary, all levels welcome. The workshop will be fun yet challenging regardless of your former improvisation experience, especially if you've never had Chicago-style training before.
Perform for friends and family in your very own class show at the end of term. The class show will be held on the weekend of April 25/26 (Time TBA) at The Improv Conspiracy Theatre.
While we don’t anticipate having to change the instructor after registrations open, please be aware that this may happen from time to time.
Laura Jo took her first class with The Improv Conspiracy in early 2013. In 2014 she spent two months in Chicago studying at the iO Theatre's summer improv intensive program. She has performed on a number of Harold Night teams throughout the years, and is a cast member of The Remix. She currently serves as the company's Theatre Operations Manager and Assistant Artistic Director.
"Laura is a great teacher and made everyone feel really comfortable and relaxed, she was really encouraging and you could really feel that everyone was having a great time!"

domain: artistic


text:
- Downhill Skiing
- Mount Hotham Airport (MHU) / 13.1 miles
- Albury Airport (ABX) / 57.8 miles
- Corryong Airport (CYG) / 57.9 miles
Discover the true meaning of mountain hospitality in one of Falls Creek's premier properties. Enjoy the superb mountain views and open fireplace. Feast the palate with the finest food and wine. Relax in the heated indoor pool, sauna, and spa; or indulge in a therapeutic massage. You have so many choices at Attunga Alpine Lodge.
|OPEN DATES||All Year|
|NEARBY CITY||Falls Creek|
Vacation Request Successfully submitted. Thank You!


text:
Here comes new BRAIN TEASERS from the maker of Roll the Ball - slide puzzle more than 30 M downloads worldwide. Roll The Ball - plus puzzle is a simple addictive number puzzle game, keep you playing it! Do you like the game genres as below? Great! Roll the Ball has all the elements.; ). Sliding Puzzles, Just move and move! Puzzle Games, Thought-provoking fun.
Download the installation package of Roll the Ball™ 1.2.1 that is absolutely free and read users' reviews on Droid Informer. The app runs flawlessly on Android 4.1 and higher. The download of this application is 100% safe. XLsoft is the developer of the game that can be found in the Puzzle Games category.

domain: game


text:
Premier Kites - Zippy Flo-Tail Delta Kite - Chameleons
- Gift wrapping:
- Options available
- Calculated at Checkout
Zippy Flo-Tail Delta Kite - Chameleons
These printed Flo-Tail Delta Kites are one of our most stable designs and feature long flowing tails that show beautifully in the sky.
Line: Includes 150 ft. 15 lb. Test Line & Winder

domain: design


text:
Smiths Detection prides itself on innovation and the development of advanced technologies which detect and identify constantly evolving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) threats, as well as illegal and dangerous materials. Its detection capabilities provide customers with complete solutions for their CBRNE requirements. Programme and service packages ensure optimum performance throughout the lifetime of ownership.
Between 1997 & 2005, Smiths acquired a number of companies that were brought together to form Smiths Detection. The principal acquisitions were Graseby Dynamics – manufacturing chemical and biological warfare agent detection products; Environmental Technologies Group which complemented Graseby’s activities; Barringer Instruments, world leader in trace detection equipment; Heimann Systems making X-ray systems; and SensIR Technologies – infrared-based analysers.
Smiths Detection manufactures a broad range of security sensors for global military forces, emergency responders and security professionals, to detect and identify CBRNE threats. The high integrity solutions incorporate advanced technologies such as Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS), Fourier-Transform Infrared, LATE-PCR, Raman Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) and X-ray imaging.
In addition to CBRNE solutions for the military and emergency responders, Smiths Detection provides powerful X-ray systems to safeguard air travellers, the public at large and key groups such as Customs officers monitoring cross-border movements of people and freight. Discriminating X-ray technologies help in the fight against tax fraud, the movement of illegal substances and identification of hidden terrorist threats.
Smiths Detection will continue to focus on five key sectors: Transportation, principally aviation security; Ports & Borders security; Critical Infrastructure locations; Military protection; and products for Emergency Responders.

domain: chemistry


An appeal to stop 750 new homes being built near Lichfield has been dismissed by the high court.
The District Council ran a legal challenge after the government ruled the development north West of the city could go ahead.
The authority says the project at Curborough goes against their local plan - and they are very disappointed by the ruling.
Of the decision Cllr Ian Pritchard, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Environment and Development, said:
“While we accept the High Court’s view that the Secretary of State’s decision was not unlawful in disagreeing with the planning inspector, the fact remains that this is a bad decision for Lichfield District and for the planning system in England.
“By producing up to date local plans and planning to meet needs within an area, national planning policy makes it clear that local authorities, such as Lichfield District Council, will be supported in refusing applications that are not in accordance with a plan. This is a well-established and understood principle that provides certainty and confidence in decision taking.
“Unfortunately, in this case the Secretary of State’s desire to see more houses developed in England has completely overridden any other considerations, including the fact that we are planning to meet our needs and carrying out this responsibility.”


Fibre optic oxygen sensor based an unsymmetrical fibre coupler
Zhao H., Chen R., Zang X., Farmery A., Hahn C.
The development of a fibre optic oxygen sensor system based on an unsymmetrical fibre coupler for the measurement of oxygen partial pressure (PO2) is reported. The principle of the oxygen sensor is based on the luminescence quenching of a luminophore by oxygen and the sensor consists of an unsymmetrical silica fibre coupler and a PMMA sensing medium that contains immobilized Pt (II) complexes. The 2×2 unsymmetrical optical fibres coupler was made using two silica fibres with different core diameters, one is with 200μm core diameter and another one is with 105μm core diameter. In our current work, the fibre coupler fibre was optimized to improve the performance of the sensor system by increasing light coupling efficiency from LED to sensor probe. The performance of the fibre optic oxygen sensors was evaluated using Ocean Optics spectrometer (USB2000) based on the luminescence intensity measurement. The details of the sensor chemistry, experimental system and the results were presented. As result, a special fibre coupler has been used to construct a practical, low cost oxygen sensor. © 2009 SPIE.


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domain: finance


text:
There is a broad consensus that Hillary Clinton won the Democratic “Debate.” We put the term in quotes because the event resembled not so much a debate as a joint press conference. With that qualification, we would not quarrel with the assessment that Ms. Clinton performed well and no doubt solidified her status as a front-runner. It is not that the other participants did poorly: they all seemed knowledgeable and well prepared, there were no egregious misstatements, and the event was happily free of personal sniping. Yet none of the others had the kind of breakout moment that each must have hoped for. All in all, the range of the conversation was, with few exceptions, from center left to far left and the interrogators asked few probing questions to get below the surface.
Given the cornucopia of commentary, we thought the most interesting exercise might be to note some questions that we hope might be asked in the next round. (The questions involve issues that Republican candidates will also have to address sooner or later.)
FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY
ISIS Is ISIS a threat not only to countries in the region, but to the United States? If so, how serious and immediate a threat is it? If it is a serious threat, are there no circumstances under which you would favor use of American ground troops to confront it?
Syria Are you confident that ISIS can be defeated in Syria by a “coalition” that does not involve any American troops? If so, on what basis? How has the introduction of Russian military forces changed the dynamics in Syria and the Middle East, and how should we respond? Do you agree with Secretary Clinton that establishing a no-fly zone in Syria would be a way to “get the Russians to the table.” If so, explain. What would be the costs and risks in establishing a no-fly-zone? What could we expect to get from the Russians “at the table”?
Iraq Are you confident that ISIS in Iraq can be defeated without the introduction of American ground troops? If so, on what basis? Can any military strategy, with or without American troops, be successful without reducing the level of hostility and mistrust between Shiites and Sunnis? Is there anything the United States can do to help reduce that hostility and mistrust? Should we be arming the Kurds and Sunni tribes directly, over the objections of Baghdad?
Afghanistan President Obama has announced a halt to the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan from the present level of 9,800 and indicated that as many as 5,500 would remain until early 2017. Do you agree with this change in policy? Do you believe it is sufficient? Is there anything else you would urge? How important do you believe it is to keep Afghanistan out of the hands of the Taliban?
Iran Of the Democratic candidates, only Senator Webb was critical of the Iran nuclear deal. Do you believe that the deal was the best the United States could have gotten? What steps would you take now to assure that Iran lives up to the deal? How important is it that Iran has recently conducted a ballistic missile test in violation of a U.N. Resolution? How would you respond?
Islamic Extremism Do you regard Islamic extremism as a global problem? President Obama has refused to use the terms “Islamic extremism” or “Islamic jihad.” Do you agree with that refusal? If so, why?
Israel President Obama has had an uncomfortable relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Do you view that as a significant problem for U.S. foreign policy and, if so, would you take steps to improve the relationship? Do you support a “two-state solution” and if so, do you think the U.S. has a continuing role in attempting to reach such a solution?
US National Security In August, the outgoing Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, identified Russia as the “most dangerous” threat facing the United States—and that was even before the Russian deployments in Syria. Yet none of the Democratic candidates identified Russia as a major threat to our national security. Why do you think General Odierno is wrong?
Ukraine None of the Democratic candidates mentioned Ukraine. Are you satisfied with the existing “frozen conflict”? If not, what additional steps would you take? Furnishing weapons to Ukraine? Imposing additional sanctions on Russia? Other?
Eastern Europe and NATO Are you concerned that Russian actions in Ukraine may foreshadow similar actions in Estonia and Latvia or elsewhere in Eastern Europe? If such actions were to occur, are you satisfied that NATO has the military strength to respond appropriately and the political will to do so? What if anything should the United States do to strengthen NATO?
Refugees Are you concerned that the flood of refugees from Syria and elsewhere may have serious implications for Europe from both an economic and national security standpoint? Do those implications extend to the United States? What, if anything, should we do to help? Should we offer to take some of the refugees, and if so, how many?
US National Security Senator Webb appeared to be the only Democratic candidate to view China as a serious threat to our national security, referring to China’s actions in the South China Sea and cyberwarfare against the United States. Do you agree that China is a serious threat to national security and, if so, what would you do about it?
Sequestration In August, General Odierno wrote “[T]he optimum size of the active-duty Army is 490,000 troops. But the fiscal gridlock surrounding the Budget Control Act of 2013, also known as sequestration, has already forced us to reduce Army forces to 450,000. If sequestration continues, we will be forced to reduce even further. At that point, the Army will be unable to fulfill its mission.” Do you agree with General Odierno’s assessment? If not, on what basis? Do you believe, as President Obama reportedly does, that sequestration should be ended for military spending, but only if it is lifted for domestic spending as well? Isn’t defense spending important enough to be considered on its own merits?
Do you believe our border security is adequate? If not, what steps would you take to better secure the border? If you believe in a “path to citizenship,” what steps do you see in that path? President Obama’s Executive Order deferring deportation of millions of illegal immigrants has been blocked in federal court. Did you approve or disapprove of the President acting by Executive Order?
The Democratic candidates did not mention the national debt. The Congressional Budget Office warns that “the long-term outlook for the federal budget has worsened dramatically over the past several years” because of the recession, an aging population, and increasing health care costs. In 25 years, the CBO says, the debt will be larger than the gross domestic product — and higher even than after World War II. Is that a problem you would address? How?
Entitlement spending currently makes up 60 percent of the budget. Mandatory and interest spending will nearly double in the next 40 years due to population aging and rising health care costs. What would you do to rein in entitlement spending?
Taxing the Rich According to the Tax Policy Center, if we wanted to fix the debt only by raising taxes on those making over $250,000, the top rate would need to be over 100%. Isn’t that an unworkable solution?
Tax Reform There are many on both sides of the aisle who favor tax reform that would include eliminating or reducing many tax advantages or “loopholes.” Which ones would you favor? Deductions for charitable giving? Mortgage interest? Other? In addition to closing loopholes, Democrats generally favor higher tax rates on the “wealthy.” At what level would rates begin to increase? How high do you think rate increases should go? Is there any point at which you think higher rates would be either unfair or harmful to the economy? Have you calculated how much revenue would be derived from such rate increases?
Secretary Clinton has said more than once that the Trans Pacific Partnership would be the “gold standard” for trade deals. [Note: And not as she put it in the recent debate, that she merely “hoped” it would be.] She now opposes it. If you oppose the TPP what specific provisions would have made it acceptable to you? Did you communicate that position to the trade representatives of the Obama Administration during the negotiations?
Gun shows and Background Checks Secretary Clinton has proposed several gun control measures, the centerpiece of which is closing the “gun show loophole.” Is that likely to make a difference in light of a Department of Justice survey indicating that only 0.7 % of criminals apprehended with a gun had obtained the weapon at a gun show? [After careful analysis, Clinton’s claim that 40% of gun sales occurred at gun shows or over the internet and without a background check was awarded 3 Pinocchios in The Washington Post.] Are there any broader measures you would favor, such as requiring more thorough background checks by local law enforcement agencies as is the practice in some states?
Mental Health and Mass Shootings In addressing the tragedy of mass shootings, many argue that mental health issues are more important than improving gun control. Do you agree that improved of detection and treatment of mental illness would be important in reducing the incidence of mass shootings? Do you have any proposals on how to do so?
All of the Democratic candidates, except Senator Webb, appear to favor aggressive action to meet climate change. The most detailed proposal appears on Governor O’Malley’s campaign website. Have you read O’Malley’s proposal and do you agree that it is a sound approach? Governor O’Malley might be asked what analysis he has made of the possible negative impact on the economy from implementing his plan. Do you agree with some who argue that action by America on climate change will accomplish little without major action from the rest of the world, in particular China and India? Senator Webb described the recent agreement with China for carbon reduction as “illusory.” Is Webb wrong? Why?
Education received relatively little attention from the Democratic candidates, but there are several important issues.
Pre-K Education President Obama made an ambitious proposal for federal support of Pre-K education but Congress has failed to act. Part of the problem has been that past programs, including Headstart, have shown inconclusive results. Would you support proceeding with small-scale programs to test the effectiveness of different approaches?
K-12 Education What do you see as the federal responsibility in relation to state and local responsibility? Common Core is very controversial among Republicans (and with many teachers and parents). What is your view? Secretary Duncan supported charter schools against the opposition of teachers’ unions. What is your view? Secretary Duncan has opposed voucher programs although they have been supported by many minority leaders. What is your view?
College Education – Student Debt Is there a crisis with respect to student loan debt or has it been exaggerated? A recent Brookings report indicated that “The hysteria surrounding much of the public discussion around student loan debt does not have a strong basis in reality…. [E]ducation debt levels have increased markedly over the last two decades, driven in large part by rising tuition levels and Americans obtaining more education (especially graduate degrees). But the typical household with debt is no worse off today than a generation ago, with increases in lifetime earnings more than offsetting increases in debt, and monthly payment burdens kept manageable by longer repayment periods.” Do you agree or disagree?
Police Techniques In the past two years, there have been well-publicized instances, often involving minorities, in which the police appeared to use excessive force. Do you believe this is a widespread problem? Apart from a responsibility to initiate civil rights investigations in appropriate cases, what – if anything – can or should the federal government do to address the problem?
Sentencing A sentencing reform bill was recently introduced in the Senate with support from a bipartisan group led by Senators Charles Grassley and Richard Durbin. Do you support that bill? Would you seek to change it significantly?
* * * *
The above questions were intended to cover a fairly wide range of subjects but are by no means exhaustive. We would encourage readers to offer their own suggested questions (or revisions to ours).

domain: politics


text:
Pauli LoveJoy http://paulilovejoy.com, previously known as Pauli The PSM http://paulithepsm.com, an internationally acclaimed musician (Damon Albarn, Kindness, Bobby Womack) steps out from behind the drums as a solo recording artist.
Pauli commissioned fellow Londoner living in New York, oil painter Amar Stewart http://amarstewart.com to recreate Johnny Nguyen’s iconographic photo of 12-year-old Devonte Hart, who was wearing a sign with the words "free hugs" during a Ferguson protest. -Portland Police Sgt. Bret Barnum motioned Devonte over to him and they began to talk about the demonstration, school and life. At the end of the conversation the police officer pointed to Devonte's sign and asked "Do I get one of those?” They embraced.
“In a time where it's felt like the chasm between people deepened to the point it can never be repaired, this beautiful picture is a symbol of hope.” Pauli remarks, “The cop is colourless in the Stewart’s painting to show that this issue is deeper than race."
Give Me a Sign, inspired by Nguyen’s photo led Pauli to call upon HEAVYxMELLOW http://soundcloud.com/heavyxmellow to produce the track. This is the first single from the Brooklyn based Brit, collaborating with the Texas born producer.
Dedicated to Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Rafael Ramos & Wenjian Liu, an animated collage by SOTA.london will be uploaded later today on http://paulilovejoy.com
Pauli’s debut currently untitled EP is due to be released in 2015.


text: It should be said that the book is not a scientific or exhaustive study, endeavoring to deal with all of the conditions, causes, and problems of poverty. Mr. Charles Booth in his study of London has ap proached most nearly to such a work, and it required several large volumes to print the results. It is unnecessary to say that this book is a much more modest undertaking. It is first of all a personal narrative, telling of things seen while living among the poorest of the working people and among the most degraded elements in several cities of this country and abroad. It makes public certain notes concerning the misery, the wretchedness, the sorrow, and the hopelessness of old neighbors, many of whom are friends and acquaintances. It is not.

domain: library


text:
LIMITED EDITION Anniversary Savoury Box
This product is currently sold out.
In line with our 6th anniversary, we've put together this limited edition savoury box for the month of October.
- Turkey Bacon Maple Cupcakes x2
- Parmesan Scallion Scones x2
- Olive Oil Dark Choco Brownie x1
- Chili Brownie x1
- Truffle Mushroom Brioche Sandwich x1
- Chicken Bulgogi Quiche x1
- Thai Basil Chicken Quiche x1
*All meat suppliers sourced are halal certified


text:
CARSON (AP) - Chris Wondolowski scored in the 87th minute and the short-handed San Jose Earthquakes kept their playoff hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Chivas USA on Sunday night.
ANAHEIM (AP) - Dan Boyle scored two power-play goals, Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau each had a goal and an assist, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-5 Saturday night in the teams' preseason finale.
SEATTLE (AP) - Bartolo Colon outpitched Felix Hernandez to reach 18 wins for the fifth time in his career, Brandon Moss hit a three-run homer in the first inning and the Oakland Athletics beat Seattle 6-2 Friday night in the start of Eric Wedge's final weekend as Mariners manager.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Hunter Pence hit his career-best 26th home run to back a shaky outing by Ryan Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 7-3 Friday night.
SANTA CLARA (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers turned a short week of negative energy into their first blowout victory of the season.
OAKLAND (AP) - The opening month of the season hasn't quite gone as planned for Robert Griffin III and Matt Flynn.
• TIGER PGA TOUR'S TOP PLAYER: Tiger Woods was voted PGA Tour player of the year for the 11th time on the strength of his five big wins and return to No. 1 in the world. It was the third time Woods won the Jack Nicklaus Award despite not winning a major. He made up for that with two World Golf Championships and The Players Championship among his five wins.
SAN JOSE (AP) - The San Jose Sharks will be without forward Raffi Torres for the start of the season because of an injured right knee.
CHICAGO (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates are headed to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years, clinching at least a National League wild card Monday night when they beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 and the Washington Nationals lost to St. Louis.
ANAHEIM (AP) - Not even Sunday's champagne-soaked celebration of another division title could knock the Oakland Athletics off their soaring trajectory toward the playoffs.
SANTA CLARA (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers are prepared to go forward without star linebacker Aldon Smith for as long as it takes for him to get clean, healthy and improve his life.
The larger-than-life figure that teased and tormented the Sacramento Kings for so long is now the biggest name to join the franchise's new ownership group.
DENVER (AP) - Peyton Manning slapped his hands together five, six, seven times and barked out the signals. A few seconds later, Wes Welker was all alone, cradling the quarterback's latest touchdown pass.
OAKLAND (AP) - Wearing a gold robe and swim goggles, bearded right fielder J2osh Reddick ran around the Oakland Athletics clubhouse guzzling beer as bubbly sprayed in every direction.
DENVER (AP) - Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor has seen the scores. Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos have put up 40-plus points in their first two games and made offense look easy.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes, ran for another score and the Seattle Seahawks stifled Philadelphia's high-powered offense in a 24-14 victory over the Eagles on Sunday.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Nick Saban vs. Urban Meyer.
OAKLAND (AP) - 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks said Sunday that he inadvertently missed a morning defensive meeting Tuesday but showed up an hour later for a second meeting focused on domestic violence.
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - A week after their "Hands Up, Don't Shoot!" show of solidarity, several St. Louis Rams players made another societal statement Sunday with the message: "I Can't Breathe."
SAN DIEGO (AP) - When baseball officials last gathered in San Diego for the winter meetings, the session took place at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley. No free agents reached agreements and players claimed collusion, which led to the first of three grievances against owners and eventually a $280 million settlement.
OAKLAND (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers are playing themselves right out of the playoff picture.
CARSON (AP) - Major League Soccer intends to announce its next expansion destination by the middle of 2015, with groups from Sacramento, Las Vegas and Minneapolis vying for franchises.
SANTA CLARA (AP) - San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh took exception to the response toward quarterback Colin Kaepernick following his somewhat brief media session on Wednesday.
WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP) - The guy in a red shirt put on quite a show Friday in the Hero World Challenge to get into contention.
PHOENIX (AP) - In a three-team trade on Friday, the Arizona Diamondbacks sent slick-fielding, light-hitting Didi Gregorius to the New York Yankees, where he becomes a favorite to replace Derek Jeter at shortstop.
OAKLAND (AP) - The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders aren't exactly soaring into the once-every-four-years Battle of the Bay.
OAKLAND (AP) - Authorities said Friday they were beefing up security for the San Francisco 49ers' visit to the Oakland Raiders' home field on Sunday in hopes of preventing trouble that has plagued the matchup between the San Francisco Bay Area rivals in years past.
Boise State is one victory away from cashing another big bowl game check.
Trophies will be awarded. Champions will be crowned. A confetti cannon or two will likely be fired.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Two years ago, Kevin Harvick was evaluating his life. He and his wife, DeLana, had welcomed a son, their only child. They'd sold their race team and began to prioritize what really mattered to their growing family.


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He lives in Victoria Island, Lagos. You can visit his blog or contact him via Facebook or Twitter by clicking the icons below; send an email to evanylaw yahoo. Your email address will not be published. Ake Arts and Book Festival A Protest against Jungle Justice in Nigeria. You may also like Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Presidential Aspirants Of To Follow. By Akwaowo Willie 21st September By Chinwe Opuruiche 14th September Apr 21, Sterlingcindysu rated it really liked it Shelves: Thanks to William Morrow for a copy!
I always feel sorry for men who have to handle alot of women in their lives and he's no exception. The women aren't portrayed as warm, loving, caring people. His fourth wife is someone who went to college, and just like Barb in Big Love, you wonder why an educated woman would agree to that. She actually unknowingly undoes the secrets of the other wives, yet it's because they don't trust her that she undoes them. Unusual setting, Thanks to William Morrow for a copy!
Unusual setting, with enough explanation of customs so you know what's going on. I'm glad there was a family tree at the beginning to keep the children and mothers straight. Looking forward to more by Shoneyin. Jun 05, Samir Rawas Sarayji rated it really liked it Shelves: A compelling look at the lives of four women married to the same man and living under one roof.
Indeed, the power of the story is about the 'secrets' of these wives, namely their individual pasts, and on how these secrets will unravel to devastating effects. There's a lot to like in this fast novel, from cultural exposition to good writing, Shoneyin is a writer I would like to read more of. What I didn't like were the different narrators of each chapter with either first person POV or third pers A compelling look at the lives of four women married to the same man and living under one roof.
The first person perspective of each of the wives to narrate their backstory detracted from the overall strength. Still, Shoneyin pulled it off as best as one could, so kudos. Nov 26, Friederike Knabe rated it really liked it. Ishola Alao, known as Baba Segi, has a problem that upsets his stomach and general well-being. After two years of trying, his fourth wife still does not show any signs of being pregnant. He already has a stable of kids with his other wives, but what is the use of another marriage if it doesn't give him more offspring?
Furthermore, his young wife, "the graduate", has been creating unease and tension between his other wives. It is really beyond him to understand what the reason could be, given tha Ishola Alao, known as Baba Segi, has a problem that upsets his stomach and general well-being. It is really beyond him to understand what the reason could be, given that he is sharing his favours equally among the women.
Something has to be done about his "barren" wife and all else will sort itself out after that. Nigerian author Lola Shoneyin was a well-known poet and short story writer by the time her debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives , was published in It immediately won several awards and was also long listed for the Orange Prize.
As the title and my short introduction suggests, the novel takes an intimate look at a life in a polygamous family in modern Nigeria. Drawing on her own in-depth knowledge of the issues, Shoneyin writes with great confidence making this novel a very engaging and authentic read. She harmoniously combines humour and irony with empathy and sensitivity in her vivid depiction of the central characters and the circumstances they find themselves in. The reader is taken inside the complicated day-to-day of such living arrangements and, quite naturally, we also gain insights into the very difficult underlying societal issues of traditional gender relations and economic inequalities.
Bolanle, the young educated fourth wife is the central figure of this fast moving and highly absorbing tale: What is predictable is that her arrival does not go down well with the three established wives and mothers of Baba Segi's children. Iya Segi, the "mother of the household" has had until now a very good handle on everything and managed the second wife, Iya Tope, and the third, Iya Femi pretty well each named after her first-born child. Now with the intruder among them jealousy, insecurities, favouritism and disruption of their established group dynamics take over the daily life.
One expresses what the three feel: These educated types have thin skins; they are like pigeons. If we poke her with a stick, she will fly away and leave our home in peace. On her side, Bolanle does not really understand the inner workings of the household and adds to the difficulties. As readers we can appreciate their very different upbringing and circumstances that led them to marry into Baba Segi's household. We can even develop some empathy with Baba Segi himself, a man whose life has not been easy and has bound him deeply to the traditions of his social environment.
All in all a very satisfying read: View all 3 comments. Jun 05, B. Much of the novel is narrated by Bolanle, the last wife.
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Her entrance into the family causes turmoil above and beyond the usual upheaval that occurs when a new wife is taken, as it exposes a secret that will change the family forever. While the novel is set in an unfamiliar world, both geographically and culturally, the author makes you feel as though you know these people because the stories they live out and the emotions they display are common to people the world over. And because each of the women has a fully developed back-story that explains how they came to participate in the marriage, the reader easily understands why they act the way they do.
Apart from the fact that the characters seem to jump off the page, the machinations of the family are fascinating. In particular, the first wife, Iya Segi, is wickedly Machiavellian in her running of the household, although her attempt to insure her place of superiority amongst the wives ultimately ends in tragedy for her. In addition to the richly drawn characters, the author spins a gripping story that kept my attention throughout until the poignant ending. The characters from this book strike a quiet resonance with Indian women; a polygamist husband, complex polygamy dynamics, sexism, patriarchy, superstitious beliefs and a penchant to way of things that have long past deemed as, well, nonsense.
When the husband leaves the house, his four wives enter into a ring that operates on its own bunch of rules. There is petty jealousy, irrational need to oppress another human being, irresponsible hatred, marginalizing the new, religious reverence and unfou The characters from this book strike a quiet resonance with Indian women; a polygamist husband, complex polygamy dynamics, sexism, patriarchy, superstitious beliefs and a penchant to way of things that have long past deemed as, well, nonsense. There is petty jealousy, irrational need to oppress another human being, irresponsible hatred, marginalizing the new, religious reverence and unfounded fear for education.
The four women get entangled in a long drawn contrived battle for supremacy where the reward would be the adoration from the husband.
While each wife tries to execute an agenda, there is an opposition, power struggle and devastating consequences. Shoneyin tightly packs her punches in the way her characters exhibit contrasts all through out the story. The characters aren't devoid of disenchantment as each have found that their path to freedom is in the house their husband has provided. Their individual story lies anywhere between sad and devastating, making their current predicament - a safe haven. Shoneyin's writing is earnest, raw, unsympathetic and bares the skin of her characters without making any apologies for the choices they make.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives | Arcola Theatre
A fantastic overview of a culture that is slowly adapting to the modernization that is taking place in their part of geography as the people still hold on to age old ideals and traditions at different degrees. May 05, Laura rated it liked it Shelves: The four wives' tales intertwine with that of Baba Segi, a Nigerian with four wives. The problem is that the fourth wife, Bolanle, has not conceived a child in two years of marriage, thus setting in motion the unraveling of the lives of everyone in the house.
The way in which this family lives will feel different, but having "Big Love" and "Sister Wives" on tv as well as a flood of Mormon polygamist books means that this isn't completely foreign. Jumping from character to character, we learn the The four wives' tales intertwine with that of Baba Segi, a Nigerian with four wives. Jumping from character to character, we learn the back story and motivations of the four wives and Baba Segi himself are not always upstanding or honorable.
It's entirely plausible that the wives don't get along well, and that there is plotting between them, but the degree is a little implausible. It's also imperative that you read the chapter titles to know which wife you're reading about, as it's not always clear from the writing the voices are too similar. The stories are engrossing, and the ending will surprise readers: Glimpses of Nigerian culture are woven in such a way as to not completely overwhelm the reader with the difference between these lives and our own.
Copy provided by publisher. Dec 12, N. Although of little relevance, I thought I needed to say that this story reminded me a bit of Su Tong's novella, Raise the Red Lantern, a story of a polygamous family in 's China, mainly due to the jealousy and rivalry between 3 wives against the 4th youngest one. The general pace of the novel is very good, starting off in a lighter tone and getting more serious in the second half, which shows excellent writing.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives review – a swaggering spectacular
The idea of having the the Point of View vary in the chapters among the wives is a Although of little relevance, I thought I needed to say that this story reminded me a bit of Su Tong's novella, Raise the Red Lantern, a story of a polygamous family in 's China, mainly due to the jealousy and rivalry between 3 wives against the 4th youngest one. The idea of having the the Point of View vary in the chapters among the wives is also a artistic literary device, but because the narrative style is similar, you don't know which wife is speaking in which chapter until you are about halfway though it, and to me this was a big flaw, and the author lost a star because of this in my rating.
The satirical caricature of the polygamist Baba Segi, was very amusing and served as a wry comment on male dominance in patriarchal cultures. All the characters are engaging and full of humor, wit, malice, spite, and even some charm as well. Sep 03, K. I somehow had the idea this was basically going to be comic or at least triumph-of-human-spirit in some way. JFC that was a savage book. It isn't because of Baba Segi either.
He's a gross and grossly sexist polygamist, squatting in his position of patriarchal privilege without question, but in fact he's harmed by the cultural milieu like everyone else, and in a weird way his house is a haven for the four horrendously abused sexually, physically or emotionally women he marries. He l I somehow had the idea this was basically going to be comic or at least triumph-of-human-spirit in some way.
He loves his kids, he loves his wives though without ever really considering them as equal humans with rights , he isn't habitually violent; this is a pretty damn low bar for 'decent human being' but in this book it's about as good as it gets. The backstory of each wife is a litany of the awful ways people treat each other and the damage done by poverty, patriarchy, religion, greed; the main story is honestly horrifying in its cruelty.
It is darkly funny, and brilliantly written in a way that brings all the voices of the story through, and it is unquestionably an excellent book. I suppose you could see the ending as partially happy for Bolanle, recovering from trauma, and the basically kind if useless Iya Tope, but the overwhelming sense I had was of Larkin's sentiment. Our past experiences play a role in shaping our identity and the choices we make. Oct 03, Fiona rated it really liked it Shelves: An unexpected book group hit!
This was really great, but suffers from a cover design by someone who saw the word "wives" in the title and "Nigeria" in the setting and did not go any further.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
Plenty more to say about this, but also you should probably get hold of a copy. It is not fluff, however it might be marketed. It's matter-of-fact, is what it is. Dec 27, Anne rated it it was ok Shelves: Ok but there are some problems if you aren't into "eastern" literature. A very tenuous sense of place absolutely no real sense of Nigeria - could have happened in Pakistan! Did nothing to positively and evocatively demonstrate values within an "eastern" context which I have absolutely loved in other post colonial lit.
Made me visit India twice. Bit sensationalist underpinned by a didactic message. I like eastern lit so Ok but there are some problems if you aren't into "eastern" literature. I like eastern lit so okay for me but thinking for others it would be a two star book. Disappointing in many ways. If people liked this book there are so many with similar subject matter that are so much more authentic and poignant, really conveying how difficult it can be to turn against traditions that are also valuable.
View all 5 comments. May 29, NancyL Luckey rated it it was amazing. Although I can't imagine living in a polygamist situation, the lives of these women were completely believable. Absolutely nothing like it except for the talent of the author. Though you begin knowing Baba Segi and his wives as a whole family, each one has a complicated life leading up to this strange living situation.
I could not imagine why an educated modern woman would Although I can't imagine living in a polygamist situation, the lives of these women were completely believable. Ostensibly about polygamy in old Africa, it is a far more universal story of the shifting power-play inside a marriage and sexual envy between women. This adaptation by the award-winning writer Rotimi Babatunde captures the complicated gender dynamics: He does the same here, mercilessly sending up Baba Segi Patrice Naiambana as a crude buffoon.
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What makes the production so bold is its unabashedly physical treatment of sex:

domain: literature


MPV recently completed the sale of approximately 64 acres in University City which will be used for multi-family housing. This sale was the most recent of other land sales that have been completed by MPV’s Justin Holofchak, who represented IBM in transactions totaling approximately 310 acres in all.
Charlotte Business Journal covered the most recent sale in the following article, published on November 14, 2022: https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/11/14/related-group-buys-64-acres-university-land-ibm.html
IBM sells 64 acres in Charlotte’s University area to Miami developer with plans for hundreds of apartments
Miami-based Related Group is gearing up for its next multifamily project in Charlotte following the purchase of 64 acres in the University City area.
The developer purchased the property at 6540 University City Blvd. from IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) for $14.5 million, Tommy Trimble, Foundry Commercial senior vice president for brokerage services, told Charlotte Business Journal. The sale closed on Oct. 17, according to Mecklenburg County real estate records.
Trimble represented Related Group in the transaction. The seller, IBM, was represented by MPV’s Justin Holofchak.
Plans for the property include up to 450 apartment units and up to 150 townhomes, Trimble said.
“The location there, near all the daytime activity and shopping, right off (Interstate) 85, made it a good location for the product that they want to build,” he said.
Charlie Humphreys, Related Group’s vice president of development, was not available for comment today.
Related Group is also working on a multifamily project in SouthPark where it plans to build a 150,000-square-foot mixed-use development where Trianon Condominiums currently stands. The developer filed a petition with the city of Charlotte in May to rezone 9.1 acres at Colony, Rexford and Roxborough roads and replace the 50-year-old condo development with 55,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of retail space, 730 multifamily units and 18 to 24 townhomes.


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Dennis Carey from BMW Scotthall, Borehamwood and Michael Futers from BMW Castle, York had already beaten 320 entrants at the UK national competition before picking up an international accolade. The technicians had to detect and repair faults in a range of electronic systems during the four-day event. They also faced a two-hour theory test.
UK technicians become BMW's world champions
12/03/2004 in Latest News


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‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Perfect Exemplar
An overview of the life, service, and Writings of this central figure of the Faith Who became known as “the Master”. His humble life of service serves as an inspiration for those who aspire to a fuller spiritual life. The reader will get a glimpse into the profundity and scope of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings and follow him on his historic journeys through the Near East, Europe, and North America.
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The Wisdom of the Master: The Spiritual Teachings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
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Genevieve Coy, Roy Wilhelm, Stanwood Cobb$14.95
The Master in Egypt: A Compilation
Ahang Rabbani, Ahmad Sohrab$29.95
The Master in ‘Akka: Including the Recollections of The Greatest Holy Leaf
Marzieh Gail, Myron Henry Phelps$19.95
In Galilee: The Pilgrim’s Notes of Thornton Chase
Abdu’l-Baha in America: Agnes Parsons’ Diary
Agnes Parsons, Richard Hollinger, Sandra Hutchison$19.95
John LaRue –
Great book with never before heard stories. Really a very interesting history.


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The following is a preliminary outline of what occurred on Saturday, August 17, 2013, at the Department of Juvenile Justice’s Avon Park Youth Academy, which is located in unincorporated Polk County at the Avon Park Air Force Range (on SR 64 East in Polk County). All of the juveniles housed there are male. This facility is maintained by the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the security personnel who work here work for G4S, a private company contracted by the DJJ:
Around 8:30 p.m. – A fight broke out at the facility between two groups of juvenile delinquents just after a basketball game. A group of five juveniles from St. Pete were playing basketball against a group of five juveniles from Orlando. The wager for the game was three packages of instant noodles – the losing team agreed to give the winning team this food. The losing team, the juveniles from St. Pete, refused to pay, and a fight broke out between the two groups. Other juveniles who were not playing basketball joined the affray, and a riot broke out.
The staff who works at the facility, G4S employees, called 911 and requested assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The 911 call was received at 8:34 p.m.
PCSO units arrived on-scene and established a perimeter. They were assisted by officers from the following agencies: Department of Corrections; State Fire Marshal's Office; Florida Fish and Wildlife; Florida Highway Patrol; Highlands County Sheriff’s Office; Sebring Police Department; Osceola County Sheriff's Office; Polk Fire and EMS. Approximately 150 law enforcement officers (LEOs) arrived on-scene.
All of the remaining G4S staff members (about eight of them) who had retreated to a house near the entry gate were evacuated from the compound and the LEO’s on-scene secured each juvenile with flex-cuffs and escorted them out of the riot area. No staff members or law enforcement officers were injured.
A total of seven juveniles were transported to Florida Hospital in Sebring with various minor injuries. The most serious injury was a broken leg. The other injuries consisted of bruises, lower back pain, lacerations, and one concussion.
There are 138 juveniles housed at the detention facility. All 138 are accounted for:
One is at the hospital with a broken leg.
64 juveniles have been transported to the PCSO South County Jail in Frostproof in state custody under the supervision of G4S. They are separated by sight and sound from adult inmates.
The remaining 73 juveniles are secured at the Avon Park Youth Academy.
During the riot, none of the juveniles escaped from the secured compound.
A staff radio and all of the staff golf carts were taken by the juveniles.
During the riot, at least 18 of the 20 buildings were damaged.
During the riot, one office building containing the delinquents’ records was set on fire, and one dumpster was set on fire. Polk Fire extinguished both fires without incident.
There is no video surveillance footage of the riot. There are no security cameras at the facility.
By rule, the G4S employees are not allowed to have any specialty equipment, to include pepper spray, which would have allowed them to deal with the fight before it escalated into a riot.
PCSO detectives are conducting an investigation into which of the delinquents will be charged with multiple felonies. The investigation is ongoing. G4S and the DJJ have been totally cooperative during this incident and ensuing investigation.