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Many Experiencing Meeting Mishaps
For many, meetings with colleagues have become a little … different over the past few weeks. We’re (virtually) meeting new colleagues that might not be on the payroll, whether they be dogs, dads or babies. But even though fire alarms and fussy kids have replaced cubicle chatter as our background noise on calls, an Office Pulse study of 426 white-collar workers revealed some meeting mishaps you’d probably want to keep off the record.
“A co-worker didn’t realize their microphone was on and started baby talking to their significant other. It was awkward,” a male Millennial from Chicago said when asked what the funniest meeting mishap they’ve experienced recently was.
“My co-worker lives at home and her mother constantly interrupts our meetings to tell us stories about her day,” one female Gen Xer from Toronto said. “We sometimes chant, “Donna’s Mom! Donna’s Mom!” If her mother hasn’t made an appearance during our weekly huddles.”
“During a team meeting, one of the cats of a colleague started giving weird sounds and after hearing it, a cat in another colleague’s home started giving reply in similar kind of sounds, others in our call noticed it and we all cracked up,” a male Millennial from Los Angeles said.
Which of the following has occurred on a call/meeting you were in recently?
Kids really do say the darndest things
When looking at key terms in open ended responses, a few stuck out. Kids were a hot topic in business meetings, appearing in 42 responses. Pets showed up in 25 responses. The terms mute/unmute were in 14 responses- so really, double check that mic button. And finally, while the terms toilet and bathroom were in just nine responses, we think that’s nine too many.
What’s the funniest meeting mishap you’ve experienced recently?
Apparently my co-workers could see my underwear that I had flung on the bed when I was getting dressed for the meeting.
I had a camera filter on when I went into an office meeting. Oops! I was wearing kitten ears.
My friend’s dog barked while we were on a zoom group call. My dog barked in return. Next thing we knew, the two dogs had taken over the call barking at each other and licking the screens.
Someone was on a video conference and was dressed from the waist up but didn’t know others could see he wasn’t properly dressed from below the waist.
Flossing teeth is just entirely too personal. I do not like it at all.
I was on a conference call when my kids went into my car and pressed a button, resulting in my call being transferred to my vehicle Bluetooth.
I left to get a cup of coffee, when I came back my cat was on the keyboard of my laptop just writing letters randomly … on our internal chat.
My coworker’s preschool son climbed up on a kitchen stool behind her, wearing just his underwear!
Was on a Zoom video call last week when a 4-year-old decided to strip and run into my office shaking his booty. Thank goodness I was quick on the trigger finger and my desk wasn’t facing the doorway.
I was on a phone conference (audio only) with over 100 people. Someone forgot to mute their line, and they flushed the toilet. It was obvious to everyone that it was a toilet flush. Took about 10 min for the giggles to die down.
So, if your meetings have been a little quirky and offbeat as of late, just know you’re not alone. In fact, even the Supreme Court experienced a meeting mishap last week: A toilet flush could be overheard during oral arguments.
About Office Pulse
Office Pulse by Captivate offers marketers timely analysis and insights from a proprietary panel of upscale professionals in the top markets. The Office Pulse panel of more than 8,000 influential consumers and business decision makers includes C-level executives, Millennials, middle management, small business owners, working women and working moms.
Known for its vast network of nearly 12,000 elevator displays located in 1,600 premier office buildings across North America, Captivate connects advertisers with 13 million unique monthly viewers through creative, research-driven and Nielsen-measured advertising and marketing programs. By engaging its viewers with timely news and actionable information that helps balance the personal and professional demands of the workday, Captivate provides advertisers with a highly desirable and difficult-to-reach audience of affluent and influential business professionals. Founded in 1997, Captivate is owned by Generation Partners. For more information, please visit www.captivate.com.


The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) status as the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is particularly manifest in its handling of military diplomacy. This article examines the background and evolution of the Office of International Military Cooperation (OIMC)—the main Central Military Commission (CMC) organization responsible for managing and coordinating PLA relationships with foreign militaries. In addition, the piece examines and contextualizes the roles of the Joint Staff Department and the Minister of National Defense in military diplomacy. In examining the main PLA military diplomacy actors, this article builds on Kenneth Allen’s recent China Brief series, “The PLA’s Military Diplomacy in Advance of the 20th Party Congress,” which overviewed recent senior-level engagements as well as specific areas of cooperation between the PLA and foreign forces (China Brief, September 9; October 4).
A Brief History
The PLA’s Foreign Affairs Office originated in 1951 when the CCP’s CMC created a subordinate Foreign Liaison Division.  After the Ministry of National Defense (MND) was formed in 1954, the PLA used this office as a base to establish a subordinate Foreign Affairs Office (FAO; 外事办公室, waishi banggongshi) in 1955 that received dual guidance from the General Staff Department (GSD) Intelligence (Second) Department and the MND General Office (办公厅, bangongting). In 1959, the FAO was placed solely under the MND’s General Office. In January 1964, the office expanded to become the Foreign Affairs Bureau (FAB; 外事局, waishi ju) under the General Office. The bureau created a subordinate General Office (办公室) and three numbered divisions: 1st Division (一处, yi chu) : Military Attachés (武官, wuguan); 2nd Division: Military Assistance (军援, junyuan); and 3rd Division: Research (调研, diaoyan). In 1965, the bureau was re-subordinated under the GSD, where it underwent unidentified organizational adjustments. From then on, the GSD Foreign Affairs Bureau and MND Foreign Affairs Bureau were dual hatted with MND’s FAB providing a veneer for GSD activities.
In December 1998, both the GSD and MND changed the name of the Foreign Affairs Bureau to the Foreign Affairs Office.  Besides the name change, the new office was also upgraded to a corps leader-grade organization, which allowed it to deal with the GSD’s Second Department and the GSD Foreign Affairs Office’s counterpart in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an equal. The GSD / MND Foreign Affairs Office included the following subordinate organizations: Political Department (政治部; zhengzhi bu), Comprehensive Bureau (综合局, zonghe ju), Arms Control and Military Assistance Bureau (军控军援局, junkong junyuan ju), Asia Bureau (亚洲局, yazhou ju), Eurasian Bureau (欧亚局, Ouya ju), Americas and Oceania Bureau (美洲大洋洲局, meizhou dayangzhou ju), and West Asia and Africa Bureau (西亚非洲局, xiya feizhou ju), as well as some other unidentified bureaus (Tsinghua University, Center for International Security and Strategy; People.cn, June 25, 2013).
Impact of 2016 Reforms
On January 11, 2016, the CMC underwent a reorganization from a General Headquarters System (总部制) to a Multi-Department System (多部门制) in which four General Departments were transformed into 15 organizations (State Council Information Office [SCIO], July 24, 2019). This systemic reorganization, under which the new departments, commissions and offices are to operate as the staff, executive, and service organs of the CMC, aimed to foster centralized and unified leadership; strengthen the top military leadership body’s coordination functions; improve its capacity for strategic planning and overall management; and, strengthen restraint and supervision. As a result of these reforms, the Foreign Affairs Office was not only renamed to the Office for International Military Coordination (OIMC; 国际军事合作办公室, guoji junshi hezuo bangongshi), but was also elevated into the CMC’s new Multi-Department Organization System to become the 13th ranked department in protocol order, which is the equivalent grade to a corps leader (Huanqiu, January 11, 2016; Guancha, February 1, 2016). Concurrently, these reforms also abolished the former GSD Foreign Affairs Office (Takungpao, January 12, 2016). According to the official MND website: “the office is mainly responsible for foreign military exchanges and cooperation, and for managing and coordinating the foreign affairs work of the whole military” (MND). The arm patch for the office is shown below.
Despite the CMC OIMC’s recent origins, the exact link between it and the State Council MND office of the same name is unclear. However, it appears, these are the same organization with two different names. Specifically, various articles in 2016 noted that there was a CMC OIMC (中央军委国际军事合作办公室, Zhongyang junwei guoji junshì hezuo bangongshì) and an MND OIMC (国防部国际军事合作办公室, guofang bu junwei guoji junshì hezuo bangongshì), which were considered “one department with two brands” (一个部门两个牌子, yige bumen liangge paizi) (Huanqiu, January 11, 2016; Shangguan News, April 16, 2016). A reference to the MND OIMC was found as late as last December (PLA NDU International College of Defence Studies, December 24, 2021).
This is consistent with the November 2012 adoption of the “Working Rules of the Central Military Commission,” which stipulated a “CMC Chairman Responsibility System” that was later included in the revisions to the CCP constitution that were adopted at the 19th Party Congress in 2017 (PLA Daily, March 16, 2021). A seemingly new feature of the updated responsibility system is charging the Minster of National Defense with providing oversight of OIMC activities to the CMC. Based on the 2018 “deepening the reform plan of party and state institutions,” the Minister of Defense now sits on the CCP Foreign Affairs Work Commission as the sole uniformed PLA representative and coordinates with other state organs on foreign affairs through MND and the dual-hatted OIMC.
2021 Regulations on International Military Cooperation Work
The adoption of the “Military Strategic Guidelines for a New Era” conveyed in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) 2019 white paper on “China’s National Defense in the New Era,” not only expanded defense aims to include safeguarding overseas interests, but also affirmed the need to “actively develop constructive relationships with foreign militaries” that would require “a new configuration of foreign military relations which is all-dimensional, wide-ranging and multi-tiered is taking shape” (SCIO, July 24, 2019). Demands for greater participation in global and regional security governance, expansion of bilateral defense partnerships, efforts to settle disputes over territory and maritime demarcation through negotiation and consultation, and increased security cooperation activities combine to levy twofold requirements on the international military cooperation activities of the PLA. First, the PLA must refine relevant mechanisms for protecting China’s overseas interests and foreign affairs. Second, the PLA must establish and improve “system coordination” (体系统筹) functions of the OIMC consistent with the overarching “Socialist Military Policy System (system of systems) with Chinese Characteristics” (中国特色社会主义军事政策制度体系, zhongguo tese shehui zhuyi junshi zhengce zhidu tixi) that orchestrates all PLA systems as well as with other foreign affairs systems of China’s governance.
After years in development, Xi signed an order as CMC Chairman issuing the “Regulations on International Military Cooperation” (国际军事合作工作条例, guoji junshi hezuo gongzuo tiaoli), which came into force on March 1, 2021 (PLA Daily, March 16, 2021). The regulations not only provide fundamental guidelines for international military cooperation consistent with Xi Jinping’s “Thinking on Strengthening the Armed Forces,” which are part of the broader effort to build a world-class military, they also seek to apply to Xi’s “Holistic National Security Concept” and expedite his strategic foreign policy aim to create a “community with a shared future for mankind.” The regulations also steer OIMC adaptation of the 2019 strategic guidelines for the “new era” and seek to implement specific steps for the reform and deployment of national defense and the military. A core feature of the regulations, which is consistent with the deepening reforms of the PRC’s national defense and the military systems since 2016, is the direction for OIMC to further “improve the working system and mechanism of international military cooperation in accordance with the leadership and management system established by the reform of national defense and the military, strengthen strategic management and work guidance, improve the work system, and clarify the responsibility interface of each unit in the work of international military cooperation” (PLA Daily, March 16, 2021).
In concert with the other PLA and foreign policy reforms undertaken since 2016, the regulations establish the importance that international military cooperation and the OIMC must function within the PLA, the Party and China’s overall foreign affairs, national defense and military construction, which all contribute to enhancing the PRC’s overall international influence. The regulations specify the main tasks and preliminarily establish a framework, which covers all aspects of CMC-led international military cooperation. Moreover, the regulations establish an “International Military Cooperation Leadership and Management System,” which is internal to China’s armed forces (both the PLA and the PAP), in order to regulate horizontal coordination and to vertically divide the OIMC’s responsibilities and implementation processes to foster overall synergy of effort. The regulations also established a “Military Cooperation Work Inspection and Evaluation System” to conduct assessments, inspections, and evaluations, which aim to improve the overall efficiency and level of international military cooperation.
OIMC Organizational Structure
So far, only a few organizations have been identified as being subordinate to the OIMC, including the Eurasian Bureau (欧亚局, Ouya ju), the Security Center or Security Cooperation Center (安全合作中心, anquan hezuo zhongxin), which is linked to China’s peacekeeping activities and is usually identified as belonging to the MND OIMC, and the Arms Control and Compliance Affairs Office (军控和履约事务办公室,jun kong he luyue shiwu bangongshi), which has a subordinate Compliance Affairs Bureau (履约事务局, luyue shiwu ju) responsible for overseeing China’s Chemical Warfare treaty participation requirements (71.cn, October 19, 2017; PRC Embassy in the Netherlands, September 19; People’s Daily, January 27, 2017). The OIMC also has a Comprehensive Bureau, Asia Bureau and Americas and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. It most likely has several other regional bureaus that correlate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regional departments for Asian Affairs; West Asian and North African Affairs; African Affairs; European-Central Asian Affairs; European Affairs; North American and Oceanian Affairs; and Latin American and Caribbean Affairs (FMPRC).
The following personnel have been identified as the directors (主任,zhuren) for the OIMC starting in 2016, each of whom spent most of their career involved in military diplomacy. Each head of OIMC had held the grade of corps leader.
- 2016–2017: Navy Rear Admiral Guan Youfei (关友飞), who worked in various billets in the GSD and MND Foreign Affairs Office starting in the early 2000s (The Paper, January 15, 2016).
- 2017–2018: Army Major General Hu Changming (胡昌明), who served most of his career in the GSD foreign affairs structure to include working as the first attaché in the PRC Embassy in Tanzania in the early 2010s and as a Deputy Director of the OIMC from 2016 – 2017 (cn, November 22, 2017).
- 2018–2022: Army Major General Ci Guowei (慈国巍). He previously served as the PRC Military Attaché in Kyrgyz Republic and then the Director of the GSD Foreign Affairs Office’s Eurasian Bureau. He then served as a Deputy Director of the MND Foreign Affairs Office and then as a Deputy Director of the OIMC before becoming the Director in 2018 (Huanqiu, December 27, 2018).
It appears that there have been at least four deputy directors (副主任,fuzhuren) of OIMC since 2016 as well, each of whom were a major general or rear admiral with the grade of corps deputy leader (Baike). There are normally at least two to three deputy directors at the same time. It is not clear who, besides Huang Xueping, is currently serving as a deputy.
- 2016-December 2018: Major General Ci Guowei
- 2016-2017: Major General Hu Changming
- 2016-November 2017: Rear Admiral Li Ji (李际)
- November 2017-2022: Major General Huang Xueping (黄雪平) (CCTV News Weibo, September 18).
CMC OIMC Military Diplomacy Activities
The MND’s English-language website catalogues 13 events involving the CMC OIMC from 2018 to 2022, which are listed below. An unexplained phenomenon, however, is what conditions spur publicization of meetings and other events since some routine official OIMC talks are published in one period but not on other occasions.  Of note, none of the articles identified the participants as from the MND OIMC, nor did they mention any participation by JSD representatives.
- On April 18, 2018, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation hosted a welcome reception for a delegation of colonel-level PLA officers (China Military Online [CMO], April 18, 2018). The visit was part of the defense exchange jointly hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, the Sasakawa Japan-China Friendship Fund and the China Institution for International Strategic Studies. As of the time of this reception, the two sides had facilitated exchanges involving about 130 Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) officers and more than 200 PLA officers since the program was launched in 2001. However, mutual visits were suspended in February, 2012. Major General Ci Guowei, who was a deputy director of the CMC OIMC in 2018, led the 25-member delegation to Japan.
- On November 21, 2018, the CMC OIMC invited foreign military attaches from nearly 60 countries to visit the MND’s peacekeeping center near Beijing (Xinhuanet, November 22, 2018). At that time, China had joined 24 peacekeeping operations, dispatching more than 36,000 personnel since the country first began participation in UN peacekeeping missions in 1990.
- MND hosted the 2019 New Year Reception in Beijing on the evening of January 25 to celebrate the approaching Spring Festival, the traditional Chinese New Year (CMO, January 25, 2019). Over 240 foreign military attachés and their spouses, from more than 80 countries, attended the reception. State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe, and fellow CMC members General Li Zuocheng, Admiral Miao Hua and General Zhang Shengmin all attended the reception. The leader of the CMC OIMC delivered a speech on behalf of General Wei.
- In July 2019, China’s MND hosted the first China-Africa Peace and Security Forum in Beijing (CMO, July 17, 2019). Representatives of the Chinese military and nearly 100 senior representatives from the defense departments of 50 African countries and the African Union, including 15 defense ministers and chiefs of general staff, attended the forum. CMC OIMC deputy director Major General Song Yanchao addressed the conference stating that: “In the face of new situations, the common languages, aspirations and interests of China and Africa in peace and security field have been increasing. Closer cooperation between the two sides is embracing new and precious historical opportunities.”
- On October 20, 2020, a top officer of the CMC OIMC had a telephone conversation with a senior U.S. Department of Defense official (CMO, November 1, 2020). They exchanged in-depth views on the relationship between the two militaries and discussed issues of mutual concern. The two sides agreed to strengthen communication between the two militaries, properly manage differences and conduct cooperation in areas of common interest. From October 28 to 29, the two militaries virtually convened the first Crisis Communications Working Group to discuss concepts of crisis communications, crisis prevention and crisis management. In addition, the two sides decided to hold the 2020 Disaster Management Exchange via video conference in mid-November. Finally the two militaries agreed to hold a video conference for the Maritime Military Consultative Agreement dialogue before the end of 2020.
- The 11th China-EU defense and security policy dialogue was held via video link on December 10, 2020 (CMO, December 11, 2020). The dialogue was co-chaired by the heads of the CMC OIMC and the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service (EEAS), which marked the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties.
- The 18th ASEAN Regional Forum Security Policy Conference (ASPC) was held virtually on May 27, 2021. The participants exchanged views on international and regional issues, threats and challenges of emerging technologies to defense security, the buildup of mutual trust and development cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, etc. (MND, May 31, 2021). The head of the CMC OIMC talked about China’s views on current international and regional landscapes. 2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations.
- On August 19, 2021, a leader of the CMC OIMC and U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense (DASD) had a video conference (MND, October 9, 2021). On September 28 and 29, 2021, a leader of the CMC OIMC and a U.S. DASD held another video conference to co-chair the 16th China-U.S. Defense Policy Coordination Talks. During the two interactions, the two sides exchanged in-depth views on the relations between the two countries and two militaries, and on issues of common interest.
- To mark the CCP’s 100th anniversary, the CMC OIMC organized a visit by military attachés from nearly 70 countries to the Museum of the CCP in Beijing (CMO, December 23, 2021). Interviews were also held with military attachés and international military students from 14 countries.
- On February 25, 2022, the 12th China-EU dialogue on defense and security policy was held via videoconference (CMO, February 25). Leaders from the CMC OIMC and the Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response department under the EEAS co-chaired the dialogue.
- On March 16, 2022, the Security and Defense Sub-Committee of the China-Nigeria Inter-Governmental Committee convened its first meeting via video link (CMO, March 16). The meeting was co-chaired by leading CMC OIMC officials of and the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of National Defense.
- On April 29, 2022, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Defense Officials’ Dialogue video conference was held. China and Cambodia, the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2022, co-hosted the conference (CMO, May 1). Leaders from the CMC OIMC and the General Department of Policy and Foreign Affairs under Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defense both delivered speeches.
- On June 3, 2022, the CMC OIMC Director participated via video link in the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum Security Policy Conference (ASPC) in which the participants exchanged views on the regional and international issues (CMO, June 3).
Joint Staff Department Military Diplomacy Involvement
It is still not exactly clear how the current CMC Joint Staff Department (JSD), which replaced the GSD in 2016, is actively involved in managing military diplomacy. For example, as noted in “The PLA’s Military Diplomacy in Advance of the 20th Party Congress (Part 1)”, the PLA has always assigned the military diplomacy portfolio to one of the Deputy Chiefs of the former General Staff Department or current Joint Staff Department (China Brief, September 9). The current Deputy Chief of Staff with this portfolio since August 2017 is Lieutenant General Shao Yuanming, who has the grade of Theater Command deputy leader. The meetings he has chaired are listed below:
- January 2018: China and Myanmar Diplomacy and Defense Consultations in Naypyidaw, Myanmar (Xinhuanet, January 17, 2018).
- May 2018: China and Russia 20th round of strategic consultation in Beijing (CMO, May 30, 2018).
- September 2018: China and Russia “Vostok-2018” strategic joint military exercise at the Tsugol training range in Russia’s Trans-Baikal, where Shao was the PLA exercise director (CMO, September 14, 2018).
- April 2021: China and Vietnam 10th Defense and Security Consultation in Dongxing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (CMO, April 23, 2021).
- September 2021: China and Singapore 8th Defense Policy Dialogue via video link (MND, September 15, 2021).
- January 2022: China and France 16th China-France Defense Strategy Consultation via video link (MND, January 13).
- January 2022: China and United Kingdom 8th Defense Strategy Consultation via video link (CMO, January 12).
A New Defense Minister in 2023
Although the Central Military Commission (CMC) had several different names from 1925-1954, it served the same basic functions. The official name of the Central Military Commission (CMC) today is the Military Commission of the Central Committee ( 中央军事委员会, Zhongyang junshi weiyuanhui or 中央军委, zhongyang junwei) of the CCP. Although the Chinese term for the CMC has remained consistent since its creation, the English translation has changed over the years. In the 1960s and 1970s, the commission was commonly referred to as the Military Affairs Commission (MAC).
Under the CCP’s 1982 constitution, a state CMC was appointed by the National People’s Congress (NPC), which is institutionally co-equal to the PRC’s executive branch, the State Council. However, since its establishment, the State CMC and the CCP CMC have consisted of the same personnel, except for during the present, twice-a-decade period between a Party Congress and the next year’s National People’s Congress (NPC). During such transitions, the personnel who departed the CCP CMC following a Congress remain on the State CMC until their replacement at the NPC the following year.
Following the 20th Party Congress, the new Central Committee selected a new Party CMC, including two Vice Chairmen and four Members (People’s Daily, October 24). As noted, the State CMC will remain in place until the 14th NPC is seated in early 2023. As such, Wei Fenghe will remain as the Defense Minister and State Councilor until the NPC approves the Party CMC Vice Chairmen and Members to replace the current State CMC. The person who will replace Wei as the Defense Minister and State Councilor is General Li Shangfu (李尚福), a career Army officer with a focus on satellites, space, and weapons development (Ifeng, September 18). He received a bachelor’s degree in 1982 from the PLA’s National University of Science and Technology (NUDT) and a master’s degree from the Chongqing University School of Automation. There are no indications that he has any military diplomacy experience.
In concert with sweeping organizational, systemic, and functional reforms of the PLA since 2015, renaming the GSD / MND Foreign Affairs Office as the Office of International Military Cooperation (OIMC) signifies a more transformational change in its role within the CMC. The OIMC plays this role in two ways. First, the OIMC serves as a center to coordinate the institutional alignment of the military diplomacy activity of the PLA/PAP with the PRC’s broader foreign policy actions. Second, the OIMC seeks to manage the projection of external influence as an important manifestation of military soft power and to set favorable conditions for crisis and, if necessary, conflict.
As specified in the 2019 white paper “China’s National Defense in the New Era” and the 2021 “Regulations on International Military Cooperation,” OIMC will improve its leadership and management system for international military cooperation to “regulate the responsibilities of various tasks horizontally and divide the responsibilities of the organization and implementation process vertically” to achieve an “overall synergy” for the CMC (PLA Daily, March 16, 2021). Externally, OIMC will seek to “deepen bilateral and multilateral security cooperation, promote a coordinated, inclusive and complementary cooperation among security mechanisms, and contribute to a security architecture featuring equality, mutual trust, fairness, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits” that will both complement and compete with existing international defense mechanisms and dialogues (SCIO, July 24, 2019).
As U.S.-China systemic rivalry intensifies and as competition within the relationship increases, OIMC will serve as a fundamental vehicle to adapt to the developing international situation and promote China’s foreign and defense policy initiatives. The record show increases in China’s international defense cooperation activity, new forums and mechanisms for dialogues, and a concerted effort to reshape international military discourse advantageous to China. Construction of new China-led defense mechanisms and strengthening military discourse capacities serves to enhance military soft power and the “discourse dilemma” characterized as a critical gap in China’s defense diplomacy (81.cn, May 26, 2021). The aim to build China’s so-called “military discourse power” (军事话语权, junshi huayuquan) in order to contend with the “Western-dominated discourse system” and strengthen the military discourse capabilities necessary for effectively shaping the situation to manage and control crises, contain wars, and win wars (Study Times, September 20, 2017).
Yet, PLA military diplomacy management is likely to face prolonged challenges as tensions with the U.S. and other nations will remain an enduring feature of the international environment for the foreseeable future. The shift from the simple defense engagement of the past to a more active diplomatic posture faces new challenges amidst intensifying strategic competition. Combined with expanding PLA military deployments, overseas interests and basing, and concerns with PLA modernization, OIMC will find it difficult to navigate the need to promote defense interests while sustaining stable relations, especially when the latter is often sacrificed by Beijing as a symbol of strategic dissatisfaction, rather than viewed as a vital source of crisis prevention or conflict avoidance. Recent examples include the diplomatic instability leading to the U.S. cancellation of agreed-to defense contacts and exchanges at the beginning of the Biden Administration; and Beijing canceling phone calls, the Defense Policy Coordination Talks, and an operational safety meeting under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (South China Morning Post, October 28; Guancha, August 8).
One issue exacerbating already strained U.S.-China defense relations is that General Li Shangfu, who is expected to be the next Defense Minister, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which adds yet another obstacle to routine diplomatic contacts and exchanges with the PLA’s senior uniformed diplomat (U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, September 20, 2018).
Despite the challenges facing China’s military diplomacy, the maturation of the OIMC’s role and further codification of China’s international military cooperation may generate renewed capacities to manage diplomatic activities in order to stabilize key relationships and better avoid grave risk.
The early prospects for China’s military to make this shift are promising in concept but entirely inadequate in practice. It will not be enough to improve internal processes to better align international cooperation, particularly because China can no longer rely on foreign diplomatic counterparts to design and sponsor mechanisms for stable military diplomacy, particularly in terms of crisis management. PLA military diplomacy management will have to accept responsibility and acknowledge it is in China’s interest to sustain stable relations and prioritize escalation avoidance even when friction arises.
Kenneth W. Allen is a retired U.S. Air Force officer, whose extensive service abroad includes a tour in China as the Assistant Air Attaché. He was the former research director of U.S. Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) from 2017 through 2019.
Chad Sbragia is a Research Staff Member at the Institute for Defense Analyses. He was the inaugural Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China and previously served as the Director of the China Research Group for the U.S. Marine Corps. He also served the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as the Acting Director of the China Strategic Focus Group and as the Country Director for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mongolia. Mr. Sbragia served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1985-2012, including an assignment as the U.S. Marine Attaché within the U.S. Embassy Beijing.
Editor’s Note: This piece exceeds the standard length for China Brief articles, but is being published due to reader interest.
 See Kenneth W. Allen, Christopher Clarke, John Corbett, and Lonnie Henley. “China’s Defense Minister and Ministry of National Defense,” in Kevin Pollpeter and Kenneth W. Allen, eds., The PLA as Organization v2.0.(Vienna, VA: Defense Group Inc., 2015).
 See Alice Miller, “The Central Military Commission,” in Kevin Pollpeter and Kenneth W. Allen, eds., The PLA as Organization v2.0., (Vienna, VA: Defense Group Inc., 2015).
 The Military Policy System was the most prominent change unveiled in the 2019 Defense White Paper (see SCIO, July 24, 2019). At the CMC’s Work Conference on Policy and System Reform held in Beijing on July 13-14, Xi stressed “the military policy system regulates military relations, standardizes military practice, and guarantees military development; and the reform of military policies and systems is of great significance to realizing the party’s goal of strengthening the military in the new era and building the people’s army into a world-class military in an all-round way, and to realizing the goal of the “two hundred years” struggle and realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” The application of systems design as a structural form is not new but has clearly accelerated during Xi’s tenure as reflected in the 19th Central Committee’s fourth Plenary Session, which includes extensive development of systems architecture within the PLA (Xinhuanet, October 31, 2019)
 For example, U.S. and PRC defense officials met in Beijing on January 14, 2020, for the 15th U.S.-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks, which the PLA chose not to list on the MND website or address during the MND’s regular monthly press conference (U.S. Department of Defense, January 16, 2020).
 Of note, prior to 2018, all deputy chiefs of the General/Joint Staff had the grade of Military Region/Theater Command leader; however, they were all downgraded in 2018 as part of the PLA’s reorganization.
 See Miller, “The Central Military Commission.”


Sunshot is used by the Hunter class, and it's an Exotic Hand Cannon Xur is selling this week in Destiny 2.
Destiny 2 has some rather nice hand cannons available in the game, but one of the best PvE Exotics in that category is Sunshot.
This Solar hand cannon can shoot 150 rounds per minute, and deals 330 Solar attack damage. It’s Perks are Sunburn, which produces explosive rounds which highlight targets, and Sun Blast which makes enemies explode in Solar Energy.
A stable barrel attachment, Chambered Compensator, helps improve recoil and direction but at the same time decreases handling speed a slight bit.
That said, handling isn't terrible by any means thanks to Textured Grip, as it helps increase handling speed, but it also slightly decreases stability.
All in all, Sunshot is no slouch when it comes to introducing enemies to the choir invisible. As always though, the choice is up to you, and if you're keen to get your hands on it, Xur is selling it this week for 29 Legendary Shards.


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Marilyn Manson delivers the Doors cover of classic track “The End”
Marilyn Manson hasn't dropped a new album since 2017's Heaven Upside Down but he's offering fans new material in the way of a cover of the Doors' song "The End."
The musician takes a dark stab at the eight-minute track recorded alongside country star Shooter Jennings.
The new cover track may sound familiar to fans of the shock rocker who went to see him on tour this summer as it was played over the speakers after his performances.
The new song also comes with a sick looking watercolor painting crafted by Zev Deans.
The collab track with Jennings is going to be used in the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand which Manson is also set to appear in as an actor.
You can check out Marilyn Manson's version of "The End" in the player below.
Manson is also currently working on his upcoming new record which he is working on with Jennings. The pair initially linked up in 2016 for Jennings' cover version of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" for his Countach (For Giorgio) LP, a covers collection featuring songs by electronic-music pioneer Giorgio Moroder.
Marilyn Manson is set to tour with Ozzy Osbourne on his final North American tour next year. You can see the dates below.
05/27 Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
05/29 Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
05/31 Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union
06/2 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
06/4 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
06/6 Hershey, PA @ Hershey Park Stadium
06/11 Pittsburgh, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
06/13 Bangor, ME @ Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
06/16 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
06/18 Hamilton, ON @ FirstOntario Centre
06/20 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
06/22 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden Arena
06/24 St Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
06/26 Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
06/28 Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
07/1 Milwaukee, WI @ Amer. Family Ins. Amp–Summerfest
07/3 St Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
07/7 Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
07/9 Vancouver, BC @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
07/11 Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
07/15 Portland, OR @ Moda Center
07/17 Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
07/23 Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
07/25 San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/27 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
07/29 San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
07/31 Las Vegas, CA @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
What do you think of Marilyn Manson's cover of the classic song by the Doors? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

domain: artistic


My goal is return the best quilt possible to you at a reasonable price and in your time frame. In order to do that, I ask that you please read this information sheet before submitting your quilt top.
PREPARING YOUR QUILT FOR LONG ARM QUILTING
BIAS EDGED TOPS may stretch or warp when rolled on the frame so it is important for you to stitch the edge of the quilt 1/8” all the way around to secure edges.
WHITE OR LIGHT COLORED QUILT TOPS Please give special attention to the wrong side of your quilt top especially on white or light colored tops. Frayed seams/fabric and piecing threads must be clipped otherwise they may ‘shadow’ through the top. If I must take the time to clip threads there is a $25.00 charge per top.
MARK THE TOP, BACKING AND BATTING (if provided by you) with a safety pin along the top edge of your pieces. This will let me know how to load your quilt, top to bottom, side to side.
BACKING AND BATTING (if provided by you) needs to be 4-5 inches longer and wider (on each side) than the top. This will insure that there is plenty of fabric to load the quilt properly and get the tension needed for each side. If I piece and prepare the backing there is a $7.50 additional charge for each seam.
EDGES, TOP AND BOTTOM MUST BE TRIMMED AND STRAIGHT. If I need to trim and straighten the edges, there is a $5.00 charge per edge.
THREAD MUST BE 40 WT., LOW LINT, And LONG STAPLE COTTON. I prefer King Tut or Signature. Any other thread will be subject to an additional $20.00 set up charge to re-calibrate the machine before quilting. Please use the same color thread on the back and front of your quilt.
BUSY BACKS (print fabrics) are recommended to hide any stitch imperfections, stops and starts.
PIECED BACKS SHOULD BE PIECED WITH A ½” VERTICAL SEAM PRESSED OPEN. REMOVE SELVAGE BEFORE PIECING! If the quilt backing is pieced horizontally, there is no guarantee that the seam will be located in the center of the quilt. If the backing is pieced off grain, there is a potential for the back seam to ‘wave’ on the back. SELVEGE edges must be removed.
Thank you; SEW FUN/ PALM HARBOR QUILTS
BINDING –If I am to do the binding, I prefer to prepare the fabric myself to assure I have the right size and amount needed. Three finishes for binding are available: machine top stitched, blanket stitch on top or hand finished. Prices vary accordingly.
HINT: If you want to avoid rippling borders, please measure your quilt top from the center before sewing on the borders!
Virginia Isaacs 727-785-6666
Copyright 2013. Palm Harbor Quilts. All rights reserved.


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JPML Centralizes SoClean CPAP Cleaning Device Cases
February 3, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has created an MDL docket for actions accusing SoClean Inc. of falsely advertising that its mechanical cleaning device uses no harsh chemicals to clean CPAP machines.
In a Feb. 2 order, the panel sent the cases to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and assigned the docket to Judge Joy Flowers Conti.
The litigation consists of 11 actions pending in nine districts. Since plaintiffs filed their petition for centralization, the JPML has been notified of 12 related actions.
The panel explained the cases have factual overlap …

domain: news


Recently, we realized a real demand from two customers. For security reasons, the customers required SSDs to be host-specific, which meant that SSDs could only be used locally, that when an SSD was inserted into an invalid host, the destruction process was automatically initiated, and that the host had to be able to use any non-custom SSDs from any other companies.
▶ Project Requirement Description
1) Host interface: SATA 6Gbps
2) Size: 2.5″
3) Capacity: 4TB
4) Storage medium: MLC
5) Ambient temperature: -40°C ~ +85°C
6) SSD can only identify a unique host;
7) When the SSD is inserted into another host, the SSD self-destruct function is enabled to destroy data.
8) The host must be able to use non-customized SSDs from other manufacturers.
▶ Overall architecture design
1) SATA 6Gb interface, 2TB capacity for single main control, using two main control group RAID0;
2) Xilinx FPGA is used as RAID0 chip, supporting Trim function;
(RAID chips on the market have the following two defects: a, can not meet industrial temperature requirements; 2. If the TRIM function is not enabled, SSD garbage collection starts only when SSD data is fully written. During garbage collection, SSD write performance deteriorates to 0MB, which may lead to invalid applications in key application scenarios.
3) Self-destruct function: Data destruction can be realized in two ways: physical burning and logical destruction (optional or all);
4) The logical destruction function can achieve rapid destruction within 10 seconds. After the destruction, The SSD can continue to be used after the “initialization” operation (all data is lost) or the SSD cannot be used any longer and must be returned to the factory for repair, but all data cannot be recovered.
5) Physical burn means that after SSD is inserted into an illegal host, all memory chips are broken down by high voltage one by one, all storage media are physically damaged, and data cannot be recovered by any means.
▶ The detailed description of function implementation
Host & SSD unique correspondence implementation
The client host SATA pin definition is not changed to ensure that other common SSDS can work properly after insertion.
An FPGA chip (or single-chip microcomputer) is added to the hard disk to realize the handshake communication between the hard disk and the main board by using SATA spare PIN. If the handshake fails within 3 seconds (time can be set freely), the data destruction function will be triggered.
For ordinary hard disks, because the spare pin is not defined, it will not shake hands with the mainboard feature code and can be used normally.
Realization and result of one-key self-destruct destruction
Safe deletion is carried out by THE GPIO action of THE IO extension chip and transmitted to the master chip. The signal pull-down for 3 seconds safe removal function is triggered, either by hardware or software. The controller sends the erase command to flash memory to initiate safe delete.
DiskMFR can destroy hard disks in two ways: logical and physical destruction.
a. Logical Destruction
Logical destruction deletes or overwrites data on a Solid-state disk (SSD) by software, including encryption keys, firmware, and mapping tables. Logical destruction does not damage storage media.
The requirements for quick deletion are as follows. The firmware implementation methods for each method are different:
1. After the deletion, the drive letter can still be seen in the OS, and normal read and write operations can still be performed after the formatting, but the deleted state is all 0xFF using the Winhex check. During the deletion, if the SSD receives a write command again or there is still data not written to Nand in the SDRAM, data will be written to the SSD after the deletion. If the data is checked by winHEX, the data is not all 0xFF. There are two solutions: First, before data destruction, clear the data in SDRAM to avoid the cache data being written into Nand Flash after safe deletion. Second, write protection is enabled during the destruction until the SSD is powered on for the second time. In this way, data is not written to the SSD by the write command received after the destruction. 2. After the SSD is deleted, the system cannot identify the SSD and cannot use software to view the internal data status.
b. Physical Destruction
Perform physical destruction on SSD flash particles will be completely burned through:
1. The unique design of DiskMFR ensures that all flash chips can be burned within 45 seconds, and there is no case that individual chips cannot be destroyed. 2. When the flash is burned, it completely destroys all the DIES in each particle, rather than just burning the IO interface. If only the IO interface is burned, then the data can still be read after the Die storing data is rewired by chip polishing. 3. If the power supply is removed during the destruction process and the unfinished burning continues after the power is powered on again, the burning will not be terminated.


text:
Fierce Calm #yogasavedmylife | Feat. Cole Chance
Cole shares her story about how yoga saved her life. She took her first class at a drug rehabilitation center and it was one of those moments that showed her a different path. She is so brave in this episode and shares her most vulnerable moments. Listen to her story and know that you are not alone in your suffering and yoga is here for you to help you heal.

domain: psychology


text:
Halifax electronica duo Scientists of Sound returns to St. John’s this weekend for one-off gig on George Street
Scientists of Sound play to an appreciative crowd. — Submitted photo
When it comes to fitting band names, it doesn’t get any more appropriate than this.
Craig Mercer and Aaron Collier are Scientists of Sound, and the two are experimenting with their music in ways few others are.
The Halifax musicians are the remnants of now defunct popular indie Rocktronica outfit Jimmy Swift Band (JSB), and they’re taking that same tangly, impulsive technique that made theirs one of the East Coast’s most appreciated live acts over the past decade to a whole new level.
Knock out the rock, throw in some killer looping competency, hide yourself under lab coasts and masks and teleport your audience to a dance club with live band energy, and there you have it — Scientists of Sound.
More in line with Daft Punk and MSTRCRFT than the jam band influences of JSB, Scientists was at one time intentional as a side project and unforeseeable as a serious thing.
Born out of the ashes of the JSB after its breakup last spring, Mercer and Collier already had the project in the works.
“We had been playing together as Scientists of Sound for about a year and a half,” explains Mercer. “It was born out of the other guys (in JSB) showing up late for rehearsals, so we sort of came up with this concept of forming this looping duo. So when JSB disbanded we decided to keep going and it’s been going great for us.
“JSB was a rock band essentially,” he continues. “And this is not a rock band. This is dance music. And, you know, there’s some vocals but no distinctive rock ’n’ roll melodies like JSB had. So in that way it’s very, very different from what we were doing then. But, you know, I think that JSB did have some material that was moving toward this direction. So we kind of took it to a new level with this band.”
Not long after the Jimmy Swift demise, in a single day Scientists of Sound tracked a six-track EP, “Wealth and Hellness,” which gave JSB and new fans alike a taste of things to come from the persistent duo.
“It was a pretty ‘let’s slap this together and get it out there’ kind of affair,” Mercer recalls. We’re in the process now of working on a new record, which we’re spending a lot of time at and and are really proud of the material that’s on it. So we’re really excited to play some of those new songs this weekend actually, in St. John’s.”
With some production credentials under their belt, Mercer and Collier are handling the record-making process themselves and, Mercer says jokingly, will release the debut full-length hopefully sometime in this millennium.
“We’re taking our time (because) we want to make it as good as it can be, and when it’s as good as it can be we’re going to put it out there.”
In the meantime, Scientists of Sound’s performance at The Rock House this weekend will mark the duo’s third trip to St. John’s.
And that’s a treat given the attention they’re getting from abroad.
“We’ve been fortunate to be able to travel this country and do some travelling in other countries recently, and we’ve had gig offers from places in Europe and people are finding us all over the place,” says Mercer.
“We’re making music that’s very different than what most people are, and we’re making it in a different way than most people are, so it’s definitely a very interesting show to see.
“And as a result we’re getting lots of interest in it.”
Scientists of Sound perform at The Rock House Saturday night. They will be joined by supporting acts Physical Patrick, Worker and Outlandaa. Showtime is 10 p.m. and cover is $12 at the door.


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ABOUT CHEW'S EGG
A Trusted Household Name
With over three decades of heritage, Chew’s Egg is one of Singapore’s most trusted producers of fresh eggs. Our range of nutritious Designer Eggs, from Kampong to King Sized, are well-loved for their unbeatable freshness and quality. They are a staple food of many families, through generations.
All our eggs are produced on our brand new 20-hectare farm in Singapore, which features the latest technology in poultry farming. Climate-controlled poultry houses and fully automated rearing systems help ensure a safe and suitable environment for our hens. Our birds consume only 100 per cent plant-based feed free of antibiotics and hormones, which we manufacture in-house. Our processing facility is fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and we follow stringent practices to select only the best eggs for customers. Being local, and hence having a lower carbon footprint, Chew’s Egg is also the better option for the environment.
We are fully committed to providing Singapore with fresh and wholesome produce. We promise that, with us, you will always Buy Safe, Eat Fresh.
Our farm in Singapore grew from humble beginnings as a breeder farm selling day-old chicks to broiler and layer farms. Eventually, the business evolved to layer farming, and has since grown over the decades to become a modern facility with the latest technology and practices, as well as the highest industry standards.
Established Chew’s Agriculture Pte Ltd and expanded breeder farm capability
Became a member of the Singapore Quality Eggs Scheme by SFA
Launched 3 designer egg products:
Omega-3 Fresh Eggs, Omega-6 Fresh Eggs and Beta-Carotene Fresh Eggs
First layer chicken farm in Singapore to be awarded ISO 9001:2000 and HACCP certification
Established liquid eggs processing & pasteurisation plant and began the supply of liquid eggs
Awarded Halal certification by MUIS
Launched barn-raised cage-free eggs
Upgraded BCM to ISO 22301:2012
Achieved Certified Humane qualifications for Chew’s Cage-Free Eggs
Relocated to new farm at 150 Neo Tiew Road
Upgraded Food Safety Management to ISO 22000:2018 Standard
Became a Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) - certified farm
AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS
Humane Farm Animal Care
Singapore Brand Award
Singapore Business Federation (Apex Business Chamber)
Guardian Independent Certification Ltd
SME100 Fast Moving Companies Awards
Asia's Leading SMEs

domain: food


text:
The movie focuses on two main characters, there‚(TM)s school teacher Clementine and her partner Lucas, who have moved from France to an idyllic home in the Romanian capital. What was supposed to be a romantic night-in in their secluded home turns into a nightmare. When they witness their car being stolen, lights being turned off and the phone lines cut, they realize they are not as secluded as they believed.
As the movie is only a little over an hour long, it comes as no surprise that there is little to the plot but is that the director‚(TM)s motive? Mindless violence by the hands of youths, could that be a statement that mindless violence portrayed by film, tv etc has an impact on some teenagers today?
When I first watched this film I was not sure what the "Evil" was until half way through when the main protagonists backed into a hooded assailant in what was probably the most suspenseful scene in modern day horror.
The gripping film score by Renť-Marc Bini only serves to enhance an already suspenseful story of a school teacher attached in her own home by children while her fiancť struggles to protect her as they are cut off from the outside world.
Them is complete with themes of isolation as well as misguided trust as in the climax of the film the protagonist puts her faith in the wrong person.
Movies like the strangers owe a great debt to
This is easily on my top 20 horror films of the 2000's so far.
I hope you all enjoy the film and it's brilliant score as much as I did.


Fixed Wing Drone assembly and stress analysis
PROKURA INNOVATIONS, NEPAL
Problem Statement in Wing to Fuselage Joint
Our drone weights 14kg and has a wing span of 2.6 meter. To make the assembly of wing and fuselage quick and simple, Quick Release Axle is used in design to lock the leading edge part of the wing. The full procedure to install a wing on fuselage would be first to put a wing on the wing, then slide it forward to lock the trailing edge part of the wing with fuselage and install the Quick Release Axle to lock the leading edge part of the wing with fuselage. The leading edge’s locking part of the wing is shifted forward as shown in Figure 1 so that same Quick Release Axle could be used to lock a battery with fuselage, although the lock for battery has not been designed properly yet. But the problem is the result from the stress analysis shows that joint to be very risky. First, the analysis was done with plywood as a material. Later, 4mm of plywood was sandwiched between 1mm Stainless Steel plates. The result of stress analysis of wing to fuselage joint in Ansys is shown in Figure 2.
So our options that we are planning to make changes to solve this problems are given below:
- Reduce distance between spar rod and lock (Shifting a locking part just below the spar rod)
- Change the material to Carbon fiber (But it is avoided as possible as we can due to the current situation of COVID-19 and lockdown because we have to import carbon fiber sheet from China)
- Increase the thickness of joint ( This will increase weight )


text:
Kucherov, Lightning beat Capitals in East round-robin play
Nikita Kucherov scored the shootout winner to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals on Monday in Eastern Conference round-robin play.
The teams played 5 minutes of 3-on-3 overtime before going to a shootout because the games for seeding are following regular-season rules. Tampa Bay’s win puts it in a tie with Philadelphia at two points apiece in the Eastern Conference race, while Washington is third with one and Boston fourth with zero.
Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped two of the three Capitals players he faced in the shootout after making 31 saves in regulation and overtime.
Before OT, Capitals winger Tom Wilson and Lightning center Anthony Cirelli exchanged some words and shoves at the third-period buzzer. These teams can’t meet again until at least the second round, if not the East final.
Kucherov also scored in regulation, opening the scoring 12:53 into the first period when he took advantage of off-balance Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny and wired a shot top corner past Braden Holtby. Mitchell Stephens made it 2-0 Lightning 7:48 into the second when he forced Jonas Siegenthaler to turn it over and out-positioned him in front of the net.
That lead didn’t last the rest of the period.
Richard Panik, who had six points in his last five games before the NHL season was halted in March, found the puck loose in the crease and poked it in at the 17:24 mark of the second. Washington’s leading scorer during its 2018 Stanley Cup run, Evgeny Kuznetsov, scored with 27.1 seconds left before intermission to tie it.
NOTES: Lightning captain Steven Stamkos missed the game as expected while recovering from a setback from core muscle surgery. Coach Jon Cooper said Stamkos playing in the first round-robin game was never the plan. ... The Capitals held out Norris Trophy finalist defenseman John Carlson as a precaution after he got tangled up with an opponent and went down awkwardly during their exhibition game last week.
Lightning: Face the Presidents’ Trophy winning Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
Capitals: Face the Flyers, who beat the Bruins in the round-robin opener, on Thursday.
For more AP NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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The latest Padres, Chargers and Aztecs headlines along with the other top San Diego sports stories every morning.
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West Senior hurling final preview
The Tipperary Co-Op Super Valu senior hurling final takes place at Dundrum on Sunday next at 3 pm when Clonoulty Rossmore taking on Eire Óg for the second year in a row.
The Tipperary Co-Op Super Valu junior B hurling championship semi-final, between Arravale Rovers and Cashel King Cormac s, will provide a curtain raiser at 1.15 pm.
Clonoulty-Rossmore will be seeking their seventh final in a row, an indication of their dominant standing in the division for a number of years. No other club in the West has achieved such success. Kickhams won five in a row between 1952 and 1956, and of course won twelve in all in that great period in the club’s history, 1946 to 1960.
See this weeks Tipperary Star for full preview
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New Mexico opens with 63-54 win over Detroit
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)—Curtis Dennis scored 12 points and Alex Kirk recorded a double-double in his college debut Saturday to lead New Mexico to a 63-54 victory over Detroit.
Eli Holman had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Titans, who trailed by more than 20 points midway through the second half in the season opener for both teams. But Detroit took advantage of some uneven New Mexico play down the stretch to trim the lead.
The game was sloppy throughout, with the teams combining for 40 turnovers.
The shooting was also spotty, especially from the outside. New Mexico was 3 for 20 on 3-point attempts and Detroit went 4 for 22.
Kirk, a 6-foot-11 freshman, finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.


text:
Dealmakers must be forgoing Christmas parties, because the private-equity game just doesn't want to stop. Last week, for example, we saw yet another major deal: the $1.6 billion purchase of Tommy Hilfiger
Also last week, The New York Times reported that there's another big deal in the offing, this one concerning Affiliated Computer Services
According to Dealogic, 2005 has seen about $493.8 billion worth of private-equity deals. What's happening? Well, private-equity firms have huge amounts of money to work with, and companies are becoming more willing to sell out for a number of reasons -- including lack of coverage from Wall Street analysts, soft stock prices, and, of course, compliance costs associated with Sarbanes-Oxley.
Founded in 1971, Affiliated Computer Services is now a major information-technology outsourcing firm for businesses and governments. Essentially, the company manages such things as HR, finance, accounting, and payment services.
Traditionally, tech companies have been off-limits for private-equity firms. But that situation is starting to change. For example, this year, we saw the leveraged buyout of SunGuard for $11.4 billion -- by many of the same companies rumored to be involved in the ACS purchase.
Then again, a company like ACS has certain attractions for private equity-players. "Affiliated Computer Services has long-term contracts with recurring, predictable cash flows," says Murray Rudin, a partner with the private-equity firm Riordan, Lewis, & Haden. "This is something banks can certainly lend against."
Affiliated Computer Services has a strong business. In the third quarter, it posted a 25% increase in revenues to $1.3 billion. Cash flow from operations was $108 million. Its customers include big players such as Hallmark, United Technology
On the rumors of the deal, Affiliate Computer Services' stock increased 5% to $61. However, buying the stock now is really a speculation. Private-equity deals can fall apart, as we saw recently with the aborted deal for Albertsons
So it seems, as of now, that investing in Affiliated Computer Services is for the pros who are willing to take a gamble.
Fools, now is the time to open your hearts and wallets to worthy causes! Please support our five Foolish charities at www.foolanthropy.com.
Fool contributor Tom Taulli does not own shares mentioned in this article.

domain: finance


text:
Whether you are exploring all has to offer or you are on your way home, Dav El | BostonCoach has the sedan, SUV or coach you need. Seamless booking with a safe and luxurious vehicle takes the stress out of travel.
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A beach town in Rhode Island, North Kingstown is considered one of the best places to live in the state. It is home to Smith’s Castle, Yawgood Valley Ski Area & Water Park, and Goddard Memorial State Park. Beautiful Block Island is nearby, and offers visitors bluffs and lighthouses to explore.
Are you considering a career as a professional chauffeur in New York City? If so, you're likely aware of the essential requirement of the TLC (Taxi and Limousine Commission) license. In this guide,...
In the rapidly evolving world of medical advancements, hosting and attending medical speaker circuits plays a pivotal role in disseminating knowledge, the latest research, and findings. Ensuring th...
Experience the Difference
RIDE WITH DAV EL | BOSTONCOACH

domain: geography


text:
For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality (Washington History Seminar, June 14)Historians in the News
tags: books, internationalism, womens history, Lectures, Virtual events
Space in the Zoom webinar is available on a first-come first-serve basis and fills up very quickly, if you are unable to join the session or receive an error message, you can still watch on this page or on the NHC's Facebook Page once the event begins.
In a bold rewriting of twentieth-century political history, Dorothy Sue Cobble reclaims social democracy as a central thread of American feminism and shows how global forces, peoples, and ideas shaped US politics and social movements. She follows egalitarian women’s activism from the democracy movements before World War I to the upheavals of the New Deal and the Cold War, to the reassertion of conservatism and the revival of female-led movements today. American women, she argues, pushed the nation and the world toward democracy and greater equality.
A distinguished professor of history and labor studies emerita at Rutgers University, Dorothy Sue Cobble specializes in twentieth-century politics and social movements. She is the author of The Other Women’s Movement: Workplace Justice and Social Rights in Modern America and other prize-winning books. Recent honors include fellowships from the Russell Sage Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Swedish Research Council. In 2017 Stockholm University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Social Science.
The Washington History Seminar is co-chaired by Eric Arnesen (George Washington University and the National History Center) and Christian Ostermann (Woodrow Wilson Center) and is organized jointly by the National History Center of the American Historical Association and the Woodrow Wilson Center's History and Public Policy Program. It meets weekly during the academic year. The seminar thanks its anonymous individual donors and institutional partners (the George Washington University History Department and the Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest) for their continued support.
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- How Tina Turner Escaped Abuse and Reclaimed her Name
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domain: library


Random Note #194,631
This is an extract of a few paragraphs from the Brendon O’neill column in this weeks Spectator where he magnificently mauls and savages and exposes the perpetually outraged and the politically correct. Interestingly, only yesterday I was listening to an interview from many years ago with the former Israeli PM Gold Meir where she, way back then, pre what we now understand as PC, identified the same problem and tactics with the Arab world and the left concerning the Palestinians. The tactic being one of keep their dilemma in play so they will forever be seen by others and more importantly seen by themselves, as victims.
That’s the same modus operandi being played out by the left and the Greens and the politically correct with respect to indigenous people in Australia whereby every effort to alleviate their problems is characterised as patronising or neo-colonial. Even as writing this I can hear the voice of Tanya Plibersek saying exactly that without putting forward any alternative ideas.
In a nutshell the m.o. is to keep them down as a constant reminder and a source of national shame and embarrassment.
Brendan O’Neill, Leakphobia..
“….Leak isn’t attacking indigenous dads; he’s attacking the cult of relativism that celebrates the depravities of indigenous community life as cultural diversity and then sometimes wonders, ‘Why won’t they behave in a more civilised way?’.
That’s why his cartoon has so incensed the PC lobby: because it’s a swipe at them, and they know it. It shines a light on the tyranny of low expectations that many white, guilt-ridden progressives have of indigenous communities.
That’s another nasty aspect of PC: it is designed precisely to suppress debate, to obscure reality itself. It’s a creed more offended by an image of the difficult lives some people lead than by the lives themselves. It’s profoundly uncaring, crushing depictions of the tensions in society, and in the process leaving such tensions untouched, undiscussed, and unresolved.
Standing up for Leak is the duty of every Aussie who believes in freedom. He’s falling victim to a pincer movement, dogmatic Islamists attacking him from one side, PC ponces from the other. His persecution speaks to a new mood of militant intolerance in the West, where pseudo-progressives and medieval-minded Islamists are effectively in cahoots to crush any questioning of their articles of faith. Screw that. Bill, I’ve got your back…”


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Death Benefit Insurance
With effect from January 2004 all eligible members of the Credit Union will be covered by its FREE Death Benefit Insurance Policy. This means you no longer have to pay an annual premium for the service and in the event of your death, a lump sum of €1000.00 will be paid to your family to help with the cost of funeral expenses, thereby easing the financial burden of bereavement. There are many good reasons for becoming a member of Roscrea Credit Union and with the escalating cost of funerals, this free service is really a must for everyone in the locality Nobody enjoys talking or even thinking about their own mortality. However the simple fact is funerals are now extremely expensive and very few people realise the impact funeral bills will have on their lives. Death Benefit Insurance won’t ease bereavement but it will go a long way towards easing the financial burden your death may place upon your family.
How it works & How much I’m covered for;
To qualify for death benefit insurance you must be a Roscrea Credit Union member and as a member you must have joined the Credit Union before your 70th birthday. As of the 1st of January 2017 a member must have a minimum of €100.00 at the time of death in their savings to be eligible for this insurance.
Nb! Level of cover is subject to change and is at the discretion of the Board Of Directors


The meeting, which took place in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, is part of INEC’s preparations for the upcoming governorship election on November 11.
The candidates seized this opportunity to address a longstanding grievance, putting pressure on INEC to facilitate the redeployment of the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Professor Sylva Agu.
The Tuesday meeting was part of INEC’s ongoing efforts to engage with governorship candidates, security agencies, the media, civil society organizations, and various stakeholders in preparation for the November 11 election. INEC’s Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, delegated this responsibility to National Commissioner Kenneth Ukeagu, representing the South-east.
As the meeting progressed, Ukeagu issued an order for journalists to turn off their cameras and gadgets and exit the hall.
However, things took an unexpected turn when LP’s deputy governorship candidate, Mr. Tony Nwulu, and PDP’s Jones Onyereri, both representing their flagbearers, along with officials from opposition political parties, passionately opposed this directive.
The objection sparked chaos within the meeting held in Owerri, the capital of Imo State. Nwulu and Onyereri argued that the press, regarded as critical stakeholders, should not be excluded from such a pivotal gathering.
An irate Nwulu voiced his suspicions, alleging that INEC had intentions to manipulate the election in favor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. He questioned whether the meeting was intended to be a “secret cult affair.”
Supporting Nwulu, Onyereri brandished copies of documents that he claimed were counterfeit result sheets, allegedly posted on the INEC portal during the state’s House of Assembly election.
The mounting tension led to a chaotic session, with supporters of both the ruling and opposition parties engaging in verbal altercations, which nearly escalated into physical confrontations.


The Tranquilizer Gun (or Tranq) is a weapon in the Team Fortress series. It fires a nail that reduces a target's speed by half and reduces the target's moving and turning speeds if it hits. The gun makes no noise when fired. The ammo it uses depends on the game; in QWTF and TFC, the Tranq uses Shells, while the ETF Tranq uses Nails. There are an approximately three second delay between firing shots.
This weapon is only used by the Spy.
Ther Tranq is a very useful weapon if utilized properly. While it doesn't inflict a serious amount of damage, its ability to reduce an enemy's speed by half is devastating to all classes.
As said earlier, all classes are greatly affected by the Tranq's effect, but the classes that are most affected by it are the Scout, Medic, Heavy, and Soldier. For the Scout and Medic, the Tranq will slow them down enough so that any of your allies can take them out. For the Heavy and Soldier, a Tranq slows them down enough that backstabbing them with the Knife is very easy and make it impossible for them to quickly hit any of your allies because of their slower moving and turning speeds.
When using the Tranq, remember the delay between shots. If you can, try to be in a somewhat safe spot when you fire your Tranq Gun, so that enemies won't be able to see where you are as you're waiting for the next chance to fire a shot.
No matter where you are, always make sure that you have at least one backup weapon. The Tranq is not very good at deathmatching enemies because of its slow rate of fire. If an enemy attacks you, try to hit them with a Tranq, then switch to another weapon.
The Tranq is a great weapon to use after feigning death. When an enemy runs past your so-called "corpse", get up and fire a Tranq at them. While they're under the Tranq's effects, run up and backstab them. If you do it quick enough, the target won't see you.
If you haven't used the Tranq Gun before, do not try to hit fast targets. Instead, focus on slow targets so that you can get used to how fast the nail is and the delay between shots. Once you feel confident hitting slow targets, move onto fast ones.
- Article on Official Team Fortress Wiki: Tranquilizer Gun
The Tranquilizer Gun was supposed to be the Spy's primary weapon, but was replaced with the Revolver in the final game.
- The QWTF Tranq uses the Single Shotgun's model.
- The TFC Tranq uses the HL1 Pistol model, but it has a suppressor attached to it.
- Early TFC screenshots show that the Tranquilizer Gun did not have a suppressor at one time.
|Weapons in the Team Fortress series.|
|Insta-hit||Single Shotgun · Super Shotgun · Sniper Rifle · Automatic Rifle · Assault Cannon|
|Projectile (non-explosive)||Nailgun · Super Nailgun · Tranquilizer Gun · Flamethrower · Railgun|
|Explosives||Rocket Launcher · Grenade Launcher · Pipebomb Launcher · Incendiary Cannon · Detpack|
|Melee||Axe · Crowbar · Knife · Bioweapon · Wrench · Umbrella · Eureka Effect|
|Grenades||Frag · Concussion · Caltrop · Nail · Flash · Flare · MIRV · Napalm · Gas · EMP|


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As the longstanding practice of patient and stakeholder engagement in research becomes better defined, and its value comes further into public awareness, efforts to study and formalize engaged research approaches increasingly garner attention and support. As described in previous posts in this series, the primary goal of these efforts is to infuse and inform research activities with aspects of valuable lived experience – informed by representatives of the target community, or by other relevant non-traditional research partners. In the specific case of patient-centered biomedical research, substantive engagement helps to align research activities with the goals, needs, preferences, and values of patients or otherwise affected communities (including caregivers and at-risk individuals). This ultimately renders research findings more impactful and more likely to support improvement of health outcomes; it increases the likelihood that resultant evidence will be truly responsive to patient needs and reflective of patient experiences. Incorporating engagement into biomedical research constitutes one strategy of a multi-pronged approach for addressing complications associated with the slow research-to-treatment pipeline (currently evidenced by the sluggish improvement in observed health outcomes, despite the relatively large amount of resources allocated to biomedical research). According to the literature and existing canon of work, people in patient-centered research also feel that this engaged approach strengthens project design, increases patient participation, and increases transparency and patient trust in the research community. Ultimately, it helps to ensure that the health research enterprise is driven by, or at least acknowledging of, the topics and questions that matter most – to patients, stakeholders, and the broader public.
Practiced and studied approaches to patient engagement have gained traction and recognition across the field. Funders play a pivotal role in accelerating adoption of these practices; they increasingly encourage, or require, applicants to utilize an “engaged” methodology for studies – or even to conduct a formal evaluation of engagement activities. Targeted funding is often made available through explicit allocations (e.g. PCORI Engagement Awards), delineated requirements for proposal elements, or incentivized engagement through increased likelihood of funding. PCORI, AHRQ, and RWJF are leaders in this space, with funders like the NIH and FDA quickly following their lead.
Communications describing initiatives of PCORI and PCORnet identify the promotion and practice of engagement as central to the project work, thus increasing the visibility and acceptance of engagement in biomedical research spaces. Their organizational efforts – and the bodies of work produced by their grantees and research network partners – have also resulted in a proliferation of tools and resources to facilitate engagement, as well as diverse approaches to executing engagement activities. Similarly, other institutions are working to establish policies that support engagement models for research and promote non-traditional research partnerships. For example, the FDA developed a Patient Council in 2016 to “better coordinate and integrate the role of patient perspectives in regulatory decision-making,” and has launched a series of initiatives related to patient-focused drug development and patient experience data – adhering to the statutory requirement of the 21st Century Cures Act and PDUFA VI. Those activities include engaging patients, caregivers, and advocates, and stakeholders extensively – throughout drug development and regulatory review processes.
Mirroring the notion that diverse perspectives should be accounted for, in designing and conducting research, engagement science helps to demonstrate that a “one size fits all” approach to inclusion is ineffective. More attention needs to be paid to evaluating both the quality and the outcomes that engagement produces. The question now is: Are we making research more responsive to the needs of patients, producing results that positively impact outcomes, and ensuring that our stakeholder engagement approaches prove equitable and effective? If evidence from the fields of action research or community engaged research serves as any indication, patient engagement in biomedical research will continue to emerge as a promising practice. The growth of this field will necessitate that greater attention be paid to understanding and shaping (1) the ways we put this work into practice, and (2) the ways engagement can be formalized via policy mechanisms.
Leaders must continue to implement both big and small “P” policies, in order to create environments truly conducive of the incubation and sustenance of engagement practice. This suggests that changes need to be made and regulated at both the state and national levels of policymaking, and within the context of localized efforts or individual organizations. Ideally, such policies would demonstrate emphasis on equity and would promote use of evidence-based and engagement-centric approaches in both health research and delivery settings.
In response to the climate of demand for this work, there has been growing interest in studying and refining best practices for conducting engaged research. Engagement science has arisen from the need for evaluating engagement approaches and methodologies, and for empirically demonstrating the importance of continued research engagement efforts. Early findings, emergent from this body of work (as reviewed in the upcoming post), have created the foundation for an important evidence base that will be increasingly referenced to inform the trajectory of future research engagement activities.
The Engagement Science blog series includes the following six posts. Links will be made available as each post is published:
- Introducing Inclusive Research Practices & Potential Impacts
- An Overview of the Landscape of Engaged Research
- Factors Fueling the Need for Better Defined Engagement
- A Look at Existing Evidence
- Where to Focus & the Future of the Field
- Where Do We Go from Here?

domain: sociology


Yesterday, we wrote a feature comparing the interfaces of the iPhone 5 with the BlackBerry Z10. Today, we’re bringing you an in-depth comparison of the displays of these two popular smartphones. If viewing convenience is one of your most important criteria in deciding which gadget to pick, read on to see which of them is better.
Apple iPhone 5: The iPhone 5 has a slightly smaller 4-inch screen in comparison with the 4.2-inch offering of the Z10. Apple’s Retina Display technology gives the iPhone 5 a gorgeous resolution of 1136X640 pixels, which works to a ppi count of 326. It’s bright, colors are displayed quite well, and looks good overall.
BlackBerry Z10: The Z10’s 4.2-inch screen pips iPhone 5 not just in terms of screen size, but also when it comes to resolution. BlackBerry has put in a screen with a resolution of 1280X768 pixels, which is 356 pixels per inch. It’s sharp, it’s bright, and leaves us quite impressed.
In terms of screen brightness, the Z10 wins over the iPhone 5 – colors look more alive on the former when you keep the phones next to each other. Even the Z10’s color reproduction is more accurate. But when it comes to reading text or viewing videos, the performance of both these phones is pretty much tied. Of course, the extra 0.2-inches of the Z10 do make the phone’s screen a tad more comfortable.


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Selling a home for top dollar is not so easy to do. The entire process is long, and it requires thorough planning, research, and analysis. Furthermore, the location of the home plays a crucial role, because an apartment in New York (where living space is very limited) costs a lot more than a house in Michigan. Also, certain home types will sell more easily than others. With that in mind, let’s look at some expert tips for selling a house in Michigan and help you sell your place for the top market price!
Hire a good Michigan real estate agent
There are split opinions on whether it is better to look for a home on your own or hire a professional to help you out. Paying a real estate agent means spending more money. However, having one comes with fantastic benefits:
- access to a private home listing
- getting first-hand information about homes that are not officially on the market
- someone to take care of all the paperwork
- lower chances of running into a scam buyer
With that being said, it is imperative to find a real estate expert in Michigan.
Everything revolves around the timing
There is more to selling a house than just finding a real estate agent. When it comes to striking a good deal, many factors play a crucial role.
Knowing when to buy or sell will make a huge difference.
If we look at how the price of homes on the market fluctuates throughout the year, it reaches its peak somewhere around June. At that time, the median value of a house in Michigan stands somewhere around $158,000. Have in mind that most of these homes are on the market since January. Once we cross to July, the homes that hit the market in June reach a median price of around $186,000. With that data in mind, the best time for selling a house in Michigan, both for speed and value over time is mid-June to July.
How to calculate the correct value of your home
There is an art in pricing a home for the market. With so many properties listed, buyers have a wide array of options. Setting a price too high will block your house and you won’t be able to find a buyer. Furthermore, if the price substantially drops, buyers will start to ask questions and think something is wrong with the place. In the same manner, a too low price will raise suspicion as well, but most importantly, you will not make a good deal for yourself. Comparative market analysis helps you compare home prices based on the size and features and price your property correctly.
How to market your home in Michigan
As mentioned earlier, buyers have a huge pick list of homes, but everyone is looking for a special offer and a good deal. By learning how to market your home properly, you are placing yourself in front of the competition. Even though the real estate agent will do most of the work for you, there are still a couple of things you can do. First, think about potential buyers. They could be shopping for a home locally or moving to Michigan from afar. When it comes to relocation, no matter how distant it is, people want to be sure they are moving to the right place and the right home. To make sure your property is the right place for them, do a little advertising on social media. That is one of the best DIY tips for selling a house in Michigan. You can post photos of your home, showing its best features. Talk about the neighborhood and underline all the good things. You never know when buyers are lurking, looking for the house of their dreams. When it comes to the local buyers, place the “for sale” sign in front of your house. Furthermore, spread the word between your friends and family that you are selling the place. Someone might know an interested party. Additionally, if you want to go the extra mile, put posters around the neighborhood. Someone might be interested and give you a callback.
Staging the home for a sale – yes or no?
When it comes to selling your home, staging is optional. However, it gives good results, and it is worth looking into. The goal of staging a house is to present your place in the best light and put all its most prominent features on the first line. If we look at the overall statistics, staged homes sell almost 80% faster, and for a higher price.
Types of Home Styles
Michigan homes usually come in three main styles:
- colonial style
Each of these styles looks different. For example, some benefits of bungalows are open floor plans, built-in cabinetry, a large fireplace, and a spacious porch. Ranch homes also have an open floor plan, low pitched roof, a garage, large windows, and a vaulted ceiling. You can recognize colonial houses by evenly spaced large windows, a central hall, a covered porch with columns, multiple stories, and a beautiful front yard. Depending on what type of home you have, you should focus on these features and play to their strengths.
Should you sell your home before you buy a new one?
When a good offer comes, you should not pass on it. However, selling a place before you purchased a new one may be a source of stress. If you are in the middle of relocation planning, but you don’t have a place for all your stuff, reach out to the professionals at highqualitymovingcompany.com and see what your options are. Furthermore, it doesn’t hurt to check with your friends or family if you have a place to stay before you purchase your new home. It is always smart to consider all options and have a backup plan.
Expert tips for selling a house in Michigan – delivered!
Hopefully, these expert tips for selling a house in Michigan will help you sell your home quickly and for top dollar. Furthermore, remember to put yourself in buyers’ shoes and look at your property through their eyes. Best of luck with selling your home!


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Keele University has once again been ranked in the top 20 Universities for global sustainability – an impressive feat. This ranking, which saw Keele rank highly among 619 Universities, was judged on various categories such as institution setting, infrastructure, waste management and water usage. As seen in the video below, this is an impressive achievement, yet unsurprising – given the University’s attitude towards sustainability – it is a key area for the institution.
This is the second successive year that Keele University has been ranked in the top 20 Universities for global sustainability. 619 Universities from 76 countries comprised the 2017 UI Green Metric World University League Table. Keele finished 17th, and 5th for performance in ‘Energy and Climate Change’.
Being 17th in this league table is testament to the impressive nature of the University when it comes to sustainability. Given the recent importance of sustainability, this is great news.
Read Later: ArsenalFanTV: How Much Money Does It Make?
Keele puts in considerable effort to its sustainability practices, ensuring the efficient use of energy and a commitment to investing in renewable energy, as well as carbon reduction commitments. This is good news at the University, and we’ll hope for more to follow in forthcoming weeks! Check out the link below for more Keele-based news.