text:
Our location is in Manhattan Beach, near the 405 and the 105 freeways. This location provides quick and easy access to just about everything you could possibly need. LAX is only 4 miles driving distance, which is about 10 minutes away, and the beach is a few minutes drive from the offices. This is a wonderful conference room that seats up to 8 guests, kitchen with all the essentials (water, coffee, tea, utensils, plates, etc). We also have a full-time staff here to help you out, and everything is kept meticulously clean for you at all times. WiFi is included, conference phone, a beautiful glass dry erase board in the room w/ markers for you, and all cables to project from your laptop to the flat screen. If you have any special requests, just let us know ahead of time and we will do our best to accommodate! ***Please note that we are only open M-F from 8:30am-5pm. ***We do not allow any filming. ***Parking is $7 per hour or all day 2+ hours $15. Thanks for looking, can't wait to host you next!
Category and style
Private parking for 8 cars
Permit zone
Address most likely falls into the following permit zone: Manhattan Beach. Please confirm with the host.
Giggster offers in-house permit coordination services for certain projects. Call (323) 544-4600 to inquire about pricing or visit our FAQ section to learn more.
Location details
Property size (sq ft):
160 sq ft
Location Rules
No adult filming
No smoking
No pets
No cooking
No alcohol
No loud noises
Air Conditioning
Conventional Ceiling
Conference Room/Boardroom
Wood Doors
Carpet Floor
Office Park
White Walls
Crew access
Freight Elevator
Wheelchair / Handicap Access
Exact location provided after booking


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People have an almost primal reaction to insects. After all, they are the most alien-looking creatures we encounter on a regular basis. As Jeffrey Lockwood puts it at Popsci, "You could think of our fear and disgust of insects of being as a conspiracy of evolution and culture." I myself feel a combination of fascination and disgust with insects, which is dependent on the type of insect I'm encountering and the context of said encounter. After all, it's one thing to obsessively hunt insects in Animal Crossing, and another to have your mother scream while braiding your hair that your head is covered with bugs, prompting a call to the principal who came over and picked both bugs and eggs out of your hair at the kitchen table which then prompted an announcement over the school loudspeaker about there being an outbreak of lice and that no one in the second grade should be sharing coats or hats or brushes and everyone knows it's you. Hypothetically speaking, of course. One thing to have a butterfly flit around you in the garden and another to have a horde of spiders flooding out of a cardboard box in your direction. I think that the Audobon Insectarium in New Orleans enjoys playing with this juxtaposition of fascination and repulsion, placing enormous scaled-up insect nightmares next to smaller, cuter real life versions with tiny presents and holiday trees in their enclosures.
The Insectarium must also enjoy getting a good shriek out of people. In the Richard C. Colton, Jr. Underground area, you walk into a very dimly lit room, where something promptly bursts out of the wall in your direction, which caused Jason to squeal like a little girl and brought vivid flashbacks of Tremors screaming to the forefront of my mind. The entire rest of the underground area, I was on edge, waiting for something else to move or jump or slither past…so of course, nothing did.
However, all of that anxiety really works up an appetite, so thankfully, I was right on time for the opening of The Bug Buffet, where chefs whip up various dishes containing insects to teach you about the environmental benefits of eating insect protein, and you get to try any and all of them that your little heart desires. I decided I was going to try and set aside everything I'd been taught about the grossness of bug eating and take it on its own merits (or lack therof, depending on how things turned out.) After all, I've almost certainly unknowingly eaten any number of insect parts or rat hairs or any number of things that would make me heave if I thought about them too closely, so it probably wasn't going to kill me*.
On the menu for that day:
- fried waxworms with cinnamon and sugar
- cajun crickets
- fried waxworms with taco seasoning and chili powder
- chocolate "chirp" cookies with roasted crickets
- cream cheese and onion cricket dip
- mango chutney with poached waxworms
- tomato salsa with crab-boiled mealworms
The only thing I didn't try was the salsa, and that was out of a greater objection to the cilantro in the salsa than the mealworms themselves. If you can get out of the "oh gross, bugs" mindset, they taste kind of like nothing. Maybe the crickets had a slightly nutty flavor, maybe. Mostly, they just take on the flavor of whatever is around them, which is good in the case of apple pie waxworms and maybe not so great in the case of devil-weed mealworm salsa. While I daintily picked out a solitary waxworm and apple combo to place on a wheat thin (the preferred cracker of insect-eaters everywhere), I realized I had the chefs to myself so I could annoy them with my particular brand of hard-hitting questions. I learned that all of their insect supply is farmed and shipped to them, which I found relieving as I was envisioning them just sweeping the dead and sick and just plain unsociable ones out of the bottom of the cages–you know, waste not, want not and all that. I also learned that, no, neither of them have witnessed someone take a bite of something and start dry-heaving right there in line, setting off a vomit chain reaction that led back to the entrance of the Insectarium and right up Canal Street all the way to Bourbon. They were also more than happy to provide me with information about their supplier in case I was interested in hosting some lavish insect eating affair in my own home.
Along the walls in the Bug Buffet, they also had some photos of insect cuisine that I think I would find a lot more, ahem, challenging to consume. Things that would take more than one bite to eat and which I'm imagining would sort of ooze into one's mouth like a fruit gusher…which aren't even that pleasing as a fruit-based product, and would be even less palatable as bug goo. Look, I said I was working to set aside those prejudices, not that I was wholly successful and one step closer to being an all-around perfect human being.
And then, next to the door of the tiny termite cafe, they had this diorama that nearly made me lose my snacks. They can call it a roach's christmas, but I feel a more apt title is "Christmas is ruined and for baby jesus' sake, clean the kitchen" which I suppose is just a matter of semantics.
….and another hard no. Please and thank you, I would rather have lockjaw than drink whatever flakes off of a cockroach when it's been boiled. If it works, though, a lifetime supply of tetanus remedy is really economical–you can step on rusty nails left and right and just keep using the same cockroach as those hardy little fuckers will survive the apocalypse and surely think nothing of a little boiling water, shaking it off and nonchalantly strolling away to go make a nest in your sandwich.
In the room dedicated to insect defenses, there was a box labeled "put your hand in here if you dare," to teach you a lesson about how quickly a spider can strike. Both remembering the incident in the underground area, Jason passed, and I hovered in front of the box like the world's largest and most afraid baby, moving my hand closer and then yanking it away. A kid witnessed this dilemma of adult babydom and rushed right over to cram his hand inside, screaming when the harmless puff of air went off and making everyone in the room collapse with laughter. Good thing it was him and not me, I may have thought. But never you worry, I got my comeuppance less than ten minutes later at their interactive video insect show, where the chair unexpectedly punches you in the back to simulate an insect sting and I shrieked like the devil himself had popped out of the ground in front of me and wanted to have a serious discussion about my potty mouth. So, if you're counting, that's no fewer than three screams in one museum, which is damn impressive for a museum. Maybe more on a crowded day at the bug buffet.
After all of that screaming, I was definitely ready for a more chill time in the Insectarium's butterfly garden. Unfortunately, the butterfly garden was where every shrieking kid in the greater New Orleans area decided to hang out, grabbing butterflies out of the air and bellowing at the top of their lungs, while the employees fruitlessly tried to tell people to look with their eyes and not their hands. I wonder if the same thing would be an issue in a roach room, or if everyone would still be screaming and touching, but for different reasons.
*The same cannot be said of those who have shellfish allergies–you may also be allergic to insects so eat with caution if you're dead set on doing so.

subset: commoncrawl


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Suggestions to Chico Unified School District:
Cut all 12-month employees. Last year, secondary counselors lost 10 working days. They had no workload decrease, just less time to do it. I think the district office should face the same challenges. Also, cutting at the district office is farther away from services affecting the children.
The teachers should pay for a part of their benefits, as the classified employees have been doing.
All board members should not have benefits paid by the school district.
The superintendent and assistant superintendents take a 9 percent pay cut, as the custodians have just been cut. Seems like a 9 percent cut of $100,000-plus would have more positive impact than a person making $50,000.
Have teachers only take the three days in their contract for staff development. Teachers need to be in the classroom, cutting costs for subs.
Make credits earned based on attendance. Parents don't seem to understand that when their child is not in their seat, the school loses money, no matter the reason for the absence.
I hate anyone to lose hours or their job, but we keep seeing cuts at the schools and the district office keeps on rolling. I think it is time for the main office to share some of the pain of the schools.
— Ann Walker, Chico


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Gem exactly as depicted. Very trustful seller!
|Dimensions (mm)
|49 x 30 x 6mm
|Weight (carats)
|71 carats
'The Best Gems on the Web!'
Gem-A Corporate Member
Charoite at its most beautiful. The swirling patterns are due to due to its fibrous crystals being arrayed in complex interlocking patterns. With colorings and markings reminiscent of a piece of fine art, Charoite reminds us of a Van Gogh painting. Wonderful!
Charoite possesses the most wonderful chatoyance or pearly markings in lay mans' terms. This is what makes it so glorious and unusual.
Charoite geology, geography and history
Charoite has a glorious purple color and rarely a lovely brown color with the unique pattern of swirls, feathers and needles. It may contain patches or stars of black (Aegerine), orange (Tinaksite) and also pods of transparent or white crystals (Microcline Feldspar). The region in which Charoite was discovered is located in the Murun Mountains in Yakutia, Russia. It was found by Russian geologists the Rogovazs in the late 1950s and called' lilac stone'. In 1978 the name "Charoite" was confirmed by the Commission on New Mineral Species - named after the Chara River near where it is found.
Charoite is formed from limestone by the process of contact metamorphism. Since this is a relatively common geologic phenomenon it is not completely clear why the finds of this stone are limited, but the particular limestone in that area has unique chemical properties as do the intrusive rocks. So far, gemologists have not been able to ascertain the exact chemical/structural reason for its purple color. Charoite is a silicate of complex composition; one mineralogical source describes it as a hydrated potassium, sodium, calcium, barium, strontium, silicate hydroxyfluoride! Try saying that backwards!!
Healing Properties of Charoite: Charoite is the stone of transformation, helping us cope with major changes in our life and follow our intuition in a grounded way so we achieve our life ambitions. Charoite cleanses the aura and chakras, opens our hearts and stimulates unconditional love. It reduces worry. Charoite regulates blood pressure and improves sleep. It heals general conditions of the nervous system. Charoite helps us live in the here and now and supports our understanding that in the realm of all things, we are exactly where we are supposed to be in our lives at that point of time. Charoite is especially good for meditation, rehabilitation/recovery and stress.
Place it on the third eye chakra to improve creativity. Charoite is the stone of the third eye chakra.
Gem exactly as depicted. Very trustful seller!
Received it well. Like it
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Saturday, December 06, 2008
4 There was a performance in the evening, debuting Jessica and a few local Christian singers singing their self-composed musics. Among the 4 of them, Jessica's appeared to have the most meaningful and touching lyrics, making it touch the hearts of the listeners. Knowing that both she and Esther had prepared a lot for this performance, it would be a waste seeing them going empty handed. So, being a chivalrous person, I rushed over to a nearby flower shop and bought a stalk of sunflower for each of the girls for their hard efforts~ and it was worth it, comparing with the other performers
4 singing christians, 3 movie tickets, 2 cups of coffee and a cup of $6.20 ice-cream~
3 Earlier, I brought my brother to the cinema to watch the disney animation Bolt. Initially, we were destined to watch Madagascar, but after browsing through the reviews on rottentomatoes.com and noticing the poorer rating than Bolt, I went about convincing my brother about the movie and off we went to watch the show.
Overall, the show was pretty good, though maybe a bit too kiddy for a 20.96 year old kid to watch.
2 Starbucks was giving out free coffee in conjunction with donations of Salvation Army. It was a good deal for $4 coffee for 2~
1 To make it a point that we are pigging the whole day, Plin and I had a cup of $6.20 ice-cream at the shop located at city-link. It was pretty cool to see a mix of shortcake, chocolate topping and strawberry meshed up over a cold pan. Perhaps the extra cost came from there~
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Ok.. there are a few reasons as to why my blog died momentarily.. partly is due to the mad rush of assignments and there are the tests.. but oh well..
Long long ago
Things are going smoothly.. Juz completed my ID 1321 paper and it turned out to be fine. Was amazed at how my hand has survived the ordeal, though it was about to give up around the last minute..
Think it will take some time to recuperate :P
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Punggol End Experience
You got to spend some time, love
You got to spend some time, with me
And I know that you would find, love
I will possess your heart.
You got to spend some time, with me
And I know that you would find, love
I will possess your heart.
Back to basics was the name of our little field trip out in the opens. Planned by Jeff who misses the outdoor life and cooking of the Swiss Alps, we decided to hold a mini retreat for the church kids to celebrate the end of their exams. Together with Plin, we went about buying food and planning games for the big day to come.
Punggol End was indeed a quiet deserted area with sparse trees around the area, painting a calm and gentle scenery in the background. At the other end, Lalangs grow abundantly, portraying a wild side of the side of Singapore. The shore beats the white sandy shore with a peaceful sounds, and the Alfa Romeo is parked at a little clearing for the 2 tents brought by us.
We started a day with groups of 2; the red team and the white team. We later named ourselves the Roasted and Paper Plates respectively. As Jeff was leading the Roasted team to their 1st game, the Paper plate team was stuck in camp. It was pretty humourous to see the youngsters camping inside the tent, roasting themselves alive under the scorching heat of the sun. I, on the other hand, went around to take a breather before reminscing the lighting of the fire, just like back in the old days in scouts. There was a very nice dead log beside our tent, and in a matter of minutes, everything came back to me and the fire was up and burning. Later, Stanley erected a pole and hung a paper plate and soon it became our team's altar.
When it came to our turn, we were led into the fields. Basically, we were to catch "flower pokemons". By walking near the flowers, the gym leader(which is Jeff) would ring a sensor indicating that the pokemon is near and upon capture, our team would have to play mini games to win the round. Being the younger team with more youngster unlike the auntie, i mean, roasted team, we beat them to the games by 10 minutes. Although the winning team would have noodles and the losing team, bread, we ended up sharing food.
We spent the remaining time cooking the meals and the food that we have prepared. It was kinda saddening to see some of the kids leaving the site. Perhaps they find it too boring or the condition out in the open too harsh. Kids nowadays are unable to appreciate what the outdoors provide them. Cocooning in their homes with their electronic devices, I wouldnt be surpised when that day comes when they cant even light a match by themelves.
With the remaining so peeps at the campsite, PA and AI came over with a bunch of soft drinks and more food. By then, the majority of the people were playing by the sand and chilling out, Andreas was attempting to sink the ants with his sand digging. When all of the sudden...
I spotted dark clouds bringing shower of rains. And it was heading to us across the horizon.
"HEY!!! GUYS!! ITS GOING TO RAIN!" The reaction I got from the crowd stunned me.
"Rain? orh.. okay.." and they continued to play with the sand.
Nevertheless, when the first few splashes of water became to splatter, there was a mad rush to the tents. I was glad it was over in a matter of minutes, and Thank God for washing my car as well! When the sky cleared, we continued to cook our food, with PA as the main chef. The food we brought in were fantastics. There were Shitake Mushrooms, hotdogs, Pineapple rice and potatoes.
We ended the day with smiles on our faces and filled stomaches. The only problem was whether if we can turn up for church tomorrow or whether our stomach can handle the digestion properly. Apparently, it did. :P
The crazy people in the tent
Nice Fire~!
Chucking potatoes in ember will get them roasted nicely!
Mushrooms and hotdogs!
Me and my pineapple
Murdering the pineapple
Traditional pot vs more modern pot
Campfire fading.. campfire fading...
Team Roasted
Team Paper Plate
Cup noodles, anyone?
Photoshot of the scene when it rained.. pretty artistic huh?
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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Thursday, October 09, 2008
The Ultimate Breakfast Combination!
Obama looks friendlier~
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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Thursday, October 02, 2008
Our next assignment was to investigate the use of buttons. The buttons that we are referring to are those operating buttons of machinery/equipment, and the interesting thing to note about them is that these buttons comprises of pressing, pushing, pulling, rotating, flipping etc. So at the end of the day, how one of my tutors put it across quite clearly, what is a button?
Buttons Mania
Initially, our team had selected the piano key as one of our buttons. It was interesting to note that different piano keys create a different tune when being pressed. However, we were dismayed when our tutor rejected it as a lever instead of a button. So going back to the drawing board, a brilliant idea of using the PEZ sweet was created. In fact, it was way more interesting to work with than the piano keys. We set about selecting it as our model to work on.
Preparations were made before the presentation day. HK and Sean went out to find the actual PEZ sweet. Surprisingly, the sweet has declined in its popularity, making it available only at Toys-R-Us. Other preparations were made as well, such as the sketching of the exploded view of the toy, the discovery of the ergonomic (mechanical function) and the sourcing of pictures to xrepresent the looks of it. I was solely in charge of the layout and presentation of the project.
It was an impressive piece.. Perhaps too impressive for the likings of the tutors. The background was mainly eye distracting, pushing the focus away from the people looking at it. Too much of everything good sometimes would result in something bad.
In the end, I had to redo the layout, making it simpler and easier to read. At the end of it, space management was a lot better and it was
clearer to read.
Lesson learnt : Do not be too elaborate with the background. A simple background should do the trick, and let the content speak for itself
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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Monday, September 29, 2008
The Roaring of The World's Fastest Cars
Alas F1 has hit the shores of the buzzling crowd of Singapore, and the government has slammed the world with an impressive show yet to be done by anyone. Being the 1st country to hold their race in the night, in the middle of the CBD area, Singapore has set out to be the most ambitious country, other than China who held the Beijing Olympic. Everything looked good on the outside. The flyer was up and ready. The circuit with its Italian Nightlights was newly constructed. And seats all over the 5km circuit were ready for visitors for the past 3 days. This can be regarded as one of best money-making schemes Singapore has ever offered.
It was certainly an honour for me to be an usher for the Singtel Singapore Formula 1 GrandPrix. Being able to usher important VVIP guests was quite an experience, and at the same time, being close to the Racing cars. Working with a few of my church friend, our reporting venue was at the Grandstand down at the flyer. The construction they did was astounding. In less than 2 months, Singapore was able to erect multi-storied viewing galleries with laterns, stall, stages and a sweet grandprix ready for the cars to get on. As we were ushering guest into the suite, we were able to peep into the room to see the glamour and poshness of the layout of the room. The view was simply breath-taking. It was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be up there, "acting" like a VVIP yourself
During the ushering, the going wasnt really smooth-sailing. As the big word on the back of our t-shirt read "USHER", we were like magnets attracting nails to ourselves. Questions came flying from all directions, like where is their seats, where is the female toilet ( which was hidden behind the males toilet), where to get earplugs etc. Level 1 suffered the whole blunt of it. However, Level 3 was a lot more peaceful, with only managing the guests that were upstairs.
As the race started proper, I couldnt really watch the race, since I had to be at my position, which was being blocked by the rooms. Nevertheless, I was able to catch a few glimpse of the race through the small flat screen TV in the executive suites once the tinted glass doors opened for food and people to come in and out. It was quite disasterous for Ferrari in this race. Indeed, the Singapore race circuit proved to be an exciting and unexpected race with Alonso being 15th for the qualifying race clinching champion. There were plenty of actions, such as Rakkionien and Pique crashing which brought forth the safety car.
Overall, the experience was worth-while. The money was not too bad either. The next time Singapore has their F1, i would be the one spectating instead ;)
Incredible view from the top
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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Monday, September 15, 2008
A total of 3 weeks was taken to build a tower that stands at 2.2m. On top of the rest of the assignments,we were to discuss on the tower selected, generating 3 panels, build a prototype and build the actual tower. It was group work.
Constructing the wizard tower
Initially, our tower selection ranged between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Mine was for Ravenclaw, portraying a eagle hugging over the inner tower, hence coming out with the concept of "a tower within another tower" (Credits goes to Pastor for inspiring me with this idea). While my group members had their own ideas of what our tower should be, we have finally settled on working with Slytherin, working on my idea of the concept.
When that was settled, churning out 3 different designs for the tower was little difficulty. We allocated each other with job scopes. One of us were to do a panel each and a exploration of the model. Out of the 4 of us, the 1 guy would do our final decision of the tower. Sadly, none of the panels were up to standard for that day's presentation, and I have to admit that it was slightly sloppy and disorganised. The good thing was that we had an ingenious idea of how the tower should look like after the presentation. Credit goes to Farah for constructing a pop out tower with neat folds and joints. It had the gothic and authorative look suitable for the tower. There were other issues at hand, such as how the outer tower should be constructed, and that caused disagreements between the group. On one side of the table, there was talk about how flaps and a straight inner tower should be constructed so as to show the authorative figure of the tower. On the other hand, I was thinking of creating a spiral twirl up to the top of the tower, so as to break the angular shape of the tower and to promote the use of paper.
Although the situation wasn't resolved on the spot, construction of the inner tower began on Wednesday. KC and I spent roughtly about the whole day forming a super big piece of paper. We found most of these paper as scrap paper from Scalebar, the printing shop in SDE. After spray-gluing the papers together, we started measuring the dimensions of the inner tower. One of the problems we faced is the angular shape of the inner tower, and the slanted edge of the tower such that it looked like a pyramid from the Andes. We resolved that easily by folding the paper inside, such that we can achieved a nice smooth line. By the end of the day, we were able to probe it up, such that it was standing by itself. That by itself took a whole lot of effort constructing, studying the nature of the paper, and the pyramid was an achievement.
No work was done for the outer tower though, as the design for the tower was not finalised. This was delayed till Sunday when action finally took place. Sadly, there was little which I could do to help the situation on the weekend. People have their lives and commitment. We just have to make do with the circumstances.
I managed to come back to the studio at 8pm that Sunday night. Things didnt look too good. Apparently, the inner tower had flopped into a deflated piece of paper. What that looked like the construction of the outer tower looked like a wrecked car from an accident. Team members remain demoralised at this point of time, wondering how they could reconstruct the flaps. (In the end, the flaps idea was selected.) What that needed attention was the strengthening of the inner tower. Thank God I had some background in construction due to my involvement in Scouts. In about an hour, I was able to reconstructed a pioneering structure of what we used back in NPC, in a scaled down size. Satisfied with how firm the inner structure stand, we fitted the initial inner tower around the skeleton structure, almost like as if we were adding skin to our tower. With that, the inner tower was completed.
There was another round of discussion on how the flaps can be reconstructed. It was close to impossible for such a construction to be done on a big scale. When all things became desperate, we finally used the "spiral" concept. It isn't really a spiral as there wasnt a continuous chain twirling around the tower. It resembled more of chains, and in a certain way, scales of a snake. Tedious planning, measuring, drawing of circles and cutting was done to the new template. When it was up, however, there were some inaccuracies in the measurement. And since it was 4am, there was no way to redo the piece again.
Sometimes, I feel that more time should have been invested on the execution aspect. Although planning itself is important, if one is unable to understand the nature of the paper and how it would affect the outcome, the design by itself is a failure.
With 2 hours of sleep, we had our crit session with our teacher. While the rest of the group had been commented for their designs and purpose, ours was perhaps heavily criticised for its accuracies and worksmanship. It was pretty sad to see this happening before my eyes. It was afterall a very good concept which no one had ever thought of. However, due to the input of many different ideas, and the lack of foresight, it was not executed to its perfection. The end result was a shoddy piece of work.
I would regard this exercise as a failure. But it is from this failure that lessons can drawn out of this.
1. There must be an ample amount of effort on the execution phase. This is so as to be able to react to unforeseen circumstances that may not be seen during the planning phase, whereby necessary action can take place.
2. There should be a project leader in anything which we do. When 2 people give conflicting ideas of how a design should look, the design itself will lose its efficiency. However, the project leader should also accept feedback from the group members.
3. There should be constructive feedback. This means it should not be a personal attack on the design, but an improvement or a fault to the design aspect.
4. Fighting for your ideas means putting in effort in putting forth what you want to show. Whether if it is to show your idea through a model, or suggesting the change of idea at the right time, if you feel strongly for an idea, knowing that it would work under constrains, then its worth fighting for.
I would glady redo my tower again if given a chance. Sometimes, when things dont go according to plan, you fall from the experience, and you learn how to pick yourself up again.
Slytherin Tower done by Ruth, Silvia, Doreen, Christina
Structural layer of Griffindor Tower done by Clement, Eileen, Bernice and Geena
Structural layer of Griffindor Tower done by Clement, Eileen, Bernice and Geena
Labels: Industrial Design
Up, up and away says Super Pioneer Daron.
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text: Oh Dog! It's only FOUR more days until Christmas! I am SOOOOO excited! My friend Brin from Shackleford England is so excited too…. or he was. Read his letter to Santa, followed by a footnote. Dear Santa, My very dear friend and fellow Boxer, Themba, died a few months ago. Before that, he was quite … Continue reading


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Club Monaco
Striped Linen T-Shirt
Colour: White
Select a size
- XS (only one left)
Editor's Notes
Club Monaco's T-shirt is ideal for transitional weather - it's made from linen, a natural, lightweight fibre that helps manage heat to keep you comfortable on warm days. It's designed for a regular cut and has classic stripes. Wear it with shorts or black jeans.
Wear it with: Club Monaco Shorts, Common Projects Sneakers, Alice Made This Ring, Ray-Ban Sunglasses.
Size & Fit
- Fits true to size. Take your normal size
- This T-shirt is designed for a regular cut
- Lightweight, stretchy fabric
- Model wears a S
- Model measures: chest 36"/ 92cm, height 6'1"/ 185cm
Details & Care
- White and black linen
- 100% linen
- Machine wash
Product Code 10516758727787571
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text: Nicolas Cage Adds Hollywood Glamour at Macau Film Fest's Opening Ceremony 7:25 PM PST 12/9/2018 by Karen Chu FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Courtesy of IFFAM The festival's third edition opened with a gala screening of Peter Farrelly's critically acclaimed 'Green Book.' Nicolas Cage was the big draw at the opening night of the International Film Festival and Awards Macao on Saturday, as for one evening the film industry stole the limelight in the city-state famed for its casinos. Macau, the "Las Vegas of the East," is playing host to the third edition of IFFAM and the opening ceremony saw stars from Hollywood and Asian cinema walk the carpet at Macau's Cultural Convention Center. Cage, an IFFAM talent ambassador who also held an actor's master class at the festival Sunday, stole the show on the red carpet with his colorful dinner jacket, but local and Asian media were captivated by South Korean singer-turned-actress and former Girls' Generation member Lim Yoon-A. A slew of global talent also walked the carpet including Mandy director Panos Cosmatos, Indian director Vasan Bala, British director Toby McDonald and Fly by Night director Zahir Omar. The great and the good of Macau high society and business were also in attendance. Donning a colorful tuxedo and sunglasses, Cage was in an effusive mood on the red carpet, and offered advice on perseverance and blocking out naysayers. "Don't let anybody talk you out of your dreams. You have to stand by and believe in yourself. There are a lot of people out there saying, 'you can't, you can't, you can't'. Don't listen to them. Don't give up," said Cage. In her opening address, director of Macau's tourism office and president of the IFFAM organizing committee Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes reiterated the festival's goals. "With the experience of the last two years, IFFAM has lived up to its objective to explore new cinematic dimensions, inspire boundless creativity, and present a visual splendor under the theme 'A new avenue to the world of films.' The organizing committee aspires to forge IFFAM into a cultural exchange platform of east and west across borders and generations," Fernandes said. IFFAM will run for seven days and close with Zhang Yimou's Chinese ink painting-inspired period actioner Shadows. The lineup includes gems such as Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite, Gustave Moller's The Guilty, Josie Rourke's Mary Queen of Scots, Gilles Lellouche's Sink or Swim, local director Ivo Ferreira's Macau-set drama Empire Hotel, as well as a retrospective of Chinese actress Yao Chen. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Karen Chu email@example.com @thr


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Knysna Housing Shortage: 21 People in 1 House
The 21 people living on this property are a strong example of Knysna's housing shortage. Karatara is a rural community within the Knysna Municipality where approximately 1000 people stay. Last week, i blogged that the government said that there was to be no housing built there for the next 10 years. I then blogged about Karatara's poverty and used the example of Senna Morris' family who had no water, electricity and sewerage services. I also complained about the awful gravel roads but am pleased to say that, on my return yesterday, i found that the Knysna Municipality has done a … 'Click here to read full article…'


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As Many Rounds As Possible in 20 Minutes
FireWood Strength. Deadlift or Bench Press.
Establish a 2 Rep Max with 0:05 pause.
Warm Up
3 Reps @ 40%
3 Reps @ 50%
3 Reps @ 60%
WOD. As Many Rounds and Reps As Possible in 20 minutes of:
9 Deadlifts (135/95#)
12 Front Rack Lunges
30 Double Unders (x2 Single Unders or 1:00 attempts)
Cool Down.
800m Jog or Walk then, Mobilize
Interested in learning more about PRIMUS CrossFit, Orlando's premier CrossFit affiliate gym? Contact Us to find out more.


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Samy Sana & Giorgio Petrosyan Face Off | ONE Snapshot
At ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD, Samy Sana entered the Circle to face off with his upcoming ONE: CENTURY opponent, Giorgio Petrosyan. But rather than attempt to intimidate one another, the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Grand Prix Championship finalists shared a moment of respect. Relive the snapshot of this epic moment from ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD, and have a look back at the bouts that earned "AK47" and "The Doctor" a place in the tournament final.
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Get the most out of your landmine workouts with the Linebacker Squat Attachment. Installation is a total breeze - simply slide and tighten over your Olympic barbell, load up on your choice of Olympic bumper plates, and start pushing your workout to the next level. Bolster your strength-training routine by adding linebacker squats, v-style squats, hack squats, overhead presses and more! This linebacker squat attachment will help you achieve your fitness goals like never before. Feel confident during your workouts with our tough steel construction, we guarantee durability for years to come.
Our redesigned version 2 of the Linebacker Squat features narrowed shoulder pads to maximize comfort and effectiveness, and minimize unnecessary strain during high intensity exercises. The upgraded version also boasts 2 additional weight posts to increase total capacity - so you can be confident that the Linebacker Squat attachment will stay relevant in your home gym as you advance your weightlifting goals.
And with our Combo you also get the Landmine Stand at a discounted bundle price! This high quality stand allows for easier plate loading and a "rackable" point to start and finish lifts. Now you can safely push your landmine overhead press or squat and add more dynamic workouts to your fitness routine.
*Note: Titan recommends resting the product on the ground to load plates, before pairing with the Titan® Landmine Stand. This will prevent spinning during the plate-loading process.
- Great attachment for linebacker squat, v-style squats, hack squats, overhead presses and more!
- Fits Olympic bars and Olympic weight plates.
- Version 2 features narrowed shoulder pads and 2 weight posts for added capacity.
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- Allows for easier plate loading, saving you time and frustration.
- Start from a comfortable height for your overhead press workouts.
- High quality steel construction with 4 adjustable height settings.
- Rotating Handle Spread: 19"
- Rotating Handle Diameter: 1"
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- Weight Post Length: 9.75"
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- Barbell Sleeve Length: 9.5"
- Barbell Sleeve Inner Diameter: 2"
- Weight Capacity: 650 LB (on weight posts)
- Weight: 35 LB
- Height Settings: 26.5" | 29.5" | 32.5" | 35.5"
- Footprint: 18" x 24"
- Roller Width: 11.5"
- Weight: 35 LB


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Wicked Horror Reviews: CREEPSHOW episode 2 streaming now on SHUDDER
a year ago
We talk episode two of Creepshow streaming now on Shudder
Bad Wolf Down: directed by Rob Schrab A group of American soldiers, trapped behind enemy lines during World War II, finds an unconventional way to even the odds.
The Finger: directed by Greg Nicotero An unhappy man discovers a severed, inhuman appendage on the street and brings it home, where it grows into a loyal companion with some deadly quirks.
Find out more at https://wicked-horror-show.pinecast.co
Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/wicked-horror-show/695238aa-835c-4e34-91b6-4c5ca829e6f7


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Casting has been confirmed for the upcoming English language World Premiere of Jean Poiret's La Cage aux Folles (the play), at the Park Theatre from the 12th February. Featuring a translation by actor Simon Callow, La Cage aux Folles is set to star: Michael Matus (Richard III – National Theatre and Headlong Theatre Tour, and King Lear – The… Read More
NEWS: All-Star Cast Announced for Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] at the Park Theatre
The Park Theatre has confirmedinitial star casting for their World Premiere murder mysteryWhodunnit [Unrehearsed], playing at the venue from the 15th to the 27th July. Every night during the show's run step onstage to join the rehearsed ensemble of a scripted murder mystery play, having attended no rehearsals, read no script, nor received any direction.… Read More
REVIEW: Blue Iguana
Hadi Hajaig's heist film is very muddled in terms of its intent and story, offering nothing new in the genre. The fact that it takes at least forty minutes for any clear plot to emerge in a film is perhaps not a great sign as it so proves with Blue Iguana. Written and directed by… Read More
NEWS: Simon Callow's One Man Show of A Christmas Carol to Play at the Arts Theatre
It has been announced that Simon Callow will once more star in the one man production of A Christmas Carol at the Arts Theatre from the 8th December. Following successful runs in 2012,2013 and 2016, Simon Callow returns in Tom Cairns' production, based around the adaptation Dickens made for his own public performances, for a new… Read More
NEWS: Simon Callow Announces Christmas Album
Marking the 175th anniversary of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' it has been announced that actor Simon Callow and The Brighouse and Rastrick Band will join forces to release a very special album this Christmas. Released on the 1st December, the CD will combine the actor's acclaimed adaptation of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' together with traditional Christmas carols performed by… Read More
Review Round Up: The Philanthropist, Trafalgar Studios
Simon Callow directs Matt Berry, Simon Bird, Lily Cole, Charlotte Ritchie, Tom Rosenthal in this revival of Christopher Hampton's play. But what have critics been making of the production? The Stage: * "The actors struggle to connect with one another in any meaningful way, and, despite their backgrounds in television comedy, they drain the play of its… Read More
NEWS: Simon Callow to Direct New Production of The Philanthropist
It has been confirmed that the actor will direct a new production of Christopher Hampton's play at the Trafalgar Studios, opening for previews from the 3rd April. Out in the 'real world' the Prime Minister and his cabinet have been assassinated and England's most treasured writers are being murdered one by one! Back in the cosy… Read More
NEWS: Simon Callow Returns to Arts Theatre with One Man Show A Christmas Carol
This reimagining of A Christmas Carol, starring Simon Callow and directed by Tom Cairns will make a return to London at the Arts Theatre from the 8th December until the 7th January 2017. Based on Dickens own performance of A Christmas Carol, the actor and director and designer Tom Cairns have created a one man… Read More


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Two Bedroom Family Suite
Our Two Bedroom Family Suites are perfect for families at a very spacious 85sqm. The master bedroom features a King bed while the second bedroom features two Double beds. Enjoy the convenience of a generous size separate living area (with the option of a sofa bed) and kitchen with all the facilities and amenities you need. Including a washer and dryer, two bathrooms and free WIFI.
Room Features :
- Free WIFI (up to 1GB per room per day)
- Private Balcony
- Tea/Coffee making facilities
- Kitchen
- 32-inch Flat Screen TV - with selected cable channels
- Air-Conditioning
- Dining Area
- Iron & Ironing Board
- Hair Dryer
- In-Room Safe
- Work Desk
- Washing Machine & Dryer
- iPOD Dock


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Illinois Review is so proud of our great bevy of generous contributors who keep news traffic moving at our state's "crossroads of the conservative community."
Last week Rosanna Pulido was featured on CNN's national Lou Dobbs' as well as another news show on John McCain's visit to Chicago and his controversial outreach approach to the Latino community.
Today Jill Stanek is scheduled to talk about Barack Obama and the Born Alive Infant Protection Act on Wolf Blitzer's "Situation Room" at 4:00 PM CST.


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Osram has acquired a 25.1% share in LeddarTech Inc., a Canadian company that develops a proprietary solid-state Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology integrated into semiconductors and sensor modules for self-driving cars and driver-assistance systems. LeddarTech specializes in LiDARsystems that use infrared light to monitor the area around them, and its advanced optical sensing technology is highly complementary with Osram's semiconductor products.
Osram's investment in LeddarTech is a response to the growing demand for LiDAR technology – an essential component in self-driving vehicles and in many other mobility-related applications. LiDAR is similar to radar technology in that it detects objects and measures distances and speeds, but it is based on infrared light. For more details, visit Osram's and LeddaTech's websites.


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SEB GCC (Steno / Typing) Exam January 2018 Notification is Published on 23/12/2017.
You can check all the detailed information about this mentioned post is given in the below link.
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Last Date : 09/01/2018.
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All I See is Mud
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Publisher's Summary
All I See is Mud is the story of Stan Dunkley, a soldier in World War I and the grandfather of author Andrew Dunkley. Originally presented on ABC Radio in Australia, this is a deeply intimate re-telling of an ordinary soldier and the terrible conditions he endured in the trenches along the front lines of the battlefield. For almost three years, Stan Dunkley fought, and survived, and here his story is preserved as a reminder of the sacrifices made during the darkest times in human history.
What listeners say about All I See is Mud
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
- jodie & cliff joy
- 01-30-15
A Must
What made the experience of listening to All I See is Mud the most enjoyable?
The day to day accounts from the soldiers view.
What was one of the most memorable moments of All I See is Mud?
All of it was memorable. Although the stand out is the recovery from being shot in the mouth and being passed off as one of the dead.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Brought a tear to my eye at times.
Any additional comments?
A must for those interested in Australian war history.
- Warren
- 02-26-14
Great insight into WW 1
What made the experience of listening to All I See is Mud the most enjoyable?
This book is narrated beautifully by the grandson of the main character. A great insight into the total innocence of these young men who were thrust into this bloody and brutal war, yet seemingly they kept their innocence and humour.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The final ulogy about the main characters life after the war, what were men made of in those days? Truely a different time full of great men such as Stan Dunkley.


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How to Get Prequalified for a Home Loan | Sapling.com – You can prequalify for a home loan with a bank, credit union, or mortgage company. You typically can choose between a direct lender, which makes the loans, or a mortgage broker, which acts as a single point of reference for multiple lending companies.
How to get pre-approved for a new home loan – Those who have finally decided that they are ready to buy a home are often daunted by various questions! A lot of work is to be done before they actually start looking around for a property..
Now, select ICICI Bank customers to get home loan of up to Rs 1 crore within a day – The lender, on March 27, said it has pre-approved home loans of up to Rs 1 crore for "lakhs" of. It usually takes seven to.
estimate of mortgage payment Patient Payment Estimation | TransUnion – Rising patient out-of-pocket costs can lead to increased uncompensated care. Our Patient payment estimation solution delivers a more transparent financial experience by providing patients accurate out-of-pocket cost estimates for medical services in advance.
Preapproved vs. Prequalified: Which Is Best When You're House Hunting? – To shop lenders, prequalify. You may not have decided. first steps you take when deciding you want a new home is determining what you need in order to be happy there. The list of your must-haves.
What Does Mortgage Pre-Approval Mean? An Advantage Buying a. – What does mortgage pre-approval mean? It means a lender has guaranteed to give you a home loan. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage before you make an offer on a house can help you stand out from.
Expert tips on buying and selling your home during busy season – If you're buying it's best to get pre-approved right away. Then Major will meet with you for a buyer consultation to assess your needs and wants in your new home, then it's time to start shopping. If.
How to Get Pre-Approved for Your Home Loan – A preliminary mortgage approval is a fundamental step in the home buying process. real estate agents as well as sellers usually require proof of a buyer's ability to get a mortgage and make offers for.
Why homebuyers should get prequalified with multiple lenders – It seems like the buyers who call me every day understand more and more that they need to get. prequalified for a mortgage. Within minutes, the online system spat out a prequalification letter.
usda property eligibility search USDA – Learn more about USDA Organic Get to know our Agency We provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management.esl home equity loan An Explanation of Home Equity and the Related Loans. – Home Equity is the amount of ownership that has been built up in a property. Typically, residential property is bought through a mortgage, which is then paid off for a number of years. After the mortgage has been fully repaid, the property then belongs to the mortgager, namely the buyer.
How Do I Get Pre-Qualified for a Mortgage? – This can be a great first step in the home-buying process, as it can help you establish a price range of homes to look at. Information You Need to Get Pre-Qualified Most major lenders allow you to pre.
PriorityBuyer Mortgage Preapproval – Wells Fargo – Get Prequalified or Preapproved. Finding a home loan amount you may qualify for is a good way to start looking for a home with confidence. Our video Prequalification vs. Preapproval can help you learn more about the difference.


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Manufacture: Rolex
Model: DateJust 41
Reference: 126334
Case Size: 41mm
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Bracelet Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire with Cyclops
Movement: Automatic Calibre 3235
Dial: Blue
Box: Yes
Papers: Yes
Age: Warranty Card Dated - 01/2020
This Rolex DateJust 41 is in excellent condition. It was originally sold in January of 2020 and is complete with the boxes and papers.
The case is in excellent condition.
The bracelet is in excellent condition with some fine swirls. It has all the links and will fit around a 7.75" wrist.
The bezel is in excellent condition.
The watch is functioning as it should and keeping great time; within COSC.
Rolex DateJust 41 126334 Blue Stick Dial Jubilee - 2020 Box & Papers


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Proposed date for 2021
A middle distance triathlon in an iconic location
The start, transition and finished are all based in the historic Bucklers's Hard,
The 1.9K swim is in the stunning Beaulieu River. The 90K Ride is through the stunning New Forest and the 22km run is through quiet lanes and river coastal path.
Ideal event for quick times, first timers, family times and GB Age group qualifying times!
Awesome medal, finishers t-shirt and post event food!
Once the date has been confirmed, we will open entries.


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Hi friends
I would like to connect my iPhone via usb to a devide to send to it some characters. Is it possible? In android I have used usbmanager. Which is the right way in iOS? Thanks
iOS does not provide any API to do that.
Xamarin Inc., as a wholly-owned Microsoft subsidiary acting as a separate legal entity, adheres to the Microsoft Privacy Statement: Privacy & cookies


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I recently visited the Lawn to photograph an unusual wedding, unusual because my lovely french bride Valerie wanted to do things a bit differently and of course being French there were lots of new ideas and things that we English don't normally do. The first thing i noticed was the table plan, not so much a plan as a collection of beautiful keys with named labels attached.
The flowers were done by Gill at Courts of Rayleigh lovely little displays on each table and arrangements in teapots, Valerie wanted an Alice in Wonderland theme.
William and Valerie chose the Lawn to celebrate their wedding and as always David, Amanda and the staff didn't disappoint, the day ran smoothly and everything was taken care of.
It was nice to bump into Jennie and Katie again and they both enjoyed doing bridal hair and make up.
Valerie looked stunning in a dress bought in France, it was beautiful and the detail was gorgeous, she was very photogenic and we had fun once the formal photos were taken doing shots in the house.
Our bride and groom chose to have a priest bless their wedding after the registrars had done their part and it was good to have the time to take some wedding photos from the gallery whilst the service was going on.
Valerie presented William with a lovely little puppy which was her wedding gift to him, they both love dogs and already have a greyhound.
We wish them every success in the future and thank you for inviting me to your new home in Cannes!


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Cyberfishing Smart Rod Sensor
Cyberfishing brings fishing rods into the modern age. A world where every cast is counted and saved; where all your catches are recorded with a single touch; and where you can build an online map of your fishing hotspots.MSRP $79.00
Categories Fishing & Hunting, Outdoor Recreation & Leisure, Smart Technology
Visit: https://cyberfishing.com/
Product Description:
With the Cyberfishing Smart Rod Sensor attached to your rod you get all the information you need to make every trip better. Be prepared. Fishing will never be the same again. It's as simple as Attach, Catch and Match.


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Mental Health: The Benefits of Therapy
May is Mental Health Month, and it's a good time to discuss the simple fact that mental health is just as important as physical health. Recently, there has been more public awareness regarding mental health issues and an attempt to put an end to the stigma surrounding mental illness. Every year, about 42.5 million American adults (or 18.2 percent of the total adult population in the United States) suffers from some mental illness. With numbers like this, there is no doubt that we could all benefit from a regular visit with a psychologist to ensure that our mental and emotional health are taken care of. Mental Health Month is as good a time as any to be proactive about our mental health and assess the ways that we deal with daily stressors, difficult situations, and the emotionally painful parts of life.
Research has shown that verbalizing feelings can have a significant therapeutic effect on the brain. There are a lot of benefits associated with therapy, and therapy is not just an activity for those with mental illnesses. Everyone can benefit from therapy; we all go to the doctor's for regular checkups, so why wouldn't we see a psychologist regularly to keep our minds healthy? According to Dr. David Spiegel, M.D., associate chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, everyone should be open to seeking professional guidance when it comes to their emotional health. "We're social creatures, fundamentally, so talking to people can be a real source of support and help," Speigel says. "But it won't happen if you don't give it a try." In honor of Mental Health Month, here are a few benefits of therapy and some good reasons to give it a try:
Building resilience against stress is a big benefit of therapy. Many people have a misconception that therapy is only for those who have suffered a trauma or a life-altering loss. However, studies show that therapy is a good way to handle everyday stress. Therapists are trained professionals who can talk us through our thought patterns and emotions to help us gain an understanding of our inward lives and take control of what goes on in our minds.
Therapy helps you understand yourself, but it also gives you an understanding of others. Talking through any negative thoughts that we may have and understanding their sources gives us the tools to work through pain or unhappiness, but it also helps us recognize pain in others. The process of working through our thoughts and emotions can help foster empathy and respect for others because it helps us see that mental and emotional pain can be a part of the human struggle.
This day and age, a lot of us suffer from loneliness. Though we are more connected by technology than we ever have been in the past, we have also become more detached in certain ways. This paradox can create feelings of isolation and even inferiority, especially considering the hyper curated versions of people's lives that are posted on the internet and social media. A study performed by Ottawa Public Health found that heavy social media users were more likely to report having poor mental health, psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression), suicidal thoughts and unmet mental health needs. Therapy can help a person sort through the feelings that often arise as a result of life in a fast-paced, social media obsessed world. Therapy helps you realize that you aren't alone in these struggles, and It's also comforting just to know that you have a built-in support structure.
While attending therapy regularly for mental and emotional reasons, many people notice that physical symptoms are often treated as well. Stress, depression, and anxiety can wreak havoc on a person's sleep habits and their general energy levels. Psychologist Marian Margulies states, "There have been some studies that show that many physical ailments are ameliorated when someone engages in therapy." Talking through your issues with a trained professional is a good way to untangle complicated emotions and lighten the burden you may be carrying. Since our bodies and minds are connected, it makes sense that the relief of therapy will have a positive effect on both.
People are starting to open up more about their personal struggles and mental health issues. The stigma seems seems to be fading, if slowly. If you feel therapy would benefit you, we hope that you see these possible benefits as a reason to go for it.


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Many have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the new Bahamas resort, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, in Nassau. However, delay after delay has ensued.
Yesterday, as feared, Baha Mar Ltd., the developer of the Baha Mar resort filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is the text of the announcement on the Baha Mar website:
The Baha Mar Board of Directors has determined that due to the financial consequences of the repeated delays by the general contractor, and the resulting loss of revenue, the Chapter 11 process is the best path to provide the time to put in place a viable capital structure and working relationships to complete construction and successfully open Baha Mar. The voluntary Chapter 11 filing has been made in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
We are committed to doing all we realistically can to move Baha Mar forward to be completed and opened successfully. We are confident that once opened, Baha Mar will be a world-class destination resort that will attract guests from around the world and serve as a key economic sparkplug in The Bahamas.
The plan is thus a Bankruptcy reorganization, and to move forward in developing the Baha Mar Resort.
What does this mean for Hyatt? One can no longer make reservations for the hotel. It seems, at best, there will be a substantial further delay in opening this resort. At worst… who knows.


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Dangal girls Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra recently attended the 4th Annual International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week in Datong, China. At the event, the beautiful girls not only won awards for Dangal but also met international star Jackie Chan.
Fatima Sana Shaikh shared many photos and videos from the 4th Annual International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week. The caption of a photo of Fatima and Jackie read, "Just had a fan girl moment!! In love with him!! It was such a pleasure to meet him, such a charming, kind and an amazing person he is.. Thank you so much for inviting us for your event. #whataman #jackiechan #love @jackiechan."
Sanya Malhotra also shared her photo with the star and wrote, "Met a legend who's so humble, gracious and hospitable. Thank you so much @jackiechan for having us at #jackiechanactionmovieweek . Looking forward to watch the closing ceremony and especially the performance by your team ♥#jackiechan#dangal."
See all the photos of Dangal fame Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra from the 4th Annual International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week:
On the work front, Sanya Malhotra will be seen in Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Badhaai Ho, Vishal Bhardwaj's Pataakha and Ritesh Batra's Photograph. Fatima Sana Sheikh will be seen in Thugs of Hindostan, also starring Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Entertainment News, download Indian Express App.


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Sample donated: Kathleen Bishop
Last updated: March 2, 2019
Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 Multi-agency working in services for disabled children: what impact does it have Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. on professionals? David Abbott LLB Hons, M.
Phil, M Soc Sc, Ruth Townsley BA Hons, PhD and Debby Watson BA Hons, MSc, CQSW Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol, UK Correspondence David Abbott Norah Fry Research Centre University of Bristol 3 Priory Road, Bristol, BS8 1TX E-mail: d. [email protected] ac.
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uk Abstract Whilst agencies in many sectors have been encouraged to work together to better meet the needs of service users, multi-agency working is now a central feature of government policy. In relation to children's services, the National Service Framework, the English green paper, 'Every Child Matters' (DfES, 2003) and the Children Bill (DfES 2004) give a high priority to an integrated approach to service provision.This paper focuses on multiagency working for disabled children with complex health-care needs, a group of children who, perhaps even more than most, require the many professionals who support them and their families, to work more closely together. Drawing on the findings from a 3-year qualitative research study, this paper examines the impact of working in a multi-agency service on professionals. Interviews with 115 professionals concluded that staff were overwhelmingly positive about working as part of a multi-agency service.
They reported improvements to their working lives in areas such as professional development, communication, collaboration with colleagues, and relationships with families with disabled children. However, whilst professionals felt that they were able to offer families a more efficient service, there was concern that the overall impact of multi-agency working on disabled children and their families would be limited. Keywords: disabled children, impact on professionals, multi-agency working Accepted for publication 5 October 2004 Introduction and backgroundDisabled children with complex health-care needs Children with complex health-care needs and their families have the same range of needs for services and support as other disabled children. But they also have additional care needs specifically related to the use of medical technology. This group of children typically require technical and/or medical equipment in the home, both because of their need for intensive ongoing care, and to compensate for the loss of a vital bodily function such as the ability to breathe or feed independently (Wagner et al. 1988).The combination of this group of children's needs for health, social care and education means that it is inevitable that several agencies will be involved throughout their lives. Research © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd has shown that on average, families of disabled children have contact with at least 10 different professionals, and, over the course of a year, attend at least 20 appointments at hospitals and clinics (Care Co-ordination Network UK 2001).
For families of disabled children with complex health-care needs, these numbers are likely to be very much higher.It is well established that the range, diversity and different levels of support are, in themselves, major problems for families (Townsley & Robinson 2000; Kirk & Glendinning 1999, Sloper & Turner 1992). The sheer number of professionals who may be involved in supporting a disabled child in the community can often lead to a lack of continuity and coordination and may leave families uncertain about who to contact regarding specific problems (Kirk & Glendinning 1999, Townsley & Robinson 2000; Wilcock et al. 1991).
155 D. Abbott et al.Multi-agency working – the policy imperative Multi-agency working became a policy imperative when the new Labour Government fixed on 'partnerships' as an alternative ethos to the internal market and competition in services (Alexander & Macdonald 2001). Current legislation requires professionals to find ways to move across the boundaries between health, education and social care. The concept of joint working underpins many recent policy documents and several white papers (Department of Health 1997, 1998, 2001; Cabinet Office 1999).Working in partnership is a key mechanism for delivery of services to children at risk of poverty and social exclusion in England through the Sure Start and Children's Fund initiatives.
It is also prioritised in the National Service Frameworks for Disabled Children in England and in Wales, with an emphasis on keyworking as a means of coordinating support for families. In addition, the 2003 Green Paper, 'Every Child Matters' (Department for Education and Skills 2003) has proposed major changes in health, education and social services with a focus on improving and safeguarding the well-being of 'vulnerable children' and their families.Despite such exhortations, there appears to be a dearth of evidence to support the notion that multiagency working in practice brings about actual benefits for children and families and the professionals that support them. Multi-agency initiatives have the potential to change working practices for professionals. As they are key actors in the delivery of services, it is important to ask what impact multi-agency working will have on their working lives. Peck et al. (2002) for example found that partnership working had led to some negative and adverse effects on staff in mental health services (Willis et al.
003). The impact that multi-agency working has on professionals supporting disabled children with complex health-care needs is the focus of this article, which draws on findings from empirical research outlined below. (For an account of the impact on families and children, see Townsley et al. 2004). study phase of the research (see Table 1 for a summarised description of each service). This involved in-depth collection of qualitative data in each service (three services in England, one in Wales, one in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland).Each multi-agency service was composed of senior managers, project managers and direct care and support staff from a range of disciplines and backgrounds.
The six services were chosen from a larger sample of 26 from which basic quantitative and qualitative data had been collected. Ensuring that each country in the UK was represented, the six service which took part in the case-study part of the research were chosen because they had the highest number of key components of multiagency working n place, e. g. a defined structure or model which set out how multi-agency working would operate; a degree of resource sharing in terms of staff time and/or money to provide services; multi-agency steering or management groups, etc. (see Watson et al. 2002 for a discussion of these components). In effect, we wanted to focus on six services which, after a preliminary analysis, seemed to be delivering the most developed and structured, family-focused, multi-agency service.
Each of the six services had some shared and some different characteristics. For example, funding arrangements differed between services as did eligibility criteria and systems for referral. However, the nature of support provided to families with a disabled child with complex health-care needs, was defined by each of the six multi-agency services in the following ways: • coordinating administration, such as coordinating care packages, funding and/or information; • coordinating services and support; and • providing services and support.All of the six services were acting as points of coordination for either administrative, or indirect, elements of care provision. This included coordinating things like discharge and care planning, assessments and reviews. In addition, four of the services aimed to ensure that families and children had access to a keyworker to coordinate and facilitate their care and support. At each service, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals, families and children/ young people involved in the multi-agency initiative.Some interviews with professionals were conducted in small groups whilst others were conducted individually.
We undertook a total of 115 interviews with a range of professionals (Table 2), 25 interviews with families, and spent time with 18 young disabled people with complex health-care needs. Interviews with professionals covered their work experiences as part of the multi-agency services; the Methods The research outlined in this article was commissioned by the Family Fund and carried out by the Norah Fry Research Centre at the University of Bristol.Supported by the Community Fund between 2000 and 2003, it sought to explore the process and impact of multiagency working on disabled children with complex health-care needs, their families and the professionals who support them. This paper draws on interviews with professionals in six multi-agency services which took part in a case156 © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 Multi-agency workingTable 1 Overview of the six multi-agency services Service A Date established 1999 Area Predominantly rural Main aims Improving liaison between health, social services and education staff; minimising appointments and reviews for families; providing access to a named key worker for families. To provide and coordinate services and support to disabled children aged 0–19; providing access to a named key worker. To meet the needs of disabled children and their families through: Multidisciplinary discharge planning; planning and managing coordinated, home-based support packages.Establishing a system of care coordination for children with complex needs aged 0 – 5 years through: a multi agency steering group; a single assessment and care plan tool; access to a named key worker. To provide coordinated support and services by providing families with a named key worker.
Staff Full-time project manager; half-time admin assistant; one hundred staff from the three main agencies contributing time and resources. Sixteen staff from a range of professional disciplines employed directly by the service working as a team in one building.Staff in an integrated community Health and social services trust. B 1991 Rural C 1994 Predominantly urban D 1999 Rural Full-time project manager and secretary employed by education. Sixty other staff from the three main agencies work as part of the service to support families. Part-time project manager funded by health; ? fty other staff from the three main agencies work as part of the service as keyworkers and in other ways. Three health-funded workers who train and support family carers from a wide range of professional backgrounds. E 1998Rural county with one urban area F 1996 Large urban conurbation To make transition from hospital to home as smooth and coordinated as possible; organising and coordinating jointly funded care packages.
work that the service did to support children with complex health-care needs and their families; the positive and more challenging aspects of multi-agency working and collaborating with professionals from other disciplines. The material we collected comprised semi-structured interview data in note form and on audio tape, collected via a semi-structured topic uide. This was subsequently transcribed, or summarised from the notes or by listening to the tapes. We also collated other relevant documents, including policies, guidance, training materials and so on. The data was analysed following established qualitative analysis procedures (Taylor & Bogdan 1984).
This involved reading and re-reading the transcripts of field notes to identify major themes or issues. Using a constant comparative approach (Glaser & Strauss 1967), emerging themes and issues were compared for similarities or differences.Themes were cross-checked between the three members of the research team and particular attention was paid to themes which appeared to be unusual or counter-intuitive. Themes were then grouped into broader categories which formed the coding frame for analysis.
This frame was verified by each member of the research team checking each other's transcripts for accuracy and consistency in coding. We did not examine the data to explore differences between regions.Findings – the impact of multi-agency work on professionals Professionals spoke highly of their experiences working in a multi-agency service; they enjoyed it and found it rewarding. The overwhelming majority of professionals said that they were committed to and enthusiastic about the principles and practice of multi-agency working.
The most commonly used words to describe the experience of working in a multi-agency service were, 'rewarding', 'enjoyable', 'challenging', 'motivating' and 'satisfying'.Impact on professional development Working across traditional professional boundaries can provide opportunities for staff to develop new skills 157 © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 D. Abbott et al. Table 2 Numbers/types of professionals interviewed in the six services Agency type Health Professional groups Speech and language therapists Community nurses Health visitors Physiotherapists Occupational therapists Hospital nurses Psychologists Hospital consultants Operational managers Senior/strategic managers Total Social workers Short breaks workersOperational managers Senior/strategic managers Administrative staff Early years intervention worker Project worker Community-based care workers Occupational therapist Total Educational psychologist Specialist teacher Senior educational of? cer Portage worker Operational manager Senior/strategic manager Nursery nurse Total Operational manager Senior practitioner Advisor Total Overall total of professionals interviewed Numbers of professionals interviewed 5 12 9 4 5 1 1 6 14 3 60 9 2 8 4 3 1 1 6 1 35 4 1 1 1 5 2 1 15 3 1 1 5 115 Social care Education Voluntary sector nd knowledge in a number of different ways.
Prevalent among many responses from professionals in each service was a heightened knowledge about the roles of colleagues from other disciplines. They believed this to be the result of working more closely together in multiagency teams, meetings and forums: Personally – it's been very good in terms of personal development. I've always felt that I was a good team player. But [the teams] have helped me develop my knowledge of what other people do. And knowing about other departments and their strengths, weaknesses are very useful. community nurse) Impact on role and professional identity We wanted to know if working in multi-agency teams and/or in multi-agency services changed how professionals perceived their own roles and their sense of professional identity.
Providing a more 'joined-up' service to families may require professionals to work across traditional professional boundaries and possibly to expand their role. Lacey & Ouvry (2000) and Doyle (1997) discuss concepts of 'role release' and 'role expansion' which they argue are key to effective collaborative working.Role release implies the transfer of skills and sharing of expertise to an individual or group.
Role expansion involves training in the concepts and language of another discipline. Both these concepts involve a certain amount of trust between professionals in order that roles are released and expanded to allow people to take each other's places. This is a demanding process and As well as learning about each other's roles in relation to individual children and families, there were opportunities to reflect on issues which crossed disciplines.So for example, in one service, there had been multi-agency fora to discuss confidentiality and consent which had resulted in a more consistent approach across agencies. 158 © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 Multi-agency working professionals must first feel secure in their own roles and have confidence in their own abilities (Hart 1991). Some professionals may find these experiences very threatening.
Brown et al. (2000) point out that the erosion of roles is both opportunistic and threatening.In three services, some professionals said that working relationships with colleagues from other disciplines were so strong that there had been an expansion of their role. They were all prepared to take on any task within their capability which effectively supported families rather than saying, 'I'm a social worker and I don't do that kind of task', for example. It's made a big difference. I can work in different ways than just a social worker would.
As a social worker I would ask, 'how is this child getting on? ', but now I feel we can sort out particular problems together. social worker) professional identity and status as a social worker with her developing role as a keyworker. Bit of a conflict working for social services and working for [the team]. I trained as a social worker and then come here to [the team] where it's completely different and sometimes it's difficult to reconcile the two. Sometimes it's a bit of a personal dilemma – how much I am working in the [team] way and how much am I working in the social services way? (social worker) Four of the six services had created a new professional role of 'keyworker. This involved acting as a central point of contact for a family and acting as a coordinator of professionals and support services for the family.
Staff in these services said that they were forced to leave their specialties behind as part of multidisciplinary teams and instead adopt the new role of keyworker: We see ourselves less as health visitors or social workers or whatever and more as co-ordinators. (health visitor) A physiotherapist who also acted as a keyworker reflected upon how the role had impacted on her sense of professional identity: I think we do more cross-over work now.We are more 'generic' in our roles – we will take on aspects of other people's roles and pick up things that other people might normally do. There are huge benefits for families. We don't say 'you'll have to wait for the OT to come to do this' – we just get on and deal with it ourselves. ( physiotherapist) Senior managers spoke less about the process of role blurring and were more inclined to highlight their view that the specialist contribution made by various staff members in a team was significant.
One senior manager sounded a note of caution about professionals working outside of their area of expertise. This manager felt that difficulties had arisen from 'well-intentioned people' over-stepping their roles. Our research found evidence of role expansion and role blurring and most direct care and support staff were positive about the opportunities that this provided for them to work in new ways. However, one group of professionals felt unsure about their role in working with children with complex health-care needs.So in four sites there was discussion about the role of social work and social services in the lives of disabled children with complex health-care needs. There were concerns about how working with children with complex health-care needs meant that medical and healthcare issues dominated. Social workers were not always sure or confident about their role in what they perceived to be an 'overtly medical situation'.
It is interesting that some social workers felt that a 'social model of disability' was being threatened by the dominance of medical and health issues. Revans (2003) writes that the blurring of boundaries' synonymous with joint working between health and social services can contribute to the erosion of the social model of care as social workers' independence diminishes. Impact on communication In developing ways to work together, it is important that professionals find practical ways to communicate with each other and to work together across agencies. This involves formal and informal structures such as meetings, reviews, away days, etc. Multi-agency working can have both a positive and a negative impact upon how well professionals communicate with each other.In our interviews, good communication between agencies and professionals was recognised as key to the success of multi-agency working: We can quite easily block interagency working can't we, quite easily, it has nothing to do with our profession at all; it is to do One professional discussed how he had to be thoughtful about when he was working with a family as a keyworker and when he was working with them in his role as a therapist.
As a result, he had constructed quite clear boundaries around his different roles: … it changes my role with families.It's very task orientated – fixing meetings, conflict resolution, but this inhibits my role as therapist. They see me instead as a fixer of things. We've talked about this – me and my two families and now I'm clear what hat I'm wearing when I go – link worker or psychologist and that's been good and restored my therapeutic relationship with them. (clinical psychologist) A keyworker at one service (a site where most of her colleagues discussed their positive experience of 'role expansion') was less clear about how to reconcile her © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 59 D. Abbott et al.
with how we engage and communicate with others really, directly or indirectly. (senior manager: health) Professionals across the sites reported that as a result of multi-agency working, there were significant improvements in communicating with other professionals. Generally, professionals said that they were easier to get hold of, easier to access information from and that the structures of multi-agency teams/services improved formal opportunities for information sharing and problem solving. It cuts down a huge amount of duplication when other professionals are there.
Cuts down on phone-calls. Makes things more efficient and easier. (occupational therapist) Some of the structures that multi-agency services had put in place (such as regular meetings, steering groups, etc. ) formalised these positive opportunities for communication. On the whole, staff were committed to attending meetings so they knew that there would be a fixed time to focus on particular children: It gives us registered 'time out' to meet and talk.
It puts boundaries on it – here is 45 minutes to talk about one particular child. (community nurse)As well as a reported overall improvement in communication between professionals and agencies, some difficulties remained. There was concern about the possible duplication of multi-agency fora and the challenges that this posed to good communication. In each site, other statutory assessments (looked after children, statementing of special education needs, record of needs) also led to multi-agency meetings.
Some professionals were concerned that an additional multi-agency forum and meeting were creating another round of meetings for themselves and for their families.Impact on workload It is interesting to note that overall direct care/support staff, including keyworkers, did not report a detrimental impact on their ability to manage their workload. In fact, some staff felt that the role made things more efficient because they often had a much better overview of the issues facing the family they coordinated for. Being a coordinator gives you extra information about children that you wouldn't have as just a clinician. You get copied into all correspondence about a child which means you know so much more about how things are working out for them. It has an inevitable mpact on the quality of your own service. (speech and language therapist) reason perceived no adverse impact on their workloads.
However, senior managers had more concerns about workload and were surprised to learn in feedback from the research team that keyworkers were not unduly worried about this aspect of the impact of multi-agency working. Lack of adequate, 'ring-fenced' time and funding may mean that workers are asked to take part in new joint initiatives in addition to their main job. Consequently, difficulties can arise as a result of time constraints and a lack of priority being given to the additional role.Mukherjee et al. (1999) indicate that where staff volunteer to take part in multi-agency work they are more likely to feel positive about the new, or additional, role.
However, insufficient time, in particular, can be an insurmountable barrier to effective joint work (Lacey 1997). Our interviews suggested that staff working directly with families felt that their work was an extension of previous joined-up working which had been formalised and therefore did not represent a significant increase in workload. However, a group of professionals in one site did not share this view and had opted out of being keyworkers.
There was also a recognition that keyworkers could only take on the role for a limited number of families. Impact on relationships with other professionals and agencies A recurring theme in our interviews was how relationships had been improved on a professional and personal level. Professionals in several sites highlighted the improvement in relationships saying that the 'blame culture' had gone. Staff had got to know each other better and as a result enjoyed working with each other more: No one tries to steal anyone's thunder any more which does make a difference. social worker) In one site, the whole of a team which spanned several disciplines were accommodated in one building. Staff there found this very advantageous: We're all here together. We know each other well.
We can all help each other with problems. I can talk to an expert at a moment's notice. (occupational therapist) The exposure to other peer professionals in meetings also meant that, as some staff highlighted, it encouraged them to make sure that they carried out tasks they said they would because it would be embarrassing not to: There's a subtle peer pressure. It's helpful.You feel you can't turn up and say you haven't done stuff.
(speech and language therapist) Professionals with a keyworker role routinely said that it was part of what they would normally do and had always done in their existing role and for this 160 © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 Multi-agency working Nevertheless, some barriers routinely remained between agencies and professionals. Community health staff at one service said doctors and consultants in acute settings were unapproachable and did not take account of their views.In the same site, community social workers said there was insufficient dialogue with hospital social workers around the transition from hospital to home.
Social workers in this site did not feel that their views were taken seriously by medical professionals. They also reported poor relationships and conflict with education staff who they did not feel were committed to join in multi-agency practice. Education was, in every service except one, mentioned as the agency with whom it was least easy to work with in multi-agency practice.This was not a universal statement about education staff as a whole; many individuals within education were thought to be committed and helpful. However, the very clear statutory framework that education has and the fact that staff that know children best (teachers and classroom assistants) were generally unavailable to take part in meetings meant that education was perceived as the least accessible partner. Professionals in three sites reported difficulties in getting health as an agency to take an active interest and commit to the multi-agency project.
In one service, a senior manager felt that the emphasis on keyworking had focused on staff and services in the community and that hospitals were only just beginning to think about how to work in a more coordinated way. In this service, there were significant barriers reported in working with health. This was in part resulting from the restructuring of health authorities.
There was criticism of a perceived intransigence of health to expand on their role to take on board a more co-ordinated approach: They [health] have been trained to work that way at the end of the day, they haven't been trained to work in a multi-agency way. senior manager: education) better and more effective ways to coordinate support and services for families and to coordinate contact with professionals. For example, the team meetings in one service were routinely described by professionals as an effective forum for families to have their problems resolved promptly and efficiently. Professionals felt that their relationships were enhanced with families because they were offering more coordinated services. They said that working closely with families gave them clearer insights into the issues associated with having a child with complex health-care needs.Professionals liked the fact that they appeared as a more coherent and professional team and felt that this would enable families to perceive that they were all working together towards the same goals. For some staff, however, this enabled them to present a united front 'against' certain parents: For difficult families it is useful for them to see that we all talk to each other – that they can't play us off against each other.
(senior manager: social services) The overwhelming majority of professionals in each site thought that the service was making a positive difference to families' quality of life.Whilst the difference was thought to be positive in that things were assumed to be better than they had been in the past, the change was not assumed to be significant for families' quality of life: It's not a significant difference to quality of life. More coordination of what is already happening.
Families are not getting things they weren't getting before. It's just better coordinated now. It pulls things together and makes them more effective.
(health visitor)The most discernable difference was that children with complex health-care needs were having their health needs met in a home/community setting: I think you can see a marked difference in the deployment of services say from two or three years ago. (operational manager: health) Barriers remained between certain professionals and certain agencies. When we look at some of the literature on partnership-working this is probably unsurprising. Banks (2002) argues that it isn't possible to assume that putting structures of multi-agency work in place will automatically lead to effective partnership and collaboration between professionals.Banks also reports that in partnerships for particular groups, there may routinely be a 'reticent partner', i. e. an agency/partner who is less willing to play an active role and passes responsibility onto others. Impact upon work and relationships with families From the professionals' point of view, they thought that the structures of their multi-agency services created Although, as discussed, professionals reported positive outcomes for themselves and their agencies, there were still concerns about whether it had worked as well for families.
In one service, it was felt that this absence of any additional funding for new or existing services meant that families' expectations had been unfairly raised. It was not possible to deliver on the care plan written with and for families. There was also concern expressed by a small number of professionals about the absence of new or additional services. A senior manager reflected upon families' disappointment about this: … plan upon plan upon plan but no actual difference in services and you can sense the frustration. (senior manager: education) © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Health and Social Care in the Community 13(2), 155–163 61 D. Abbott et al.
Conclusion The professionals that took part in this research were overwhelmingly positive about multi-agency working. The evidence in this study strongly suggests that multiagency working can have a positive impact on the working lives of professionals. Professionals said they enjoyed working this way and importantly, felt able to provide families with better quality coordination and relationships. Virtually all of the staff interviewed welcomed changes in their work practices relating to enhanced communication and better understanding of the roles of colleagues in other disciplines and from other backgrounds.In terms of the specific group of children being supported by these teams – children with complex health-care needs – professionals from social services reported some anxiety about the marginalisation of their input whilst at the same time welcoming the opportunities afforded by the multi-agency service that they were a part of. It also proved difficult to engage with certain professionals within health settings who were seen as not prioritising 'soft issues' like multi-agency approaches to service delivery. Finally, teachers were regarded as missing from the picture given their classroom commitments.
It is interesting to note however, that professionals' views on the likely impact on families was that the difference would be positive but not significant. We were struck by the assumption amongst some professionals that if their work lives were made more effective by multi-agency working, then positive outcomes for families would follow automatically. In a cautionary note, Banks (quoted in Snell 2003) writes that there is not always enough focus on ensuring that joint working results in positive outcomes for the people who are supposed to benefit.However, the professionals involved in this study had accepted that doing something was very much better than doing nothing. They acknowledged that multi-agency working was challenging and that evidence of benefits would take time to achieve. However, in the meantime, and to their credit, they were prepared to take action, as opposed to continuing to discuss the difficulties and problems. As one social services manager summed up: We can't talk about this any longer, we have to do it.


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The scalable business model of Xtreme Fitness Gyms
Part 1: Target group
Part 2: Value offer and pricing
Part 3: Standardization and digitization of activities and resources
Part 4: Team, Know-how, Development
In the recent editions of Biznes Ring we have been concentrating on the topic of business model efficiency. The guest of this edition is Lukas Dojka, CEO of Xtreme Fitness Gyms, a polish fitness club network which has witnessed dynamic growth in the last years. The cornerstone of Xtreme Fitness' growth is a meticulous franchise model created by its' polish founders. As emphasized by its' CEO, this franchise model guarantees profitability and growth because it is based on a scalable business model. What does Xtreme Fitness Gyms business model look like and what are the levers of its scalability – these are my key questions on the agenda of this Biznes Ring interview with Lukas.


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Lebanon Vision Trip
This trip is designed to educate and familiarize those who have an interest in forming the nucleus of New Hope Church's emerging connection to Beirut-based partner ministries. There is also a specific opportunity for ministry to women and children. We envision a new Global Action Team (GAT) forming following this trip. Members will focus on prayer, encouragement and communication about this area of the world while considering future opportunities in collaboration with the partnerships we're forming.
Next Trip: To be determined
Team size: Up to 5
Cost: $2,100 (estimated)
New Hope Church's developing partnerships involve the Free Evangelical Church of Lebanon (FEAL), two other North American EFCA churches and WorldLead of Boca Raton, Florida, a leadership development resource for indigenous ministry organizations. Some of the ministry activities include:
- WorldLead training, development and encouragement for church planters throughout the region
- Outreach support of the Oasis Project (Beirut, Bekaa Valley)
- GlobalFingerprints child sponsorship of Oasis children
- Development of sustainability opportunities by FEAL
Global Outreach or 763-971-5104